I have an '02 civic sedan, and today my muffler broke off. The pipe rusted through about 6 inches behind the muffler, so I just took the muffler off. since it is my only car, I have to drive it like this, but I’ve noticed that it isn’t any louder than it was before (I had a flowmaster muffler, which was somewhat louder than stock). So this makes me wonder- why isn’t my car loud, even without the muffler? Also, is there a good reason to replace the muffler, since it isn’t loud without it? The exhaust system is entirely intact, except the muffler and about 6 inches of the pipe leading up to it. I was thinking of using a straight pipe so the exhaust exits at the same point as where the it would if I had a muffler. Is this a bad idea? Any help would be appreciated.
-D
The reason you haven’t noticed a difference is that the Flowbastard muffler is loud already. However, there is probably a difference you can’t perceive. It is probably illegal to drive without a muffler at all, so you should replace it. You don’t want to get caught. Also, if your state inspects vehicles, yours won’t pass without a muffler.
The muffler on this car is the last piece of exhaust system except for the tailpipe. I assume that the tailpipe is gone with the muffler. This means that the exhaust is exiting under the car somewhere around the rear seat and trunk. Might be OK it you are moving along . . might not. But sitting in traffic, running at idle, driving slowly . . will introduce exhaust gases into your car, and you could DIE. I just replaced the entire exhaust system on my wifes’ 95 Civic with a Pacesetter . . . after 5 systems and numerous fixes, I grew tired of the poor design of the exhaust on this generation Civic. The Pacesetter is a lot thicker metal (the one I put on my 89 Accord has been on for 5 years without a problem), it’s pretty quiet, and fit pretty well, a few adjustments and it was on. Price was about $225, a lot less than the 5 systems I put on since new. I’m hoping for a long service life with this heavy metal exhaust. Get it fixed before something happens to you. Rocketman