Hey, has anyone noticed less power w/ a cutout? I have a Flowmaster muffler and a 3" cutout and it really seems like I have more power w/ the cutout closed.

And can you explain this to me? With the cutout closed before, the engine was definitely quieter. But the other day, upon noticing a crooked exhaust pipe, I tried to fix it and one of the rear pipes broke off at the muffler. Now the car sounds exactly the same as it used to w/ the cutout open...because the muffler is completely hollow. Now it doesn't make sense that the now missing tailpipe was muffling the engine that much. What the heck?