18 or 22 " Magnaflow muffler for drone free cruising?

Drone Free at cruising/light load?

  • Impossible keep stock

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 18 with resonator and flapper

    Votes: 2 33.3%
  • 22" with resonator and flapper: the only way to get drone free cruising

    Votes: 4 66.7%

  • Total voters
    6

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AZCreeker

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Hello!

15 Suburban, stock apart from a Air Raid Jr. intake tube and highflow filter in the stock intake box.

Looking for recommendations, I am thinking about installing a magnaflow muffler only to my otherwise stock exhaust.
I want to keep the resonator and flapper.
My question is, if I am looking for drone free during cruising and light load would the 18" work?
I was thinking the 18" would be drone free as the flapper would help a lot.


I am looking for basically for a sound similar to the GM borla accesory exhaust in term of sound level and quality of tone.
Also I liked how a last gen escalade sounded stock, seemed louder to current gen.

I just wan to be able to hear its a v8 at start up and when I get on it.

So 18" or 22"?

thanks!
 

iamdub

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The 22" (12589) seems to be accepted as the "stock, but not" muffler- the go-to if you wanna be safe about it. I went one step more aggressive with the 18" and I have no drone. I also deleted my resonator and mine's a Tahoe so it's shorter than your Suburban. When I first fired it up after installing it, I was actually disappointed cuz it sounded almost exactly like the stock muffler. After a few hundred miles, it livened up considerably and now I'm very happy with it. When cruising, it's almost as quiet as stock. At hard throttle, it lets you know it's there. I have the same intake setup as you and I can still hear the deep intake growl with the engine under load, such as when going up an incline but not downshifting. It's not obtrusive at all. I wanted to keep mine quiet and classy on the inside but aggressive when on the throttle and I think the 18" nailed it. I got the AP Exhaust XS1259 which is the Magnaflow 12259 (18") knock-off. It was $31 on Amazon when I bought it last October, currently $49. The only difference I can see in them is it doesn't have the Magnaflow label embossed in the case.

I made before and after vids. I really should make a one year vid to compare the sound now that it's broken in. If I could remember my YouTube login I'd link you to them. Maybe they're in my build thread.

*EDIT*
Found them! : https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/growing-up-doesnt-have-to-suck.93510/page-12
 
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A

AZCreeker

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The 22" (12589) seems to be accepted as the "stock, but not" muffler- the go-to if you wanna be safe about it. I went one step more aggressive with the 18" and I have no drone. I also deleted my resonator and mine's a Tahoe so it's shorter than your Suburban. When I first fired it up after installing it, I was actually disappointed cuz it sounded almost exactly like the stock muffler. After a few hundred miles, it livened up considerably and now I'm very happy with it. When cruising, it's almost as quiet as stock. At hard throttle, it lets you know it's there. I have the same intake setup as you and I can still hear the deep intake growl with the engine under load, such as when going up an incline but not downshifting. It's not obtrusive at all. I wanted to keep mine quiet and classy on the inside but aggressive when on the throttle and I think the 18" nailed it. I got the AP Exhaust XS1259 which is the Magnaflow 12259 (18") knock-off. It was $31 on Amazon when I bought it last October, currently $49. The only difference I can see in them is it doesn't have the Magnaflow label embossed in the case.

I made before and after vids. I really should make a one year vid to compare the sound now that it's broken in. If I could remember my YouTube login I'd link you to them. Maybe they're in my build thread.

*EDIT*
Found them! : https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/threads/growing-up-doesnt-have-to-suck.93510/page-12

thank you very much for your detailed and useful reply, much appreciated.
 

adventurenali92

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@iamdub makes a good point! I have a magnaflow muffler on my 2006 6.0. And like him at first I was like hmm it’s still pretty quiet. But a week after installation I took my Denali from Southern California to Vegas for Route 91 back in 2017. On the way home going up the grades and what not on I15, I definitely noticed the tone and volume had changed after driving it a couple hundred miles. I believe I have the same one as his but I’m not positive on that. Anyways, mine lets me know it’s there when you’re on the throttle or under load. But otherwise there’s no drone inside the cabin. It’s smooth and quiet. Can listen to music and talk comfortably and not even here the exhaust when cruising.
 

iamdub

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@iamdub makes a good point! I have a magnaflow muffler on my 2006 6.0. And like him at first I was like hmm it’s still pretty quiet. But a week after installation I took my Denali from Southern California to Vegas for Route 91 back in 2017. On the way home going up the grades and what not on I15, I definitely noticed the tone and volume had changed after driving it a couple hundred miles. I believe I have the same one as his but I’m not positive on that. Anyways, mine lets me know it’s there when you’re on the throttle or under load. But otherwise there’s no drone inside the cabin. It’s smooth and quiet. Can listen to music and talk comfortably and not even here the exhaust when cruising.

Next time you're next to a concrete wall, drop your passenger side windows and mash it.
 

Tide

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Of the two I’d go with the 18” for sure. It still might be a little quiet for your taste if you keep the resonator.

Like others have said give it a few thousand miles and you’ll notice a difference in tone. I’m running a similar setup and I’m very happy with it. Just enough to know that it isn’t stock with a good deep tone.

883ec37b97c256d00edb5ca5a7b1dd6b.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

1sikryd

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I was looking to go Borla too but my muffler guy talked me into the Magnaflow 14161 on my '19 RST. That's a 14" muffler, and I kept all the resonators. It's defiantly louder and has a smooth growl. It had some drone that went away when I installed an AFE Momentum GT intake.
 

sealandsky

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I was looking to go Borla too but my muffler guy talked me into the Magnaflow 14161 on my '19 RST. That's a 14" muffler, and I kept all the resonators. It's defiantly louder and has a smooth growl. It had some drone that went away when I installed an AFE Momentum GT intake.
Doesn't the RST already come with the GM performance exhaust?
 
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