Resonator Exhaust Tips: What They Do and Whether They Change the Sound
A resonator exhaust tip is a tip with a small sound absorber built inside it. It takes some of the high, raspy edge off your exhaust note and can make it sound a little deeper, but it does not make the car louder and it will not fix drone. On most cars the change is small. You notice it most at full throttle or when you stand behind the car.
We sell exhaust tips for the Dodge Charger and Challenger, and “should I get resonated tips?” is one of the questions we hear most. We don’t make resonated tips ourselves, so this is a straight answer rather than a sales pitch: what they are, what they really do to the sound, and when they are worth paying extra for.
In this guide
What a resonated exhaust tip is
A normal exhaust tip is a hollow piece of metal. Gas goes in one end and out the other. It is there for looks, and to finish the pipe neatly at the bumper.
A resonated exhaust tip (also sold as resonator tips or resonator exhaust tips) has two layers:
- An inner tube full of small holes. The exhaust gas flows straight through this tube, so nothing blocks the flow.
- An outer shell. The space between the inner tube and the shell is packed with heat-proof sound-absorbing material, usually fiberglass or steel wool.
Sound waves pass through the holes into the packing, and part of their energy is soaked up there. If that sounds familiar, it is the same idea as a glasspack muffler, just much smaller. From the outside, most resonated tips look like a normal dual-wall tip. The give-away is the perforated tube you can see when you look into the outlet.
Don’t confuse it with the resonator that is already in your exhaust. That one is a bigger canister further forward in the system, built to cancel specific frequencies. Our guide to exhaust components and what each part does shows where it sits. A resonated tip is a small extra absorber at the very end of the pipe.
How the built-in resonator changes the note
Exhaust sound is a mix of low notes (the deep rumble) and high notes (rasp, crackle, tinny buzz). Sound-absorbing packing is good at soaking up the high notes and poor at stopping the low ones. Low notes have long waves, and you need a big chamber to deal with them. A tip has a few inches of packing.
So a resonated tip mostly does three things:
- Takes the edge off rasp. The high, buzzy part of the note gets softer. This is the change people notice most.
- Makes the note seem deeper. It does not add any bass. It removes some treble, so what is left sounds lower and smoother.
- Lowers the volume a little. Any absorber takes some energy out of the sound. On most cars it is a small difference, not something you would call quiet.
What it does not do is touch drone. Drone is the steady boom you hear inside the car at highway speed, and it is a low note. A V8 cruising at around 1,800 rpm makes its main exhaust pulse at roughly 120 times a second, which is far too low for a few inches of packing to absorb. If drone is your problem, a tip will not solve it. A proper resonator or a different muffler will.
For the bigger picture on how much any tip can change your sound, read our full article on whether exhaust tips change the sound of your car.
Resonated vs non-resonated exhaust tips
Here is how the two compare side by side.
| Resonated tip | Non-resonated (regular) tip | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside | Perforated inner tube with packing around it | Hollow tube, single or dual wall |
| Effect on sound | Softens rasp, slightly deeper, slightly quieter | Very small, mostly from outlet size and shape |
| Effect on drone | Almost none | None |
| Effect on power | None you can feel (the gas path is straight through) | None if the inlet matches your pipe |
| Length and weight | Longer and heavier, needs room behind the bumper | Shorter and lighter, fits more cars |
| Lifespan | Packing slowly burns out over years, then the tip gets louder | Lasts as long as the metal and finish |
| Price | Usually more than a plain tip of the same size | Usually cheaper |
| Best for | Raspy exhausts you want to smooth out | Changing the look of the back of the car |
One thing to watch when shopping: some tips are called “resonated” because of a dual-wall look, with no packing inside. Look for the words perforated core and sound-absorbing packing in the description, or look into the outlet in the photos. If the inside is smooth, it is a regular tip with a fancy name.
Do resonator tips make the exhaust louder?
No. A resonated tip absorbs sound, so if anything the exhaust gets a little quieter. People expect the opposite because “resonator” sounds like something that amplifies. In an exhaust it means the reverse.
Why do some owners swear their car got louder after fitting new tips? A few honest reasons:
- The outlet got bigger. A wider outlet can make the note sound fuller when you stand behind the car, even though the actual volume barely changes.
- The old tip had a restriction. Some factory tips have a baffle or a narrow neck. Replacing it can open the sound up a bit.
- They are listening for it. After spending money on a part, everyone hears a difference. We have been there too.
If you want a louder car, the sound is decided further forward. A mid-muffler delete on the Charger or Challenger is the cheap route. A cat-back system from a brand like Borla, Corsa or MagnaFlow is the expensive one. Our guide on whether a muffler delete is a good idea covers the trade-offs, including drone.
Are resonated tips worth it on a V6 or a Hemi?
It depends on what your exhaust sounds like now, and that depends on the engine.
