Should You Get a Universal Muffler or a Direct Fit?

Should I get a universal muffler or a direct fit muffler?

1. Get a direct fit if you’re looking for a direct replacement to your original muffler. However, these can cost you more money and you need to know basic mechanics skills.
2. Get a universal muffle if you’re looking for a money saving option. Learning intermediate mechanics skills will allow you to install it yourself. Otherwise, you’ll need to hire a professional to install it, which will add to your cost.

Whether it’s a direct fit or universal, the muffler in your car must always be in the best condition to reduce the noise that it makes. Not only will you make the ride more comfortable for yourself, but also for the people around you. The overall noise reduction this contributes to will lead to a number of big benefits, such as reduced irritability and ease of sleep.

However, the big question that needs to be answered in this article is this: do you need a universal muffler or a direct fit? Read on to find out!

Direct Fit Mufflers: Install it Yourself

As the name implies, direct fit mufflers were designed to be straight replacements to your car’s original muffler without the need for modification. They are very similar in terms of size, shape, and hanger placement, which makes the switch very easy to do. This is perfect for those people looking install their muffler replacement themselves.

However, these tend to be pricier compared to a universal muffler. This is because the engineering and design have to more prices with direct fits. One small mistake and the unit will not be straight-forward solution that may hope it to be. Thus, when you are looking to purchase such a unit, then you should make sure there’s a replacement warranty in case there’s a defect.

Universal Mufflers: Cheaper, Needs Installation Help

On the other hand, a universal muffler’s name implies that it was made for a large number of vehicles and that it will function well with them. This is true! However, this also means it’s impossible for it to be a direct fit for everything. Modifications to the unit need to be done for it to become have a snug fit on the vehicle. These could include cutting of the inlet pipe length, fabrication of new support hangers, or re-sizing of pipe inlet/outlet diameter. Because of these potentially needed adjustments, professional help will most likely be require to install a universal muffler; unless you have the necessary skills. But paying for these services will be more feasible because these choosing these mufflers are cheaper than direct fits. You can use the money you save to pay a mechanic.

Knowledge

Now that you understand the pros and cons of both mufflers, you must understand the costs of both. As said earlier, the direct fits are more expensive but can be easily installed by yourself. On the other hand, universal mufflers, are cheaper but require the help of a mechanic. So in reality, both will really cost the same. The only thing that will determine how much money you can save is your knowledge in mechanics. If you aren’t knowledgeable in it, then you may need to still hire a mechanic to install the muffler; just to make sure it will be bolted on correctly. But if you are knowledgeable, then you can save so much money when you buy and install a universal muffler by yourself.

Key Takeaway

Choosing the right muffler is really on a case to case basis. Both universal mufflers and direct fits might actually cost you the same amount in the end if you factor in the cost of installation. However, you can save so much money by doing a DIY installation with a universal muffler.