Stainless rear silencer 2005 W203 320 CDI estate

[ss201]

My local tyre/exhaust centre has quoted me a reasonable price to replace the original (and very tired) rear silencer with a Powerflo box. They will make and fit a stainless steel one on site. They are a reputable company of many years standing. I'm not interested in additional power or having the car sound like I'm a boy racer. I'd just like it to work, last and not annoy me, the neighbours or the local bobbies.

They did offer a mild warning that the Powerflo rear box will have no internal soundproofing, but stated that as it's a diesel car it shouldn't be overly noisy. My very basic physics (and a modicum of common sense) tells me that a hollow empty metal box (which is effectively what a silencer with no sound deadening is) can't do anything but resonate and make more noise.

Before I have it made and fitted - has anyone replaced a standard mild steel rear box (to a diesel) with a Powerflo stainless one, and if so, has the exhaust note become noticeably (i.e irritatingly) louder?

Thanks!

 

[kasper]

I have had westgate tyres fit powerflow exhausts to most of my previous cars petrol and diesel and have always had good results slight increase in noise but not evasive

 

[PobodY]

I've got a full powerflow system on the Nissan; it's louder than a standard exhaust, but not as loud as one with a leaking back-box.

Each installer is their own business, so unfortunately you can't really use the experience of one owner with another (unless they went to the same place).

I'm disappointed it's not mandrel bent, and it had to go back once for another box... and it really needs a length of flexi or a comensator because when it's hot it bangs against the floor pan. - You get what you pay for, and this was a fraction of the cost of somewhere like Pipe Werx.

Does look quite good, and I enjoy the raspy note when I'm really pushing hard:

 

[PobodY]

Should say; that this is Petrol, so the raspy note on full throttle and crackle on the over-run probably don't apply to a diesel.

 

[190]

If by sound proofing they mean sound absorbent material then I doubt there is any in the original MB box. Other than straight through ones, silencers work by allowing the gasses to expand and resonate in a series of internal chambers connected by pipes and that includes the better stainless ones. I'm having trouble with the idea that someone makes silencers that are just an empty box.

 

[hotrodder]

^^ That's a large part of why some stainless exhaust bits are a chunk cheaper than others. Some are little more than an empty box around a perforated tube that rely on expansion from the change in section although 'straight through' boxes usually also have some wadding to absorb some noise too and sometimes instead of plain perferated tube the perferations are scalloped (like on one of the baffles in that pic) to mess* with sound waves a bit more. Obviously any wadding whether it's a glass pack or something better doesn't last forever even if the box itself was well made from 304l or 316l stainless and should outlast the car. Cheaper stuff is sometimes 409 or 430 stainless which will rust albeit nowhere near as much or as quickly as uncoated mild steel

* Obviously it's waaaaay more complicated that

 

[ss201]

Thanks for the replies. I'll have a chat with the boss at Westgate Tyres (who are doing the job) before they fit it.

 

[Druk]

Straight through box on the back of the SL is very noisy...compared to standard on a 300D.

Give me a ring 0900 +

 

[GordonTarling]

I had a local company fit a 'quiet' Powerflow rear box and pipework to my old S210 - it sounded nice when just cruising, but was like a Concorde on takeoff when I gave it the beans - I wouldn't fit another without some cast iron guarantees regarding noise level.

 

[Druk]

^ This.

 

[ss201]

Rear stainless Powerflow box fitted. Happy to report that it doesn't appear to have made any significant difference to the exhaust note, even under hard acceleration to the red line on the rev counter.

Thanks again for the input.

 

[rf065]

Rear stainless Powerflow box fitted. Happy to report that it doesn't appear to have made any significant difference to the exhaust note, even under hard acceleration to the red line on the rev counter.

Thanks again for the input.

The turbocharger is a really good silencer in itself.

Russ

 

[PobodY]

The turbocharger is a really good silencer in itself.

Except when the dump valve opens and it unleashes fire?

 

[rf065]

Except when the dump valve opens and it unleashes fire?

On a 320CDi?

Russ

 

[kasper]

had my cls 350 fitted with powerflow exhausts yesterday very little change in noise level good job again from westgate