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Flowmaster

3K views 20 replies 9 participants last post by  Jersey red 
#1 ·
I finally found a reasonable place to do Kathy's :purple: exhaust. I ordered a Flowmaster SUPER 10! Center in, Dual out. It is the same dimensions, SHORT, 6.5 inches long, as the one on my :black: FPR. Mine has no name anywhere on it so everybody says its a Flowmaster knock off. Any way he is going to cut the tail pipe "Y" above the rear end and run 2 pieces to the muffler. The muffler will be here Monday so probably have him do it Monday afternoon or Tuesday. Hopefully it won't be louder than mine or------

Nick
 
#2 ·
Skip the Dronemaster. Just have your exhaust guy weld in a straight y-pipe with no muffler. The BEST sound you could imagine for less than $100...

Check out this thread:

http://www.ssrfanatic.com/forum/f35/want-change-exhaust-system-my-05-a-173562/

Here's a copy/paste of what I posted in 2006 when I first tried out several mufflers on my truck...the Dronemaster drove me nuts and lasted mere hours:

Well, I did it today...

Straight pipes here I came!!!! I put the Flowmaster Super40 on Friday, and I just needed a little more obnoxiousness. The muffer shop said, "That's not loud enough for you?" when I brought the truck in. I told them I can really only hear it when I nail it but I just wanted more midrange "honk" and raspiness (what most people try to get RID of ha ha).

Well, needless to say, I got the exact sound I was looking for.

Anyway....the sound is PERFECT. It is not NEARLY as loud as you would think being wide open. Sound at idle and slow cruising is actually quieter than the Flowmaster Super40. When you nail it, it sounds like a true 60's musclecar. It just SLAMS without being too obnoxious. Its definitely not "Bubba-esque" because it remains reasonably quiet until you nail it. Everyone at the muffler shop (customers included) were full of grins and cheers. I am VERY happy with the results! I'm telling you, you would not BELIEVE how well the truck sounds and performs with no muffler. I, myself, didn't believe it...until I tried it! And I paid quite a lot of money to get the Flowmaster and install it. I wish I would have ran it straight in the first place! A lot of people here advised me to do that...but I was scared it was going to be WAY too loud. Trust me...it ISN'T.

The muffler shop let me audition several mufflers, BTW. Tried Magnaflow Wide Opens, various Flowmasters, a M something or other race muffler (sounded nearly identical to straight pipes but LOUDER...didn't like that too much). As far as a MUFFLER, the Super40 DEFINITELY is the best sounding. It has that Flowmaster grunt, but amplifies the actual lower midrange sound moreso than the Flowmaster 40, which resonates the super low frequencies MUCH more than no muffler or even the Super40 while quieting the upper raspiness. The regular 40 got rid of too much of the rasp that I was looking for and created way too much low resonance inside. The Super40 definitely has LESS interior resonance and less booming drone. If I were to put a muffler back on, I'd go again with the Super 40. Yes, it is a tad soft, but not nearly as bad as the others. The Magneflow Wide Open changed the tone too much...just didn't sound "right"...some frequencies cancelled out, and it was farty and too poppy. It also made something behind my seat make a buzzing noise.

So, the bottom line...do the single straight pipe if you want midrange thickness and slamming tone like a 60's musclecar which is ONLY obnoxious when you WANT it to be (depending on how much throttle you give it).

Hope this helps anyone who is contemplating what I did.

Bottom line...the Flowmaster was LOUDER inside than stock (and the drone drove me nuts in a matter of minutes) and much too subdued outside. Straight pipe was...and is...perfect for this truck.

Here's a link to that thread from last year which I will also bump:

