Hi Nick, thanks for posting your findings with installation details and photos!

Excellent information for the rest of us whom are interested in bypassing the resonator! :thumbsup:

 

So this fits V6 and V8 cars?

 

Don't mean to hijack, but I was thinking about my exhaust the other day and was wondering why MB never designed a dual exhaust instead of those two ugly little limp things. The sound and aesthetics would have been much more pleasing to the ear and eye. Don't get my wrong, I love the sound of my 500SL, especially when you open it up, but I'm curious what the reasoning was behind such an otherwise "lame" set up of the exhaust.

 

I agree with your assesment. These cars are waaay too muffeled. That's why I'm putting on a AMG muffler on my SL500. Granted, these cars aren't Mustangs but they need to to roar a bit while excellerating.

 

because most of the fat cats that bought these cars new were more interested in style and looks than speed and sound. Most of u know this car is de-tuned.

Just my .02

Nice work BTW.

 

dont forget headers as Mertd93 and tech-tune will attest too. a HUGE backlog of power HUUUGE.

 

NOTE: This reply has been moved from a related discussion at Interesting finds on eBay.

Nice find Sean! :thumbsup:

Too bad it's specified for the SL600 R129 only, otherwise I'd buy it now!

Well its not for the 600 Neoken, I checked, received mine yesterday, installed it today on a eurospec 2001 SL320. See pics on a separate post
here. I will list specs too so you can check if it fits for you.

I dont think something comparable to this could be made for $75. This is a very well built item. I had seen it on another post on this forum and wrote to renntech 3-4 months ago asking for one. It took them about 3 months to search the stockroom, and they found 3, which they listed on ebay. I got one of them, and they were quite helpful with sending it overseas at a reasonable price. Dont be fooled its a heavy item.

This item has been discontinued and they wont be making any more, and i didnt trust the local workshops to make a similar one for me, which would have cost over 200 euro to make. In any case, I am content with it, although not overwhelmed with the sound difference. I would call it 10-15% more, and definitely deeper, but then again I am not a V8...!

Thanks again Nick, looking at the diagrams and also based upon the fact that the pipes fit your 2001 SL320 (129.064) and is specified for the SL600 (129.076), I believe they should fit the 1995 SL500 (129.067) as well.

With the exception of the 1999-02 SL500 (129.068) which utilizes a completely different exhaust system configuration, for the rest of the R129 roadsters, the factory cat back exhaust system appears to be very similar with regards to compatibility and component location.

Depending on the specific model-year, apparently some mufflers are bolted onto the resonator piping with flanges, and some are welded together as one piece from the cat-back.

Based on the information that we have here, the RENNtech resonator bypass pipe should be easier to install on the 1995 SL500 (129.067) in comparison to your 2001 SL320 (129.064) as the resonator piping between the muffler and catalytic converter can be unbolted for installation without the need of cutting and welding an additional flange for attaching the rear muffler.

1994-97 SL320 - 129.063 EXHAUST SYSTEM

1990-95 500SL/SL500 - 129.066/129.067 EXHAUST SYSTEM

1994-95 SL600 - 129.076 EXHAUST SYSTEM

 

NOTE: This reply is continued from a related discussion at Interesting finds on eBay.





Thanks again Nick, looking at the diagrams and also based upon the fact that the pipes fit your 2001 SL320 (129.064) and is specified for the SL600 (129.076), I believe they should fit the 1995 SL500 (129.067) as well.

With the exception of the 1999-02 SL500 (129.068) which utilizes a completely different exhaust system configuration, for the rest of the R129 roadsters, the factory cat back exhaust system appears to be very similar with regards to compatibility and component location.

Depending on the specific model-year, apparently some mufflers are bolted onto the resonator piping with flanges, and some are welded together as one piece from the cat-back.

Based on the information that we have here, the RENNtech resonator bypass pipe should be easier to install on the 1995 SL500 (129.067) in comparison to your 2001 SL320 (129.064) as the resonator piping between the muffler and catalytic converter can be unbolted for installation without the need of cutting and welding an additional flange for attaching the rear muffler.

