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Hey so basically I'm looking for a mean sounding car. I want it to be loud and awesome sounding. I currently have flowmaster on my car and it doesn't sounds pretty good but I want a new chrome exhaust to come out the back. Currently my exhaust are where you can't see them unless you go under the car. So if I should stick with flowmaster I'll just buy a new flowmaster exhaust system but if you guys think magnaflow is what I should go I'll do that. These are just the examples --
Say magnaflow is better but there's a certain type that would sound the best please put that in, same for flowmaster. THANKS!
This is the never ending debate... Its all personal opinion and while sounding good to one person, will not sound good to another.
Personally i like the sound of my flowmaster 80 series catback. My motor isnt stock and has hooker headers 2055 with a straight pipe(no cat) so it does sound ALOT different than say a completely stock 3rd gen getting a 80 series catback. I enjoy it can hear it while cruising with it not being obnoxiously loud.
I agree with above statement, lots of opinions here. Now for me I wanted stainless... done and done. At the time I got mine I had one of the old Thrush CVX exhausts on the car, absolutely loved the sound and look. But, being aluminized, it rusted. So Magnaflow was the best priced stainless and I liked the similar look it had as my CVX. Now it's done for good.
The Flowmaster comes in three flavors; my wife appreciated that, since I wanted her to drive with me. I had the 80 installed at a muffler shop, with end pipes and labor, for the same price as Summit's kit . Shopping around might save you time and money,
I just took a flowmaster off my friends TA. Even with the resonator we added he could not stand the drone any more. The magnaflow is so much quieter at cruise and sounds a ton better when he gets on it. It was a 4th gen exhaust but it was easy to mod and only $50
MY 2 cents flowmaster is junk..i run the magnaflow system its goes together simple an tight,sounds amazing.an once all the it breaks in sound even better..
Yea it seems a good majority prefer the magnaflow, although I am looking for it to be loud, when I drive around with the flowmaster it has a nice rumble as I go through town I just though the magnaflows would be deeper. Don't get my wrong I know I'm not going to get a badass sound like a cammed up 79 trans am or anything like that but a a nice deep rumble is what I'm looking for.
Any single muffler system will not provide the deep rumble your looking for. Magnaflow will most definitely NOT provide a deep rumble at idle. Maybe a scream at WOT but thats it.
Custom for real loudness. All this talk about drone is nonsense in my opinion.
Loud is easy, it generally sounds like *** but loud is ez. Every time I hear a flowmaster go by or some other overly loud exhaust all I can picture is one of the rednecks form king of the hill bragging about his friends loud malibu.
Custom is the best way to get a good sound but nothing can be done custom to make a flowmaster sound decent. Also custom means more than some pipe after a glasspack.
I just seriously dont think the one 80series is that loud... i mean cmon those 90s mustangs and trucks ( not to mention the old days with carbs...) with true dual exhaust scream real loud and yes those are seriously obnoxious. But most of these guys are driving with a 2.5" single pipe on here
I agree. My 80 series and 3in cat-delete exhaust on my car isn't too loud at all. Doesnt sound like crap either. Now my 10 series on my true dual exhaust 2005 Sierra is another story..
I have the Flowmaster American Thunder 80 Series like the one you posted above. That is a true 3in cat back. That means tail pipes also and they are stainless. The rest is "Aluminized Steel" .Its 10 years old now. Clamps were removed and the system was welded together but there are small spots of rust at some of the weld points. That's it.
Any way,if your going to have it pieced together I would still recommend the "Hooker Aero Chamber" Muffler and pick any set of tips/tail pipes you want from the selection at the muffler shop.
I cut mine back like this but you can still see them from behind. I like that.
Last edited by Ron U.S.M.C.; 07-27-2017 at 12:41 AM.
I just took a flowmaster off my friends TA. Even with the resonator we added he could not stand the drone any more.
