Why do people scrap a perfectly good stock, stainless exhaust for a really loud system? If you have a true street rod or modded motor I can see needing headers, bigger pipe and free flow mufflers. Even street rods with double the hp of our 5.4's and 4.6's don't have extremely loud exhaust. However at least a street rod has a legitimate reason for having louder exhaust. I think guys that put loud exhaust on their trucks are trying to fool me into thinking they have a fast truck. I shake my head when they come past me in the opposite direction from a stoplight hard on the gas and their truck can be heard from a 1/4 mile away. As they go by they look at us going the other direction to see if we are looking at them and thinking we are jealous. I can hear their engine laboring under full throttle and not winding up quickly like a true modded motor. I wonder where his stock exhaust is and if it will fit my truck. I wonder if any of the guys with the loud exhaust have ever spent a penney trying to get more MPG from their car/truck. They would have to double their MPG to pay for an aftermarket exhaust system within 1 year in most cases. They contradict themselves wanting to save money then scrap an expensive stock system for a loud one.

 

1998 Navigator 4x4

Pre exhaust average milage was 10.4

Post exhaust milage was up to 11.9

Thats 1.5 miles per gallon, or, 45 miles per tank. That was like adding 4.5 gallons of gas to my tank for free. 4.5 gallons at 3 bucks a gallon is what?
$13.50

13.50 X 25 tanks is $337.50

13.50 X 52 tanks is $702.00

Can you see where I am coming from? Paid for in less than one year

 

Thats assuming you have a 30 gallon tank (mine is 26 in my 1997 Expy) and assuming you fill it with 30 gallons every week and pay $3.00/gal. If you drive that far each week and pay that much for gas thats alot more than I. I was also taking into consideration those that scrap their perfectly good stainless stock setup. If I went from my 13mpg Expy to a 30mpg car I would save $725.00/yr which is what some guys are paying for a stainless setup like they had stock and to get someone to install it.

 

I must be getting old or something. Anymore, I like my exhaust as quiet as possible.
My previous experience with aftermarket (Flowmaster delta 40's) on a 4.6 litre Grand Marquis a few years ago resulted in some nasty drone in the cabin, it drove me crazy.
On both my '99 F150 and my '00 Crown Vic interceptor, those huge, heavy stock mufflers are staying on until they rot out (and the Vic has factory dual exhaust too, those mufflers probably wiegh hundreds of pounds!). I never want to experience that horrible drone again.

 

Fuel capacity is 30 gallons.

Actually, we've only put 20000 miles on it in 2 years, and 5000 or so of that is highway traveling to the inlaws. (at which point I can get 15-17MPG with exhaust)

And, with 85000 miles, I scrapped the stock stuff.

 

I totally agree with this thread. Why in the world would you want to increase the noise level... especially in the cabin. We pay a heck of a lot of money for these trucks... especially the newer ones and we put an exhaust system in that makes the whole cabin vibrate and causes that nasty drone while cruising. The funny thing is that I too, am looking to add a performance exhaust system to my truck but am very hesitant because I don't want to have that noise that I typically hear from those loud vehicles. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to put true duals w/ a cross-over on my truck. But will it be worth it? Don't know. Any suggestions on a SIDO muffler that doesn't cause that nasty sound?

 

You can still build a performance exhaust without any real addition of noise.

Flowmaster has introduced Hushpower II™ Jet Laminar Technology that increases the flow and keeps the sound to a minimum. It also at the same time uses Cool Shell Technology which reduces operating temperature. Try this link to read up http://www.flowmastermufflers.com/performance.html

The 50 SUV and 70 series mufflers are quiet, and get one with deltaflow technology for even quieter operation. Flowmaster makes a muffler for everyone, and is more affordable than most of the competition. Check out the entire site from the link above

 

I agree with some of what you are saying but not all of it. I am big on horsepower and low end tourque. Anything I can do to improve this is good for me. Now most of the guys you are talking about like to go as loud as possible because they think it makes them or there trucks cool. Now I have a pretty loud exhaust (custom flowmaster cat back kit, not the kit you order through flowmaster), but I have definitly gained a noticalble amount of HP and Torque as well as improving my MPG. Most of the idiots out there are going with straight pipes, no mufflers, which does make the truck sound the loudest, but because they are robbing the engine of backpressure, they are hurting the performance. So, now they have a loud slow truck and can't back up the sound it produces. How loud the truck is, is not important. It's how it performs that is. Now you can get an aftermarket system that performs exceptionally well and maintains a quiet sound. But I like the nice deep rumble that a well built exhaust can produce.

 

LOUDER MEANS FASTER, DUDE!!! I like totally want to cut off my exhaust and run open headers. I want it LOUD because LOUD is cool! It will make my truck really fast!

I'm really surprised at the number of people who post here that really want to do this. I'm starting to think that the exhaust forum is only visited by 16 year old kids.

 

Hi. Not true - I'm 10, and I want some of Navi's FartMaster Hushpuppies - the cool ones .

Cheers
Baby Grogette

 

At 200 miles, I had a Flowmaster installed just because I love the sound. When I pull up beside a vehicle at a light that has duals, I roll the window down so I can hear it. I especially love the Mustang's sound. Nothing like a V-8 with that throaty sound. As far as noisy, at cruie speed, I just barely can hear it in my truck. I have to be accelerating to hear it. I have had dual exhausts on every vehicle I have owned since I was 14 and I am now 62.

 

Nothin in the world beats the sound of a mustang with a set of flows

 

lol, as far as the comment about the mustang, last night i pulled up to a stop light and there was this guy in this black conv mustang GT with the top down, he and his girlfriend were just chillen, and they looked over at me, His girlfriend seemed to like the truck a little better then the GT she was in, but anyway, he reved his engine at me, it sounded really good for stock, BUT...hehe, i have an electronic exhaust cut out, so i fliped the switch and punched it, lol, his girlfriend covered her ears, it was so funny

 

I always wondered if anyone actually ever bought those. Was it hard to install?

 

MGD you slay me.

I had a custom cat back done a few months ago, and I asked for " only slightly louder than stock."
I sware my re-tuning has made it louder, and I'm taking it back in to have a resonator added, as the sound level is beginning to get on my nerves.

Yes, there is an age related function at work here!