Now strange how my pipes were disconnected, I went over a bump and in between i gas'd a little bit, all of a sudden my car got loud, as if there was hole in the exhaust/muffler, i checked and sure enough the hold between the flexpipe and cat broke, i have a 99.5 30v 2.8L and talked to a local shop that does good work about getting a new custom exhaust system from front to back. i wanted duals but i looked and didn't seem like there was room for an exhaust on the right side. I did notice however, that the exhaust pipes came down from the engine bay separately then into a center muffler, and a pipe to the rear muffler. I told the shop I'd provide the cat and muffler, do I need a new center muffler? I don't know where to find the,m I've looked everywhere, I was thinking about just a "single/dual" muffler might work, where one end has two outlets and other end has one inlet, but would that work reversed? the "outlets" are specifically named to the side that has two, and the "inlet" the side that has just one. As well as whats the most efficient size for my 30v? I hear a lot of people do 2.25" and 2.5" I'm thinking about a 2.5", I've ordered two high flow cats, and just one muffler. Will I be able to get by without the "center muffler" and if so, hard or no? I'm sure the shop will do it all for me but I just want to know from the experienced folks with Audis, whats the best way to do this?

 

Without the resonator on a 2.8, it's thundering, deafeningly loud. The car I was in was so loud I couldn't think. At least get an aftermarket perf-core resonator like a 12" Vibrant resonator. Two local guys have those with Magnaflow 14816 mufflers and they sound great.

 

i love your advice most times devil. but i run wide open(hollow cats straight pipe to the bumper) im not def yet. you make me feel childish lol. yes i did loose a little low end but i drive rev happy.
guy anytime you go with any quality muffler, borla, magnaflow, flowmaster. you will get good sound. but you should listen to sound bitts on company websites or you tube 30v videos that everybody post to get an idea of each or ask someone whos **** sounds good.
i do agree with devil about the magnaflow. they sound great. my buddy has a 12v qm with a borla s.s. cat back and i think it sounds like poop.
so depending on muffler you bought will depend on sound. if its a d&d or weekend car would sway me on how much cabin noise is okay. thats where the mid muffler comes in

 

Lol maybe it's just that at 36 I've lost my taste for the really loud settle. Also, the car I mentioned was a 12v which may actually make a difference due to the different breathing characteristics. But regardless, the three of us in the car all agreed it was way too loud. But this is also one of those subjective areas where everyone's opinion will differ. I'm sure when I was 26 there were those who thought the empty-pipe, fire-shooting turbo-back system on my 300ZX was too loud. I was not one of them

 

And since thanks to Emilgevor, I now have a pristine, brand-new shiny 14816 in my trunk, I am looking forward to putting up my own videos. I'll be running mine with the OEM resonator at least initially (if I like it, it'll stay, and if not, a Vibrant 12" will replace it), and I'll put up a couple comparative videos of my setup and that of the 14816/Vibrant duo.

 

Alright so basically get resonators, a good muffler is on its way, and for less cabin noise, a center muffler. To be honest i searched all over i'm not sure what would work as a center muffler, might just ask the shop, they should know more, and last but not least is 2.5" or 2.25" better? or do they each have their ups and downs?

 

A center muffler won't be needed. Honestly just remove the stock muffler and put on your aftermarket muffler. Leave the OEM resonator and everything else in place. You'll be fine.