I don't usually post anything (because on the internet, no good deed goes unpunished), but this is a very cheap and simple mod that really works. So, I hope this will help somebody out.

Background: I bought an Invidia Q300 downpipe back exhaust and installed it. It is a work of art, all smooth and polished stainless steel - a shame it hides under the car. I loved the sound, but my wife uses the car to commute and it had a very annoying drone right at highway cruise RPM. It needed to be corrected.

The solution: Enter the Vibrant resonator, $85 on Amazon. I opted for the 2 1/2" inlet/outlet design (the Invidia is 60mm or 2 3/8", so it was as close as I could get). It was 13 1/2"L X 6"W X 4 1/2"H. Hopefully the crappy cellphone pics are attached (not the greatest, but you get the point - Ansel Adams I ain't). It too is a work of art, and matches the Invidia quite well.

The work: As you can see from the pic (I hope), I installed the Vibrant resonator right after the Invidia resonator. It fits in the tunnel and does not hang below the car. I cut 12 1/2" off the center section of the Invidia exhaust using a cutting wheel in a miter saw. I cut off the front part of the center section where it mates to the resonator.
NOTE: the proper distance to cut is 12", taking into account the extra lapping of the pipe on the rear of the resonator, but I wanted the exhaust to fit flush with the rear valence, so I took off an extra 1/2". It worked perfectly - see pic.
Next, I took the Vibrant resonator and rear of the Invidia center section to Meineke and had them flange the end of the center section to fit over the end of the resonator. I also purchased 2 U clamps from them. Took 5 minutes and cost $20.
Next, I cut the flanged part off the front of the center section where it used to mate up to the Invidia resonator. I used this on the end of the Invidia resonator to mate up to the Vibrant resonator. Worked perfectly with a U clamp - no leaks.

The results: Even though the Vibrant resonator is a straight-through design, the car is as quiet as stock at idle or while cruising at any RPM. It still has that nice bass growl when you stomp on it, and there was zero loss of power due to the larger piping and unrestrictive design of the Vibrant. I miss the extra sound (although some of it will return when the system "breaks in"), but it is kind of nice to be able to listen to the radio while on the highway and not have to reach for the Excedrin when I get home.

Hope this helps,
Eric

 

Nice write up. I can consider this an option.
Thanks!

 

You are welcome. PM me or reply here if you have any questions.

Eric

 

Another Vibrant Ultra Quiet resonator lover here!

Just deleted the OEM resonator and OEM muffler and the sound was great but the drone was totally annoying at 3K RPMs.
Installing Vibrant Ultra Quiet resonator in place of the OEM resonator was the day and the night.

Great sound and drone is gone for ever

 

I am glad I found this article! I have the exact exhaust and the drone is a killer! My wife and I could not talk on the freeway! Thank you for the write up. I just ordered the parts needed

 

It is very pleasant go on the freeway without headache.
I can assure you.

Let us know your final review after installing, please.

 

Will do

 

PM me if you run into any glitches.

Eric

 

I put second resonator on today. Most of the freeway drone is completely gone! The little that is left is not loud at all. All of the performance is still there, is low and grumbly when you step on it. Highly recommend this fix if the drone is unbearable! My new vibrant resonator and 2 clamps cost 100 bucks. the total job took about an hour. My wife tonight been able to talk again in the car, priceless

Thanks again for all the info

 

Wait... You wanted to hear your wife talk?

Eric

 

Ha ha

 

Glad to hear it is solved Ryan!
Enjoy your Mini

PS: Pop and gurgle is still there, right? I won a little pop and gurgle on my non-S so you should not have lossed it.

 

Getting the same resonator put in today. Between the Q300 and catless downpipe I took the drone for nearly a year but I finally got sick of it. Will update this post with state of pops and flames on Manic Stage 2.

 

From my experience, pops and flames are unaffected with the catless DP.

Eric

 

Great! Please let us know

 

So the general tone of the exhaust is still there, but the eyeball rattling low end bass is almost completely gone. Smaller pops dulled out as well (at least inside the cabin). Can still get the big shotgun level bangs at the top end of the rev range though. Cannot confirm flames but I have no worries.

 

I installed this exhaust system almost two years ago and I don't really notice the drone at highway speeds. In fact I think it's pretty quiet on the highway. I've actually been thinking about deleting the resonator all together...

 

Nice! Glad to see it worked for you. I'm currently working on adapting sport springs onto Bilstein coilovers and toning down the BSH torque arm so it can be used in a daily driver. Stay tuned.

Eric