1994-97 SL320 - 129.063 EXHAUST SYSTEM

1990-95 500SL/SL500 - 129.066/129.067 EXHAUST SYSTEM

1994-95 SL600 - 129.076 EXHAUST SYSTEM

Ken.... The Renntech resonator bypass pipes will fit your 500....... I talk to Renntech a few years back..... The reason it say for 600 only because they afraid it would be too loud for the 500 if someone were to do the whole exhaust system…

So, Ken are you going to get it....??... Now you found out it fit your car...

 

Great work Neoken on finding out all this, and posting schematics.
I believe this topic is covered now!

There are 4 catalysts on the cars, the shop was telling me to replace them with metal cats (?) and I should see a difference.
There is also a Brabus rear muffler somewhere for sale I believe on ebay... Perhaps I should do the lot.

What is the experience you guys have with replacing cats?
My car looks slightly different that the schematic that Neoken posted. Here are some pics. You see 4 cats on the two pics. A set right in front of the resonator which I replaced and a set as the pipes curve out of the engine compartment and on to the undercarriage.

What do you guys think?

 

Fralle

Havent any body tried to just take the final muffler off and replace it with a 3" pipe? This should give a great sound! (maybe to great):thumbsup:
However it would be simple and very low cost.
And if needed maybe add a full flow small muffler.

 

I was gonna say for the price of the bypass your exhaust guy could do a simple set up and save u a ton of cash.

Might not look like a single pipe but u can size it up and get more power at the same time.

Havent any body tried to just take the final muffler off and replace it with a 3" pipe? This should give a great sound! (maybe to great):thumbsup:
However it would be simple and very low cost.
And if needed maybe add a full flow small muffler.

 

djblue, although this looks very good, I went to 3 exhaust shops - pretty decent ones, and no one would make this for less than I paid to get the Renntech. In Greece that is. We seem to think, regardless of crisis and the state being almost bankrupt that we hold everyone by the b@lls and our skilled labor is worth gold. Thats why we are failing miserably in everything else. I paid a bucket of money (thank God a bucket of dollars these days aint a bucket of euro) plus a whole lot of worthless shipping, to go back to one of the three shops and rub it in his face, while he installed it.
Oh well. C'est la vie.

 

I just had a resonator bypass installed and it costs under $150.00 installed. My muffler shop fabricated one that fits perfectly.

 

sound clips anyone?

(not that it would do it justice, but you can always get an idea)

 

Think I'm taking a trip to my local muffler shop.....

 

here is what it sounded like last year.

http://www.bludesignspot.com/MOV03398.MPG

here is how it sounds when u get on it from the interior.

http://www.bludesignspot.com/IMG_1032.MOV

I should have turned down the heater... oh well.

 

RENNtech Sport Exhaust Resonator Bypass Pipes

 

I feel I should add that after a few weeks the rear exhaust has loosened up nicely in absence of the resonator, and the sound has gotten much much better!
Content now. I am glad I got this done.
Neoken how did the install go?

 

Glad to hear that you feel content with this modification Nick! :thumbsup:

BTW, thanks again for the and sharing your findings of these last (3) remaining R129 RENNtech RB pipes with DIY details for our fellow R129 forum members!

R129 member Mfletch now has his RENNtech RB pipe installed on a 2001 SL600, and the both of us agree with you that the difference in sound level has only increased maybe up to 15% with OEM muffler attached. IMO, I was expecting more gain in sound level than the actual changes, so I am currently driving with the rear muffler removed.

To give you my honest feedback, the install turned out nice. Good overall fitment as installed by my exhaust man. First he had to cut off the old and original (3) bolts on the rear muffler flange with an oxygen-acetylene torch as of course the threads were rusted over with a 15 year old exhaust. Then we were able to drop the resonator pipe section.

Installing the RENNtech pipe was basically as simple as it looks. The only issue that we found is that on my SL500 is each of the holes on both flanges at the stock catalytic converter were just a tad bit off versus the holes on the RENNtech pipe flanges. It made life much easier to torch the (4) bolts on a shop-vice and slightly bend all (4) bolts at a very slight angle with pliers while they were glowing.