http://www.ssrfanatic.com/forum/f99/flowmaster-144922/

I've actually since went with straight true duals on a whim; I have the stock cats but after that I have two separate 2.5" pipes with a small H pipe as close to the engine as possible. There are no mufflers. The odds of getting a power increase in a certain powerband are a complete crapshoot doing something like this, but man oh MAN did it make a difference. I spoke with Mike in Az before doing this, and we both agreed there was no real way to tell what would happen without trying it. I was TOTALLY happy with the stock setup with a Y-pipe, but I always wanted to try true duals since I use my truck to pull my Airstream and am always looking for more low end torque and pulling power. My GOD did it make a difference...it's not insignificant at all. The straight true duals ARE louder than the straight Y-pipe, and slightly raspier at first. It could be slightly TOO loud for alot of people just because of the nature of the tone. The straight Y-pipe's tone is PERFECT with just the right amount of volume, rumble, and canon-fire when you step on it. Straight true duals is actually higher pitched than the straight Y-pipe (even with an H pipe crossover which is supposed to be deeper than an X pipe which is actually supposed to be higher pitched). True dual straight pipes STILL sound GREAT, and again drone is NOT a problem; it seems that the mufflers on these trucks actually CAUSE the drone more than straight pipe. But, sound-wise, straight Y-pipe is much less obnoxious and more pleasing than straight true duals. But, the real world towing power difference up mountain climbs and on take-off with true dual straight pipe is unreal and TOTALLY worth it. Without the trailer, with straight true duals the truck performs as if it weighs 2000lbs less; it's simply amazing how it takes off with nothing but a tune, the true dual straight pipes and 4.56 gears. My truck equipped the exact same way but with the previous straight Y-pipe was amazingly quick, but now it's SCARY fast for the amount of weight and mass it's moving. I'm very happy. Cost was about $400.

Hope this helps!

Jeff
 
#3 ·
Jeff, Thanks for all the time bumping the threads! I had seen most of them and decided to go this way only because of my FPR. Kathy and I both really like the sound it has and taking a shot in the dark that the "Super 10" p/n8425152 is the same. The appearance and dimensions are the same, just no name on mine. Some shops called mine a Flowmaster knock off. Flowmaster ad does say "Noticeable interior resonance", also not recommended for street use. Counting on the Cats to soften it some. So fingers crossed!!

Nick
HA! if drone is too bad I can turn hearing aids off. If its too loud for Kathy I'll be doing something different--pitting stock back on??
 
#4 ·
Yours probably isn't a Flowmaster if it DOESN'T drone too bad. I seriously doubt yours is a Flowmaster...and as such, probably doesn't SOUND like one. Too bad you can't find another of the same.

Trust me, the Flowmasters I tried droned like having an old foghorn blasting up from underneath the driver's seat at cruise. Yuk.

The cats do quiet the exhaust greatly; they are like little mufflers. But, the Flowmaster is like a huge tin can radiator that acts as a giant bass speaker feeding back at a narrow band of "MWAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" frequencies that will make you want to strangle your passenger as interior and top components behind the seats start rattling and vibrating.

I've heard some Flowmasters sound good on old 90's 5.0 Mustangs. But, with our trucks...I usually NEVER "undo" something I've done on a whim, let alone something I researched thoroughly...but I ripped that Flowmaster off as fast as I could.

I LOVE a loud obnoxious exhaust. But, it has to SOUND good. The Flowmaster was quieter outside than inside, and the sound it DID make wasn't so much obnoxious as it was OFFENSIVE in the horrible ass droning tone it produced.

The best way I can describe the effect of the constant drone on one's psyche is this girl's voice:



I was just trying to have you avoid the frustration I went through.
 
#5 ·
Hi ggoat ,
Thanks for all the info . My first round was to cut out the muffler and went straight y pipe to a pair of mikes tips . I like the way I can drive it easy and when I get on it ,it's loud !
I was thinking of cutting the y out and straight pipes back .
Mikes tips added like a megaphone aspect to the sound on my SSR .
Do you have any pics of your install ?
Is the h or x crossover necessary ?
I'm on the fence with this and glad you have already done it , I just passed NJ inspection so I'm good for 2 years . Thanks again , Dave
 
#6 · (Edited)
I've never heard a stock exhaust with Mike's tips so I can't comment on that...I have the stock tips.

The Y pipe with stock pipe and tips sounded PERFECT to me.

True straight-through duals ARE louder. And raspier. Not bad...but it IS a bit louder. As the system built up some carbon the rasp went away. It is still reasonably tame and unobjectionable when you drive it easy. I would imagine straight true duals would be TOO loud with Mike's tips if they megaphone the way you describe. Unless you like it really loud...which I do.

Keep in mind that even with straight duals the interior drone is STILL miniscule. Sure, you can HEAR the exhaust, but it's from the BACK of the truck. it's not like a Flowmaster where it feels and sounds like you're sitting on a giant industrial transformer humming and vibrating.

