Hey, I have been reading some of ur replys to people about different exhaust systems..I dont know whether or not you read the Exhaust forums, but you seem to know alot about exhausts, so I decided to post here......hope ya dont mind answering some questions I have....

first let me tell you the vehicles I will be putting exhaust on..

1. 1995 Ford F-250 with a 360 V8
2. 1993 Chevorlet 1500 W/T wit ha 4.3 liter V6

I have done alot of searching and all kinds of stuff on different exhausts, but nothing is really helping me... its mostly people sayign how this is best because they have it ect.......

I have narrowed me choices down a little bit although there are still some exhaust I like ....

I am interested in the following.

1.Magnaflow
2.Spintech
3.Bassani
4.Full Boar
5.Rhino
6.Ravin
7.Dynomax
8.Gibson
9.Jardine
10. Flowmaster 40 series American Thuder

these are the ones I am interested in.......I hope I am not taking ur time with asking you to tell me botu all 10 of these.... i am just a young kid, that doesnt know jack about exhaust setups and stuff....

for the V8 I have already decided on going wiht headers out to straight pipes with 2 6 inch reversed glasspacks, but the V6 I havent decided but the 10 companies listed above is what i ma debating on...

I want it to be deep and loud, I know that a V6 will not sound like a V8, and that doesnt bother me...... I want to be able ot hear it when driving. and have some cab drone, but not alot when on the highways, although I want to hear it on the highways.....

can ya tell me about these 9 companies???????what models from each??(like if I wanted Flowmaster it would be 40's since they are the loudest?)

I hope you help me....most imes people just reply wiht a 3 sentence answer..I see most of ur answers are explained in detail...

which of the 10 would sound best on my V6? which is the loudest? can ya tell me about what each one will sound like? even if ya have only heard them on V8's...also tell me ur opinion of each companies exhausts...

I appreciate it...and I hope you help cause you sound like a very nice guy.

Later

 

I dont kno whether or not you have read this yet mike, but I hope you answer....

Later

 

Hi Semper Fi!

My apologies, we've been about a day and a half behind here on F-150 Online, as we were reconfiguring some of our systems in preparation for a new network.

We'd really need to discuss this over the phone to cover this in detail, but basically, Magnaflow is doing a geat job of flow engineering right now, especially where heavier vehicles are concerned. Jardine is now using the Magnaflow mufflers as well, they aren't doing their own anymore, as they were having droning problems. Jardine I traditionally liked, as they invented the Tri-Y header concept many years ago, which was done to increase mid-range torque. They do make good horsepower, but they were having a bit of a problem with droning at cruising speeds in the cabin. Now that they're using Magnaflow mufflers, I assume that aspect has improved, hopefully.

Flowmaster would not be a choice I would make, though a lot of people like their sound, I'm just not one of them. Flowmasters do flow better so you'll gain some horsepower, there's no doubt about that. However, you will also lose torque with just about any of their systems & mufflers for these vehicles. The quality of materials is also less than that of a company like Magnaflow, who makes all stainless steel systems, they stopped making aluminized systems, and of course, you pay accordingly. Flowmaster is a great company, it's a product to meet a price, and they do that very well. Flowmasters are great on 5.0 Mustangs, etc., but not for trucks, SUV's, etc. where torque is critical, especially in the lower rpm ranges.

Your idea of headers into straight pipes & reversed 6" glasspack mufflers will be *LOUD*, and it will make OK horsepower at higher rpms & heavier throttle positions. The headers are fine, but you really want proper flow engineering for the rest of the system, especially since it's a heavy truck & torque is key. Now that we have the benefits of companies like Magnaflow & others who are doing good flow engineering for specific applications, it pays to take advantage of that.

You've got some great ideas and you're basically on the right track; you just need a little bit of fine-tuning of your choices a bit to get the best result, especially where torque is concerned, and you'll be able to enjoy the result as you should. Don't put yourself or your knowledge level down, if there is one thing I've learned over thye years, it's that no matter who you are or how much you think you know, there are always plenty of people who are 27 times sharper, who will make you feel like you know nothing. It's a constant learning process, heck, that's the fun!

Just give us a call when you get a chance, and we can go over this with you in detail, and get a good plan suggested for you to think about.

In the meantime, enjoy your vehicles, & we hope you'll hang out here with us on F-150 Online in your spare time!

