Necessity of muffler packing?

[TheDumbGrunt]

Just got my new, polished aluminum Hindle exhaust sleeve for my 02 Stealth today. As soon as I drilled out the rivets on the old CF can, I realized I forgot to order some more muffler packing to replace the burnt out pile of ashes that was in there. I'm currently living on the corner of Nowhere and Bumfart, Arkansas, so there are no shops that sell packing around, and I don't really feel spending $$ in gas to take the WJ. I was wondering if there is any issues with just saying screw it and slapping the new sleeve on without packing? I understand the purpose behind packing a muffler, and the lack of sufficient packing is what caused my CF sleeve to crack/ crap out due to prolonged high heat exposure, but with the new aluminum sleeve, I'm thinking heat won't be much of an issue in that respect... second to some potential discoloration over time. The sound, I'm sure, won't be any louder than it was before, being what little packing was present resulted in almost noise dampening, but it may be a little more "pingy" sounding with the new can? I've read many people do it for the louder exhaust note, and I think the loss of back pressure (if any) will be irrelevant.

Just curious how many of y'all are rolling without packing? What do y'all think? Any alternatives to pre-manned muffler packing, i.e., fiberglass insulation? I have read of some dirt bike riders using steel wool, but that scares me a bit due to the immense amount of heat it'll be exposed to. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated! :bigsmile:

-Thanks!

 

[TheDumbGrunt]

Also, in reference to AFR's, when I had the bike dynoed a few weeks ago, everything was spot on... I wouldn't expect a drastic changed in nixing the packing altogether, IMHO. Now, when I finally get back to Albuquerque, with DA in the 7000s, I'm sure a tune will be in order for the Everest air way up there.

 

[StrtRac3r]

Stainless steel wool is what wraps the yosh pipe, (rs3 and tri oval) then the wool is wrapped in glass.

 

[TheDumbGrunt]

I read up on using a coarser gauge ss wool in bulk... mainly pot scrubbers! Some of that with some fiberglass insulation on top and some ss wire around that will probably do the trick. Anybody else care to give an opinion?

Thanks, StrtRac3r!

 

[StrtRac3r]

I was kinda curious if there was anything else you could use and ran across this. http://www.supertrapp.com/images/pdfs/Muffler-Packing-FAQ.pdf

Has some info on temps and types of packing.

 

[TheDumbGrunt]

I was kinda curious if there was anything else you could use and ran across this. http://www.supertrapp.com/images/pdfs/Muffler-Packing-FAQ.pdf

Has some info on temps and types of packing.

Much obliged, sir! I kept digging and it looks like a great deal of exhaust manufacturers use SS wool/ steel wool as their preferred packing, with a few even using a mineral wool-type insulation over top. Even standard insulation retains its fire-resistant properties up to 1000* F from what I read (even then it would melt, not burn), so that should me more than sufficient if I decide the wool alone isn't quite cutting it.

We shall see... I'll post some pics of the final product when I get the chance.

 

[dadofthree]

The Brocks looks like fiberglass and without the packing it will be very loud.