I used to love driving my car a lot when it was still quieter - that was before I opened up my exhaust. With the dual Magnaflow mufflers and bonez pipe, the sound was ok. But after replacing it with the RB headers, I've been getting a lot of attention (with the neighbors and cops). I even tried adding the RB pre-silencer but that didn't help. When we drove to Sevenstock last year, my friend and I were wearing ear plugs throughout the whole trip. That is 6 freaking long hour drive!!! I even got pulled over too for excessive noise but luckily I fought it and won.

Before, whenever I go out, the RX-7 is always my first choice to drive. But now, I don't even ask myslef anymore which one of my cars I should drive. It is sad that I am ignoring the car that I love so dearly I wanted to bring the old times back. I hope I can find a muffler that will make me excited with my RX-7 again.

just my .02

 

Go with the whole racing beat system, you will love it.

 

you will either

a. give up the rx-7 as a daily driver
b. redo your exhaust
1. racing beat system as stated above
2. restrict your piping
3. add a cat
4. use the silencers that are made for magnaflows and see if that helps
5. do not use straight-thru type exhaust (i.e. louvered), i'm not sure if they make a wool packed one though
6. add resonators. header, silencer, y-pipe, to a resonator and then the magnaflow on each side.

-steven

 

Yes, the Racing Beat full exhaust is quieter compared to other free flowing exhaust.
When I'm at the tracks, freinds can't hear the exhaust when lined up next to another import. All they hear is the Blitz BOV. It has a nice deep, not loud, rumble at freeway cruise.

 

I don't think I would go with the RB mufflers right now. It is out of my budget for this car. I emailed Magnaflow about the silencer but they don't make one for my muffler. I have a double wall tip.

I was thinking... what if I put my stock exhaust manifold back and bolt on a Bonez Race Pipe w/ pre-silencer? I wonder how much HP I would lose with this step-down setup.

 

Just try and find a used RB setup on thepartstrader.com or something, once you go Racing Beat you'll never go back.

 

I was excatley in your position. Started out with a bonez race pipe and a N1 muffler, Loved the sound and the power. After a while I got power hungry and wanted to try out more power gains. Which of course I purchased a custom header bolted onto my n1 muffler. The car was very loud, I was tested at 106db at the local autox and was told to lowed the DB to meet the 98db levels for the course.
In which I went over to a cusstom 2.5 inch magnaflow muffler with two resonators. Car softened up a bit but eventualy the rotary heat burned up the resonators and the car was as loud again.

The car sounded badass and had very nice HP power gains. But it lacked low end torque, all the power from opening up the exhaust provided mid and high power. Eventually I went back to stock header and stock dualies to make the car more streetable. Also for air care puposes for prepartions in my upcoming swap.

 

its the magnaflows that are killing you most likely.

 

Yup, I noticed it too. With the headers, you lose a lot of low end torque but the HP gain is very noticeable. My car was dynoed 153@wheels. But I am now willing to sacrifice HP for a streetable sound.

 

Oh Yeah! they are loud, my set up is RB Header RB Presilencer and Dual Magnaflows it ain't that bad if i don't punch the gas hard but above of 3500 is freaking looouuud and worst when i hit the gas hard.

 

RB headers make you loose tons of low end? This true?

 

You have to do something cuz right now you're losing ALL your HP since you're not even wanting to drive the car. Screw the HP and get the car to a streetable sound for yourself.

 

True..true...

So, should I take my headers off?

 

Anytime I have ever installed headers on any of my rotaries I have always gotten more low end power as well as more high end power. They are just better than stock everywhere but then again a watermelon would probably flow better than the stock exhaust manifold. People need to do their homework and get over the myth that backpressure is important. It is absolutely 100% your enemy. It is lack of scavenging not lack of backpressure that gives poor low end power. A quiet muffler won't have much effect on your power but removing the header will. The farther away from the engine that a restriction is, the less it effects the engine. The exhaust has lost so much of its energy by the time it reaches the back of the car. Heat is energy too. When the air cools down it also slows down since some of the heat energy it was carrying has dissipated through the exhaust walls. This is why a restrictive cat has a big effect on power. It is where exhaust energy is highest. Racing Beat mufflers are quiet and definitely are made for the car. If you don't mind paying way too much for a product that is way too heavy then you would probably like them. For the short term to make your car tolerable I'd put the stock manifold back on if money is tight but for long term use I'd find a good quiet muffler so the header can go back on. There is much more power to be had from a header than there is a muffler.

I used to have a Racing Beat system on my GSL-SE but I removed it and built my own. The RB system weighed in at 87 lbs and that is much lighter than the 2nd gen system! Whoever claims that they are stainless can go look at the rust that was on mine and I didn't have it for that long. The pipes are just so thick that it would take forever to rust through. My new system weighs much less and is much quieter with the same performance. I personally didn't like the sound of the RB exhaust either. There are mixed emotions about them from many. Some love them and some don't.

 

I will have a racing beat setup in the not too distant future.

For now, and also my advice I give for the quietest setup with best noticeable gain over bone stock is:

Stock manifold.
2 1/4" Mandrel bend exhaust to Y-Pipe (yes, no cats.)
2 1/4" Y Pipe
2 Bone stock TII Mufflers, modify flange to inlet as 2 1/4"

I still have a bit of an exhaust leak, and the thing just purrs.. I love it.. I wish i could install a header and have straight through design mufflers but keep the same volume level..

My biggest dillemma is finding baffle-less mufflers.. ones that have a straight through design, but ones that actually muffle the sound..