Looking for exhaust options/ideas - Currently have SW longtubes and need it quieter

[DAVID]

Hello all,

First I wanted to apologize if this has been discussed. I tried doing a search and wasn't completely sure of an answer so I figured I'd reach out for help.

Currently my GT has a 4.0L Whipple with the Stainless Works headers, tiny metal cats, and the small mesh H-pipe leading to the tips. To be honest, its just too loud for me. As a police commissioner of our local town, people are always looking to get you in trouble. So I had installed an in tip baffle system very similar to shadowman's design and while that helped, its still not really enough.

So the main question is, without removing the headers or cats are there any other options for somehow adding a muffler system? I tried to do my research and found a few muffler systems, but they all seem to be for stock manifolds. One option is to get one of those muffler systems and have it custom fabbed to work at my local and trusted exhaust shop. Is that even possible? Is there enough room to squeeze in some brand of muffler with some custom work? Or maybe even something completely custom? I dont think simply an "X or H" pipe would do the trick as that is essentially what SW has already.

Any opinions or suggestions?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[BlackICE]

Do a search Ed Sims has the same exhaust and his cats melted down. Shadowman added some small Burns mufflers near where the cats were. It is still pretty loud and probably won't be quite enough for you.

 

[bonehead]

Will the SW long tubes accomodate a Borla muffler?

 

[BlackICE]

Will the SW long tubes accomodate a Borla muffler?

Out of the box no. Maybe the can be modified to do so.

http://www.stainlessworks.net/produ...-2005-2006-full-system-headers-exhaust-1.html

 

[Sinovac]

If you can get away with it, I would avoid using catalytic converters with the Whipple, particularly if you drive the car hard. Although you want to avoid replacing the headers, I suggest going back to the oem cast iron manifolds. This will allow you to use a variety of mid pipes (muffled or unmuffled) with a variety of mufflers (Borla, OEM, et.) to get to the sound level you are looking for. My recommendation would be to use the cast iron manifolds with the Borla and either of these mid pipes:

http://www.stillen.com/product/exhaust/stillen-ford-gt-race-pipes-fgt502000-34990.html
http://www.borla.com/products/ford_gt_20052006_xpipes,_midpipes,__downpipes_part__60507.html

The oem manifolds give you many options and are relatively inexpensive. I have the FRPP headers with the Borla muffler and it is very loud when you put your foot in it. Probably too loud for you.

Edit: Looking at your headers, I think a good muffler shop could fab a mid pipe to bolt up to the OEM muffler, but I can't see how they could do it while retaining the cats. The OEM muffler is heavy as heck and big, but you will need something like that with headers to cut the noise.

 

[KJRGT]

David, good luck with your research...as said before once the long tube headers are installed that knocks out a number of options.

While it's not your preference, I also recommend going back to the start with the OEM mufflers, they offer the most options for sound and db levels regarding cats, mid pipes and x pipes. That's after being around a whole lot of GTs the past 6 years here in SoCal, and at three GT Rallys, and hearing the different exhaust combos at cruise and WOT.

 

[AMB]

JBA Exhausts makes "MODULAR" exhaust system!!! You can run it with/without cats and can use stock or any aftermarket exhaust muffler!!!

 

[DAVID]

JBA Exhausts makes "MODULAR" exhaust system!!! You can run it with/without cats and can use stock or any aftermarket exhaust muffler!!!

Yeah... but can you run them easily with long tubes? Thats the 1,000,000 dollar question

 

[KJRGT]

Here is the link to JBA Headers for their GT products.

I cannot seem to post the exact link to the GT page, but here is their home page, a starting point.

http://jbaheaders.com/index.asp

 

[Fast Freddy]

this appears to be a good option to the borla race muffler. i wonder what the difference in weight between the two is? it bolts to my Borla headers too....

http://jbaheaders.com/detail_exhaustV.asp?id=40-2636

 

[2112]

There was once a true header system designed or prototyped by Shadowman and built by (I believe, not sure) Motecmagic who is constructing Fubar's incredible blower motor.

It had the standard doughnut flange that allowed a tremendous amount of options for muffling. I think Sandman (forum member here) has these (rigged by Shadowman I think) with standard style mufflers hung on their sides for clearance. It was IMO the most versatile system made.

It may take some pleading and such, but maybe you could get a set made.

 

[BlackICE]

this appears to be a good option to the borla race muffler. i wonder what the difference in weight between the two is? it bolts to my Borla headers too....

http://jbaheaders.com/detail_exhaustV.asp?id=40-2636

Without mods it doesn't work with a bumper delete.

