Noticed my car was a little louder than usual the other day, I assumed it was a change in elevation or something silly like that, noticed today that my muffler tips were either stolen or somehow snapped off without any damage to the little wells above them. I've been thinking about replacing the exhaust anyway, now seems like a good time. Or should I just get new muffler tips?

I've never done anything to an exhaust before, just seems like a good thing to replace considering it's 30 years old. Not into loud exhaust, not too keen on spending a ton either, any good reasonably priced replacements? Or should I just leave it how it is? It doesn't sound bad with the tips off but I have no idea if that affects the car in a negative way.

Off a 1988 Vert N/A

 

the tips are there to direct exhaust gases out and under the car.
If you care to LIVE without being asphyxiated then I would put on another set or replace the mufflers.
It doesn't affect the car's performance But you can get pulled over as it is a safety issue.

 

Is the non-tipped muffler recessed very far behind the bumper? Otherwise, the exhaust velocity will carry it beyond the bumper with ease and there is no safety issue. Tips tend to be almost exclusively a stylistic addition.

 

..and plastic bumpers tend to melt with heat.

 

Hmm. I'm not sure, will post a photo shortly

Driver side
Imgur

Passenger side
Imgur

 

... that's less an "exhaust tip" is missing and more a "my muffler outlet has been damaged". You wouldn't pass emissions inspection in VA simply because there is visible damage to the exhaust. I don't know about AZ.

Also, what I think I can see of the angle your bumper likely will be catching exhaust. Unless there is some peculiarity about the FC muffler, you need new mufflers.

 

the tips fall off the stock mufflers, its kind of why its unusual to even see a stock muffler

 

Looks to me those tips rusted off. It is possible someone broke them off deliberately just to be a bastard, but they had to already be weak to break away like they have. I don't think anyone will weld on new tips for you, because they'd have a tough time doing so with the weak remaining steel. The bad news is a decent set of new cans tend to be pricey - I'd recommend the Racing Beat mufflers, but they're more pricey than average. Don't go for cheap generic mufflers with fibreglass packing, rotary exhaust pulses and heat will quickly ruin them.

 

i'd say somebody bumped into them accidentally

 

heard there is a HUGE market for old rusty tiny exhaust tips- I would get the authorities involved on this one

 

How curious the neighborhood where "Someone stole my exhaust tips!" is your first thought.

 

Shoot. Luckily my emissions are solid for the next 2 years, no worries there. I'm pretty sure I've only driven it a little over 100 miles since it happened, no warping of the bumper just yet. I'm staying with my grandmother in Mendocino county so it's possible one of the neighborhood junkies took them but they probably fell off on the way up here. I just assumed they were stolen because I hadn't noticed the damage the rust had done.

@Rob XX 7 are you making a joke or is that really a thing? I've heard of people stealing cats but that's for the platinum and whatnot

Is this system about what I'm looking at? Or can I buy just the mufflers? $700 is a lot and I already have to replace my suspension soon :/ Power Pulse RX-7 Exhaust System for 86-92 RX-7 - Racing Beat

Heard a lot of good things about racing beat but if there is a decent alternative for it that would be very helpful

 

I heard you can get 10 hits of crack for em.
manhole covers are 50 bucks..hmm.,.beer.
So 2 exhaust tips and a manhole cover..Fark!..you can party all night!

(look in the SEC GEN parts section for RB exhaust..they pop up a lot!)

 

Must have been those damn ASU students.

 

Hahaha it could have been if I wasn't home for the summer!

@misterstyx69 Do you mean people sell them used? Everyone I've talked to says never buy a used exhaust just because there's no knowing if it's a bad system

 

Im not familiar with what a stock fc exhaust looks like, but to me it looks like the cans ate in pretty good nick whilst the insides are pretty rusted. Its possible that you backed into a curb or something , or they just fell out.I guess it could be vandalism too.
My advice is to get an exhaust shop to cut a couple of nice bits of staunless tube in a size that jams in nicely, and lay a nice fat mig weld around them.
Dont get tips, they are either overpriced or overpriced and cheaply made, plus some crackhead will just steal them the minute they've rusted out just nice.

 

Dude,I have bought a couple Racing Beat exhausts..USED.
My first one,I got that from Washington to Canada..Shipped.
I used it TEN years and JUST sold it..It never,ever let me down.,.solid as hell!
The other one that I got from a buddy parting a car is ON my Newly "adjusted" N/A build.

 

How much did you pay for it? A buddy of mine has a shop who does his exhaust whenever he buys a new car, complete new system installed for $175, I figure I could throw them $300 and get something pretty nice, but that's about all I have to spend. Need to find some decent coilovers too, my 28 year old struts are leaking

 

Price..meh...not important.
It's the functionality that counts.

and honestly the SHIPPING on the first one was just as much as the exhaust was!.BUT well worth it!

 

Well it does in college when you have to plan your finances months in advance lol I'm just trying to keep my head above water, really