"But what exacty do you think might be a downside to opening up a stock saw muffler and why? The make or model hardly matters".
I thought, that perhaps since the 180 wasn't a "pro" saw, its guts wouldn't be conducive to taking on more power. I fully understand the issue with the 260 ie; it can handle the extra power an open muffler gives it as that was how it was designed at the factory prior to the EPA regs. I didn't realize there was a "pre" EPA 180.
"What matters is that ALL manufacturers sacrifice longevity in order to satisfy emissions requirements. They plug up the mufflers to hold back exhaust gasses, which generates lots of heat. This heat will 'cook' the exhaust (and all your other saw parts as well) in order to burn more of the unburnt fuel while it is still in the muffler. Opening the outlet hole a little more on a stock chainsaw will allow the exhaust to escape with less resistance. Less heat will be generated and the saw will not be forced to cook itself. This allows the saw to rev easier and produce the power that the engineers designed it to."
Yep, I fully understand but my question wasn't how this works. It was more along the line of "is the 180 conducive to these mods?"! I have read posts here that indicate not all saws are hence the questioning.
"The only 'downside' I could even imagine is that the carb will need adjustment since the saw will be able to flow more fuel. This is only an issue with fixed jet (non-adjustable) carbs, which are no longer being marketed on Stihl saws anyway".
Again Brian, this I understand. Appearantly, one of the questions I didn't make clear, even though it was in my title, is this - is there an adjustable carb for the 180?
"Have you ever seen custom dual exhaust systems on new trucks? Did you ever wonder to yourself "I wonder how much that will hurt the truck engine"?"
Why as a matter of fact I have seen dual exhaust. In fact, I used to be a hot rod fanatic years ago. And to answer your question if I wondered if it would hurt my engine, the answer is no. BUT, again, appearantly, my post wasn't clear. I'm sure you know that opening up any exhaust too much on an otherwise stock engine will not do much for power and in some cases, destroy power. So, my question again is - is the 180 conducive to the simple muffler mod and is there an adjustable carb available so I don't have to fiddle fart around with changing jets?
So Brian, do you actually have any answers to my original question?
Sorry if my post seemed redundant to anyone. I didn't think it was as a search for modded 180's & adj carbs for them didn't result in much.
