TBR Repacking Frequency

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About ten years ago I bought a used set of TBR aluminum canisters for my '03. I've upgraded to a '12 and am again considering replacing the stock pipes with TBRs; I went onto their website to see what's available and ran across this interesting tidbit.

------> Repack all road canisters every 3,000 miles. Part #005-10038

This was a truly a "Wisconsin Trade Foundation" moment for me. On this summer's trip I'd be repacking the canisters every five or so days. I've never replaced the current canisters, without notable changes in sound, color, or heat.

Is this marketing? Reality? Inquiring minds would really like to know before I shell out the bucks for TBR replacements.

TIA.

Joseph
 

Blrfl

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The stock pipes use a system of perforated pipes and resonating chambers to set up sound waves that cancel each other out. This is the same arrangement on pretty much every muffler that doesn't require maintenance.

TBR's mufflers aren't resonators, they're glass packs. The inside is a straight-through, perforated pipe with a blanket of fiberglass (the packing) wrapped around it that absorbs some of the noise. Fiberglass can take some heat, but it isn't asbestos. At the kinds of temperatures you see in the exhaust system, the bits closest to the heat eventually burn up and blow out into the air. As this happens, you get less noise reduction and slightly different exhaust flow because the pipe is now larger than it was with all of the packing in place. If the muffler was tuned specifically for use with the engine, losing the packing changes the tuning.

Fortunately, you don't have to disassemble the cans to find out what kind of shape the packing is in. Rap on it with a knuckle and listen for the sound it makes. If it's a dull thud, there's still packing left where you knocked; if it sounds hollow, there isn't. You'll probably find that the packing closer to the inlet goes before what's closer to the outlet.

And that, ladies and germs, is what makes resonators a better choice for anything you're going to run for a lot of hours.

--Mark
 

Blrfl

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Probably not related, but if you've still got the stock pipes, put them on for awhile and see if it changes anything.

--Mark
 
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About ten years ago I bought a used set of TBR aluminum canisters for my '03.

I've never replaced the current canisters, without notable changes in sound, color, or heat.
IMO, I think you've answered your own question. Years ago I bought a FZR1000 with an aftermarket exhaust (Yoshimura, I think). I put 108,000 miles on it after buying it, and I seem to recall repacking the exhaust canister once, maybe twice during that time.
 
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