BTW.. I don't wan't to hi-jack your Renntech resonator bypass pipes 2001 SL320 Final Edition thread so I've posted more details regarding this topic here at M119 Performance Modifications.

Best Regards. Ken.

 

RENNtech Resonator Bypass Pipe

Hi,

Any of you guys out there who knows if there is a resonator bypass pipe availible on the market, or is the only solution to manufacture one.
In another thread there was a renntech bypass pipe mentioned and pictured, but searching that partnumber on the internet gave nothing back.
My car is a 98 SL500, but I believe that also other models and years should be approximately the same.

Regards
Bjorn

 

Hi,

Any of you guys out there who knows if there is a resonator bypass pipe availible on the market, or is the only solution to manufacture one.
In another thread there was a renntech bypass pipe mentioned and pictured, but searching that partnumber on the internet gave nothing back.
My car is a 98 SL500, but I believe that also other models and years should be approximately the same.

Regards
Bjorn

I would think that the more practical approach, cost wise, would be to have a set custom fabricated for your car...with the major problem of sourcing 2.25 inch diameter ( dual pipes) merging to a 2.75 inch diameter, not unless you prefer the "branded" bypass pipes.

 

Hi Bjorn, I currently have a RENNtech resonator bypass pipe installed on my 95 SL500. I understand the RENNtech resonator bypass pipe or as they call it the 'R129 V12 Sound Pipe' has been out of production and discontinued for some years now.

Through the findings of another member Nick 'dianic', I was fortunate enough to purchase from RENNtech's eBay store the very last one of three new units left that has been found sitting in their warehouse in Florida.

I completely agree with Chicky's assessments as it may be more cost effective to have a resonator bypass pipe custom fabricated by an exhaust shop. However, I must say the RENNtech unit is built as an exceptionally solid, hi-quality piece of course. Otherwise, I am not aware of any other aftermarket bolt-on bypass pipes on the market.

All 3 out of 3 remaining (out of production) RENNtech resonator bypass pipes which were recently found through the efforts of our friend Nick 'dianic' now have all been successfully installed on on our R129s.

• Nick 'dianic' 2001 SL320
• Mark 'Mfletch' 2001 SL600
• Ken 'NEOKEN' 1995 SL500

Renntech resonator bypass pipes 2001 SL320 Final Edition

How much more exhaust noise can I expect?

M119 Performance Modifications

VIDEO: New sound clips from NEOKEN's M119

 

Hi Bjorn, I currently have a RENNtech resonator bypass pipe installed on my 95 SL500. I understand the RENNtech resonator bypass pipe or as they call it the 'R129 V12 Sound Pipe' has been out of production and discontinued for some years now.

Through the findings of another member Nick 'dianic', I was fortunate enough to purchase from RENNtech's eBay store the very last one of three new units left that has been found sitting in their warehouse in Florida.

I completely agree with Chicky's assessments as it may be more cost effective to have a resonator bypass pipe custom fabricated by an exhaust shop. However, I must say the RENNtech unit is built as an exceptionally solid, hi-quality piece of course. Otherwise, I am not aware of any other aftermarket bolt-on bypass pipes on the market.

Renntech resonator bypass pipes 2001 SL320 Final Edition

How much more exhaust noise can I expect?

M119 Performance Modifications

VIDEO: New sound clips from NEOKEN's M119

Please forgive my Ignorance when I ask this question, but when you are talking about a resonator bypass, you mean just remove the entire thing and weld a replacement pipe in its place? Like I said im sorry for such a stupid question but Im new to exhaust mods and I want to modify my 129 v12. Also why cant I remove both cats completely if I live in a state with no emission laws?....thanks guys!
:surrender:

 

Hi,

You have a PM Ken.

Regards
Bjorn

 

I have a Renntech resonator bypass on my 600 as well . I wonder how many "last ones" they have? They told me mine was the last one they had and that was well over two years ago!

 

Stuart I'm so happy to see you back on the forum after such long time .
Well, probably they have the last one until the next one but in sales if you have the last example customers accelerate their decisions right?

Cheers.

 

shame they don't make those anymore. i would buy one, i bet it sounds really good on the car as well.

