Exhaust Systems- Reviews

[JennaBear]

Over the course of the years, we have had, Magnaflows, Gibsons, Corsas, Spintechs, Flowmaster.

Here is my input:

Corsa>Magnaflow>Spintech>Gibson>Flowmaster

Exhaust is a matter of opinion for the most part (ie. sound). They don't offer that much performance, but can sometimes hinder it depending on your application.

The Corsa had the most "flow through" and least drone, the Magnaflow had a great flow, but a tad bit of drone, the Spintechs are louder than the Magnaflow with ok flow, the Gibson had a popping/tinny noise, and the Flowmaster was the loudest with the worst flow of them all (due to the chambered construction).

I am in no way affiliated with any of these exhaust companies, just going off of my personal preference.

[road1will]

I'm happy with my Magnaflow, especially considering how much money I saved over the Corsa. Also, i really don't get any drone.

[JennaBear]

I was very happy with my Magnaflow. The noise didn't get to be too loud until I got the headers and cam on there, then it was more apparent. I knew the Radix was going to be installed, so I opted to swap out before getting too annoyed with the noise.

[road1will]

Do you have the Corsa installed now?

[JennaBear]

Yep, the Corsa Touring.

[BOSS]

What size Magnaflow are you guys running or did you have installed??

I was going to go true duals with the 20 size for less noise....thoughts? I figured it would be less prone to drone?


BOSS

[JennaBear]

I had the full catback system.

[BOSS]

I had the full catback system.

What size were the mufflers though? I see they have several sizes avail

B

[JennaBear]

I think 22"?

[road1will]

mines a 14...have u seen my vid?

[Rollin Thunder]

did the maggy drone much with just a CAI??? I would like to get some more noise and exhaust note out of the silverado, but dont want drone since I drive on the highway everyday for extended periods of time.

[JennaBear]

Are you talking about the Magnaflow or the Magnacharger? The Magnaflow doesn't have all that much drone, but being that you are used to a Corsa, you might be more attuned to it.

[Rollin Thunder]

i have not heard the corsa for almost a year since the old yukon had it, but will I need a retune with an AEM and maggy exhaust. I wish I was talking about a super charger LOL. I think you said you tuned it already for that, but I dont remember.

[JennaBear]

Yep, you should be good to go for the intake/exhaust. Justin sets the tunes up to account for them.

[Rollin Thunder]

Yep, you should be good to go for the intake/exhaust. Justin sets the tunes up to account for them.

cool. Thanks.

edit- HOLY SHIT, magnaflow is 650. I might as well get the corsa sports then.

[Max]

I had a magnaflow on my denali and didn't like it, droned way too much. Had their entire exhaust on my old tahoe from the headers to the tip, sounded great. From my experience corsa>magnaflow>flowmaster>gibson>spintech. I don't mind the flowmasters, depends on the headers and such tho.

[BOSS]

I had a magnaflow on my denali and didn't like it, droned way too much. Had their entire exhaust on my old tahoe from the headers to the tip, sounded great. From my experience corsa>magnaflow>flowmaster>gibson>spintech. I don't mind the flowmasters, depends on the headers and such tho.

From everything I've heard (exhaust clips) and everyone I've talked to, the drone largely depends on SIZE of the magnaflows? Bigger size=less drone?

BOS

[road1will]

My 14" really doesn't drone.

[DESIGN]

So the longer the muffler the less drone or overall noise. I guess that figures being that it has more time to cancel out the sound. Is there a benifit to running a shorter muffler? Perhaps it is just a cost issue?

[BOSS]

So the longer the muffler the less drone or overall noise. I guess that figures being that it has more time to cancel out the sound. Is there a benifit to running a shorter muffler? Perhaps it is just a cost issue?

I'm not an expert by any means, only regurgitating info that I've gathered...I'd like to hear some input from people like Jenna on that question


BOSS

[BlueTahoe2001]

I heard the magnaflow had a great exhaust for these trucks? I just did some research on their system and for $616 I might have to pass...

[tybardy]

i didnt do the full Magnaflow cat back... i did however install a 24" (or maybe 22" inch but i thought it was 24") muffler and the truck is really pretty quiet for being a straight through design IMO... I forget exactly, but i think i paid like $80 or $90 for the muffler shipped and another $45 to get it welded up, not a bad price if you ask me.

I was going to wait on the cats till i did my LT's, and even still i am not sure what i will end up doing there... need to do more research

sound clip

http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t222/tybardy/?action=view&current=VID00006.flv

[BOSS]

i didnt do the full Magnaflow cat back... i did however install a 24" (or maybe 22" inch but i thought it was 24")

I have the same, true duals with 22 or 24 FlowPro and it's only loud if I get on it..they are old and have some drone, wouldnt be surprised if they were spot welded

Changing mine out for Magnaflows

BOSS

[BlueTahoe2001]

tybardy,

Sounds good...Might need to just check into a muffler then before I get a full Cat system.
Anybody installed headers on their truck yet? IF so how much time and effort were needed?

