- Apr 24, 2006
- 55
Let me start this tread by apologizing to all of those who have added the great feedback and informative content to this forum. I have been fairly quiet on this forum and have added almost nothing. Conversely, I cannot begin to tell of all of the wonderful information that I have taken from all of the great and informative post by the other members. I truly thank everyone for all of their help and input. :cheers
With that being said, I wanted to share my Aftermarket Exhaust search with everyone. There seems to be so many options today with exhaust systems for our great cars. I personally think this is a great problem to have for obvious reasons. It can also be a bit trying to figure out which one is the best for your own personal taste. While I do not necessarily feel that my input will allow someone to instantly make a decision that is best for them, I am hopeful that if you have the opportunity to hear/experience one of the exhaust that I tired and use it as a baseline, you might be able to only make one purchase unlike the 3 that I made. I will also include a bit technical information below so everyone can see how each exhaust system affected the hp, engine temp and throttle response I personally experienced. So…..HEAR :wink we go!
1st Purchase - Ford Racing M-9340-GTX Rear Exit Headers
I really wanted this one to work. This exhaust system is truly hard core racing. No filters here. Almost no imagination is needed to make you feel like you are actually in one of the Le Mans winning GT40’s back in the day. :usa This is as raw and serious as you can get. But make no mistake; the GT can pull it off. :thumbsup The question is, can you? At engine start you know this one is all business. It sounds as if you just had a 375HP upgrade! This option is probably the best race deterrent option you can buy. One rev at a red light next to any would be challenger and he/she will decline the race and whimper away. :bow This is not an exaggeration! If I lived in a more rural area and had a great relationship with the local law enforcement staff, this system would still be on my car. It is livable inside the cabin at WOT as long as you do not care what is playing on the radio or that the person sitting next to you is screaming for their life! :biggrin Awesome! However, you do need to be aware of any person(s) that are outside near the back side of the car while running up the RPM’s. This system WILL pop eardrums no questions asked.
op :eek Painful if you are too close while trying to see the 2 foot blue flame coming out the back! :devil I can still remember driving away from the shop for the first time with this system installed and setting off every car alarm within 30 yards of me! arty Unfortunately I live in the city and I constantly had to watch my throttle input. I felt like I could not enjoy my car without the overwhelming feeling of paranoia. For this reason, it had to come off. :bang
2nd Purchase - Accufab X Pipe
I decided to try the Accufab exhaust after reading several of the positive post on this forum. There are now several systems available that offer a similar type set up. While I know all offer a different approach, the basic stock exhaust manifolds-cats-exhaust pipe/muffler type set-up is the common thread. Please let me say again that I know all of these “cat back” systems offer different sound and performance qualities so not all can be judged the same as my result with the Accufab. I am merely stating the fact of the similarities and not the difference as I only tried the Accufab. The Accufab system is a great exhaust offering a real performance sound. :thumbsup From the first fire of the engine, the Accufab gives a great growl that reminds me of some of the great muscle cars of yesteryears. :usa A deep throaty/stuffy sound at idle that grows with the RPM’s. You can always hear the Accufab working. A little more throttle input, a little more volume. Cabin noise is performance oriented pleasant and acceptable but noticeably louder than stock though remaining “street legal” in volume. This exhaust will get you noticed by most pedestrians that are not looking in your direction when approaching. :cool At WOT the Accufab sounds great but in my opinion, too much was lost from the Ford Racing M-9430-GTX. The raw organic growl from the Ford exhaust had been replaced by a familiar and friendly sound. The Ford system was clear and clean while the Accufab seemed to have something in its throat that it could not clear. For this reason, it had to come off. :bang
3rd Purchase – Ford Racing M-9340-GT Long Tube Headers W/Ford Muffler Kit M-5230-GT
3rd Times a Charm! :thumbsup This one is it for me! The rawness is back but in a livable, streetable and controllable manner. At first engine start, you know its right. Crisp, clean and clear. The volume settles quickly on idle. RPM’s build quickly and with purpose on throttle input. You sense the true power of the car and the sound is what you feel the Ford engineers always had in mind for the GT. At idle the GT sounds civilized, almost quiet, but under load, this is all Supercar material. The sound rivals that of any European Supercar and then some. :usa If you put your foot down and one of the local law enforcement officers is in the area, you’re in trouble. While the sound might be what got you noticed in the first place, you are getting pulled over for excessive speed! :slap The sound fits the offence! Not more and not less. The ear drum popping shrill has been contained in the muffler box but the cleanness of a free breathing/revving engine is unmistakable. This system is quieter than both the Ford Racing GTX rear exit headers and the Accufab at highway cruising speeds. Under load it is in between the two in sound. For this reason, it is staying on. :banana
Now a few thoughts and performance notes. First, I want to again reiterate that this is my personal experience and I realize that everyone has different taste and requirements when it comes to how they want their GT to sound/perform. I just thought I would try to share my exhausting trials with everyone just as others have shared their different experiences with different facets of GT ownership here on the forum. I mean it when I say that if I lived in a more rural area and had a great relationship with local law enforcement personnel, I would still have the Ford M-9430-GTX system. Simply the most powerful and baddest exhaust for your GT. :thumbsup If you can avoid the emissions issues but have respect for and are respected by your neighbors while still wanting to impress, then I suggest the Ford M-9430-GT with their Muffler kit M-5230-GT. For me it is a perfect match of looks=sound=performance and that’s what I wanted the day I purchased my GT. For some, the “no cats” is not an option for them so this would clearly not be the solution for them. In addition, some might have different priorities when it comes to dollars spent on an exhaust system. With this in mind, I would not hesitate to highly recommend the Accufab system. The Accufab sounds great and is of very high quality. My experience in talking to the manufacture was outstanding and found them to be very helpful. Everything they promised, they delivered. :thumbsup I am sure there are other great companies with similar type cat back systems that also provide a great product and service for their customers. I can only speak of my personal experience with Accufab.