On a V6, such as the 3.6 Pentastar
V6 engines tend to sound raspy, especially once the muffler or resonator has been removed. That rasp is exactly the high-pitched noise a resonated tip absorbs best. If you have a V6 Charger, Challenger or similar car with a louder aftermarket setup and you hate the buzz, resonated tips are one of the few cases where we think they are worth the extra money. They are also a cheap thing to try before you pay for a new muffler.
On a completely stock V6 exhaust, there is not much rasp to remove, so you will hear very little difference.
On a Hemi V8 (5.7, 6.4 / 392 or 6.2 Hellcat)
A stock Hemi already has a deep note and a fairly quiet, well-muffled system. A resonated tip has little to work on, and most Hemi owners want more sound, not less. We would not spend extra on resonated tips for a stock Hemi.
The exception is a Hemi with a full muffler delete or straight pipes that has become crackly and harsh. Resonated tips can smooth the top end of that sound a little. They won’t fix the drone that usually comes with it. Our straight pipe guide explains why that drone happens.
Fitment and install: same as any bolt-on tip
A resonated tip mounts exactly like a regular tip. It can be clamp-on, bolt-on or weld-on, and the inlet has to match the outside diameter of your exhaust pipe. Our exhaust tips guide shows how to measure your pipe and choose the right size, so we won’t repeat it here.
There are two differences we always point out:
- Length. A resonated tip needs a few extra inches for the packing. Check there is room between the end of your pipe and the bumper, and that the outlet will still sit where you want it.
- Weight. The packing and second wall add weight at the very end of the pipe. A single clamp can loosen over time. Tighten it fully and check it again after the first few drives.
On cars where the tips sit inside shaped bumper cut-outs, like the V8 Charger and Challenger, a universal resonated tip is often the wrong shape or length to line up with the opening. That is why tips made for those cars are usually not resonated.
Our take for Charger and Challenger owners
On the 2017–2023 V8 Charger and Challenger, the sound is set by the mid mufflers and rear resonators, not the tips. The factory tips are simple pieces held on with collar clamps, sitting in the openings of the lower valance. So for these cars we keep the two jobs separate:
- Sound: decide how loud you want the car with the exhaust itself. Stock, a mid-muffler delete, or a cat-back.
- Looks: finish it with tips that fill the bumper openings. Every one of those exhaust options keeps the stock tips, and on most cars they look small.
That is what our tips are for. They are not resonated, so they won’t change your sound much either way. They are sized for the factory cut-outs, ceramic-coated black, and bolt on with the clamps that are already on your car. On the Charger, our 5-inch black exhaust tips for the V8 Charger fill the round openings that the factory tips leave half empty.
GridReady product
Dodge Charger 5-inch Black Exhaust Tips
- Fits 2017–2023 V8 Charger (R/T, Scat Pack, SRT) and the 2015–2023 Charger Hellcat
- Ceramic-coated black over 304 stainless steel
- Bolt-on with the factory clamps, no cutting or welding required
On the Challenger, the black quad exhaust tips for the V8 Challenger split each side into two 4-inch outlets to fill the wide rear valance.
GridReady product
Dodge Challenger Black Quad Exhaust Tips
- Fits 2017–2023 V8 Challenger (R/T, Scat Pack, SRT) and the 2015–2023 Challenger Hellcat
- Quad look: two 4-inch outlets per side, left and right set
- Ceramic-coated black, bolt-on with the factory clamps
Both fit the V8 R/T, Scat Pack, SRT and Hellcat only. The V6 SXT and GT have a different rear layout, so our tips won’t fit those. If your V6 has a raspy aftermarket exhaust, that is where a resonated universal tip from an exhaust shop makes sense.
Related guides
- Exhaust tips explained: sizes, styles, materials and how to choose
- Will exhaust tips change the sound? What to expect from each type of tip
- Dodge Challenger and Charger mid-muffler delete guide
FAQ
What does a resonator exhaust tip do?
It absorbs some of the high-pitched sound at the end of your exhaust. Packing around a perforated inner tube soaks up rasp and buzz, so the note sounds smoother and a little deeper. Exhaust flow is not blocked, so power stays the same.
Do resonated exhaust tips make your car louder?
No. They absorb sound, so they make the exhaust slightly quieter if anything. If you want more volume, change the muffler or the system in front of the tips.
Do resonated exhaust tips work?
Yes, but the effect is small. They work best on raspy exhausts, such as a V6 with a muffler delete. On a quiet stock system there is little for them to absorb, so you may not hear a difference.
Do resonator tips reduce drone?
Not really. Drone is a low note, and the small amount of packing in a tip mainly absorbs high notes. To cut drone you need a proper resonator or a chambered muffler further forward in the exhaust.
Can you put resonated tips on a muffler delete?
Yes. It is one of the better uses for them, because a muffler delete often sounds raspy and resonated tips take some of that edge off. They will not bring back the quiet of a muffler, and they will not stop highway drone.
How long do resonated exhaust tips last?
The metal lasts as long as any good stainless tip. The packing inside slowly burns and blows out over the years, and once it is gone the tip works like a regular one. Rattling or a louder note than before are the usual signs.