[tybardy]

i think Jenna and Max both have headers installed.... there is another thread going right now regarding this subject i think

[dec322]

Tybardy,

Are you dumping it right out of the muffler? It did seem pretty quiet except at the higher RPMs. Does it pop when you rev it up?

I like it but I don't want popping. I wonder if a tailpipe would help eliminate it.

Also, have you noticed any mpg gains from your mods (BB Tune, Intake, Exhaust)?

Love the rims man.

[tybardy]

thanks thanks...

Yes i have a turn down directly after the muffler.

it only pops when i rev it up like crazy in neutral... when i have my foot on the floor driving it doesnt do it at all (maybe a small amount when i am at extra high RPM and take my foot completly off the gas).

As for the MPG's I am getting about 19 average right now. Thats at about 60% highway driving and 40% street. That also includes me NOT driving crazy ever. dropping the hammer is no good for the milage. Also note that i have a 91 octane tune, so my 19 is probably the same cost as an 87 octane 16 or 17 mpgs. when i pulled this truck off the lot is was averaging only 13.8 mpgs

The intake gave me a big jump in milage and the bb tune gave me another big jump in milage. I recomend both, the muffler was more for sound then performance but i wanted to make sure i had it prior to getting my tune so Justin had it all on the table to work with.

[dec322]

Wow. I'd be pumped to go from 13 to 19 when driving the same streets (hwy/city).

You mentioned the pop sound after letting off the gas (in high RPMs)....I wonder if that is a magnaflow thing.

I had a 99 cobra that had magnapacks on it. I changed them out for the magnaflows and they did the same thing....kinda like a backfire but not as pronounced.

[jmildoc]

i love my magnaflow... not too loud but sounds good no real drone, but then again its really big and over the axle out the side, puts my kids to sleep : )

[dec322]

i love my magnaflow... not too loud but sounds good no real drone, but then again its really big and over the axle out the side, puts my kids to sleep : )

Post up a vid.

[tybardy]

well i think any straight through design is going to pop at high RPMs... im pretty sure i heard a few sound clips of Corsa's that pop that same way... cambers eliminate the popping however they also restrict airflow

i got probably 2 solid MPG's out of the intake... and then the tune gave me another 3 or so... got a nice agressive 91 octain tune and love the shit out of it... funny thing about the tune, it actually made my muffler drone LESS!

thats not shit either, my girlfriend hated the magnaflow, bitched all the time about it, the DAY i installed my new PCM she got in and commented on how much better the truck sounded and ran...

[Rollin Thunder]

ok jenna. I need ur help. Bigger I go. More or less noise? More or less drone?

[JennaBear]

The bigger you go, the less noise you would get. The internals of the muffler is where you get drone.

We are about to test out a theory that we have, that we actually got from the stock intake design. Once we have that fabbed up, we will let you guys know if it works to counter act drone or not.

[Rollin Thunder]

any news on this design jenna?

[JennaBear]

No, we have been super busy and probably won't get to this for a while.

[pmbiker]

I've heard of running a "false resonator" to reduce drone. Simply a 30" or so piece of capped-off pipe just "T"d off of the side of the exhaust before the muffler.

Also, are the Flowmasters really that bad? I freakin love the way they sound and I dislike the tinny/poppy sound with some of the straight through designs. If there's not really much performance increase due to exhaust, as long as the FM's flow as well as stock wouldn't they still be ok? I don't see myself going all the way with LT's and ORY, just want that nice mellow rumbly sound FM's give.

What about two cheap cherry bomb type or bullet type mufflers in a row? Anybody tried that or considered it even?

[Rollin Thunder]

I ended up with flowmaster 50 series. It drones at 2k rpm, anything above is an incredible tone , below is silence. I actually find the exhaust helping me NOT speed. Which is a great thing for me.

[tybardy]

i always enjoyed the FM sound, but its just too loud for me these days, i suppose i am getting old... hahaha... when i get my LTs i might end up doubling up on the magnaflows to cut down on the noise... just a matter of the space needed..... if i have another 16" to work with under the body i will probably end up adding a 14" magnaflow to cut down on the loud

[Rollin Thunder]

i always enjoyed the FM sound, but its just too loud for me these days, i suppose i am getting old... hahaha... when i get my LTs i might end up doubling up on the magnaflows to cut down on the noise... just a matter of the space needed..... if i have another 16" to work with under the body i will probably end up adding a 14" magnaflow to cut down on the loud

going smaller will make it louder.