Exactly my situation. I added a resonator to the FM 3" catback to try and tame down the drone.... Loud does not sound better or meaner just because it is louder. I replaced the 80 series with a stainless 3" in 3" dual out Dynomax and it sounds much better and I can drive the car for more than 10 minutes without hating it. Having headers instead of cast manifolds also makes things louder.
I have run 2 chamber flowmasters lots of times on fox body mustang and they sound great on those cars. For some reason the flowmaster single muffler setup on 3rd gens just sound awful anywhere past idle.
Opinion varys a lot here and it's super hard to get a firm answer haha. Of course everyone thinks differently on what sounds the best, the meanest, the quietest, and and the shitiest and all that.
-- I found that on YouTube and I really love the sound of his car. If you are curious this is the sound I'd love to get I'd love to have that same system. Any thoughts?
As someone who has a Magnaflow system on their 3rd gen and has sold dozens of systems to others, it is a great system - 409 SS pipe, nice tips, 304 SS muffler. Best value you can get per $ spent.
But they are not that loud - even at WOT, but sound good regardless.
I'm one for not having a loud car - unless it is way deep into the gas pedal. Gets old real quick and is annoying to listen to the radio or have a conversation.
I do a lot of custom exhaust and I have had plenty of customers come in that will put flowmasters on even if they hate the drone just so they can turn heads. Looks like you said you have a flowmaster on it now, you should be able to find a exhaust shop that can put some fresh tips on it to get what you want and save some money.
I do a lot of custom exhaust and I have had plenty of customers come in that will put flowmasters on even if they hate the drone just so they can turn heads. Looks like you said you have a flowmaster on it now, you should be able to find a exhaust shop that can put some fresh tips on it to get what you want and save some money.
Yes you are right they defiently do turn heads and when I leave school it gets quite a few heads turned. Mine are different though because you can't see my exhaust. It's comes up high and elbows down and even then you can't see the exhaust so idk how they could put some nice chrome tips on with the pipes the way they are. That is a good idea though maybe they'd be able to figure something out.
For me, the flowmaster sounds good, but as eveyrone mentions, it has that drone. When I bought my car almost 20 years ago I was so excited that it already had a flowmaster. Within weeks I wanted it gone. Can't say what series it was, and that may make a difference. Kinda killed the brand for me though.
I also think that if I had a daily driver, Magnaflow would be the way to go. Awesome sound under throttle, but very mellow at lower RPMs.
That being said, over the years my personal opinion has lead me to feel that for pure sound, Hooker Aerochamber and Spintech mufflers sound the best, but of course.....opinion.
Tests done years ago and all over the internet regarding muffler and pipe flow along with HP capabilities of different sized pipes. Since we’re mainly talking a single 3” system and 80 series mufflers, I threw this together for this post. It’s the flow of a straight 3” pipe and the calculated drop of about 20% with the typically bent exhaust pipe. This is based on figures for a “zero loss”. If you’re making any more than the HP listed below, look elsewhere or you’re going to lose power – especially the further away you get away from the zero loss point.
3” Straight Pipe flows 878 cfm or enough for 410HP per STRAIGHT pipe
There’s about a 20% drop in flow with mandrel exhaust system bends – approximately 700 cfm which is enough to support 325HP per side (650HP duals)
Flowmaster 40 Series (2 Chamber) 43040 --- 392 cfm (183HP per muffler)
MagnaFlow, Borla Sportsman, and Dynomax Ultras all will flow more than a straight 3” pipe, so a single muffler will show no loss at all on a 325 HP engine.
The 40 series above will flow more than the 80-series. As you can see in the picture below, the dual exit pipes takes up over a third of the 80-series muffler volume - so the actual muffler size is something like 6-wide x 10-long x 5-deep. So it’ll start robbing a little power on less than a 180HP engine. It’s a terrible performance muffler, but admittedly sounds pretty good at idle.
So, if you’re making more than 180HP and care about performance you might want to consider just about anything other than the 80-series Flowmaster. If you’re making more than 325HP, you need to consider going larger than a single 3” system also.
