Muffler or Straight Pipe?

Just MHO, but unless you have performed intake mods or the like, a straight pipe over a muffler only makes more noise and seems not to be any advantage. For what it's worth.

If I feed it, I want to here it EAT. But on a 4 banger a straight pipe probably not much of an advantage.

Straight pipes our great. I met my Grandfathers neighbor once who showed me his collection of which one was a Farmall Super M with Chrome straight pipe. Boy that lady pured!!!!!!!!

My theory is watch the size of the straight pipe diameter. You need back pressure to pick up exhaust velocity to get rid of gases faster . I big fatty pipe allows it to hang around in the chambers. Headers produce velocity independently per cylinder. Look I like straight pipes like the rest of ya. Wi 50 post stated he runs a glass pack. That still builds velocity but tames the sound . I seen a guy atvs pull with a moline which had a 5 or 6 chromy pipe. I cud hear every valve lope and hiss. My opinion is just watch size and length . Exhaust valve burning is just a lean cylinder. Egt too hot .

mufflerboltz wrote: along with the straight pipe or muffler deal, when i was younger i always wanted to straight pipe anything with an engine but my father would always say that a straight pipe on an old tractor was hard on the valves! Is this true or was that his way to keep me from hacking the mufflers off his tractors?

I don't know about tractors, but I used to be a motorcycle mechanic and running a straight pipe was hard on the engine. True, it ran better with a little back pressure, so mufflers made it run better.

Edited by Goose - 15 Jan 2013 at 12:19pm

I have talked to guys who have checked this by doing dyno comparisons and the say that they usually get most HP with stock mufflers. A couple of guys in our tractor club also did this last year with an M International. They said they showed about 4-5 more horse with the muffler. The guy that owned the M still pulled it without the muffler cause he likes the way it sounds. By the way, these were stock tractors. Maybe with engine mods it would make a difference?

Huh? What dja say? That's the sound I make when the g-kids don't speak loud enough for me to hear!  In the past when times were tough, and I could'nt afford a muffler, I ran straight pipes. I can tell now it didn't do my ears any good. But at 72, I dont think I can go back and fix it!

it depends on how the exhaust ports have been modified if they are flowing over 80 percent of the intake then a muffler restricting flow will pick up the torque. If the intake has been modified and the exhaust ports have been left alone then a straight pipe can help on a 226 style four cylinder .jmho  a engines a air pump it cant take in anymore than it gets rid of  . hard to fill a cylinder if the exhaust is reverting. if it has soot in the intake it has reversion.

Edited by mlpankey - 21 Jan 2013 at 8:33pm