Muffler quiz

[Lenz]

I'm currently running Flowmaster mufflers and the constant drone in the car at highway speeds has to go.  Need to run something that still sounds great but would also allow for conversation if you happen to have another human in the car with you.  Any preferences from experience?

[fastback 427]

I'm a glass packs guy myself, but hooker max flow are quiet at moderate throttle but loud when you crack it. They have a nice sound as well.

[turbohunter]

Len refresh my memory, do the pipes dump under the car, at the side or do they go out back?

[Lenz]

Marc, setup is Hooker Super Comp headers to the Flowmasters located ahead of the axle then out all the way beneath the bumper.

I would have thought the complete system would have carried the sound behind more but I found it doesn't work that way, the interior appears to serve as the resonator.

I may yet try something as simple as Jamie's stance and pick up a pair of glasspacks just to try them out. I'm not looking to overthink this, just want to retain a solid FE sound at cruise.  Everything sounds good when you mash the throttle.
 

[fryedaddy]

i have run cherrybombs and glasspacks for 35 years.with a full exhaust they are fairly quite at idle and cruise,but when you hit the gas they blast out.i had a 3 inch collector going into 2 inch glasspacks and the back pressure made it sound like a indy car.i have since changed to 3 inch exhaust all the way back with 3 inch flowmasters.imo i liked the glasspack-cherrybomb sound way better

[My427stang]

I run Borla ProXS on my Mustang and Jones Max Flow on my truck, both 3 inch, and both had Flows (the same set) and I figured the truck wouldn't resonate. 

http://www.jonesexhaust.com/products.cfm?ProductTOC=4

The Flowmasters now sit on the shelf where they have for years now.

Go with a good absorption muffler like I listed above, or Magnaflow, etc.  Any reflecting muffler converts the noise into heat and mechanical energy, they resonate somewhere and usually in a big engine, it's someplace uncomfortable

The Borla's have a little more bark than the Jones, but I really like the Jones for cost, performance and fit.

[cjshaker]

I've been a big fan of Borla's for several years now. Specifically, the Pro-XS series. They flow great, give a nice deep tone at idle and cruise, get aggressive when getting on it, and best of all, NO drone. The Flowmasters drove me nuts! They resonate like nothing else I've ever heard.

A problem I always had with glasspacks was the glass packing being blown out. The Borlas have a fiberglass packing, but they use what they call "continuous filament" fibers, basically really long pieces that can't be sucked and blown out of the small perforated holes, and I have not seen any of it being blown out on any of mine. That's with 3 sets, on the Mustang, the Galaxie and the truck. Stainless construction is always nice as well.

Sound bytes always help, so here's a short one of the Borla's on my Mustang, but note that they sound a bit more aggressive on it because of the cam overlap...
https://youtu.be/PDiG2OSZ0bw

And one from inside the car...
https://youtu.be/1dJnx0EZK1g

[turbohunter]

The reason I ask Len is that I'll be running basically the same set up all the way out the back.
I have rediscovered that I like the sound of the Flowmasters though I admit I was tired of them for awhile. I know that may sound weird but I think the drone you are talking about is the reason I got tired of them. However, that was with the pipes dumping out under the car. I'm hoping the sound deadening I'm doing on the mustang will take care of that drone as well as running the pipes out the back.
I love the sound of glass packs also but in my experience they may blow out after a while and get loud. I say "may" because I have run them on both of my trucks. The higher hp 440 blew them out fairly quickly but the little 292 y is still purring along.
Good luck, hope you find your sweet spot.

[My427stang]

Here is mine with the Borlas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtTEvZ2uQmA

and the 445 with the Jones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf3D5c9ZZfs

[cjshaker]

I have rediscovered that I like the sound of the Flowmasters though I admit I was tired of them for awhile. I know that may sound weird but I think the drone you are talking about is the reason I got tired of them. However, that was with the pipes dumping out under the car. I'm hoping the sound deadening I'm doing on the mustang will take care of that drone as well as running the pipes out the back.

I have probably 40 lbs of sound deadener in the Mustang, and it does a fantastic job of muffling road noise, car noises etc, but it didn't help a bit with the Flowmasters, and that was with a full 2 1/2" exhaust.

[fryedaddy]

i have never had any stuffing come out of my glasspacks.i ran 1 set for 20 years.i cut them open when i took them off.the fiberglass had moved to the rear of the muffler,but none came out after 20 years of running,8 years was to work and back 5 days a week.my dad ran them on his 56 crowns for years,no problems.mufflers are a personal pref anyway,but cherrybombs and glasspacks have been good to us,but it would not surprise me if some stuffing came out of somebody else's muffler,but not mine

[Lenz]

Well, the audio clips do the talking for sure.  My system is 2 1/2" and I'm also running a high overlap cam, idle characteristics are very close to those recorded.

From Doug's in car it sounds like a passenger could ride along with that for hours without needing medication.  I'm going to check out the Borlas to be sure even though I know they are more costly.  The higher cost is not nearly as valuable as getting the right part in this case.

Marc, I thought I would be fine with the Flows too, but they've worn me down.  Your Mustang is a beautiful piece and clearly purpose built.  Since you remember the flows I would agree the drone is probably why you got rid of them in the end, but they might be just what you need to get the sound you want.  I do agree with Doug though, I have new interior and sound deadener and it seems as though I'm running bare steel floors for noise.

My Galaxie is a whole other animal, we tend to pack it with friends and family so turning your head and shouting to communicate has just gotten old.  Plus, I don't want to carry ear plugs in the glove box anymore

Thanks to all for the feedback

[FErocious]

I'm currently running Flowmaster mufflers and the constant drone in the car at highway speeds has to go.  Need to run something that still sounds great but would also allow for conversation if you happen to have another human in the car with you.  Any preferences from experience?

  My recommendation is the Dynomax Ultraflo welded muffler. Install the largest muffler body you can fit.

[cjshaker]

Len, that in-car video was made with my phone, which has a pretty sensitive mic (which you can hear with all the little noises going on). I can talk comfortably with my wife when we're out driving in it. You probably couldn't whisper sweet nothings into her ear, but a conversation is no problem    The truck is very quiet inside the cab. I don't even have to raise my voice at all. But yes, Borla's are a bit more expensive.

[Lenz]

Ha, to get to the wife's ear I need to cross a vast expanse of red vinyl and probably crawl over a grandkid, but good to know .
Already looked up the ProXS series on line and the price seems fair to me for a quality stainless piece.  I get most of my stuff through Summit, the free shipping gets here overnight.  Time to take some careful measurements and get started.

Thanks again to all for the input-