I have a 2007 ford mustang gt with factory mufflers and I want it to sound just a little louder.Should I delete the mufflers and run straight pipe or use a better performance muffler
Not in my neighborhood you don’t. Glasspacks I can live with, but straight pipes…me and all my neighbors will be dialing 911 every time you drive through. Or perhaps even stopping you in the middle of the road for a good talking-to.
Shoudl you run straight pipes be prepared…you’ll not be well liked.
I ask a question. I didnt say I was going to run straight pipe. Just curious on peoples opinion
Go with glass packs. It’ll sound nice and you won’t incur the anger of the neighbors.
The exhaust system is now part of the design of the emission controls on the car. If you mess with the exhaust without some design or engineering knowledge you might lose performance and even worse cause some damage.
There are reliable, properly designed and engineered exhaust systems available for your car, Borla is one such manufacturer. Simply changing mufflers, or straight pipes was something you could do in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s: but not anymore.
If your state has emission inspections you could run afoul of the law.
I may be mistaken but it is my impression the mufflers create back pressure necessary for proper engine performance. I think glasspacs may be better, but I am so old I remember adjusting dwell angle.
was going to run straight pipe. Just curious on peoples opinion
And you got a good opinion. IMO
Dynomax mufflers perform like a straight pipe, but they are effective. never use glasspacks. they may sound wicked, but dont flow well at all. read some of David Vizards stuff for more info.
for your case, try turbo mufflers. they’re designed for turbo’d cars, so the most minimal backpressure, and they can do that because turbos take care of some of the noise.
to recap; DONT USE GLASS PACKS, and maybe some turbo mufflers (they have always have “turbo” in the name)
Equip your car with a “performance” exhaust SYSTEM (consider stainless steel) from one of the many manufactures that provide such items for a car like yours, which in the correct form is one that is very popular with people who find enjoyment working on and modifying their vehicles.
Get some catalogues out and pick some items out and post back.
Going to “straight pipes” should not even be considered in even the most , well I just can’t say when to consider straight pipes.
Selecting and correctly installing the correct exhaust system can be looked at as a very desireable feature when enthusiast deals with enthusiast.
I have single chamber Flowmasters on my GT and I think they sound pretty nice. I have straight pipes on my Bronco and it sounds like a stock car, it’s loud enough to set off car alarms if I stand on it whilst beside car with an alarm. It’s probably too loud for most people’s tastes though.
For a S197 GT I think Bassani’s stuff sounds pretty good. But the stock exhaust systems on these cars aren’t restrictive at all, and there’s next to nothing to be gain in HP in going with an aftermarket exhaust, people only change out the mufflers to get a different sound. I have a buddy with an 08 GT he has long tubes, thumper cams, an off-road X pipe and single chamber mufflers, and it’s plenty loud and sounds almost exactly like a racecar.
Louder mufflers may be a safety feature for pedestrians, but if we can encourage one more young person not to go down that road, that quiet cars are the better for most everyone else, for conversation and nature; we’ve done our job. Once you put on a noisier exhaust, you’re stuck with it. There’s enough noise w/o intentionally adding to it.
I never quite accepted the idea behind “loud pipes save lives” I have had to many friends drive their motorcycles/cars off the road when there was no one around to hear their “loud pipes”
Neither do I, but someone “will” mention; it’s a little CYA.
I like good glasspacks and would not hesitate to put them on. I do not like the sound of most Mustangs with stock mufflers. (GTs that is)
Well, you’re not really stuck with it per se. There’s nothing keeping you from retaining the stock exhaust system and putting it back on should you want to. For most exhaust systems you don’t have to cut them up to remove them. I’m not following the conservation/nature argument either. A cat back system has little to no effect on emissions.
“A cat back system has little to no effect on emissions.”…Or performance…Just noise.
That’s a blanket statement that isn’t necessarily true.
That greatly depends on the car. On the older 1986-1995 Mustang GT’s an aftermarket exhaust is usually good for around 15 HP at the crank. On the flip side on newer 05-up Mustang GT, their is next to no measurable gain in power, in that case it’s indeed just noise.
The 93-02 GM F-Bodies (LT1/LS1) generally respond well to exhaust work.
Trucks generally show decent gains as well, the main reason being for some models of truck, the automakers will use the same exhaust system for an entire lineup of engines. Fords used to use the same exhaust system for all the F-150’s. The 4.2L V6 had the same exhaust as the 5.4L V8. Of course this was done for fiscal reasons, but not necessarily in the interest of maximum performance.
My car gained 11 RWHP when I went to an off-road H-pipe and single chamber mufflers. Nothing to sneeze at considering it was only a couple hundered bucks.
The converters will muffle the noise quite a bit so straight pipes should not be that loud.
However, I’d run performance mufflers such as Flowmasters, Borla, etc.
In the long ago past (and one somewhat recently) I’ve tried glass packs and never cared for them. They seemed to provide a drone at cruising speeds that got on my nerves after several weeks so off they came.
I could have added that I installed a Borla setup on my oldest son’s Camaro and it sounds great. Louder than stock but not that much. It gives the car kind of a growl.
“There’s nothing keeping you from retaining the stock exhaust system and putting it back on should you want to.”
Maybe there’s more to it than saving the original and putting it back on later ? Am I missing something, or would you need your own garage or the willingness to spend lots on labor. . I still feel, it’s a one way commitment unless you’re Jay Leno and can afford to experiment. Maybe it’s just me being too cheap to think of a car as anything but quiet, reliable transportation. I’m definitely talking to the wrong crowd on this one; sorry to butt in.
I still have the stock catted H pipe for my car, it’s just sitting the corner of the garage. My mechanic is a pretty honest guy and he only charged $80 in labor to install the current off-road H-Pipe, so it’s not like it’s king’s ransom to get the work done.