[Eric van Spelde]

Saabine ('85 900T) currently has a Simons 2.5" half system with OE downpipe and front muffler (which is a straight-trough perforation muffler on these cars).

Of course, the downpipe has to go before serious dyno tuning is performed on the new engine (battery has already been relocated to the back, so there's space for a nice gradual bend from the turbo outlet), but I was wondering about the front muffler.
I have already damaged two OE downpipes and one muffler (one each beyond repair) because of the front muffler getting grounded when backing out of the garage or a parking spot (there's a kink in the downpipe and a dent in the front muffler that were installed not even two years and under 1,000 miles ago already), and according to my guesstimate that front muffler weighs easily over 10 kgs.
Then there's a blurb on the 'local' stainless sports exhaust specialists site www.uitlaten.nl about the muffler(s) ideally sitting as far dwon the exhaust as possible, and indeed looking at the JT 3" system, there's one muffler where the rear muffler in the OE (as well as the Simons) set up is, and a optional, smaller back box where OE has just a long tailpipe.

What I'm thinking, in addition to replacing the downpipe:

* replace the front muffler with a piece of straight pipe
* retain the Simons rear (centre) muffler
* add a small, lightweight carbon motorbike back box, instead of the twin tailpipe which is on Saabine now.

More or less like this:



Any ideas - cool or plain naff (on a black -straight-bumper c900, not a Tuscan...), and if the first - would a carbon can from a biker shop do the job?

 

[Eric van Spelde]

For clarification, this is what the twin-muffler JT system looks like:

 

[mark e]

I wouldn't be that keen on a bike style box myself- I thnk it would look too much like one the the cheap "cherry bomb" type exhausts. I rather like what you've got at the mo.

FWIW personally I'm a fan of polished stainless exhaust pipes

As I understand it, having a long un-muffled section generates the popping sound on overrun- you either liek that or you don't. I do as it happens, which is just as well as mine does it.

One thing I have found though is that whilst I get loadsa luvverly popping with my straight thru cat replacement, and this is somewhat attenuated whe nthe CAT is back in, it goes completely if I run the Abbott centre box. I tried this for a whiel recently because with the new turbo on, the exhasut noise has increased, although it sounds even nicer now I reckon. I put the noise increase down to the much larger exhaust side of the turbo giving less attenuatio. Unfortuntaely it would also appear it has lowered the back presure so much that I'm getting some mild driveability problems at low speeds.

Which sort of brings me to my next point, in that I would imagine a bike box will have very different tuning to a car one and may not work so well with such a comparatively long inlet tube...

 

[Eric van Spelde]

Of course, I can always just replace the front muffler with a length of straight tubing and see whether the sound level is acceptable to me; it should be - although when I had that done on the Silver Arrow it highlighted the leaks elsewhere in the system making for a genuine John Deere soundtrack at idle - but it might be a bit much in conjunction with an oversize downpipe and the deletion of the soundproofing undercarpet from the floorpan...

I wasn't aware though, that they make genuine carbon fibre cherrybombs nowadays...

Which sort of brings me to my next point, in that I would imagine a bike box will have very different tuning to a car one and may not work so well with such a comparatively long inlet tube...  [/b]

That's more or less what I was afraid of. Shame - I rather liked the idea because of possible weight savings, and to my eyes the way it is done on the Tuscan is très cool...

 

[maartenvandorst]

Keep the twin tailpipe, it looks very good

Replace the front muffler with a straight pipe. Jeroen did this on the 900T he used to own and it was one of the best sounding Saabs I've ever heard. It's a bit louder than stock, but that's not a problem on a car with such a beautifull exhaust note.
Saabine sounds and looks good the way it is now. Just install the 3" downpipe and remove the front muffler. I'm sure you were kidding about the ugly carbon exhaust

I wanted my NG900T to sound exactly like my brothers c900T, so I went to Exhaust Power Supply (www.uitlaten.com). They can make anything you want. I opted for a muffler that came closest to the classic 900 turbo sound as possible. Copying the sound 100% is impossible because of the different exhaust manifolds. They will let you hear the muffler on your car before making your choice.

A while ago the resonator on my 900 was replaced by a straight pipe, this did wonders for the sound. It's a bit more 'hollow'(like the c900T) and louder. Exactly the way I want it.

 

[burre]

Eric,

I would have to agree with Maarten. Your twin pipes look pretty cool. A motocycle muffler would look a bit cheesy, although, if you welded it in underneath the car where it wouldn't be seen, I am pretty sure it would work quite well. My Saab sport catback exhaust has a straight through, perforated core muffler identicle to aftermarket sportbike exhausts. I am sure you can get a similar design car muffler to do the same function anyways. Carbon fiber would be a bad idea on the underside of the car since a stone or some other object from the road would tear it up quite easily.

I too, like Maarten, do not have the center muffler, and a 3" downpipe and racecat on my 1999 9-3. The sound is slightly hollow but definitely sounds performance. At cruising speeds, it is pretty quiet and very liveable. At high engine loads, it has a very nice and agressive growl. On decelleration, I get some nice popping and burbling which I do like. I find myself downshifting and letting of the gas to listen to it sometimes!

Eric Burr
1999 9-3
Saab sport catback exhaust
BSR 3" downpipe with racecat

 

[9000CS23T]

Eric, I'd also agree with the others, leave the twin pipes on, they look good. Just cut the front box out and see how she sounds.

Neil