 

Mike,

Thx for replying...... I wonder if in any way I can get a jardine system(the older one) I am wanting some drone in the cab, I like it like that...I have heard Magnaflow dont have any drone at all in the cab? or this is what some of my buddies say.....

I hope we can talk and go over these 10 companies in detail.

Later

 

Just curious Mike......

Have you ever seen any dyno plots or had experience with dyno runs or other hard data with Supertrapps?

On the vehicles I've had them on, they seem to work great if you tune the discs. My best car ET and the highest dyno numbers on my bike came from 'Trapps. These were the only two that I had times or dyno runs to compare, but they seemed to work good even on a little 4 banger truck I had.

 

what are supertrapps????I think i heard abotu them once......thwey are tips arent they? that you pack? the less packing the louder it is?????????

I havent heard of them......do ya know what they sound like?

Later

 

Hi Signmaster,

No, not in this last round, we haven't looked at Supertrapps in about 3-4 years, and back then I didn't care much for them, but that's just me. That doesn't mean it can't work well, and from your results, it sounds like you liked your results, and that's all that matters. They were not included in this last round of evaluations we did, because as far as I know, they really aren't doing flow-engineering for these F-150's *specifically*, though it's not just them, a number of exhaust system manufacturers aren't doing much in the way of flow engineering for these F-150's.

I didn't care for the idea of the so-called "tunable discs", and the last car I had a Supertrapps setup on was a Corvette a few years ago, and they lasted only slightly longer than the Flowmasters did. I didn't feel that changing those discs was something that I ever cared to mess with, or that they would hold up for years on the road in teh environments these trucks get subjected to and still be able to change them easily, etc. I have seen a number of Supertrapp systems where the end area where the discs are rotted out & corroded prematurely. I feel that "proper flow engineering" on the part of the manufacturer for the design & aopplication task at hand is the way to go, but again, that's me.

I'm glad you're happy with your results, as that is all that really matters.

To answer your question specifically though, no, I haven't seen any dyno plots "before & after" on any Supertrapp system in a few years now, and I've never had a chance to drive, own, or run on a dyno a before & after scenario on an F-150 with that system. I think you hit the nail on the head, if you can get the discs configured "right", then it's certainly possible to make good horsepower. Most of the cat-back systems we have come across make good horsepower gains, it's what actually happens to torque, and specifically in the low to mid-rpm ranges on part-throttle whee we spend most of our time driving that is the concern in these heavy trucks.

Sorry I couldn't really give you an intelligent answer about Supertrapp.

 

Hey Mike,

could you give me any info on

bassani???spintech???and Full Boar??????

liek what they soudn like?

How loud is Bassani? compaared to the other 9 I have listed?????


maunly I want all the info on Bassani.

Thx

 

Mike,

You're spot on in the Supertrapps requiring some preventative maintenance. I always had the regular steel and never bought the stainless. You had to take the bolts out and you some anti seize compound about twice a year, or they wouldn't come out when you wanted to change them.

Overall, it only took a few minutes with a T head allen wrench, but that's a few minutes more than a conventional muffler takes. As for durability, I only ever had one that went south, it blew the end cap off. It was almost ten years old at the time.

The discs did take some time, but personally I like the fact that you can use them to adjust flow. On a couple apps in particular, the differences made in the power band where really noticed. On my bikes I would run as many as 20 discs at the track, and usually 10-12 on the street.

Hmmm...... I may have to try to persuade you to try one on your next volley of tests. The new ones all have a stainless inner core that should take care of the bolt problems.

I'm considering going back to giving them a try on the F-150. The Gibson is great but now I am having second thoughts. I guess at worst it will cost me about $120 to find out.

 

Semper Fi,

Do a search on the web, I think they have a site. The only reason I say this is because it's hard to explain the design.

They use discs which stack on top of each other to control the available flow. The make both in line a "tip" type mufflers. As for the tips, that's the whole enchilada. They use packing, the newer ones are supposed to last longer. The older ones would blow out fairly quick, but I used to repack them with bronze wool.

As for sound, quiet when new and louder with time. Fairly deep in most applications. On my last bike it was the best sound in the world, especially when on the gas hard under a overpass.

There is a 'Stang in the area with Supertrapps that sounds killer. Makes the Mustangs with Flow 40s sound like childs play.

Actually the only reason I didn't get them this time was the fact that they are loud. These days I spent more time in the truck and didn't want something so throaty. I think my neighbors are more friendly since I got rid of my last 'Trapp equipped vehicle.

