Removing Muffler (good or bad)
 

I heard bunger say that the muffler doen't help fuel economy at all. I was just wondering what you guys think?

btw I can deal with the with the noise.

original post by bunger:

5-colour Tempo
 

Let me get this straight -- nearly every Tempo I've come across has had a rattling heat shield, hole in the exhaust manifold, or the muffler is AWOL -- so your 5-color Tempo is in perfect resonance?

So why didn't you spring for the Topaz? Better re-sale.

RH77

It's the Internet
 

Come on, jump into the 21st Century! Get a microphone, record it on your computer and post it ;) We're all dying to hear it :D

Come to think, it would be harder to find 'Paz parts as there were fewer of them. It's just that whole Ford/Mercury re-badging that makes no sense. They still do it today with the Escape/Mariner, Fusion/Milan, Crown Vic/Grand Marquis, Explorer/MKX, Expedition/Navigator, etc. Now Pontiac is coming out with a G5, which is essentially a Cobalt. Make NEW cars already people!

New rule: no more brand sharing. :cool:

RH77

Lol
 

Well, shoot. Move the computer! LOL, I give up. :rolleyes:

Initials and Year

But some people are fooled by badge engineering, so...why not do it.

A couple of excess noise fines and a forced reinspection of your muff-less car will negate any FE money savings.

My CRX came with a **** muffler so I ripped it off and drove around with out one for a a month or 2. When I finally put the new one on my MPG went up.

Muffler fuel economy
 

Removing the muffler, installing headers, and/or a low restriction muffler will hurt fuel economy in closed loop FI systems, for a number of reasons:

1) Reducing the exhaust backpressure will allow more air to be sucked throught the cylinders and intake. The ECU will control the air/fuel ratio at stoichiometric, so the fuel rate also goes up. Great for power, but not for economy.

2) Then, because more air and fuel is being burned, the ECU must tighten the throttle. So by removing the exhaust restriction, a worse restriction is added to the intake (at the throttle body).

3) Exhaust systems are "tuned" for a given rpm. Changing the exhaust geometry changes the most efficient operating point of the engine. Reducing exhaust restrictions usually raises the best efficiency RPM, again, good for power, but not good for economy.

Save your neighbors' ears. Keep your stock muffler.

Perhaps, but then you'll be making more power and would require less throttle input and in turn, less fuel.

Unless its drive by wire, thats not going to happen. But you do have a point... if you needed less of a throttle angle, that would increase pumping losses on the intake side.

Perhaps also, but mufflers are heavy also, never good for FE... and with my 92 HP motor, a cat and resignator in the exhaust stream, my blue CRX is quieter than my silver B18C CRX with full exhaust.

I'm not suggesting everyone go remove their mufflers, but there are things that could be done to the exhaust system to improve FE.

It would be pretty easy for me to add a restrictor to my exhaust system, I wouldn't mind rolling around with it for a week or so to see what the results are, maybe I'll have to eat some of my words. =)

I think some new cars ARE drive by wire, at least to some extent. I remember old automatics where the rpms would drop when you went from N to D.

My Ford automatic idles at the same rpm regardless of what N or D, and so does an 07 Camry that I just rented Monday. This can't happen unless the ECU is controlling the throttle to some extent.

Anybody shed light on how much "drive by wire" control is in newer cars?