Finally here are a few notes on performance and temp figures. All 3 systems I tried lowered the engine temps by at least 13 degrees. The lowest being the GTX system by 17 degrees. The GT and Accufab system within a degree or two of one another. I suppose not having the cats for the GT system but having a smaller muffler box (smaller and lighter than the O.E.M. piece) was the balancing factor to removing the larger O.E.M. muffler box and adding the Accufab. I also added a Roush pulley with a tune and here is what I got. GTX w/pulley and tune showed 587 RW HP. Accufab w/pulley and Tune showed 570 RW HP. I am having my car re-tuned next week and will post the changes with the GT system. My base line was 527 RW HP. Please know that the Roush pulley is only good for about 1 to 1.5 extra pounds of boost so the peak HP numbers might sound a bit low to those who have put on 2.8” or smaller pulley.
I hope this helps or at least makes for good reading. I want to thank those who helped guide me through this process. Special thanks goes to nota4re, SLF360 and bony and all the others that posted exhaust sound bites. :cheers Thank you all. I have found their posts and others on this forum to be invaluable. I truly hope I have not diluted the useful information.
Cheers,
John
With that being said, I wanted to share my Aftermarket Exhaust search with everyone. There seems to be so many options today with exhaust systems for our great cars. I personally think this is a great problem to have for obvious reasons. It can also be a bit trying to figure out which one is the best for your own personal taste. While I do not necessarily feel that my input will allow someone to instantly make a decision that is best for them, I am hopeful that if you have the opportunity to hear/experience one of the exhaust that I tired and use it as a baseline, you might be able to only make one purchase unlike the 3 that I made. I will also include a bit technical information below so everyone can see how each exhaust system affected the hp, engine temp and throttle response I personally experienced. So…..HEAR :wink we go!
1st Purchase - Ford Racing M-9340-GTX Rear Exit Headers
I really wanted this one to work. This exhaust system is truly hard core racing. No filters here. Almost no imagination is needed to make you feel like you are actually in one of the Le Mans winning GT40’s back in the day. :usa This is as raw and serious as you can get. But make no mistake; the GT can pull it off. :thumbsup The question is, can you? At engine start you know this one is all business. It sounds as if you just had a 375HP upgrade! This option is probably the best race deterrent option you can buy. One rev at a red light next to any would be challenger and he/she will decline the race and whimper away. :bow This is not an exaggeration! If I lived in a more rural area and had a great relationship with the local law enforcement staff, this system would still be on my car. It is livable inside the cabin at WOT as long as you do not care what is playing on the radio or that the person sitting next to you is screaming for their life! :biggrin Awesome! However, you do need to be aware of any person(s) that are outside near the back side of the car while running up the RPM’s. This system WILL pop eardrums no questions asked.
