Has anybody GPS speed tested an Arctic Cat 500 with and without the muffler in place? I wonder how restrictive they are and if any top end speed would be gained.

 

Hey Thor, I did it with my 454 and it picked up almost 10mph but it sure is loud.
I took the stock muffler and cut off the end cap at the weld. Then I cutoff the next section back to the mounting bracket and opened up the inside for less restriction, then I welded the end cap back on. Aside from being three inches shorter and alot less restrictive, it looks stock but it did make a difference in the midrange area.
Best of all, it didn't cost me anything but an hour of my time.

 

Cool, a performance pioneer. I like that.

So you picked up some midrange and retained some of that 10 mph gain which you experienced with the pipe off?

 

I cut the muffler open and gutted it also. Heres a thread for more info http://forums.atvconnection.com/thre...B=1&Tid=111680
Here are some before and after pics also http://www.atvmasters.com/pics.html

 

I gained 4mph top end but it really woke up the mid range and that's what I was looking for. I am not concerned with top speed at all. I don't do much drag racing, just steep hills and deep mud.

Ron...

 

BadCat:
I'm taking a welding class now in which we will be working mostly with aluminum and diamond plate stuff, a little with heavier metals. We are using Mig and Tig, plasma cutters, etc. I've no experience what so ever with this stuff so it will be a great learning experience. We are supposed to come up with several little projects to work on in which we will be graded, and this sounds like something I could do for class, as well as to improve the 'Cat. How much louder did it make it when you got it put back together? I thought about putting on a IDS-2 pipe, but after hearing that it was so loud, I don't want to go that route. I like the 'Cat being relatively quiet, not like a 747 airliner, ya know! Can you go into any detail on how you did it, or was that pretty much it? Again, I have no experience yet with welding and such, so I don't know exactly what you are talking about.

NiteOwl:
Well, nevermind, I guess I had better read your other post before I ask you something you probably already covered!

Thanks guys!

Mike

 

NiteOwl:
Hey, nice site and pics! Looks like you removed the left rear mudflap on both 'Cats, was it because of muffler distance or heat or what? Just curious. Also, do you have any performance mods, other than the muffler mods? How does the 'Cat handle those big Vamps? What kind of ground clearance do you have at differential? Looks awesome!

Now for the muffler: What about the spark arrestor? Just get rid of it? Do you have to worry about the forest service now? Is that something you can keep on there?

Again, sorry for the questions, I'm an idiot about this stuff. Well, maybe not an idiot, but ignorant of the subject, (i.e. not knowing) how's that?

Thanks again!

Mike

 

Hey Cowboy, the muffler mod I made is not loud at all compared to the other mufflers out there.
My first post basically covered what I did.
Not wanting to change your mind but I'd practice welding thin steel before trying this. The end cap of the muffler is twice as thick as the body. The body, being about 18ga. is thin and welding one very thin piece to a thicker piece is sometimes tricky.
I made all of the cuts with a bandsaw, so they were straight and clean. Use the pieces you cut off to set your heat and wire speed and go from there.
When you get started, make your first cut at the seam of the end cap and cut all the way through.
Good luck Mike..

Ron

 

BadCat:
Thanks! I talked to the Prof. about it, and he was rather impressed with the idea of doing it. He said the same thing about the welding of different thicknesses of material, and that they were supposed to teach us how to do it, but he said that for something like that, he would help me out all the way. Said that he'd watch me do it, and if I had problems, he'd fix it. He's really interested in the 'Cat, so I may be brining it in to class to be worked on.

Sounds like your little custom modification there gave you about the same performance gain as a new pipe, without the noise. That's exactly what I was hoping for. Sounds like that would be enough in itself to compensate for the difference in taller tires.

Thanks for the help!

Mike