am i a sucker? (new muffler)
Posted: Wed May 11, 2011 10:31 am
Esteemed group: OK, so it was 3 am and I was sleep-surfing, ended up ordering a Lexx muffler from a place called Thumper Jockey. It was new, it was shiny, it was cheap ($199.99 all told). It came faster than promised. It's on the coffee table, still virginal in its bubble wrap. What do I do with it? Nothing against this particular model, but the consensus seems to be that no aftermarket muffler is worth the expense in terms of power or weight saving. (OK, some say they got some more low end, which would be nice.)
On my bathroom scale this one weighs 6 lbs with the included midpipe and mounting bands; the stocker weighs 11 (I'm floating, I'm floating! There's no place like home!). It's advertised as forest-safe and not much louder than stock, "below 96 dB" (exhaust pipes should not be mistaken for horns). I really don't want to rejet, I don't want to see the inside of the carb even long enough to do the 22 cent mod, much less drill out the slide, etc. The spark plug's been in there for 5000 miles and is a gorgeous tan color (though come to think of it, it was way looser than 10 ft-lbs when I took it out). Before the fancy-can fever I was planning to expose and re-adjust the idle mix screw to 2-1/4 turns out, because I heard that might fix the little stumble I get when first opening throttle, and -- I forget why else- coughing on decel?. I have a new TwinAir foam filter to put on, with no airbox mods.
Do I go for it and assume the cool looks and sound will convince me of all that new smooth power I'm getting? Or do I beg Thumper Jockey to take it back and try to put the whole sordid episode out of my thoughts? I just checked for the first time (told you: sleep-surfing!), and their return policy seems kind of stingy: defective items or items damaged in shipping only. So I may be stuck with it or offering it to you all. Any feedback appreciated.
-Jamie