Well after about a month of debating I finally pulled the trigger and got my new exhaust. I went with Flowmaster 40 Original Series muffler in place of the stock one. I then ran a new 3" tailpipe back to a 4" Magnaflow tip. I was really concerned about the in cab noise but now that it is installed I am very happy I went with what I did. At low speed and acceleration it sounds great. There is some in cab noise but not that much at all. At highways speeds I can barely hear it. Doesn't sound any louder then stock. I can only hear it when I accelerate. For those looking for a good sounding exhaust that is noticeable at lower speeds and no major drone at highway speeds then the 40 series original is the way to go.

Just thought I would post my experience with the new system as I know a lot of people have been asking.

 

josh,
how easy was it to install? did you have to cut away the pipe after the cat? Also what did you pay for it if you don't mind me asking? I'd like to help my exhaust but was originally just going to replace the muffler witha FM 40--what does the catback add? bigger pipes?

 

Well I didn't actually buy a cat back kit. I had a local exhaust shop do the work for me. I have had them do other vehicles and they do great work. What I did was buy the muffler and tip off Ebay. I paid $55 shipped for the muffler and $33 shipped for the tip. If I bought at muffler shop they would have been about $100-$120 for muffler and $50-$60 for tip.

Now for the install. I had them cut out the stock muffler and weld in the new one. They then built a custom 3" tailpipe back from the new muffler and welded on the tip. Cost me $120 for the install. So basically $208 is what I paid for it all. I didn't notice any low end lose that some say you can get with the Flowmaster. It seems to take off with a little more kick to it now. Not a huge difference though. I was looking more for sound and looks. Flowmaster does make a kit as does Magnaflow but they are $450 or more. I paid half that for bascially the same thing. I just kept the stock pipe from the y-pipe to the muffler. That is the only thing I would have got from buying a kit. Hope this helps.

 

Josho, yeah man, that helps alot. I would like to do just about the same thing. LIke i said, i originally wanted to do just the muffler, but keep reading threads that talk about cat backs and how they are so much better. Would rather not spend $300-500 if i dont' have to.
So you said it sounds pretty good huh? Is it a super 40? Regular 40? Delta Flow? I know there are quite a few different 40 series that they offer. I'd also be interested in your mpg results if you track that type of stuff--although i'm sure that you're going to be on the gas pedal for a while until the thrill wears off.
I'm assuming you have a 2004 newer body style and not the 2004 heritage right? I also have a newer body style with the 5.4 and would eventually like to add an intake, exhaust, and chip--all in an effort to increase mpg. Do you have any other mods or are you planning any?

 

Adding the catback doesn't really offer you results for what it costs. Sure, you get a slightly bigger pipe that will result in a little better sound, but it ain't worth what it costs. You can cut off the muffler and replace it with a 40 series and see the same results

 

I got the Original 40 series. I went back and forth a lot before I got it as I was going to do the Super 40 but I am very happy with what I got. It is not to loud but just loud enough. I have the new body style and 5.4 motor also.

As for your comment 98Navi I completly agree. I was originally going to get just the new muffler but the install shop said the install would look a lot better with the new tailpipe and they didn't charge a ton for it. I changed the angle at what the tip exited so they would have had to cut and weld in a piece of tailpipe with the new angle and it would have looked like crap. For that reason I went with the new tailpipe. Someone could skip that part and just do a muffler and tip.