The Jury Is Still Out

As you all know I am painfully disappointed in my new high performance exhaust system in the Mini. Between the super load roar of the muffler, and what I now consider a super stiff suspension, I just can’t drive the car without getting a headache. It’s amazing how my perception of the car changed drastically after being spoiled by the super smooth ride of the Audi. God I love that Audi. I knew I would love that car, but what I wasn’t prepared for was how it would change my attitude toward my Mini. I don’t know . . . maybe it’s just the terrible condition of the roads around here with all the frost heaves. Maybe I’m just getting old and prefer a luxury ride. Or maybe it’s that damned exhaust that is just ruining the whole driving experience for me.

So Karlo went on the hunt for a solution that wouldn’t require another investment. I swear I am SO DONE with dumping large sums of money at cars! He found what is called a silencer–a little device that fits into the tail pipe that quiets the exhaust. Here one of these.



This sounded like the answer to my prayers. It only cost about $35 and that almost sounded too good to be true. I decided that we needed to put it to the test. When Karlo starts the Mini in the basement the entire house literally shakes. I made a little video to illustrate the vibration in the house before and after the silencer install. I honestly can’t see much difference in the video, but I have to admit that the car is slightly less loud on the road. I think the pain in my head has been downgraded from a mini migraine to a just a plain headache so I guess we are making progress.

Here’s the video