atv exhaust silencers,anyone use one?

[spispeza]

i have a 2002 polaris 400 sportsman,going 0n 700miles.no troubles yet.wanting to buy a atv exhaust silencer.i know theres two brands.one is benz?the other i cant think of the name .wanting it for deerhunting,scouting.have spooked deer and other wildlife before with stock exhaust.please share your experience if you have one.do they really cut the sound down by 50% or,more?dont wanna spend hard earned money on a gimmick.thanks in advance

[264 WIN MAG]

I heard one and I don't know if it was 50% but it was a good bit quieter. The one I heard was the stealth exhaust and it seemed to work pretty good. I usually don't worry about it because the deer are so used to the sound of my ATV they don't even run from it plus I usually park at least close to a half a mile from the stand.  :twisted:

[Old Syko]

They'll cut down on engine noise a reasonable amount alright, but I'm yet to feel the need for 1 myself at the prices they think they are worth.  It just seems funny that both deer and coyotes will come within rock throwing distance of a tractor and mower in the middle of the day yet we think we need camo and quiet pipes to hunt them.  

Ain't trying to step on anyones toes here 'cause I buy all this stuff myself but it can sure make a feller wonder who we're buying it for.  Not sure the critters even notice. :grin:

[264 WIN MAG]

I think a lot of it is about familiarity to the sound. If you hunt in an area where you ride your atv a lot than the deer are probably used to the sound and won't run from it like they would if they never heard an atv before.

It's about the same thing with deer around farm equipment. They are around it so much it doesn't even bother them.

Most of the time on my atv I can ride right at a deer and it just looks at me. I guess they know the sound of my atv and they are not as scared of it.

[jeffnvegas]

at some point i'm gonna buy one if just for myself. i don't like noise. i'm half deaf anyway. but i'm going to buy a new 500 polaris and give my old one to my kid. 500 magnum w/engine braking. i had to have it added as an after market product cause mines a 01 and they didn't offer it until 02. best investment i ever made. can't imagine how i lived without it.

[Chickasaw Hunter]

I bought one this year. It was the Benz. My experience with it was that it did almost eliminate all of the exhaust noise, but these little machines make a LOT of noise. The engine makes plenty of noise and the tires rolling along on a gravel road make a lot of noise. But now I can hear all of those noises because the exhaust noise doesn't drown them out. As far as how it affects the critters, I haven't used it enough to really make any judgements. I think a lot of that is determined by how habituated the critters are with ATV and other machinery. So far the few deer I ran across just stood and stared at me. But the big thing is I just wanted it quieter for my own peace of mind and sanity, if it distresses the critters less that's just a bonus. So I guess I'd do it again, but if you think putting one of these things on will eliminate all the noise you'll be disappointed, but it does cut down on a bunch (technical term) the noise.

[markc]

the times I find one might be useful is oon the side by side type vehicles, Ranger, Mule, Rhino with an enclosed cab.  It becomes very loud inside the cab to the point of difficulty holding a normal conversation with the person next to you.  Not so much to be quieter in the woods, but to be able to hear my wife sitting next to me while we are trail riding or checking traps, the silencer would be nice.   Wonder how much performance loss there is with one installed?

[darrell8937]

I see Deer often with my Honda and stock exhaust but they are always a little to far and looking straight at me.. This is in the deep woods.. In the farm areas they seem to ignore you until Hunting season anywhay. I park and walk..a good distance. sometimes it is tough finding the wheeler in the dark..

[darrell8937]

I see Deer often with my Honda and stock exhaust but they are always a little to far and looking straight at me.. This is in the deep woods.. In the farm areas they seem to ignore you until Hunting season anywhay. I park and walk..a good distance. sometimes it is tough finding the wheeler in the dark..

[guy mann]

I bought the Benz silencer for our Kawasaki Prairie 300 last year.  ATV engine vibration and noise output have become two big issues with me.  I don't like riding something that is nearly as loud as a Harley out in the woods.  Our relatives have 2 other Prairie 300 quads so it was easy enough to do A/B comparisons.  My experience with this particular quad is that the silencer equipped ATV is substantially quieter on idle.  With any amount of throttle applied the difference becomes less apparent.  Chickasaw Hunter mentioned previously that there is still a LOT of noise from an ATV even if the sound level measured at the tailpipe is decreased.  With throttle applied I had to wonder if I actually could tell the difference or was just imagining it.  Disregarding tire noise, there is so much noise coming right off the engine block itself that you definitely aren't going to be sneaking up on anything with one of these silencers. 

I don't have a lot of experience with different models of quad's but  as our quad is air-cooled I don't see how you could really quiet the block itself much as it must remain exposed for air flow.  If you had a liquid cooled quad that had some kind of insulated shielding around the block to dampen the noise you might see a much bigger return from  a silencer. 

One nice thing about them that is not directly related to sound output is that the exhaust is now routed sideways and people riding behind me have remarked that it's nice  to not have the exhaust gases  shooting directly back at their face.

Yes, the overall sound output is decreased on our Prairie 300 but whether it is enough to make any practical difference is highly debatable.

[Bob_VT]

The extra back pressure is not healthy for the machine.  Just simply stay off the throttle and go slower and the noise level will be down.  I have been an ATV rider for a long time and animals don't seem bothered.  I have seen allot of add on sliencers that tend to rust away in one season.  IMO they are not worth the funds.

[jager]

I have a Benz silencer on a '97 Honda 400 4X4. It makes the "bike " noticeably quieter (about 50% is my guess), and I can't tell any difference in power.

[Daniel]

I've got the Benz silencer on my Foreman and absolutely love it. It's about the best money I've ever spent for an ATV accessory except for maybe the front disc brakes.

I like it for a couple of reasons. First, the Foreman is simply more enjoyable for me to ride now because I don't have to listen to that annoying exhaust note while cruising through the woods. And second, without question I've been able to get closer to deer in the woods before they realized I was there. Since I park my ATV within 100 yards of my stand, this can only help.

Recently I bought a Kinq Quad to go along with the Foreman and before hunting season begins it'll be wearing a Benz silencer too.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

where do you get them and how much do they cost.

[Daniel]

I order direct from Benz. The cost is $159 for just about any ATV. Here's the link:

http://www.atvsilencer.com/

[charles p]

Buy a diesel tractor and they won't pay you any mind whatsoever.

[coyote170]

What Daniel said Benz is the best you can get!

[Bugflipper]

They are relatively easy to make. The hot gas has to have time to cool down a bit. Bear in mind to keep the flow the same diameter of your final exhaust output or larger.  As for back pressure, as long as the factory  diameter is maintanes, there will be no danger. Remember if you have the exact same diameter and it makes a 90 degree bend the diameter is smaller.
 So you can use an ammo box or what have ya..... Cut a hole in the top, throw a metal flexible pipe between the two.... Then figure a way to slow the hot gas flow to allow it to cool. Personally I used 1 1/8 " copper tubing, coiled up 5 ft in the ammo can and filled with water. The diameter of my outlet is 3/4". I just used a hole saw on the ammo box and braised all connections. Low end response increased. High speed of 56 mph is still reached. At cruising speed all you hear is the motor, intake and tires. It is maddening fighting all the squeaks with an oil can when you first do it though.

[hobbles]

Mornin Boys,
I think they do help, Have a listen. And in this one you can hear the chickens and the birds in the tree in the back ground.