resonator delete!

[dj.papazian]

hey guys. got an 09 jcw mini here. dont get me wrong, i love the sound of my jcw exhaust but im ridiculously tempted to get the resonator cut out and replace it with a straight pipe.

my question is: for those of you who have done this mod already, how much did it cost you to have a shop cut out the resonator and weld a new straight pipe in its place?

-thanks for the help

[scottab36]

Keep in mind the drone will probably be deafening after you do this. All that aside, it should not cost too much to make the change. You might look into doing it yourself. You will need two clamps and one straight section of pipe.

[dj.papazian]

Hmmm from other threads I've searched people have said that the drone is just a bit louder than stock. Just to clear it up, I don't want to get straight pipes, i will still have my primary cat.

[Gilboyto]

The resonator quiets down your system a TON!

I ran my alta exhaust with the dual cats and temporarily removed my resonator section because I had to get it fabbed a bit better on my car. Without the resonator it was RETARDED loud. As in my whole car was shaking. I may as well have run open downpipe at that point.

[dj.papazian]

haha damn. thats what i was thinking because as i put it on the lift, i didnt see a secondary cat. just the primary and the resonator so it would make sense that after taking off the resonator it would be pretty loud. im interested to see how it sounds. if i dont like it, i could always just replace i back again.

however, if this is going to be an expensive mod, which i dont think it is because it is simply a straight pipe being purchased, i might as well save the trouble and not do the mod.

[mtbscott]

So what is the intended purpose of removing your resonator?

[dj.papazian]

I want my exhaust to be louder with less restriction and more snap crackle and pop. I've heard some pretty good things about this simple mod

[mtbscott]

To each their own I guess. I think the factory JCW exhaust note is probably the loudest stock system I've ever owned. I think it's got a nice tone without being obnoxious to bystanders, and still quiet enough at cruising speeds. Couldn't imagine wanting it louder personally but I'm probably a bit older than you.

[MotorMouth]

I love the sound of the factory JCW exhaust. I certainly wouldn't want it louder. I love the sounds that pour out around 3000 rpm under moderate-heavy acceleration.

[kukaepe]

dj: I first removed the resonator on my '07 S and kept the stock rear muffler. It did make quite a difference in the stock...gave it quite a "bark" and a little burble. I bought the pipe from a Mini place in Florida over the net with the thought that it would be an easy bolt on. I couldn't get a complete seal with the clamps provided so took it to a muffler shop to have the connections welded. In total probably spent $75 or so on the resonator delete project. I later bought a JCW Stage I exhaust and installed that without the resonator. This increased the loudness of the exhaust quite a bit. I like the sound outside the car but it also significantly increased the sound inside the car. I have not re-installed the stock resonator yet, but have given it some thought. At certain highway cruising speeds it can "boom" quite a bit. It's not that bad as I've had this exhaust set up as it is described for 9 or so months and I still like it. I guess it depends on how much high speed cruising you do compared to in town stuff. In town it's got a great note to it.

[drewstermalloy]

I asked the local muffler shop (Monro) how much they would charge to do it on my MC, and they said $50 tops to cut out the resonator and put a straight pipe there. I haven't done it yet only because I might sell the car soon.

Just do it!

[pillar]

why not get rid of the 2nd cat? prob more restrictive than a resonator

[Gerarddm]

Because killing the 2nd cat might mean you'd fail a state emissions test?

[dj.papazian]

To tell you the truth, I don't believe the factory jcw exhaust has a secondary cat. After checking it out on a lift, i saw that besides the primary cat, the exhuast runs all the way straight back to the muffler, with the exception of the large resonator in the middle. I personally don't do much highway driving so I think the deletion of the resonator would be music to my ears

btw, I called one shop. They said they would have to take off my exhaust in order to remove the resonator and weld a new straight pipe in. However, including the "2" hours of labor, they quoted me around $200

That seems a bit pricey to me. Anyone have any other experiences they would like to share?

[drewstermalloy]

$200 seems like a lot for ~2 feet of pipe. Getting rid of the 2nd cat also would help the performance aspect.

[countryboyshane]

The second cat is only for passing the dreaded California emissions test. You'll pass all the other tests with the primary cat in the downpipe. If you want any performance gain, you better bet on ditching the secondary cat fast.

[david in germany]

I installed the Alta catback with a custom 3" pipe from the DP back to the alta deleting the 2nd cat on my MCS. It is only the second day but seat of the pants tells me it has quite a bit of performance gain over the stocker. I have yet to get it out on the autobahn and see what the top end increase as well as sound increase but the wife did tell me it sounds like one of those "ricky tuner" guys running the big pipes just to be cool. I however think the sound increase in normal driving conditions was not that big.

But if I don't like the sound, 10-15 min and the stocker is back on as nothing was cut.

[JC55MINI]

I had it done on my S for $60.00 at a local shop. Love the sound and the drone is not that bad.

[Striped Toad]

So for a regular stock 03MCS exhaust (non JCW), is it rediculous for highway driving? I spend about 85% of my daily driving on the highway, and dont want to fall asleep from the monotone, nor do i want to have my teeth chatter from vibrations. I would like an upgrade to the sound that i have now, so far its just an ALTA CAI and ALTA pully.

[MotorMouth]

Originally Posted by dj.papazian

To tell you the truth, I don't believe the factory jcw exhaust has a secondary cat. After checking it out on a lift, i saw that besides the primary cat, the exhuast runs all the way straight back to the muffler, with the exception of the large resonator in the middle. I personally don't do much highway driving so I think the deletion of the resonator would be music to my ears

I'm pretty sure you are right about missing the second cat on a factory jcw exhaust.

Take out the resonator and you may be sorry. And if you aren't sorry, your neighbors will be.

[dunphyj]

Originally Posted by pillar

why not get rid of the 2nd cat? prob more restrictive than a resonator

JCW doens't have a second cat...

[LiLReD1]

Granted, I have a Clubman, so results may vary than on a HB cause I have the 2 mufflers at the rear.

I spent $40, and at first, I thought it was a waste and didn't notice anything really. After a period of time though, the exhaust opens up more, and the sound is much better, only making the factory sound a bit louder. More noticeable when you get on it, you can tell when the turbo kicks in cause you hear the exhaust get louder.

NO more resonance than what stock was. IMO, the resonator did nothing in referance to it's name. Crusing down the highway, I really couldn't much hear the exhaust before, and if the radio was on at all, no chance. Now, I can hear what my car is doing. It's not loud by no means, but it just sounds good/better. And I drive my car 250 miles round trip every weekend on the highway from Ft Riley to KC, no complaints of resonance.

[stinkytofu]

i got my secondary cat removed and a straight pipe welded on for only $45 =).

[dunphyj]

Originally Posted by stinkytofu

i got my secondary cat removed and a straight pipe welded on for only $45 =).

still pass sniffer tests??

[dj.papazian]

Ugh I'm getting tired of these <$150 quotes. This mod can't possibly cost that much! How are you guys getting this mod done for $40? What's the trick