Lightweight silencer/exhaust options.

[Davemk1]

I have the stock stainless muffler (or silencer on your side of the pond) on my S2000 and it's a bit of a tank at over 12 lbs (about 5.5 kg). I'd like to replace it with something lighter. I've been searching around online and finding a few titanium and aluminum options but none seem quite right to me.

I'm interested in hearing what others have gone with to replace the heavy stock stainless silencer.

Thanks in advance.

dave

[AdamR]

That doesn't sound bad to be honest... I've a carbon one (about 6-7", haven't measured it) that comes in at 4.9kg.

[Andrew]

My son briefly owned a Westy with a RaceCo titanium silencer fitted. Don't know the weight, but it felt unbelievably light!

Not a lightweight price unfortunately.

https://racecoexhausts.co.uk/products/raceco-duratec/

[AdamR]

RaceCo say theirs are approx 5.6kg: https://racecoexhausts.co.uk/

And THIRTY SIX QUID for UK delivery!

 

I have a feeling this is one of those cases where you can use a 'lighter' material, but you need more of it to ensure structural integrity of the part, so the weight ends up similar overall.

[Andrew]

5 minutes ago, AdamR said:

I have a feeling this is one of those cases where you can use a 'lighter' material, but you need more of it to ensure structural integrity of the part, so the weight ends up similar overall.

The actual titanium skin is very thin, don't know about the other parts used. It's a big silencer though, are you comparing size for size Adam? I hate to think how heavy my stainless 6" dia one is, but the bigger dia Raceco one was definitely lighter.

[AdamR]

Dunno, just going from what they have said on their site. They are reckoning a 'comparable' stainless one is 9kg ish. Wish manufacturers would do stuff like this properly, it's not hard to weigh one silencer of each diameter and length as it comes off production!

[Davemk1]

I find it interesting that Raceco lists the Ti silencer being 5.6 kg.....as a guy who has worked with titanium making bike frames for way too many years I can't figure out how they could make a Ti can weigh so much. The real cost difference in working with Ti is the material itself.....it cost a lot per kg so in a way it makes sense that the part would cost so much because they used so much of the very spendy material. The Raceco silencer would seem to be the right way to go....one would think that making a standard straight-through muffler and substituting Ti for stainless would make a great system and would result in a silencer that is roughly 1/2 the weight of the stainless version (Ti weights about 1/2 that of SS).....why the Raceco is so heavy I don't get. Either the weight quoted is for their stainless version (seems likely) or it's packed full of stainless wool packing that really adds up. Hmm?

 

In my searching around I've found a few things. First is the Supertrapp system. They are adjustable for noise level/back pressure. I used one on a different car many years ago and it worked very well. They make a stainless version that would fit out cars well and I was told yesterday that it weighs 3.4kg. this would save me a few kg and that would be pretty good.

https://supertrapp.com/shop-products/auto/auto-s-c-elite/4-universal-24-2-5-id-brushed-ss-443-2524

 

I also found a Ti system made here in the USA that looks promising but one needs to buy the separate parts and piece it together. The weight is what I would expect it to be given that Ti is about 1/2 the weight of stainless. They list the silencer itself as being 1.4kg. One needs to add other pipe and clamps but that should add only another 2kg at the most. Given it's length and size I suspect it would be louder than I'd want it to be.

https://www.ticonindustries.com/collections/ultra-lightweight-race-muffler/products/copy-of-2-5-titanium-ultra-lightweight-race-muffler-12-oal

 

Thoughts?

dave

[AdamR]

Interesting stuff!

Could you just get a bit of sheet alloy or ti, roll it into a tube, weld / rivet along the join and stick that onto your current end caps? I am assuming that is where all the weight is.

Maybe it's worth tearing the silencer down to constituent parts to see where all the weight is?

[Davemk1]

4 minutes ago, AdamR said:

Interesting stuff!

Could you just get a bit of sheet alloy, roll it into a tube, weld / rivet along the join and stick that onto your current end caps? I am assuming that is where all the weight is.

Maybe it's worth tearing the silencer down to constituent parts to see where all the weight is?

As obvious as this may sound I think that the weight comes from everything.

The stock part is a stainless perforated tube, surrounded by a dense insulation, wrapped by stainless sheet (to form the outer surface we see) and capped on the ends with thick stainless caps. Add to that the stainless 90° bend exit and the stainless entrance tube and braces and there's a lot of stainless in the mix....in fact I'd guess that a good 80% of the package weight is from the stainless as the only other thing is the insulation.

Replacing the outer surface with ti or aluminum would of course save some weight on that part but it leaves all the other heavy stuff in place. I think the real cost-is-no-object way of going about it is to use Ti in place of ALL the stainless used. Ti is just as strong so the wall thickness of the Ti would not need to be thicker than the stainless and the simple fact that the item weights less means it can have less bracing to keep it from coming apart with vibration....making it light means it can be made lighter is you will.....a positive feedback loop. The link to the TiCon mufflers shows just what I'm talking about. I think the downside to the TiCon is that it's too small and will likely be too loud for me to pass my competition noise tests.

And of course all that Ti is spendy.

dave

[AdamR]

I agree totally with all of that. Best get your wallet out Dave Or maybe you can live with, say, a 1kg saving for not much cost / effort by sticking a new outer sleeve on it or something like that.

[Steve (sdh2903)]

I've just bought a westfield supplied 6" carbon can and it comes in at 3.7 kgs. I'd say it must be a new supplier as the last one I had from them was considerably heavier (but was a 3" system vs this one being a 2.5")

[Gary Taylor]

1 hour ago, Steve (sdh2903) said:

I've just bought a westfield supplied 6" carbon can and it comes in at 3.7 kgs. I'd say it must be a new supplier as the last one I had from them was considerably heavier (but was a 3" system vs this one being a 2.5")

Just one????

[Steve (sdh2903)]

1 hour ago, Gary Taylor - Scotland AO said:

Just one????

Eagle eyed Gary!

Yes just one (for now) still not given up into just running one yet. But funds wouldn't stretch to 2 anyway! Especially with westfield's postage charges!

[Mole]

I have a raceco titanium silencer. Sorry don't know the weight. It is a big unit..the outer skin is titanium rest is stainless.. luckily was on the car when I got it..

 

[hammie]

1 hour ago, Mole said:

I have a raceco titanium silencer. Sorry don't know the weight. It is a big unit..the outer skin is titanium rest is stainless.. luckily was on the car when I got it..

 

I think in the interst of this topic you should take it off and weigh it for us  iposted a similar thread a short while ago looking at motorcycle exhausts. I had an RSVR with Ti cans and the were very light but noisey.