Resonator death rattle: what is the best aftermarket resonator?

[Chickenhawk]

The insides of my resonator is rattling, and it is time for a replacement. I do NOT want to just delete it ... mostly because I am old and slow and all you damn kids should GET OFF MY LAWN. Basically, I do a lot of highway driving and do not want the slightest hint of drone. I am looking at the Flowmaster Universal 2.5" and the Vibrant Ultra Quiet 2.5" universal resonators. The Flowmaster is 4" by 6" by 11", and the Vibrant is 6.5" by 5" by 10". Both are stainless.

Anyone used either of these to replace the stock resonator on a stock exhaust system?

Also looking for advice on how best to go from the 2.75" stock pipe just behind the hanger, to a 2.5" inlet on either one. I am thinking of just running a straight tip backwards from the new resonator. I can't think of a single advantage of going from a 2.75" stock pipe to a 3" aftermarket resonator. Thoughts?

 

[Mooseman]

I got a Flowmaster for my son's Silvy. It was a perfect match 2.5 that I had welded in. Has been working fine for a couple of months now. Got it off Amazon.ca for $100.

On my old TB, I first used an off-brand universal 3" that I put in with band clamps. The original is in an awkward place but it held a couple of years. After that, I installed a full replacement off-brand from manifold to post-cat flange. IIRC, it eventually gave me a low cat efficiency code.

I'd go with a Flowmaster universal 3" and have it welded at a muffler shop. They could probably weld in the size difference.

 

[JerryIrons]

I ended up going with this system, installed it a year ago, and for the price was happy:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=20245+02-2009+&_sacat=0

That weird S turn piece of pipe wasn't exactly right, but close enough that I would order again from them. Anyway, that's the entire exhaust system after the cat and you are asking about the resonator so not sure if this helps really.

 

[littleblazer]

Doesn't Walker sell the resonator?

 

[Chickenhawk]

Interesting that JerryIrons system is one of the few aftermarket ones I have seen that actually uses 2 3/4" pipe, instead of the more common aftermarket 2 1/2". Plus, it appears the muffler is a 3" inlet and outlet. (Probably to use an off-the-shelf muffler.)

What was the sound like? (Yes, I want quiet.)

In answer to why I want a 2 1/2" in and out resonator instead of a 3" is simple: ease of installation. Exhaust pipe is measured in OD (outside diameter) and mufflers and resonators are measured in ID (inside diameter.) This is so that a 2 1/2" muffler is designed to slip OVER TOP of a 2 1/2" exhaust pipe. If they were all measured the same way, we would need to weld butt joints on all our exhaust systems!

So the bottom line is that our 2 3/4" pipe is 2.75" on the outside, but closer to 2.6" on the inside. A muffler or resonator with a 2 1/2" inlet is about 2.6" on the outside. Theoretically, the resonator should just slip nicely inside the exhaust pipe, and the only restriction to exhaust flow, when you look at the actual ID numbers, is about a .1" lip. Any space between the two can be easily fixed by either a good muffler clamp or by welding.

A 3" resonator is about 2.9" inside, and there would be more space to fill if it slips over top of the 2.75 pipe. Plus, cutting at the resonator means it may not have much meat over the pipe until it butts into the hanger.

 

[JerryIrons]

It's quiet, I'm happy with it. Is it super quiet? maybe not, but my wife drives it and doesn't complain and I don't even think about the exhaust when driving it. For the price you can't beat it.
I once put a walker exhaust on an old F150, that thing was awful, had a loud drone and I really didn't like driving it like that.

 

[C-ya]

I had a stock type muffler under my V8 and no resonator when I bought it. No drone whatsoever. When that one rusted, I went with another stock type muffler as my baby was still young and I didn't want any noise to bother her if she was sleeping while in the truck. No problems whatsoever with a stock muffler (it was about 20" or more long) and no res on mine.

I have a welded muffler on there now (Thrush), and it does drone a little but not enough to bother me. I'm not to the point of shooing kids off my lawn yet, so...

 

[hockeyman]

I did not replace the resonator / muffler on my Envoy what I had it, but I did however buy a cheap replacement exhaust system on RA for a vehicle that I owned prior it. The metal was not a good quality and I knew it would rust out pretty quickly, so I brushed the exterior of it with a high temp por15 paint.
Yes, I know it will still rust from the inside, but at least it wasn't chewing away at the metal on both sides. It held up nicely in the road salted winter months up north.

A good quality metal will not need that sort of treatment, but if you want to get a cheaper set and want it to last a bit longer, it's not a bad idea to do that.
Due to sheer boredom at the time, I also got underneath and painted over the welds.

 

[hawkeye405]

I just had a Magnaflow muffler installed and ran a straight pipe in place of the resonator into a "Y" tip. the drone was unbearable. I went back to the shop and had them install a Magnaflow resonator with the "Y" tip. It cut the drone down substantially but it's still there. It doesn't sound too loud until I hit 2k rpm which is around 70mph highway speed. Is there a way to eliminate the drone without changing the muffler?

Where does the drone come from? Would installing Dynamat on the floor reduce the drone?

 

[yyz]

I had just installed a Walker muffler AND also replaced the resonator. Bolted right in. Works great. Used a stainless steel coupler sleeve behind the muffler and a coupler cone before the muffler.