R36 exhaust - "suitcase" delete review

[WazR36]

A review on my recent modification:
removal of the centre "suitcase" muffler on my 2009 R36

So, i decided that the sound of my R36 wasn't sufficient to match the performance and really wanted the R32 type of sound. first i went with an EVOMS intake which did make a nice difference but not enough.

after a bit of searching on the net i couldn't find an affordable exhaust that could be justified for price. i thought the idea of a valved-style exhaust would be perfect (ie valve autoamtically oepns at a certain RPM) and while there was a few german companies that make this exhaust none had a bolt-on for the passat. varex has a VK-05 kit but after contacting them it is apparently discontinued to to unexplained "issues".

a few had recommended the suitcase delete, and i liked the youtube clips. so i went for it. it cost $100 ($70 labour + $30 for the pipe including the bend) and about 45 mins at the local exhaust shop.

here is an image of the new setup:


and the removed muffler:



its actually an expansion chamber not a typical muffer per se.
its inside is a large chamber with perforated sides. my shallow understanding is its designed to take out resonating by accelerating exhaust gas into the chamber then slowing it down inside. while its not a direct baffle, its clearly designed to reduce flow compared to a straight pipe.

the difference?

performance gain - none. clearly there would be no gain this is a no-brainer but that's not why i did it.

sound difference? definate change, and i can only assume this is because there is less energy lost as heat/vibration and more kept as sound.

the sound changes are varied according to RPM:
at idle it sounds brilliant, has a nice little rumble reminiscent of a previous merc 5L V8 i had.
at low RPM its sound character is unchagned but its volume is slightly increased.
at mid-high RPM its sound character is much nicer and also slightly louder than stock.

can i stress that there is NO drone at any RPM, and at highway speeds it sounds as if it were stock.

the difference is certainly nowhere near an aftermarket exhaust, but it is much better than stock and it is probably the way the car should have sounded from the factory. if i had to put the volume change on a scale of 0-10, 0 being stock, 6 being loud aftermarket exhaust, and 10 being no muffler... i would probably put it as a 3.

interestingly when the pipe was first put in, i wasn't entirely happy with the sound (didn't make too much difference) but it seemed to evolve over about a week and after that time settled into its current sound which i am very happy about.

summary:
- very worthwile bang-for-buck mod for the difference in sound which has a changed character at idle and mid-high RPM, and a slight increase in volume through all RPMs
- no drone
- no power increase
- overall highly recommended

cheers,
Warren