If I try them on my '95 I'll fill you in.

 

signmaster,

thanks for replying...i checked out supertrapps page, they sound cool....according to the places around here, I am wanting loud, but noone I know has ever had supertrapps.......can ya explain the sound a little? how loud can they get? at supertrapp.com iut didnt give me much info on the sound.....

can ya explain?

Thanks

Later

 

Hi Semper Fi,

I don't think you can get any of the "old" Jardine systems anymore.

Wanting your exhaust to be LOUD is one thing, but what you don't ever want is any "droning" inside the cabin, as that is a harmonic frequency at which the sound penetrates everything, and makes things inside the cabin vibrate & rattle, etc., to say nothing of what it does inside your skull, droning is very annoying & tiring to the driver, so this is *never* a desirable trait in any way. Loud is fine if that's what you want, but droning is not ever acceptable or cool, it's extremely annoying. Trust me, you don't want any exhaust to drone like that.

Bassani tends to be loud, and they tend to drone in these vehicles. They do have a fairly pronounced "bellow" to them, so if loud is what you want, that's one way to do it, but an expensive one that will not give you the best torque. They certainly make more horsepower on a non-Lightning F-150, like just about everyone else, and they will be noticeably loud.

If you're looking for "loud", you can always just run straight pipes back from your catalytic converters, and run no mufflers, that will certainly get a "loud" system, and be much cheaper than something like Bassani. The cats will serve as cats & mufflers too, and it will sound much more like V-8 engines used to before the introduction of catalytic converters here in the US in the 1975 model year the days of catalytic converters. That wouldn't be what I would do, but it might get you what you seem to be looking for.

I still recommend the Magnaflow, as it has an authoritative V-8 rumble to it that is never TOO loud, and never drones inside the cabin. I think it's just about the bee's knees for these vehicles, and they certainly give the best results we've seen so far.

If you're just looking for LOUD, you could just save your money and just run straight pipes back from the cats on back. That will get an authoritative V-8 sound, though you will oose low-end torque. But it's about the cheapest way to get LOUD. If you're looking for the best actual result, with a great sound that will be noticeable but not overbearing, then I'd recommend doing the Magnaflow.

Best of luck whatever you decide!

 

Hi Signmaster,

Thanks for your detailed response.

It seems that what you've found is basically what I noticed as well with regards to the discs, etc. I'm delighted to hear you got such good results, especially on the bike.

If you do decide to change over to Supertrapps from your present Gibson system, I'd like to hear your impressions of course. The Gibson system you have now, is that the Swept-Side model? That's the model that Gibson says they've flow-engineered for towing, and it generally gives the best results of their F-150 systems torque-wise, losing little to no torque on the low end.

 

signmaster,

Hey I tried emailing you through this site, but it wont let me......can ya tell me what supertrapps sound like?how loud can they be? how far can someone hear ya coming? do they turn heads?

Thx

 

Semper Fi,

Sorry for the delay, been out of town. They sound great, about as loud as Flow 40s but deeper. Not "tinny" at all. I even had one on a little four banger Isuzu and it sounded good, with a throaty idle and solid deep sound. Be warned - when new they are quiet. The first time I bought one I was disappointed, could hardly hear it. That changed over the weeks. With the new packing it could take longer to "liven up". If you really want loud you could remove the packing. Don't have any sound files, but if I come across some I'll pass them on.

BTW, you still active duty? I did eight years in the Corps myself.


Mike,

The Gibson is the single side swept. I've actually found a couple of dyno pulls on 351 trucks - they actually improved low end a little. I haven't found any hard data on 5.0 trucks, but SOTP they at least retained what low end the truck has, with better breathing at mid to high revs.

I had considered the Magnaflows as well, but at the time couldn't find feedback on 5.0 powered trucks. From the sound of things I would have been just as happy. I've always noticed that the two have a very similar tone, with the Magnaflow being a bit louder, but similar to the Gibson, never barks too bad.

If I try the Supertrapp I'll keep you posted. There is now a local dyno shop with wideband 02, etc. and they offer "Test and Tune" for $100 an hour. As a matter of fact they have a mobile chassis dyno, quite a setup!

At a show around the corner from me the other day a "chipnfiltered" L put down 362 HP. Not bad for just a couple hours of bolt ons...