Finding a suitable muffler for your car can be confusing because many brands, styles, sizes, and sounds are available in the market. Among so many options, which one should you choose? If this question is haunting you, do not worry anymore because, in this article, I’ll explain everything in detail, from what I think is the best muffler and the factors you should look at before buying a damper.
What to Look for in a Muffler:
A muffler will have a noticeable effect on the engine sound of your vehicle. The sound can range from moderate to aggressive or super loud. So knowing what the sound of your car will become after using a specific muffler is very important because you don’t want to get surprised in the wrong way after purchasing a muffler.
So you must hear the noise of the muffler carefully while paying attention to these things.
- What is the sound of the vehicle when idling?
- Sound when you accelerate.
- Does the sound feel unpleasantly loud from the inside or the outside?
You can always look for videos on the internet to check the sound of a muffler, especially if you want to purchase a product from some famous brand. Relying only on the brochure will not provide you with enough information.
Right Fitting
This factor can make the installation process easy or difficult. So it’d be best if you measure the diameter of the exhaust pipe before buying a muffler for it.
The diameter written on the exhaust pipe is the outer diameter. At the same time, the reading on the muffler is the inner diameter, so if you buy the muffler, depending upon this reading, they will fit perfectly.
Muffler Style
Mufflers come in 3 styles.
- Chambered mufflers (enhances performance while keeping noise at a moderate level)
- Straight-Through mufflers (entire focus is on performance without any regard to noise to they are loud).
- Turbo mufflers (very low noise, but it takes a toll on the performance)
I recommend you go with chambered mufflers as they offer good performance with moderate noise. Straight- Through mufflers are very loud, so they would become irritating.
Material
Mufflers are made of aluminized and stainless steel. The best option, in my eyes, is stainless steel as the mufflers are prone to corrosion, and stainless steel can better cope with pollution and is more durable. There will be a slight price difference between the 2, but paying just a few bucks higher will pay off in the long run.
Warranty
The best would be mufflers that come with a lifetime warranty, but you can go for products with at least three years of warranty if they are unavailable.
Customer Reviews
Customer reviews are one of the significant factors that you can find on the online websites of the relative product. Read as many as you can to find out if people had a problem with the sound or fitting or what other people experienced when using the muffler you want to purchase. If you choose a well-known brand, you can also look for reviews online on YouTube and other forums.