I don't think I have any pics of my install...I can look.

Regarding the H pipe or X pipe, H pipes are historically "deeper" sounding and better for low-end torque whereas X pipes are higher pitched and scavenge better at high RPMs making more horsepower. However, I use my truck to pull a travel trailer and I have no use for high end horsepower. I went with true duals to get more low-end pulling power and boy did it ever make a difference.

But...the idea that the H pipe (or X pipe) makes a difference on our trucks is a crapshoot. As Mike in Az pointed out, since you can't put the the H pipe or X pipe equidistant from each side of the engine there may not be any benefit (and it might be detrimental). It is impossible to predetermine what part of the powerband you will be affecting. Again, it's a crapshoot.

However, I have a giant collection of Trailer Life magazines from the 60's through the 90's. Back in the 60's and 70's when everyone was trying everything they could to get power to pull giant trailers with family cars, these magazines contained literally dozens upon dozens of old-school tech articles about the massive benefit of dual exhaust for trailer pulling...and ALL of the articles discuss installing an H pipe as close to the engine as possible. And, on a good number of the cars, the exhaust pipes from the manifolds to where they installed H pipes were NOT at ALL equal. Their actual rationale was to install an H pipe BECAUSE the pipes weren't equal and that the H pipe equalizes the system. This however is the opposite of the rationale Mike gives for NOT using an H pipe.

Yet, all the testing reported in those 20 years worth of Trailer Life magazines in the 60's and 70's ALWAYS netted gains from installing true duals with an H pipe. It must be noted, however, that they ALWAYS installed the H pipes...so there aren't any comparisons between say a 1971 455 Buick with true duals vs the same but with an H pipe. And, alot has advanced since then...but you've got to remember that these were true old-school mechanics who really did know their stuff back in the day.

I CAN say that on my truck it made a HUGE difference going to true wide-open duals. I don't know if the H pipe hurt or helped. It SOUNDS great, but the off-the-line pulling power is unreal. I was expecting a minimal change (I did the duals on a whim) but it's almost as much of a gain as when I went to 4.56 gears from stock. I have the stock cats and stock piping, with the only mods being a ported and polished throttle body, no MAF screen, a 10 year old K&N filter, and a modest tune from PCMforLess.

But no, getting to the point...I doubt the H pipe is really required. After talking with Mike, he said, "You won't know until you try it and see" so I did. But he's probably right (as usual)...besides from a deepening of the sound (and equalizing the tone from the back of the truck) it probably doesn't provide much benefit. But then again, to reiterate, those old articles stated to install an H pipe specifically TO equalize an unequal length system whereas again Mike has stated that if the pipes are unequal to begin with then it's pointless.

Regardless, I wouldn't do an X pipe...even with the H pipe the sound was a bit higher pitched then I expected at first (remember, X pipes are even higher pitched). I would keep in mind at all times though...with the megaphone tips, it's going to be REALLY loud.

I think it's worth true muffler-less duals for the performance gain. They REALLY sound great and scare little children, rodents, pets, motorists, and car alarms into a frenzy when you step on it but amazingly they are quiet enough that I can pull into a campground at 1am and not bother anyone.

In all honesty, I thought the Y pipe with stock tips was the PERFECT sounding exhaust regarding volume, tone, and control. Summarily, true wide-open duals with stock tips and an H pipe sounds like the Y pipe on mild steroids. It borders on "OK this is the absolute limit of how loud and obnoxious I want to go" but it doesn't cross that line. And, it's quiet if you drive it easy.

But man...when I'm passing slow moving trucks and RVs, screaming up mountain passes in 3rd gear the sound of that loud-ass exhaust beaming off the front of my Airstream with the top down puts a HUGE smile on my face whilst at the same time it expounds a look of profound pure horror from those faces of whom I am deriving the utmost pleasure by leaving them in my dust...pulling a 5000lb trailer!!!

Good times.

>:)
 
#7 ·
Ggoat, does Louisiana have vehicle inspection? Straight pipe is what I would love but could never get away with it in Missouri. The vehicle inspection requires a muffler (or something that looks like one).
 
#9 ·
Louisiana has a "brake tag" you have to buy annually but they don't look at the exhaust or check it in any way. There are no emissions or smog tests here and they don't require a muffler.

