Every time I buy something, I find a good deal for something comparable somewhere else. I just got a Silver Bullet from JDM a couple of months ago. Now Mac has a great sounding cat-back out for about half the price. Ouch! Well, I was OK with that, until I saw this. <<MAC EXHAUST>>

I am happy with what I have; but....... Oh well, maybe someone else can benefit from this deal.

Roger

 

One thing you have to understand is you get what you pay for. MAC owners probably won't be too happy 2-3 years down the road. MAC makes great functioning products, at cheap prices. But with cheap prices come cheap quality. MAC mufflers are steel, like Flowmasters, so they will be rusted in a year. Thier piping is usually aluminized, but that doesn't last either. And with any chrome part, the tailpipes will rust. Thier headers are dirt cheap, but they also have poor flanges, poor welds and thin tubing. The first set of long tubes I had on the 01 were MAC Mustang 2V long tubes, that I modified to fit. They don't hold a candle to the Kooks headers we now run.

I'm not bashing MAC, I've used thier products in the past when money was tight and performance was still required. But realize as everyone is on a crusade for an alternative to the $700 Bassani cat back, that you get what you pay for. The Bassani cat back is ALL stainless steel; mufflers, pipes, X pipe, and polished tips. It will outlast the truck. Same goes for JDMs exhaust. It's not as cheap as the MAC, but it's quality and isn't going to rot off the truck in a few years.

So don't be upset you paid more for what you have Roger. It'll be worth it in the long run.

 

What Sal said is absolutely right. I had an aluminized MAC cat-back on a '93 Mustang that went to s*** within a year. You're gonna save money now but you'll pay more later. Just my $ 0.02.

 

Odin's Wrath,I run the Bassani.There is no comparison between the two.I wouldnt trade my Bassani for the Mac,ever.Feel good you got a quality exhaust.I've seen the Silver-bullit.You didnt go wrong.There is a reason the Mac is so much cheaper.

 

Sal,

That makes me feel better. I wasn't really all that upset though. I'm happy with what I have. Nobody around here knows what it is but they all like it. It's good to be different. Some people will still prefer to go cheap. Especially if they don't intend to have the L long term.

Is that a cobra II I see in your sig?

 

Sorry, MAC on a Mustang for 4 years and doing fine. It hasn't rusted off yet. And the guy I work with has had MAC and Flowmaster at least as long. I know you'll get 10 years or more out of your Bassani, JDM exhausts. Wonderful. I doubt I'll have this truck that long. Tho' I don't think the JDM is over-priced, I just can't handle the wait and B/S involved with getting it. And I don't care to be led around like a fish after bait. I don't doubt the Bassani is good just too expensive just for sound for me. Not looking to start a fight, just MY 2 cents. But.....

 

I love my Mac... I had it on my Cobra and it was fine. If you want to spend 269,520 or 700+ to each his/her own. All I know is that the Mac system fit perfectly has no drone and sounds just right..

 

I think what Sal is getting at is that the MAC is aluminized and not SS. I'm sure it's a quality aluminized set-up, just don't expect it to last a long time, especially up north. I've done alot of personal research the last week, and from what I've heard and read, the Bassani is the best. I for one appreciate Sal's help. I haven't bought a thing from any tuner but he seems to be willing to give his advice, whether we agree with his advice or not.

 

Well put SAL

 

Sal you are comparing apples to oranges here. stainless to mild steel. , I have seen MAC exhausts last for years on mustangs , in the dead cold winter of Cincinnati. It is very easy to set there and slam a product that cuts into the Bassani Monopoly. The longer the Lightnings are here the lower the prices will get, the person that is setting on the fence wanting a catback but trying to justify 730.00 for Bassani , can now get a good exhaust , and now maybe also a pulley and a chip. it really is a no brainer .
that exhaust will last just as good as Bassani it may not last till the world ends or hell freezes over but it will not break the bank.

 

Bassani makes a great quality catback, I own one and it's on my truck right now. It's very expensive, but, there IS a huge market for a lower priced, great sounding and great looking catback. This is why we introduced the MAC catback to the Lightning community. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Lightning owners out there that want the great sound without the big price.

Someone said that the MAC catback is only good for two to three years. I respectfully disagree with that statement. The environment in which the vehicle is driven has a lot to do with the life of any mild steel muffler. Most Lightnings never see snow or salted roads.

Stainless steel is the hands-down best and most people know that, but if you keep a vehicle as long as the average person does, the MAC just might be right for you.

Since dynos have shown that there is no siginficant gain from changing catbacks, it's all about the sound which is factory weak and the MAC catback sounds great, just as good as any stainless catback on the market with beautiful chromed large diameter tips.

In the end, you will have to be the judge of the price versus quality quandary.

My dad, God rest his soul, always said "good ain't cheap and cheap ain't good. He was right to some degree. Think about it, read the posts, and make an informed decision.

Tim

 

FWIW,

My mac long tubes on my stang are rusting (about 2 years old) the mac mufflers have rusted through at one of hte seems and overall are rusting everywhere. When i do it again this winter it will have a stainless exhaust on it. (this is on a stang)

Maybe someday i'll ahve the bassani, untill them i will not cercum (spelling?) to be a cheap ***. Nothings cheap on these trucks if it was everyone would own one.


Maybe i will be persuaded when i seen a mac for hte lightnign in person. But my standing opinion is they are not worth the steal they bend them out of...

Brandon

 

Aren't you guys paying for only sound?

I haven't heard of any dynoed exhaust giving any performance gains. I have heard of lossed HP and Torque but that's about it. Are there any exhaust that actually give performance gains?

 

Dyno and track numbers, I don't have for a cat-back. But I had a 1.5 mpg increase with my Borla and didn't lose the gain when I switched to the Silver Bullet. That suggests a more efficient motor. Which in turn proves a power increase. Catbacks do help. On the street, where 90+ percent of the Lightnings on this board do their driving.

 

Guys, I'm not slamming the MAC, I'm just telling it like it is. Like I said, I've used MAC products many times in the past. I will probably also be selling the MAC Lightning cat back soon. I'm not trying to deter people from buying it. What I AM trying to do is just make people aware that if they pass on a stainless setup because of cost, and go with something cheaper, the product itself is cheaper. Yes, it IS apples to oranges, that's exactly my point.