What is exhaust system drone?

When you have an after-market performance exhaust system (and it’s not an MRT exhaust system!), you may experience drone. Drone feels like an uncomfortable noise or vibration you experience while cruising at a particular speed.

The definition of drone is “a monotonous low tone; a humming or buzzing sound” (dictionary.com). In physics, resonance is “a phenomenon that occurs when a given system is driven by another vibrating system or external force to oscillate with greater amplitude at a specific preferential frequency” (wikipedia.com).

Resonance between the exhaust system and the vehicle is what causes drone.

Why does drone occur is some exhaust systems but not others?

Drone is a function of several factors including the vibration of the exhaust system, the ratio of the transmission and rear gearing, the mass of the vehicle, and the engine RPM. The RPM at which the engine turns while cruising at highway speeds is the main factor in drone. When drone occurs, it’s usually between 1800 and 2100 RPM, which is approximately where your engine runs when in a high gear cruising down the highway.

Drone doesn’t occur with a stock exhaust system because a stock exhaust system is very quiet (relative to an after-market performance exhaust system), and is part of the automobile manufacturer’s overall noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) engineering package.

When you upgrade your vehicle with an after-market exhaust system, the flow of exhaust gases through the exhaust system is increased by less restrictive mufflers and catalytic converters as well as larger diameter and perhaps rerouting of the exhaust pipes. Improving the flow of exhaust gas improves the performance and the muscle car sound of your vehicle.

A potential downside of improving exhaust gas flow in this manner is that the increase in sound and change in flow alters the resonance of the vehicle.

What is the Drone Management System™ by MRT?

At MRT, we design and engineer MRT Brand performance exhaust systems to minimize drone. MRT’s unique process analyzes the drone of each new product configuration for a particular vehicle year/make/model, then applies mathematics and engineering principles and adjusts the resonant frequency of the system to minimize drone at the RPM for highway cruising speeds.

Some MRT Brand performance exhaust systems for a particular vehicle year/make/model require more resonant frequency adjustment than others, and some require none at all.

Why should I purchase an MRT Brand performance exhaust system for my vehicle?

Because of the MRT Drone Management System™, you can purchase with confidence the MRT Brand performance exhaust system for your vehicle to achieve the performance and muscle car sound you’re looking for and know that drone won’t be a problem!