Exhaust Choices for a 87 GT, Prefer Not to go Flowmaster

Todd Hanna · Jan 15, 2013

Hi all,
I am new to the foxbody world but have a 04GT that I have owned for a years and before that I was a DSM man. I have been around the block and have just come into a project car on a 87GT. It needs a new exhaust and I would rather not go with a baffled muffler as I am not sure what direction this car will take. I currently have a MAC O/R prochamber to a borla stinger on my 04GT and this is the best sounding exhaust for my year mustang that money can buy. Do you guys have any suggestions for a similar setup for this 87GT? Any help or insight you guys can offer would be awesome.
Thanks guys

ratio411 · Jan 15, 2013

You'll get a million and one different opinions on exhaust...
All I can do is tell you what I have run, and how I liked it.

Shorties, ORH, and Mac Flowpath... Love it. #1 in my opinion. Not the highest flowing mufflers out there, not the quietest or loudest, and different enough from the FM sound to make me happy.

Equal Mac shorties, ORX, home-made cat-back, using Dynomax race bullets... Great sound, definitely not the run of the mill Blowmaster sound, and flows like open pipe... (FMs for example, flow under 400 cfm per muffler, Magnaflows are close to 500 cfm, but Dynomax Race bullets flow 2800 cfm!) They are not loud either, until... you put the throttle down.

Long tubes, true duals, custom made, with same Dynomax bullets... Still sounds awesome, but does sound different than the other variation we tried. Volume didn't change, but it sounds like an old school musclecar, not an EFI 5.0. That is the biggest appeal for me.

Shorties, ORH, and SLP Loudmouth... LOUD is he key here. Way too loud. Did I mention it is obnoxiously loud? Hate it.

I am working on another variation right now, but haven't got it up and running yet...
Equal Mac Shorties, ORX, and Mac Flowpath...
I am not a big fan of X-pipes, they are often too raspy with mufflers like the Flowpath, but I am going to try it.

MY 85 GT · Jan 15, 2013

Go spintechs...i love them sound great....

srtthis · Jan 15, 2013

MY 85 GT said:
Go spintechs...i love them sound great....

this... i love the sound of spintechs. once of these days i'll get rid of the blowmasters on my car

Todd Hanna · Jan 15, 2013

ratio411 said:
You'll get a million and one different opinions on exhaust...
All I can do is tell you what I have run, and how I liked it.

Shorties, ORH, and Mac Flowpath... Love it. #1 in my opinion. Not the highest flowing mufflers out there, not the quietest or loudest, and different enough from the FM sound to make me happy.

Equal Mac shorties, ORX, home-made cat-back, using Dynomax race bullets... Great sound, definitely not the run of the mill Blowmaster sound, and flows like open pipe... (FMs for example, flow under 400 cfm per muffler, Magnaflows are close to 500 cfm, but Dynomax Race bullets flow 2800 cfm!) They are not loud either, until... you put the throttle down.

Long tubes, true duals, custom made, with same Dynomax bullets... Still sounds awesome, but does sound different than the other variation we tried. Volume didn't change, but it sounds like an old school musclecar, not an EFI 5.0. That is the biggest appeal for me.

Shorties, ORH, and SLP Loudmouth... LOUD is he key here. Way too loud. Did I mention it is obnoxiously loud? Hate it.

I am working on another variation right now, but haven't got it up and running yet...
Equal Mac Shorties, ORX, and Mac Flowpath...
I am not a big fan of X-pipes, they are often too raspy with mufflers like the Flowpath, but I am going to try it.

Thanks for your input. I agree I am not a fan of SLP although they have the straight flow through mufflers like I desire from my experience with borla stingers, I heard them from the exhaust form and they just sound raspy and break up. I love the deep throaty sound I get from stinger mac combo and that's what I desire as you put it "the old school muscle car sound". Can I ask you if there were any commercially available exhaust pipes like the ones you built, as I do not possess a mandrel bender and I don't trust my Mig/Tig skills as I a noob with wielding.

srtthis · Jan 15, 2013

this is going to sound like a complete ******* comment... but i honestly can not stand stingers any more. i worked for the shop that built the first stinger cat back for borla and we put them bastards on EVERYTHING back in the day. they became like flowmasters for me. we had on avg 5-6 cobra's in the shop at a time with them on the car and on the dyno every day it just became played out

for what its worth that first stinger cat back was cut up and made into a catback for a lightning. then cut up again and made for a harley truck i believe.

Todd Hanna · Jan 15, 2013

any idea where to get the best price for spintech and do they have a standard kit for the fox or is it piece your own?

Todd Hanna · Jan 15, 2013

srtthis said:
this is going to sound like a complete ******* comment... but i honestly can not stand stingers any more. i worked for the shop that built the first stinger cat back for borla and we put them bastards on EVERYTHING back in the day. they became like flowmasters for me. we had on avg 5-6 cobra's in the shop at a time with them on the car and on the dyno every day it just became played out

for what its worth that first stinger cat back was cut up and made into a catback for a lightning. then cut up again and made for a harley truck i believe.

Your reason for hating the stinger is why I don't like the flowmaster/ magnaflow setup. Everyone has them now a days and its too commonplace. I don't run into too many mustangs with the borla setup anymore as its like 200 bucks more than other kits (I got mine used from a guy who put it on once and took it off cause it was "too loud" for him ha!). But aside from all this when I do things I like to do them right the first time and not have to go back and change things and a straight thru instead of baffled muffler is good for whatever goal you have in mind.

