ERA "quiet" pipes

[66gtk]

Can some one here shed some light on the so called "quiet pipes" that may have been available from ERA? Speaking with a previous owner of 446, he told me his car had SS exhaust but was too loud. He brought it to ERA and they were able to retune the exhaust and make it more pleasing. Is this an option? What does it entail and cost?

Thanks

[mrmax]

they are optional. had them, and they are quiet. but they are down a significant amount on horsepower as compared to the louder pipes.

[66gtk]

Anybody got any more details such as price, how much HP it takes away, or anything else?? How are they made differently?

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by 66gtk

Anybody got any more details such as price, how much HP it takes away, or anything else?? How are they made differently?

I have them, and they sound beautiful. They are not what you would think of when you say the word "quiet." I still set off car alarms and shake windows. Power-wise, if you have a good sized performance FE, and you're predominantly on the street, then whatever it shaves off you'll never, ever notice. I can't hit full throttle at slower speeds, because the tires just break loose, and I can't hit it at faster speeds, for more than second or two, or I'll be way up in triple digits. If you click my link below you can hear my "quiet pipes."

[kevins2]

I have them also and they sound great - not quiet, just not extreme. There is a video of a drive in post #137 at the link below. There is some acceleration at the 3:33 mark with little to no wind noise. The audio doesn't do any of these cars justice - you can't really hear the true sound on computer speakers... As for your question about how they're made differently, the baffle is simply longer than the standard pipes. At the end of the video below there is a walk around and you can see the elongated baffle.

First Pics of ERA #795

Kevin

[patrickt]

I have ridden in Cobras where the pipes gave me a headache. No, I don't want to wear ear plugs either. But, I've also seen, and heard, Cobras (invariably SBF equipped Cobras) that were as quiet as my daughter's Camry. I wouldn't want that either. Between the two, I'd rather have the headache. But, my QT pipes are really just right; not too loud, but not too soft.

[1795]

Ok Goldilocks I do understand the desire for quieter pipes, mine do tend to be a little loud and I wear ear plugs for a long ride.

[66gtk]

Thanks guys!

[mrmax]

There is a profound difference. Pipe diameter is 2 1/4 inches inside quieter pipes. Inlet is offset to one side. Very restrictive. Took mine off and cut them apart. Also gained just under 80 horsepower, similar torque. with a K. Craft 428. Did a sound comparison to Connecticut standards. (used to live 8 miles away from era) The classic chambered 3" with packing was only 4 decibels louder at 3000 rpm. higher revs the difference is even smaller. up to you do you more of the power you paid to make or your hearing.

[kevins2]

First time I've seen HP loss numbers - that is significant. It makes good sense that quieter exhaust means less power at the rear wheels. Question for those with "standard", less restrictive pipes - I believe the packing used is high temp fiberglass, correct? My Harley had glass packed baffles and the glass deteriorates over time and they slowly get louder. Is that true of the packed side pipes? If so, that is another consideration when considering the trade-offs involved with choosing exhaust.

Kevin

[mtr]

I have the quiet pipes on mine. They are much more comfortable on long drives.

As to power loss; I would suspect the added restriction effects the big blocks more than small blocks, maybe???

Myself and the group I run with all have small blocks, my car seems to run about dead even with theirs.

[CJ428CJ]

ERA's stainless steel pipes are made by Stainless Specialties (Stainless Specialties - Home). I have SS pipes on mine which has been on the road since 2003. My car has always been loud but over the years it seemed to get louder. I've spent a lot of time with a lot of different Cobras and mine was always the loudest of the group.

Well, I finally got tired of always having to wear earplugs for fear of blowing out an eardrum if I didn't so I contacted Stainless Specialties to see what they could do to quiet my pipes down. I put a bore scope down my pipes and discovered that I likely had a 20 inch muffler (even though the actual perforated section was only about 14 inches long) with very few perforations between the inner and outer chambers. From what I could see with a bore scope, there was no insulation whatsoever between the chambers.

In speaking with Stainless Specialties, they told me all the pipes they sold to ERA since at least 2000 or so should have insulation between the chambers. In any case, they told me they could change out my 20 inch mufflers for 28 inch ceramic packed mufflers. They could go with either a 3" diameter chamber or a 2-1/2" diameter chamber but that since I was interested in quieting the car down, they recommended the 2-1/2".

I chose the go with the 2-1/2 inch. I took my pipes off, shipped them back and they swapped them out and returned them to me within about 2 weeks or so. They charged me $660 plus shipping. After getting the new pipes back, I took a look with my bore scope again and discovered that there was a huge difference in the number of perforated holes between the inner and outer chambers. I would estimate that the new mufflers had at least 5-10 times more perforations.

I couldn't be happier with how the car sounds. It does still set off alarms and everyone says it sounds great, but now I can cruise around town without earplugs (although I still wear them on the highway). Best of all the local cop no longer pulls me over and threatens to ticket me.

As far as performance, I haven't done a before and after dyno test, but I can't tell the difference in performance.

I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Chris

[66gtk]

My SS exhaust was reportedly sent back to Stainless Specialties by a previous owner for a "quieter" muffler replacement. They welded in new mufflers, but they are still only about 21" in length. Just got the car yesterday (it's great). The mufflers sound great! - not what I would call quiet though at 3000 RPM. Perfect under that around town. Would still need earplugs for long HWY drives as they sure groan at 3000 RPMs doing 65 on the HWY. Oh, LOVE it!!!

[66gtk]

Here's what my pipes/mufflers look like on the outside....