Mufflers

[Grbmaverickmo]

Ok so whats a good sounding muffler behind a fe? I was lookin at smittys 2.5 inch, length will depend on what I can fit under it. I have 2 inch with cherry bombs at the moment and it sounds cool. Please no flowmasters I really dont like how they sound inside or outside the car. What are you guys running? The car will have full exhaust out the back. As allways thanks for the help

[fe66comet]

Don't ask me I hate glass packs they sound like a weed Wacker LOL sorry just my take.

[turbohunter]

Interesting how folks perceive sound.
To me glass packs are the quintessential FE sound.
I don't like the way Flowmasters or all the tin can mufflers sound.
To each his own.
That's what makes it fun.
For me it's 26 inch glasspacks so they are quite at idle then roar when you stomp.
But it's all good.

[DEANs427]

Hooker max-flow = sweet music with a stout FE

[fe66comet]

I like magna flow rounds personally. They have a mellow tone at lower rpm but seriously open up at higher rpm. Borla is a good choice also. I am planning to drive my car and I like to be able to tone things down some at times. My plan is full exhaust to the rear with header dumps after my H pipe so I do not torture myself all the time.

[fastback 427]

I like the hooker Max flow. Sound good and flow better. Got a set of magnaflow on a 390 1/2 ton I picked up yesterday and they sound good to. I don't like glass packs on stock engines because they sound like "cowboy" pipes, but on my 12 to 1 fe engines the glass packs sound amazing. Everyone says my fairlane is the best sounding car they ever heard, has 18" glass packs.

[cjshaker]

I'll give a big thumbs up to the Borlas also. Specifically the Pro XS mufflers, or the slightly louder XR1s. I have Borla Ataks on my '09 GT and the Pro XS on my 427 Mach 1. I really like them both, but the Pros sound great with a healthy big block.

If you like the sound of glasspacks, you'll love those I think. They use a long woven stainless mesh instead of fiberglass packing, so they won't blow out over time. They flow better than almost any muffler out there, sound like a muffled open header design, don't drone (like Flowmasters are notorious for), sound mellow at idle, but open up under throttle without getting that annoying raspy sound typical single pass through glasspacks get when under wide open throttle. The Pros use a split flow pipe inside the muffler, much like the Edelbrock Split Flows I bought years ago for my truck (but are no longer made I believe). The XR1s are a single pass through so they are a little louder.

Magnaflows are very popular and sound nice, but the Borlas sound a little better in my opinion. I like an aggressive sound, but can't handle drone.....it drives me insane. Size of pipe, X or H pipe...or lack of, length of tailpipe etc all affect the sound, but the basic sound is still the same.

Here's a few clips of the Borla Pro XS mufflers.
First two are a big block Mopar (but with no long tailpipes, so a little louder than typical)....
http://youtu.be/WdAv3O_JUYs?t=15s
http://youtu.be/yCCYTEzRrpo?t=27s

This one is a small block Mustang, but you can hear what a mellower setup sounds like taking off....
http://youtu.be/bU19A60K_Zo?t=1m47s

3rd is a healthy stroker smallblock Mustang, again with no visible tailpipes so a little louder....
http://youtu.be/1zUocGD0-VI

Only drawback, they aren't the cheapest. But all stainless construction, lifetime warranty and USA made are big pluses.

There are tons of videos of Magnaflows. I like being the odd guy out

For the heck of it, here's a clip of the similar Edelbrock Split Flows on my truck. But headers and smaller 2 1/4" exhaust with about 6 months on the mufflers (so they have blown out quite a bit) make it a little on the raspy side. Still no drone though, and they've been on for almost 20 years now. Don't have a clip of  the Mach 1.

[Drew Pojedinec]

My weed whacker:
http://s68.photobucket.com/user/DeepRootsNursery/media/MVI_0183_zps0f0b06ea.mp4.html

[Bad Byrd]

Exhaust note is very subjective, Me.................I have NEVER hears a car with glasspacks that sounded good. Personally the FE engine has one of the worst exhaust notes of any of the Big Blocks IMHO! I will be doing my own rendition of an exhaust system that more then likely you have never heard.

I will be running a set of Nascar boom tubes right in front of the rear tire with Dr Gas Built in muffler system, Will it sound good..................Yeah I have never heard an FE I liked so I am not banking on it! One thing is for sure though My system will have an X pipe! This has helped with exhaust note in every car I have ever owned or built in the last 15 yrs. Best thing I can suggest no matter what muffler you run!

This is one of the best sounding FE cars I have ever heard!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ2oGNGPrw0

[GJCAT427]

I made a set of mufflers and pipes all out of 304 stainless. My mufflers are 24" long and I went as far as to get sst wool pads to stuff them with. The inlet/outlet size is 2.5 as are the pipes. I made the internal pipe with dozens of 5/16 holes drilled in them, then cut the pipe in half and tigged a cap plate with a 1/2" bleeder hole in it. Tigged the pipe back together and inserted it into the case pipe stuffed with the sst wool and capped both ends. The mufflers are mounted under  the back of the cab on my 56 F100. When I fire it up(427 med riser) it purrs like a kitten. going down the road it has a very low rumble and isn`t objectional in the cab. People tell me it sounds awsume  and really sounds great when I get on it. I built this about 20 yrs ago and it still sounds and looks good todate.

[fe66comet]

Nothing sounds like open 2 1/2 primary headers I say, you come out throwing flames!!!!!

[machoneman]

Hey, what's with the anti-Flowmaster diatribe!   

Have had good luck with the standard and 40 series on both Mustangs. Frankly, almost any chosen muffler may drone on a particular vehicle. So many variables affect the sound level and unpleasantness to the ear that blanket statements about how 'good' one make is over another is foolish IMHO.

Try this trick: run any make of muffler hooked as close to the collectors or front pipes but do not add any pipe out the back or sides (think of it as the now ancient Thrush-Roadrunner header mufflers that bolted directly to the header collector).  Then drive it around. Then add the pipes out the side/back that you desire and try it again. Huge difference, eh?   

Lots of different Flowmasters as well, each with a different application and sound. But, put any make of a true race muffler on a street car, with or without pipes out the back, and you will get an earful!

http://www.dragzine.com/tech-stories/exhaust/sound-comparison-of-five-of-flowmaster%E2%80%99s-popular-series-of-performance-mufflers/

[cjshaker]

I made a set of mufflers and pipes all out of 304 stainless.

First time I've ever heard of somebody making their own muffler. That's cool.

Personally the FE engine has one of the worst exhaust notes of any of the Big Blocks IMHO!
..Yeah I have never heard an FE I liked so I am not banking on it...

We must be listening to different FEs then

[fe66comet]

Compression and cam has a lot to do with sound.

[bluef100fe]

3 inch x-pipe into hooker maxflows and then a set of dynomax race bullets all mandrel bent 3 inch straight out the back of my truck. Still plenty loud for the street with the rowdy 390 but so far the cops have left me alone. I installed cut outs after the x pipe if i wanna make noise at the track.  I like this setup the most so far and I've tried a half dozen different configurations over the years... Really like the sound of the x pipe.