It
appears to be some bling to make a STIHL brand saw louder, "more custom" looking, and a bit hotter and less powerful.
From what I've seen power is down from stock when adding the Barkbox and Straight Shot. Maybe it depends on the saw, however STIHL seems to have the setup figured out and optimized.
I would think the same money is better spent with a good saw porter than a bolt-on muffler. When the internals are rearranged, then free-flow exhaust seems to help (but I'm not a porter).
This started when I posted a few pics of my Redfin MS661 on Facebook a month or so ago and some yahoo chimed in with his sage advice "it will be at least 10% faster with a Bark Box" or something to that effect. I noticed that the HP and power claims on the BB website had decreased after they...
opeforum.com
Does anybody here have experience with the WCS bark box on a Stihl MS362 m tronic? If so did it actually help the performance of the saw or just make it louder? Debating whether to add one of these or not. I know they’re supposed to add 6-10% more power but would like to ground truth with real...
www.arboristsite.com
Here's my take on them, yes, they may give gains in at least some stock saws, as I don't have or have seen data on every last model.
On a ported saw a properly proportioned modified can is going to be extremely hard to beat as it has more internal volume with the stock cover, which as you correctly guessed, when used with the stock diffuser, spreads the exhaust charge throughout the can more evenly.
And yes, it comes with a heavier exhaust note than a modified can as well to the operator which can either be good or bad depending on the users' likings.
A
They are very well made, and as far as bling goes, yes, they are quite handsome looking and even more so if taken to a buffing wheel prior to installation can be made to look like chrome.
One issue that has come up with folks putting these on, is the weight of it. What I mean by that is they are heavier and when compounded with engine vibration can "knock" the threads out of the case in the lower mount bolts. Precautions should be taken when installing.
I let folks decide for themselves, for the time being, I'll still be modifying the can for running on modified Stihl saws.
I think (please correct me if I’m wrong)
@Red97 did a dyno test of stock muffler vs bark box vs straight shot. Bark box and straight shot both showed a bit of hp and torque gains. They’re basically the expensive less labor intensive version of a muffler mod, which has been around forever
Where that increase of power in relationship to the power band is going to be more important than how much, as it will allow the saw to shine in one scenario and be less than when the parameters change. I believe it comes down to what the end user is doing with his/her saw to say if it wins or looses, which could change from one job to the next.
One thing is certain, it will be loud doing its thing.
The internet is getting worse.
Manure spreaders must be getting bigger, lots of BS getting spread around....
