I have an 01 Screw with an 03 Lightning engine swap and true dual 3" pipes from the stock manifolds back with no catalytic converters. The exhaust system has an X pipe about a foot closer to the bed than where the factory Y pipe would have been. From there each pipe runs through a Flowmaster 50 muffler and exits on the passenger side exactly like a factory lightning would have.

Well as you can probably guess, it's about as loud as humanly possible and I'm sick of it. I want to keep the side exit setup and prefer to just change the mufflers. What ideas do you guys have for a deep, smooth, much quieter sound? I'm thinking Magnaflow or Borla.

 

A borla pro-x will have a nice deep rumble and be decently quiet

 

You could weld in some resonators and/cats in. Resonators take a lot of the loud noise and harsh tones out, but still leave a deep tone (in some ways deeper) and can still get loud when you really stomp on it. A buddy of mine has an 05 Mustang GT with long tubes, h pipe and axle backs with no cats and it was loud as all hell. Then he got resonators and it quieted it down a lot and changed the tone fairly dramatically as well.

I suggest resonators because they'd be cheaper than swapping your mufflers out. And I was gonna guess that you wanted it louder, not the other way around!

 

Well when your exhaust is so loud that it vibrates the rearview mirror, it's time to lower the volume! I considered adding aftermarket cats but until Wisconsin requires emissions testing I want to keep that flow. I'll look into the Borla, maybe hunt down a resonator too, I'm just not sure how I'd splice that in. Dual inlet/outlet? Or one for each exhaust bank?

 

A resonator can be welded in on each exhaust path, just like a muffler would. And can be added at any point from the end of the exhaust manifold all the way out to the tips while still being effective. Don't quote me on that, but I'm pretty sure they can be placed just about anywhere

 

I've got my resonators right after the lt headers . That helps with in cab drone. My exhaust is still pretty dang loud tho. So he might wanna look into a muffler swap if the resonators don't help.

 

Yeah, I've got my OBX kit in the garage waiting on some parts to come in, so I'm gonna have the resonators right after the LTs too. I actually hate that I have to use them, but it would be pretty difficult to put straight pipe in place of them without having to weld. Me no likey to TIG haha.

If he wants it dramatically quieter, he probably will need a muffler swap. But 50's aren't that loud on SIDOs. I know this is a different set up, but it could be much louder. I feel like he might regret going way toned down and miss the noise a little bit. But when concerned with flow restriction from hi-flow cats, getting rid of the chambered Flowmasters would be a good idea anyway. Magnaflows come in pretty big (18 or 22" I believe) sizes, but I don't care for the sound of them and they can drone.

 

I'm not looking to eliminate the sound of the exhaust, but be able to rip around town without angering everyone I pass. I've found some resonators to start with, but they all look like glass packs.

P.S. Has anyone had any luck using Dynomax Bullets as resonators? I'm concerned as to whether or not they'll "blow out" like a glass pack.

 

I'm no expert, but a resonator should be a completely hollow tube with a perforated liner in it. The perforation (small holes) are what quiets the exhaust. So I don't think there should be anything in them that could "blow out"

This is how mine are, and how the others I have seen have been. Exhaust tips on a lot of cars have the same sort of liner in them as well

 

Ya a resonator is like a glass pack. Hollow tube with perforated holes. It won't quiet the exhaust down that much. My truck is still really loud with then on it..

 

Watch my videos! My system was about the same as yours but with Borla Pro XS mufflers.

 

My experience with them is that they take out some of the harsher noises at higher rpm and make the exhaust not quite as loud with normal driving, but that they allow the exhaust to still be loud when you really get on it.

OP, I guess price compare two mufflers to two resonators. If a muffler swap will cost you $250 and resonators like $75 (random numbers), go with the resonators and see what happens. But if the price is a lot closer, do mufflers. I'm assuming you'll have a shop do the work? You probably only want to pay for parts and labor once, you know?

I think resonators make the sound much more palatable and less obnoxious, but people will still be aware that you've got something going on. I suggested them to alter the sound without getting rid of it. But if you want be "more responsible, less obnoxious," I think I'd just go the muffler route for the sake of time, cash, and desired results because the resonators' change may be too subtle for what you're looking for. Wish I had before and after videos on my friend's mustang . . .

 

Thanks for the input guys. I think I'll be putting in two Dynomax Bullet resonators to start with since the price is right ($50 shipped) and if I'm not happy then move onto either a Magnaflow or Borla muffler swap. I do plan to do this all myself so labor costs aren't an issue.

 

Sounds like a plan! Let us know how it all turns out