 

Yup, I would love to have one of those, mine don't have the flange connecting to the muffler.

 

I recently replaced my V12 resonator with a stainless resonator delete (sound) pipe and it is amazing.

The V12 has always been a VERY quiet car with the exhaust note sounding like a hiss (gas escaping) with no real character. The sound pipe has a muted growl at startup and idle while cruising is completely quiet. No drone or anything, just quiet like the original resonator. The best of both worlds. It does have a muffled exhaust note while accelerating that pairs well with the mechanical whine of the engine, but originally the car sounded like a sewing machine and a slightly angrier sewing machine during acceleration.

The 1999 and up cars come with a straight pipe/muffler combo from the factory as shown in the previous post which is great for sound, but bad if you want to use another muffler (like an awesome AMG twin outlet). You would have to cut the straight pipe just before the muffler and weld on a flange.

https://www.ebay.com/i/401704315075?chn=ps

The pipe in my photo is a V12 stainless steel version of the sound pipe that I got from Japan. One of the inlet pipes uses a different setup than factory, but I think it's better as it's just a slip joint and clamp instead of the fragile graphite sleeve/doughnut that seems to always disintegrate when servicing the exhaust system. Oh, and the sound pipe shaves about 32 pounds off the weight of the original resonator. So, win-win.

I do have a regular steel version that fits the pre-1999 V8/6 cylinder cars if anyone is interested.

 

I recently replaced my V12 resonator with a stainless resonator delete (sound) pipe and it is amazing.



The 1999 and up cars come with a straight pipe/muffler combo from the factory as shown in the previous post which is great for sound, but bad if you want to use another muffler (like an awesome AMG twin outlet). You would have to cut the straight pipe just before the muffler and weld on a flange.

https://www.ebay.com/i/401704315075?chn=ps

Do you know of something that will fit my 99 SL600 without too much modification?

 

I am kind of curious about the 1999 and up V12 cars.

I think I understand pretty well about the V8 and 6 cylinder car's exhaust situation, but not the newer V12s.

Does your V12 have a removable resonator or is it all connected as a single unit including the muffler?

I think the original RENNtech sound pipes were modified stock resonators. They removed the resonator portion and inserted a Y-pipe. I thought about doing this myself (I bought a Y-pipe), but IF the sound wasn't good there was no way back. RENNtech hasn't had a sound pipe offered (much less a V12 pipe which is different) for quite some time. I found a pipe on Yahoo Japan and was able to get the one you see in the photo, but it isn't easy AND takes a lot of patience.

The V8/6 cylinder pipe I have can be adapted for V12 usage. If you look at the double end of the stainless steel version above you will see the adapters for V12 fitment. You would have to remove the two ends from your existing resonator and put them on the V8 pipe. Not too difficult.

I would like to see the V8 pipe go to a V8 car as I'm curious about that, but it would certainly work for a V12 with a little effort. Don't forget, in addition to the improved exhaust sound you also lose about 30 pounds of heft. It also makes working on some of the rear end tasks related to the differential easier.

 

Here's a few shots of the V8/6 cylinder resonator eliminator along with my V12 muffler. My original resonator is under the eliminator.

If you have the same muffler number (1294910601) as mine, then you already have the big inlet muffler and would just want the pipe.

I'll offer the pair here on BenzWorld first before elsewhere. Sounds better, less weight. Kinda rare stuff.

PM me if you are interested.

 

FATHERTIME,

Here's your answer.

You have a take apart exhaust system just like mine (see photo).

The photo is from a really nice low mile 1999 SL600 listed on Hemmings. It clearly shows the bolt together flange connection between the muffler and the resonator. I noticed that the 2 inlet connectors on the RENNtech sound pipe at the top of this page (page 4) has welded on ends. In order to use the V8/6 cylinder pipe I show just above, you would have to remove the existing small diameter inlets and harvest the two larger inlet connections from your existing resonator.

Then it would just bolt on like a regular resonator. You already have the big inlet V12 muffler.

This is mostly what it sounds like at idle. Muted growl at startup and idle, with a muffled snarl on acceleration.