[JennaBear]

My Magnaflow got REALLY loud with the LTs and cam, I switched to Corsa Touring after that.

[Max]

My tiny flowmaster 40 series is alot quieter than I thought it would be. For some reason on my truck I love the sound but on other vehicles I hated the flowmasters. I may end up adding another muffler or swapping to a corsa touring but I'm really pleased with the way it sounds. I can drive around incognito with a low idle and slight rumble but it gets regoddamndiculous once I'm at wot. I can't believe how much power I gained with the longtubes and efans, some dude tried racing me in a denali xl with some whack ass wheels the other day and I pulled away like he was standing still. Pretty sure the few press bends in my new system are much less restrictive than the huge dents I put in the magnaflow, still have no idea why that thing droned so bad but highway driving was just ridiculous and it kept getting worse. I'll drive this thing all summer and see how I feel, probably end up with a corsa and 3.5" mandrel but I like setting off car alarms for the time being. What really stumps me is the past few vehicles I've had magnaflows and they sounded great with zero drone, hoping it was a bunk muffler or something.

[tybardy]

going smaller will make it louder.

I realize that my man! I want to ADD a 14", not replace the 24" with a 14"... i want to hop under and see if i have room to add another 14" magnaflow, but that will only be when i get the LT's, i like the sound right now...

hey Max, you say your Magnaflow droned like a mufuker before you got the LT's? i cant remember, do you have a cam? What size muffler did you run? Weird that it was super loud, I was pretty impressed with how little my muffler droned and how quite it is!! (although i still wouldnt mind it to be a little quieter) However, i only replaced the muffler, didnt do a full exhaust setup, not sure how much louder that will make things...


Jenna, was the corsa MUCH quieter then the magna? i was thinking about just adding a second, 14", magna to quiet it up after the LTs

[JennaBear]

I am not sure that a second Magna will quiet it down for you.

[Max]

Word I think a glasspack would help, cherry bombs have worked wonders for me in the past.

---------- Post added at 10:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:25 PM ----------

I have a stock cam btw. Hoping to leave the internals stock until I build a fun long block for this thing.

[tybardy]

so you use a glass pack just before the muffler to quiet the thing down? I would have guessed that adding a second magnaflow would quiet it up pretty good though... interesting

[Max]

I'd really like to hear Jenna's truck in person, any chance we can get a video of the truck accellerating from a dead stop from outside the vehicle?

[JennaBear]

I'll see what I can do. It is hard here in VA with the laws and the way the roads are set up. But we might go to the track this weekend....

[Rollin Thunder]

I'll see what I can do. It is hard here in VA with the laws and the way the roads are set up. But we might go to the track this weekend....

it is not. lol

---------- Post added at 01:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:05 AM ----------

and tybardy. IF your trying to get it quieter just go back to stock IMO.

[Max]

Which reminds me I need to get a valentine one when I get my security deposit back next month.

[tybardy]

it is not. lol

---------- Post added at 01:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:05 AM ----------

and tybardy. IF your trying to get it quieter just go back to stock IMO.

its perfect as it is right now, i just know its going to get rediculously loud once the headers are on and will want to quiet it up some...

[mikeb33]

I had the Corsa Touring on my Stock 05 Tahoe. Very quiet. Amazing since the muffler, while being a huge round thing, was perfectly straight through with a few rings of holes inside it. I can't imagine how it is so quiet, but it was great for power and responsiveness.
So I would say the Corsa Touring has 2 applications:
1) You want more power, responsiveness, mileage, but don't want it obvious that you changed exhaust.
2) You've done other mods like high flow cats and headers and you want to get it back down to reasonable levels and no drone.

[oomindwarpoo]

600$+ For the magnaflow?? Where are you guys buying from... I have found multiple places to get it for 475$.. I'm buying mine right before I get out of this desert shit hole of a country!

[Tahoe03mm]

600$+ For the magnaflow?? Where are you guys buying from... I have found multiple places to get it for 475$.. I'm buying mine right before I get out of this desert shit hole of a country!
I paid 300 for mine NIB

[withac]

Okay, I know jack here and only have experience with one muffler so its all I know, but FWIW, here ya go.

A friend wanted to dual out his '98 RAM. The guy at the local muffler shop told himhe'd be glad to do it, it was his money, but he could also go to a 3" pipe and a Spintech Sportsman XL for cheaper and get the same benefits. He liked it so I did the same to my '98 RAM with the 5.2. $200 out the door with 3" pipe from the cat back. I think I noticed a little SOTP diff. It does sound better. It's not too loud but has a nice tone at idle and a nice tone under acceleration but it's not obnoxious. Anyway,that's my limited experience. If I had the change I'd put one on my 'Ho.