MY 85 GT · Jan 15, 2013

I have an orignal set of flowmaster 40 series cat back..in my basement i had to take it off i went turbo NO chambered mufflers I run Bassani race series mufflers now they sound so good...but it wouldnt be my 1st choice to be honest with you...i would go spintechs if i didnt have a turbo...

srtthis · Jan 15, 2013

Todd Hanna said:
Your reason for hating the stinger is why I don't like the flowmaster/ magnaflow setup. Everyone has them now a days and its too commonplace. I don't run into too many mustangs with the borla setup anymore as its like 200 bucks more than other kits (I got mine used from a guy who put it on once and took it off cause it was "too loud" for him ha!). But aside from all this when I do things I like to do them right the first time and not have to go back and change things and a straight thru instead of baffled muffler is good for whatever goal you have in mind.

yup! i loved them at first since they had the nice rolled tip and the great sound. few years of them every night on the dyno i had enough. bassani is what i had on my lightning and they had a slighly different note to it and even those got played out also.

Todd Hanna · Jan 15, 2013

MY 85 GT said:
I have an orignal set of flowmaster 40 series cat back..in my basement i had to take it off i went turbo NO chambered mufflers I run Bassani race series mufflers now they sound so good...but it wouldnt be my 1st choice to be honest with you...i would go spintechs if i didnt have a turbo...

I found this on another mustang website to double check after reading your statement and I am now reaffirmed that flowmaster is baffled
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums/99-04/233943-different-types-flowmaster-40-series-mufflers.html

Mintsick · Jan 15, 2013

Todd Hanna said:
any idea where to get the best price for spintech and do they have a standard kit for the fox or is it piece your own?

I've been using Spintech's for nearly 10 years and I have always ordered them direct. The do appear to make catback systems for fox mustangs: http://www.spintechmufflers.com/ford/mustang/mustang-cat-backs/cat_127.html

MY 85 GT · Jan 15, 2013

Yeah i knew that they were baffled i like the sound but they hurt performance especially for a turbo car...

ratio411 · Jan 15, 2013

Todd Hanna said:
Thanks for your input. I agree I am not a fan of SLP although they have the straight flow through mufflers like I desire from my experience with borla stingers, I heard them from the exhaust form and they just sound raspy and break up. I love the deep throaty sound I get from stinger mac combo and that's what I desire as you put it "the old school muscle car sound". Can I ask you if there were any commercially available exhaust pipes like the ones you built, as I do not possess a mandrel bender and I don't trust my Mig/Tig skills as I a noob with wielding.

The Dynomax bullets are straight through as well, but they actually have a core, even if it is barely there. The SLP does not have a core, yet doesn't flow any more than the Dynomax bullets, and even though old school glass packs might seem the same, they are not. Glass packs have fins protruding into the exhaust stream, and do not flow as well as the bullets.

You can buy mandrel bends and make your own. I don't know of any other way, except possibly buying a used cat-back and replacing the mufflers with some of your own. That is more or less what we did. We used pre-bent pipes that we had on hand to plumb the system, and made it side exit, right in front of the rear wheels. Currently, the long tube setup (which has no x or h balance tube), is dumped just before the axle, but we have some tailpipes salvaged from an FM American Thunder cat back that are going on the car soon.

I am a big fan of the DM bullets, I have put them on Powerstroke diesels, on a 5.0 as described, and on an LSx Camaro Z28 (boy was that amazing sounding!). They come in so many different diameters and lengths, it is just too easy, plus they flow as open pipe. No brainer if you like doing your own thing. But there is something to be said for a primo aftermarket cat back...

85_SS_302_Coupe · Jan 15, 2013

Magnaflow.

/thread

gearheadboy · Jan 15, 2013

I love the 40 Flowmasters. Not the 44's.

2000xp8 · Jan 15, 2013

Buy for quality and sound, imo go bassani. I wouldn't use mac garbage again if you payed me to.

ratio411 · Jan 15, 2013

2000xp8 said:
Buy for quality and sound, imo go bassani. I wouldn't use mac garbage again if you payed me to.

Yeah, like I said, you'll get a million and one varying opinions...
I have had several Mac products and love them for quality and fit.
They are not as expensive because they are not made out of high end materials or have high end band clamps, and that sort of thing.
The SLP, for example, has all this, and costs twice as much, but sounds like ass. So it's all in the eye/ear of the beholder, as well as the depth of your wallet.

I love Mac stuff.

FordRacing302 · Jan 15, 2013

I have Mac shorties, Mac O/R H pipe and Dynomax bullets and it sounds great. Not too loud unless you lay into the skinny pedal, but they have a very nice sound to them.

srtthis · Jan 16, 2013

2000xp8 said:
Buy for quality and sound, imo go bassani. I wouldn't use mac garbage again if you payed me to.

they do make nice stuff! only issue i know about with them is they tend to split down the seam some times. if i didnt have a 2 step on my car id prob look in this direction when i put a new set of mufflers on the car

Exhaust Choices for a 87 GT, Prefer Not to go Flowmaster

Todd Hanna

New Member

ratio411

MY 85 GT

srtthis

the guy doing it does every local racers rear end

Todd Hanna

New Member

srtthis

the guy doing it does every local racers rear end

Todd Hanna

New Member

Todd Hanna

New Member

MY 85 GT

srtthis

the guy doing it does every local racers rear end

Todd Hanna

New Member

Mintsick

MY 85 GT

ratio411

85_SS_302_Coupe

it sucks (I know) to be on the receiving end

gearheadboy

2000xp8

ratio411

FordRacing302

srtthis

the guy doing it does every local racers rear end

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