I ran a single 3” DynoMax Ultra system on my old IROC running 12.3’s. It didn’t hurt things that much at that power level. However, later when I sprayed the thing, it literally whistled going down the track as that single 3” system was choking the living crud out of it.
Tests done years ago and all over the internet regarding muffler and pipe flow along with HP capabilities of different sized pipes. Since we’re mainly talking a single 3” system and 80 series mufflers, I threw this together for this post. It’s the flow of a straight 3” pipe and the calculated drop of about 20% with the typically bent exhaust pipe. This is based on figures for a “zero loss”. If you’re making any more than the HP listed below, look elsewhere or you’re going to lose power – especially the further away you get away from the zero loss point.
3” Straight Pipe flows 878 cfm or enough for 410HP per STRAIGHT pipe
There’s about a 20% drop in flow with mandrel exhaust system bends – approximately 700 cfm which is enough to support 325HP per side (650HP duals)
Flowmaster 40 Series (2 Chamber) 43040 --- 392 cfm (183HP per muffler)
MagnaFlow, Borla Sportsman, and Dynomax Ultras all will flow more than a straight 3” pipe, so a single muffler will show no loss at all on a 325 HP engine.
The 40 series above will flow more than the 80-series. As you can see in the picture below, the dual exit pipes takes up over a third of the 80-series muffler volume - so the actual muffler size is something like 6-wide x 10-long x 5-deep. So it’ll start robbing a little power on less than a 180HP engine. It’s a terrible performance muffler, but admittedly sounds pretty good at idle.
So, if you’re making more than 180HP and care about performance you might want to consider just about anything other than the 80-series Flowmaster. If you’re making more than 325HP, you need to consider going larger than a single 3” system also.
I ran a single 3” DynoMax Ultra system on my old IROC running 12.3’s. It didn’t hurt things that much at that power level. However, later when I sprayed the thing, it literally whistled going down the track as that single 3” system was choking the living crud out of it.
Because of backpressure or what...? whats a 'little' amount of power? Just curious as to how it was measured...
Because of backpressure or what...? whats a 'little' amount of power? Just curious as to how it was measured...
Yes,,,, the flow is very restricted in the 80 series Flowmaster due to the choke points as indicated in red in the picture above. Flow was measured on a flow bench at 20.3" and the "standard" for zero-loss exhaust flow is roughly 2.15 CFM per HP - based on David Vizard's dyno experience.
The "little" is relative and a bit of a moving target. The zero loss "rating" is around 183 HP for a single 40-series. So the smaller more restrictive internals of the 80's muffler means it would have to flow less. How much I can't say, and the zero-loss estimate is not a cap. Meaning, if you ran a single 43040 Flowmaster on a 200 HP engine, it would make more than 183HP but less than 200HP. Based on my experiences replacing a number of 80-series mufflers, I'd estimate Folks running a 3" 80-series system on a 350HP engine are probably loosing around 25 fwhp compared to a MagnaFlow system.
Most all changes I made on folks cars included a before and after Vericom VC-200 1/4 mile pass. It is an accelerometer that was made back in the later 80s using mil-spec components. It was consistent and spot on with my drag strip times minus .15-seconds due to the roll out time difference at the track - much more accurate than a G-Tech.
That said, I had an old log of all before and after data accumulated before I owed a computer. The log was stolen many years ago, or I could give you exact before and after times. While the majority of the time I did more to the car than just an exhaust change, there were a few where I just replaced the muffler on a near stock HO or TPI F-body. Best I remember the ET improvement was around .15-seconds compared to a single in, single out 3" muffler - with a about a 2lb increase in fuel pressure to make up for the change in air fuel ratio for the increased flow. Keep in mind this was back before the EMC hacks, so we were limited to fuel pressure and base timing increases along with some other tricks used to "trick" the computer on more radical combinations.
