Straight pipe, glass packs or Flowmaster 40s?

Indyjones

New Member
Aug 26, 2003
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My 4.6 still has the stock exhaust...don't want to spend too much money on modding it, since I already put tons of money into my Jeep. So replacing just the muffler would have to do for now. I was thinking a straight pipe might sound pretty good. I've got a straight pipe on my Jeep, but it's a 4.0 Inline 6. It sounds really good, and not loud inside. How would that sound on a 4.6 Stang?
How about putting in a glass pack, like a cherry bomb?
I've heard lots about the Flowmaster 40s...are they worth the money? Do they sound ok even with the stock exhaust piping, or should I get the American Thunder cat back system?
What's the stock exhaust diameter on a 97 4.6? Is it 2.25 or 2.5"?

Sound clips would be really nice!

And I can't get an offroad H pipe...here in Vancouver we need cats to pass emissions...unless I swap in the original every two years ;)

Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Indy
 
www.mustangexhaust.com to hear different combos

it's all personal choice

stock is 2.25" - aftermarket is 2.5" and well worth the $

If you can only afford one. start with a catback first, then do the midpipe swap.

FLowmaster American Thunder is a great classic setup - I started with this catback. Traditional Mustang V8 tone - can't miss!
 
Honestly, if you're hurting that much that you aren't sure if you can afford just a set of mufflers for your car, I'd probably save a while longer before I started modding the thing.

...and for the record, none of the above. Strait pipe and glass packs are for hillbillies and Flowmasters (although they sound nice on a 5.0L) have never sounded all that impressive on a 4.6L. Go with a complete catback if you're going to do anything with the mufflers and stick to one of the Magnaflow (Magnapacks) or SLP (Loudmouth 2) kits. They seem to sound the meanest. Save up for a high flow mid-pipe while you're at it. :nice:
 
Honestly, if you're hurting that much that you aren't sure if you can afford just a set of mufflers for your car, I'd probably save a while longer before I started modding the thing.

...and for the record, none of the above. Strait pipe and glass packs are for hillbillies and Flowmasters (although they sound nice on a 5.0L) have never sounded all that impressive on a 4.6L. Go with a complete catback if you're going to do anything with the mufflers and stick to one of the Magnaflow (Magnapacks) or SLP (Loudmouth 2) kits. They seem to sound the meanest. Save up for a high flow mid-pipe while you're at it. :nice:

Yeah, whatever - as I said "it's all personal choice"
 
I love the sound of Mac on my 4.6. I have a Mac flowpath catback with off road Mac h-pipe and it sounds mean. Much better sound than flowmasters imo.
 
I love the sound of Mac on my 4.6. I have a Mac flowpath catback with off road Mac h-pipe and it sounds mean. Much better sound than flowmasters imo.

But it's that Mac quality that makes it so special...:rlaugh:









Seriously, I'm sure it does sound good, Mac just has a bad rep. Most any chambered muffler with a H design mid pipe will work well together.
 
Flows on both my cars here. I had Mac previously. They both sound good, but nothing beats the classic sound of Flows on a Mustang.


EVeryone always says "Oh i don't want flows cuz every Mustang has them". Well in that case, you aren't allowed to do an MGW shifter, deep dish wheels, Mach 1 chin spoiler and grill deletes because every Mustang has them.
 
But it's that Mac quality that makes it so special...:rlaugh:









Seriously, I'm sure it does sound good, Mac just has a bad rep. Most any chambered muffler with a H design mid pipe will work well together.

Yup mac does really have a bad rep. lol... I hear their customer service is horrible. I do love the sound though. I haven't had any fitment issues really with mine though. I must say I've had true dual flowmaster 40's on my 99 f-150 4.6 and after 5 years and about 60,000 miles the mufflers are not rusted out. I can't say the same about the Macs. I just had to replace the Mac catback on my mustang because after a few yrs all the insides were gone. They were just 2 hollow cans. lol.. I think flows are a better quality muffler. I just personally prefer the sound of the Macs a little more. I think they're a little louder.
 
I like Magnaflow, I've heard just the catback on a GT and it sounded real nice not crazy loud but just has a nice tone to it. I have the catback and midpipe and mine sounds very different that everyones elses in town (Flowmaster)

Also straight pipe sound like ass on a 4.6
 
Thanks for the input. I listened to some sound clips, but it's hard to really tell how they would sound in real...the 40 series on the Flowmaster homepage sound mean. Does the American Thunder Cat-Back system come with the original 40s, or the Super 40s?

Also, offroad H or X pipes. Do they require cutting off the cats, or can the cats stay on?

Thanks again! More sound clips would be welcome!!!!!

Indy
 
O/R H or X Pipes have no cats and are intended for offroad use only, hence the name.

Unless you live in a state where they check emmisions I would get the O/R they are a little louder and make a little more power.
 
straight pipe sounds ok at idle but like ass when you start driving. A guy at work went that route on his mach. Then to top it off he added an o/r x. Now it really sounds like a dumptruck and its so loud that its annoying from inside my car 75 yards away.
 
These threads are pointless and should be locked with a note referring the poster to mustangexhaust.com. Everyone is always going to recommend their personal preference which does nothing to help the poster decide since by the time everyone recommends something, there is 15 different combos to choose from. I think it's just better for the poster to hear clips and decide for themselves.:nonono:
 
It's true. Mustangexhaust.com has almost no exhaust clips! Also, when listening to clips, you can't really tell what it'll sound like in real live. It always depends on the camera, and how loud the sound is recorded. You can have an exhaust clip with stock mufflers that sounds louder than a straight pipe clip. So your opinions are appreciated!