op :eek Painful if you are too close while trying to see the 2 foot blue flame coming out the back! :devil I can still remember driving away from the shop for the first time with this system installed and setting off every car alarm within 30 yards of me! arty Unfortunately I live in the city and I constantly had to watch my throttle input. I felt like I could not enjoy my car without the overwhelming feeling of paranoia. For this reason, it had to come off. :bang 2nd Purchase - Accufab X Pipe
I decided to try the Accufab exhaust after reading several of the positive post on this forum. There are now several systems available that offer a similar type set up. While I know all offer a different approach, the basic stock exhaust manifolds-cats-exhaust pipe/muffler type set-up is the common thread. Please let me say again that I know all of these “cat back” systems offer different sound and performance qualities so not all can be judged the same as my result with the Accufab. I am merely stating the fact of the similarities and not the difference as I only tried the Accufab. The Accufab system is a great exhaust offering a real performance sound. :thumbsup From the first fire of the engine, the Accufab gives a great growl that reminds me of some of the great muscle cars of yesteryears. :usa A deep throaty/stuffy sound at idle that grows with the RPM’s. You can always hear the Accufab working. A little more throttle input, a little more volume. Cabin noise is performance oriented pleasant and acceptable but noticeably louder than stock though remaining “street legal” in volume. This exhaust will get you noticed by most pedestrians that are not looking in your direction when approaching. :cool At WOT the Accufab sounds great but in my opinion, too much was lost from the Ford Racing M-9430-GTX. The raw organic growl from the Ford exhaust had been replaced by a familiar and friendly sound. The Ford system was clear and clean while the Accufab seemed to have something in its throat that it could not clear. For this reason, it had to come off. :bang
3rd Purchase – Ford Racing M-9340-GT Long Tube Headers W/Ford Muffler Kit M-5230-GT
3rd Times a Charm! :thumbsup This one is it for me! The rawness is back but in a livable, streetable and controllable manner. At first engine start, you know its right. Crisp, clean and clear. The volume settles quickly on idle. RPM’s build quickly and with purpose on throttle input. You sense the true power of the car and the sound is what you feel the Ford engineers always had in mind for the GT. At idle the GT sounds civilized, almost quiet, but under load, this is all Supercar material. The sound rivals that of any European Supercar and then some. :usa If you put your foot down and one of the local law enforcement officers is in the area, you’re in trouble. While the sound might be what got you noticed in the first place, you are getting pulled over for excessive speed! :slap The sound fits the offence! Not more and not less. The ear drum popping shrill has been contained in the muffler box but the cleanness of a free breathing/revving engine is unmistakable. This system is quieter than both the Ford Racing GTX rear exit headers and the Accufab at highway cruising speeds. Under load it is in between the two in sound. For this reason, it is staying on. :banana
Now a few thoughts and performance notes. First, I want to again reiterate that this is my personal experience and I realize that everyone has different taste and requirements when it comes to how they want their GT to sound/perform. I just thought I would try to share my exhausting trials with everyone just as others have shared their different experiences with different facets of GT ownership here on the forum. I mean it when I say that if I lived in a more rural area and had a great relationship with local law enforcement personnel, I would still have the Ford M-9430-GTX system. Simply the most powerful and baddest exhaust for your GT. :thumbsup If you can avoid the emissions issues but have respect for and are respected by your neighbors while still wanting to impress, then I suggest the Ford M-9430-GT with their Muffler kit M-5230-GT. For me it is a perfect match of looks=sound=performance and that’s what I wanted the day I purchased my GT. For some, the “no cats” is not an option for them so this would clearly not be the solution for them. In addition, some might have different priorities when it comes to dollars spent on an exhaust system. With this in mind, I would not hesitate to highly recommend the Accufab system. The Accufab sounds great and is of very high quality. My experience in talking to the manufacture was outstanding and found them to be very helpful. Everything they promised, they delivered. :thumbsup I am sure there are other great companies with similar type cat back systems that also provide a great product and service for their customers. I can only speak of my personal experience with Accufab.
Finally here are a few notes on performance and temp figures. All 3 systems I tried lowered the engine temps by at least 13 degrees. The lowest being the GTX system by 17 degrees. The GT and Accufab system within a degree or two of one another. I suppose not having the cats for the GT system but having a smaller muffler box (smaller and lighter than the O.E.M. piece) was the balancing factor to removing the larger O.E.M. muffler box and adding the Accufab. I also added a Roush pulley with a tune and here is what I got. GTX w/pulley and tune showed 587 RW HP. Accufab w/pulley and Tune showed 570 RW HP. I am having my car re-tuned next week and will post the changes with the GT system. My base line was 527 RW HP. Please know that the Roush pulley is only good for about 1 to 1.5 extra pounds of boost so the peak HP numbers might sound a bit low to those who have put on 2.8” or smaller pulley.
I hope this helps or at least makes for good reading. I want to thank those who helped guide me through this process. Special thanks goes to nota4re, SLF360 and bony and all the others that posted exhaust sound bites. :cheers Thank you all. I have found their posts and others on this forum to be invaluable. I truly hope I have not diluted the useful information.
Cheers,
John
