That's true Mike, but the opposite is also true. If it muffles but doesn't last, it still fails the test. That was the case with the HushPower II. It muffled great for about 30 minutes, then the guts oozed out into a puddle on the hangar floor. As for muffling, well, let's just say that you won't be the stealthiest a/c of the group. But then my 20B Lancair isn't any louder than an IO-540 powered Lancair, or so I'm told.
When I first installed the DNA "Full Throttle Collector" (DNA p/n 1040) muffler I was disappointed in its poor muffling qualities. It was about as loud as the gutted HP II, but at a lower tone and with a very high-pitched aspect that my Lightspeed ANR headset couldn't cancel out. Then I remembered what Tracy said about large diameter exhaust pipes (the DNA muffler that I chose has a 3" inlet & 3" outlet). So, I purchased a 3" to 2" tapered reducer from Burns Stainless and welded it onto the outlet. It is surprising how much difference that one small change made in reducing the noise level. The high-pitched aspect was now gone and the lower frequencies were noticably reduced. If there was any loss of power I couldn't tell it. So, out of the box the DNA is too loud, but with a slight modification, it is very acceptable.
My main guage for acceptable exhaust noise is the comments I get from my hangar neighbors. Early on I used to get lots of "friendly" comments about how they could hear me coming long before they could see me. Now, those comments have stopped. They still ask about that "strange sounding" engine, but only because it sounds different, not because it is loud enough to break windows for miles around. I'll try to remember to take some sound level measurements next time I'm out at the airport.
Mark S.
On Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 10:50 PM, Mike Wills <rv-4mike@cox.net> wrote:
Well, the other big question is does it actually muffle? If the best thing that can be said about it is that it's surviving I'd be a little disappointed. I know its hard to judge but how about your opinion regarding the volume?
Thanks,
Mike Wills
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, March 09, 2009 8:38 AM
Subject: [FlyRotary] Re: DNA Muffler
"sounds good" Mark. My guess is that the 2" restrictor is in the correct place now. Don't think it would be as effective before the muffler. But the big question is, did the 3 to 2 " reducer cause any noticeable power loss? I plan to do the same thing on my plane when time allows.
Tracy
On Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 8:08 AM, Mark Steitle <msteitle@gmail.com> wrote:
Mike,
It may be a little premature to declare it a winner, but with ~10 hrs on it now, it is holding up better than anything I've tried so far. Keep in mind that this is DNA's best muffler, rated for 1000hp. It is made of fairly thick SS, .030 if I recall, much thicker material than most mufflers. I had to add a 3" to 2" taper to the outlet in order for it to be acceptable in the noise category, but that was surprisingly effective in reducing the exhaust noise to an acceptable level. (Maybe I should have just put the reducer on the 3" downpipe and saved some weight.) Anyway, when it passes 25 hours, I'll post another update. At this time it is looking very promising.
Mark S.
On Sun, Mar 8, 2009 at 9:20 PM, Mike Wills <rv-4mike@cox.net> wrote:
Mark,
Any update on the DNA muffler?
Mike Wills
RV-4 N144MW
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, January 16, 2009 7:05 AM
Subject: [FlyRotary] DNA Muffler
Does anyone on the list have any real-life rotary experience with the DNA Gen II muffler ( http://www.dnamufflers.com/DNA/main_DNA.html)? It is an interesting design in that it has no packing material to burn out. Instead, it utilizes ladder-rungs, which they call "internal sound diffusers", which resemble a chain of DNA down through the center of the muffler body, which is made of 304 SS. Their web site claims that the racers use them with great success. From speaking with a sales rep, they claim there the rotary crowd uses them too. I'm considering purchasing one of their FULL THROTTLE COLLECTOR mufflers (P/N 1040), but thought I would check to see if anyone else has used this style muffler. This muffler has a 3" inlet/outlet with a 4" body. So it is compact enough to fit inside my cowl. My exhaust header has a 3" swivel joint, so it should be a good fit.
Mark S.
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