I had the straight dual exhaust work performed at a little shop in Flagstaff, Arizona. The Phoenix/Mesa area might be different, but according the shop I had the work performed at there wasn't any sort of vehicle inspection for exhaust in Arizona.

Remember...some vehicles such as the Fiat 500 Abarth and Dodge Neon SRT4 when new didn't come with ANY sort of muffler and those were 50 state legal.

As long as the cats are there I wouldn't think its a problem...but I may be wrong.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for all the input. (send them to school, buy them books, and they eat the books) But the main reason I'm trying the Super 10 is to try to match my FPR, which we both like!
This is one of the reviews, but again, trying to match mine

EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH MY FLOWMASTER SUPER 10
Postby Bob's_Sierra [OP] » Jul 15 2012, 1:58am

In my blog I stated that I would be putting on a flowmaster super 10. I was very skeptical and almost scared that it would be very loud, very rednecky and very straight pipey with a lot of back fire and crackle/gargle. BOY WAS I WRONG, this thing sounds GREAT!!! I have never been happier with a muffler than this one. The tone is very deep, even though the cam is stock you can hear it rumble at idle a little. The tone outside the truck is loud and deep and screams look at me yet it sounds very good. very aggressive deep tone without all of the crackle. as far as in the cab goes, At idle you cant tell, its quiet as can be. I havent had a chance to get it up to highway speeds yet but ive cruised at 45 and 55 and 65 (for a short period) but at 45 and 55 the sounds is almost none, take off and climbing through the gears is very deep and sounds amazing. Its a MUST for any 5.3 owner. My setup is bone stock with a 3inch single inlet with 2.5 dual outlet 45'ed at the corners. It truly sounds amazing. Very Impressed with this muffler. Hope this helps anyone who is skeptical about this muffler, it is loud but it isnt stupid nor does it sound bad. I hope to post a video soon.


So we will see for ourselvies by Tuesday or Wednesday

Nick
 
#11 · (Edited)
For anyone interested---OK---The Flowmaster Super 10 was put on Kathy's :purple:, plus cutting out the "tail pipe Y", making 2 tail pipes out of the muffler, 10 days ago. Very Reasonable Price!! So far pretty satisfied! Use and carbon, I assume, will make some difference/change!? Her :purple: and my :black: side by side sound pretty close to the same, which is what we were after! Kathy is disappointed it does not make the "bubbly/gurguly" sound when you let off the accelerator while cruising like mine does. Sounds good under normal acceleration, really good, when hitting it hard. Nothing/no sound inside while cruising. Been on the highway 4 times and don't notice any drone. I have pictures but never been successful posting on here. I can send them Email or text if any body wants.

Nick
 
#16 ·
Here is what I did. Went to a shop called Exhaust Pro's and had the Y pipe on mine split into individual pipes from the manifold through the cats into a Magnaflow stainless X type muffler. Two pipes in and two pipes out and used stock tail pipes. Throaty purr going down the road, no drone or vibration. Very close to true duals. When you stand on it the X muffler really extracts the exhaust and it hauls. You get the full power and sets you back in the seat. Remarkable difference from stock. Sounds and seems much faster.

P.S. Mike from Arizona and a couple others helped me work this out. Recently I had the 5 inch Tips from Mike installed. Works and sounds perfect to me.

Like I said to each his or her own. God bless and good luck.
 
#18 ·
The best of both............

I wanted something different than the stock muffler. I put a 14" Magnaflo, 1 in, 2 out, I loved it, but it did resonate big time. My wife rode 5 blocks, said she would take plane to AZ and I could pick her up at the airport for the International in Flagstaff. I put the stock back on. We listened to various mufflers at the Rally, decided to put Mike's tips on. Sounded great, low rumble, sound mostly behind the truck. My wife said "Just right". I wasn't satisfied, I put a remote 3" cutout into a 3" stainless pipe routed over the muffler that dumps just in front of the rear axle. About 30% of the exhaust comes thru the rear tips so it sounds like all the sound is coming from them. The result is just what I wanted, wife satisfied, but when I open the cutout, it pops, and gurgles just like the '55 Chevy I had in the day, but without the harsh sound of just the cutout. Both of us are pleased.

Jack
 
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