Reversing Muffler Delete – A Quick Guide

Hey there! Let me guess, you removed your muffler but now you regret it because the noise is just too damn loud. You read the forums and they all say it’s loud but not too loud. So you decide to do it and then get freaked out by how loud it is – especially during the cold start. If this is you, you are not alone my friend. This is very common. If this is not you, then… It doesn’t matter! You are here and of course you want to know about reversing a muffler delete. 

The thing is, reversing a muffler delete can be easily done. You have to cut your exhaust pipe and make sure to get the right fitting muffler. Your exhaust pipe must slide right into the muffler inlet & outlet. After that you can either weld them into place or use a clamp to make sure they are locked in and not make any rattling sound when you drive. 

But of course there’s more than just that. Let’s discuss reversing muffler delete in detail – things like the steps, costs and whether or not you should reverse your muffler delete.

For the readers who are not familiar with muffler delete, let’s recap it a bit. To produce power, your car engine creates combustion in the combustion chamber. This is an explosion that generates lots of sound waves (noise). Car manufacturers must silence this noise as much as possible for two reasons:

1. Comply with government regulations on noise level
2. Appeal to the mass market. (Only us, car enthusiasts will like such noise!) 

To silence the noise, car manufacturers equip mufflers in their cars. If you cut open a muffler, you can see that it’s made of chambers and metal platings. They are positioned in a way that causes sound waves to bounce and collide into each other – ultimately cancelling each other out. This works really well – as a result you will hear 70% noise reduction. 70% is just a rough figure though, but you get my point!

Now, what happens if you actually want the engine sound? Most people replace their mufflers with aftermarket mufflers but there are cheaper alternatives like muffler delete – which means removing the muffler from the exhaust. The impact is significant – you could go from a normal city car into a nascar-sounding car with muffler delete. 

Many people enjoy this extremely loud sound but even more people regret their decision. After a week, the sound from muffler delete becomes unbearable and deafening – even from inside the car. In this situation, we look to reverse a muffler delete. Which means installing a muffler back into the car!

Reversing a muffler delete is obvious – just install back the muffler right? Well, yes kinda… Except there are some other things you need to pay attention to. Below are the steps you need to reverse a muffler delete.

1. Measure the diameter of your exhaust pipe 

It’s important to buy a muffler with the right fit. The exhaust pipe should fit into the muffler tip.  The listed diameter of a muffler is usually the inner diameter, whereas exhaust is measured using the outer diameter. This means if your exhaust pipe outer diameter is measured at 3’, then you should get a muffler that’s listed with 3’ diameter. This is relevant only if you are buying a new muffler. Here’s a YouTube video explaining the fitting of exhaust components.

2. Measure the length of your muffler

If you had a muffler delete, obviously you have removed the muffler and place additional exhaust piping in its place. To reverse a muffler delete, you need to cut that exhaust piping again – so there’s space for your muffler.

3. Cut the exhaust pipe

You should cut the exhaust pipe by following the size of your muffler. Not much explanation here. If you can’t get it done, then you need to bring your car to a workshop. They should know how to help you with reversing a muffler delete.

4. Install the muffler

Do this by sliding the muffler on your exhaust piping. The exhaust pipe should go inside the muffler tip. Here’s a YouTube video showing you how to install a muffler.

5. Tighten with clamp

Clamp ensures your exhaust pipe and muffler are locked into place. You don’t want rattling noise when you drive, do you? 🙂 Clamp is quite cheap and you can get it from anywhere. Here’s an example from Amazon. Ensure you get the same sizing! 

If you are looking to purchase a performance muffler, I recommend the Flowmaster 40 Series. They sound aggressive but not so loud that they are deafening. Here’s an article I wrote about Flowmaster 40 and how to choose a performance muffler.

This is actually a very common question. I am not a lawyer but as far as I know, you should lose your warranty by doing a muffler delete in the first place. Take a look at Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. 

To summarize for you:

• This act protects consumers from fraudulent warranty practices.
• The only way to void a section of the warranty is if the aftermarket installation is a direct cause of the problem.
• This is a federal law – meaning it’s equal for all states in the US.

This means you were not supposed to lose your warranty in the first place. But now that you have reversed the muffler delete, I think it should be easier to argue 🙂

I absolutely believe you should reverse your muffler delete – it’s simply too loud to the point it becomes deafening and a nuisance to others. Imagine cold starting your car at midnight for a quick drive. You will wake the entire neighbours from your block! This is awkward. Also, muffler delete may sound cool and fun for the first week. After that I guarantee you it will become a nuisance even from within the car – especially if it’s a daily driver!

What I recommend you do is reverse your muffler delete by installing a good performance muffler that actually gives you the aggressive sound without being too loud. Do a proper research before purchasing the muffler:

• Listen to before and after videos on YouTube
• Get feedback from forums 
• Ensure the muffler has a long warranty

I wrote an article about things you should look for when purchasing a muffler. You should check it out if you are planning to buy one.

Okay, so what if you reverse your muffler delete with the stock muffler but still want an aggressive sound? Don’t worry, I got you! Here are my two favorite ways to improve engine sound without replacing the stock muffler.

Cold Air Intake

Cold air intake is a very popular modification for beginner enthusiasts. They are always marketed to boost horsepower – but I think the real benefit of installing cold air intake is the improvement to the engine sound. With a cold air intake, you will hear the sound of air flowing into your car engine as you accelerate. This is a very satisfying sound that makes cold air intake worth every penny. 

Here’s a YouTube video showcasing the sound I am talking about. Jump to 3:59 to hear that sound of air

If you want to know more about cold air intake and its impact on sound, I have an article for that over here.

Resonator Exhaust Tip

Resonator exhaust tip works the opposite as a muffler. Earlier I mentioned that mufflers consist of plates and chambers that bounce sound waves against each other so they cancel out. Resonator exhaust tip causes the sound waves to vibrate in a way that makes them sound louder. Resonator exhaust tip is an easy install that you can just clip on your exhaust tail. Plus, it makes your exhaust tail look sexy as hell 🙂 

Here’s a YouTube video to show the before and after of resonator exhaust tip. They are cheap and easy to install but surprisingly work really well.