 

[BlackICE]

There was once a true header system designed or prototyped by Shadowman and built by (I believe, not sure) Motecmagic who is constructing Fubar's incredible blower motor.

It had the standard doughnut flange that allowed a tremendous amount of options for muffling. I think Sandman (forum member here) has these (rigged by Shadowman I think) with standard style mufflers hung on their sides for clearance. It was IMO the most versatile system made.

It may take some pleading and such, but maybe you could get a set made.

Nice system. Hard to get them, I tried.

One small downside if you change your exhaust every few years is that I believe you will have to remove your rear screens to install this system, whereas cat deletes and cats can be barely removed without doing so.

 

[topshot]

this appears to be a good option to the borla race muffler. i wonder what the difference in weight between the two is? it bolts to my Borla headers too....

http://jbaheaders.com/detail_exhaustV.asp?id=40-2636

I wonder if this system will work with a GT guys intake? I love the way my car sound but worried what will happen when the "five O" hears me drive by....

 

[roketman]

The Gt guys xpipe has a perfect sound to my ears! It's not to loud.My wife can even tolerate it.

 

[bonehead]

To the OP, curious if you ever found a solution?

 

[HOOKED ON GT]

I take it the Ford/Performance/Racing exhaust for the GT is the 1st port of call for upping the meaty GT sound, from there you delete any form of exhaust cans and go X pipes on stock headers/cats, then delete cats, and for "hold on to your hats" sound levels, it's headers to Xpipe.

If OEM is 0 out 10 for sound/volume and 10 out of 10 full on no sound restriction race set up how would you rate the systems available to the GT on the 0-10 scale.

Stuart A

 

[Sinovac]

Stuart,

The FRPP/Borla headers and FRPP/Borla muffler are probably a 7/10 at full tilt (this is what I have). The oem system with an x-pipe only is close to the same. Since your GT is in Florida, I think it is a no brainer to go with a header system. The FRPP rear exit headers are about a 9/10. I am about 1 1/2 hours away from Orlando if you wanted to hear my car.

Paul

 

[bonehead]

I take it the Ford/Performance/Racing exhaust for the GT is the 1st port of call for upping the meaty GT sound, from there you delete any form of exhaust cans and go X pipes on stock headers/cats, then delete cats, and for "hold on to your hats" sound levels, it's headers to Xpipe.

If OEM is 0 out 10 for sound/volume and 10 out of 10 full on no sound restriction race set up how would you rate the systems available to the GT on the 0-10 scale.

Stuart A

Stuart. Here is a great summary by Kendall Pond. Think it's pretty much spot on. I just installed the very last Ford Racing option (rear exit headers) and it's most certainly not for the faint of heart


From Ford Racing, there are two systems to choose from. The Rear Exit Headers is a COMPLETE exhaust system. The headers come back into a Borla "collector muffler" (hardly does much "muffling") and then the system bends around the transaxle and has the Borla patented large tips.

The other Ford System is the Ford Long Tube Headers. This system is comprised of headers which consume the space of where your stock cats are but have the exact same turn-up and bolt pattern to bolt up to your stock muffler or an aftermarket muffler including the Borla muffler also sold by Ford Racing. Note that you can also simply swap you factory muffler for the Ford Racing muffler if you don't want to install the headers. Here are some examples for illustration. (Quietest to loudest)

1. Stock manifolds, stock cats, add Ford Racing (aka Borla) Muffler
2. As above, but replace stock cats with "cat test pipes"
3. Stock manifolds, stock cats, add Heffner, Accufab, or Stillen Pipes
4. As above, but replace stock cats with "cat test pipes"

As for Ford Header-based solutions; (Note that with both of Ford's header systems, the factory cats are deleted as there is NO ROOM for them.)

1. Ford Long-tube headers, (no cats), + stock muffler
2. Ford Long-tube headers, (no cats), + Ford Racing (Borla) muffler
3. Ford Long-tube headers, (no cats), + Heffner, Accufab, or Stillen Pipes

4. Ford rear-exit headers, (no cats), Collector muffler part of system

Finally, both Stainless Works and JBA have alternative header solutions for the GT as well as an option for CATs - though neither make claims to have the same cat efficiency as stock. (Stock cats are huge!)

 

[GTED]

Come to think about it, it's been 7 years since DBK posted the Exhaust Compilation vid. Since Rally 8 is this week, and I'm sure every combinations of exhaust systems will be present this week at the Rally, we should do an exhaust compilation update, and a "sound off" competition to see who has the highest DB amount us under a controlled test, i.e., the meter be placed at x feet from the pipe and the rev at 6k rpm..... Yes?

GTED