The 25HP difference on an engine capable of making 325HP is a best guess estimate, but feel free to google "Dyno Flowmaster vs Magnaflow" , or UltraFlow, or Borla, or any other muffler for more recent results to see if anyone has posted actual before and after dyno data on an F-body. However, you have to take those with a grain of salt unless they indicate the tune was changed. If the tune WAS NOT changed, all they're doing is getting results based more on the muffler matching the tune than the real difference in power. If the tune is changed, and it would need to be to accommodate the change in flow, then the results SHOULD be accurate.
I have a flowmaster, it came with the car when I bought it. I have a drone, but I don't hear as well as I should, so it doesn't bother me. In fact, I wish it was louder.
I have a 305 TPI with jet hot coated hooker headers...
I have the flowmaster 1 in / 1 out system which flows better than the 1 in / 2 out (as noted above in another email graphic)
Noticeable idle, loud when you press the pedal...
When my neighbor upgraded his, 305 TPI, non coated headers, he bought a magnaflow muffler, 1 in / 1 out, and copied my system...
And I believe his sounds better than mine (don't tell him, he already knows !?!??)
Nice sounding, Low deep rumble, I'll be in my theater room and hear him start his car up and the low rumble is everywhere... I text him to stop making noise with that race car (probably just cause I'm jealous of the sound!)
The flowmaster is "aluminized steel" (I think) and the magnaflow is stainless (I think)... the flowmaster sounds "tinnier" than the magnaflow... I'm sure it as to do with the material & design difference...
I don't mind the flowmaster, but after 5 years of it on an otherwise stock exhaust, I'm done. I have an old banks muffler I'll hopefully be getting on before winter. However... When I had my old car with the hot cam zz4, hedman headers, and no cat, the flowmaster sounded bad ***! So yea, it's all a matter of opinion. Don't forget, if you wanna expand your options a fourth gen cat back will bolt onto our cars with minimal modification. For a relativity stock car I really like the sound of the corsa exhaust if you'd go that route. SLP loudmouth 2 also sounds pretty cool. If you really want loud I got a loudmouth 1 muffler I'd maybe sell, but wouldn't recommend it if you're not running a cat, lol! One more thing to consider, which i never realized till my cousin did it on his truck... You can keep that muffler and have larger tail pipes made for it. That alone will bump up the volume and totally change the sound. My 4 cents
Corsa doesn't make a system for 3rd gens - although one of their mufflers may fit.
Originally Posted by zya5point0
I don't mind the flowmaster, but after 5 years of it on an otherwise stock exhaust, I'm done. I have an old banks muffler I'll hopefully be getting on before winter. However... When I had my old car with the hot cam zz4, hedman headers, and no cat, the flowmaster sounded bad ***! So yea, it's all a matter of opinion. Don't forget, if you wanna expand your options a fourth gen cat back will bolt onto our cars with minimal modification. For a relativity stock car I really like the sound of the corsa exhaust if you'd go that route. SLP loudmouth 2 also sounds pretty cool. If you really want loud I got a loudmouth 1 muffler I'd maybe sell, but wouldn't recommend it if you're not running a cat, lol! One more thing to consider, which i never realized till my cousin did it on his truck... You can keep that muffler and have larger tail pipes made for it. That alone will bump up the volume and totally change the sound. My 4 cents
I had flowmasters since the 80s love the sound especially with a good cam.
On a daily driver I refuse to run flowmasters now. The difference on my Lt1 car was negligible but the sound was greatly reduced with the Magnaflow kit. I also utilize cut outs from QTP with a controller.
I use a G-tech that was purchased in 1991 and it is very accurate with ET, the mph is a little fast but it works off of inertia and I can adjust for 3-5 mph.
My last run in my bolt on Lt1 camaro was a 12.98 106.3 and my old G-tech read 12.97 109.2 very happy with my G-tech as well as the run considering my DA was 3004'
Correct, corsa doesn't make a third gen system, but they do make one for the fourth gen... Which like I said, will fit with minor modification and expand his options
07-21-2017, 01:28 PM
