poor man's active exhaust question

Ebay, Amazon and other places sell universal exhaust silencers. Basically, you insert them into exhaust tips to make it quieter and remove to do the opposite.

Anyone tried those? I want just a little more sound for my GT, but without disturbing neighbours.I was kooking at American Thunder or Legato AB, but afraid those might still be louder than I want on cold start...

So I'm thinking I wouldn't mind having silencer inserts on for the first several minutes after cold start or even for extended periods of time while on routine errands and then takin them out on weekends/fun runs.

On a side note - anyone with American Thinder or Legato systems - how loid are they versus stock?

accel said:

Ebay, Amazon and other places sell universal exhaust silencers. Basically, you insert them into exhaust tips to make it quieter and remove to do the opposite.

Anyone tried those? I want just a little more sound for my GT, but without disturbing neighbours.I was kooking at American Thunder or Legato AB, but afraid those might still be louder than I want on cold start...

So I'm thinking I wouldn't mind having silencer inserts on for the first several minutes after cold start or even for extended periods of time while on routine errands and then takin them out on weekends/fun runs.

On a side note - anyone with American Thinder or Legato systems - how loid are they versus stock?

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If your concern is with neighbors, just slap an axle back your car. They give the car a nice tone and does not wake the dead on cold start................But be warned, you'll be slapping an x-pipe or h-pipe soon after.

kingstang said:

If your concern is with neighbors, just slap an axle back your car. They give the car a nice tone and does not wake the dead on cold start................But be warned, you'll be slapping an x-pipe or h-pipe soon after.

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Both systems I mentioned above were axlebacks already...

I actually even like stock sound especially on cold start, but then it gets too quiet once warmed up.

accel said:

Both systems I mentioned above were axlebacks already...

I actually even like stock sound especially on cold start, but then it gets too quiet once warmed up.

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Soon as the dealer took me out to the car and fired it up, I knew the first thing I was doing...............I started with a Borla S axle back with sounded good but too soft for my taste, I then put a Ford X-pipe in and the woke her up big time..........My taste for more sound was getting the best of me so I tossed on a Corsa Sport Axle-back mated to the Ford X-pipe, I was now waking the dead on cold start..................I have since moved to a GT350 Corsa Extreme because I put a GT350 Rear Valance on, I personally dont think its as loud as previous set-up.
Good luck with your choice as there are many to choose from.

If you are up for a little more *work*, you should consider the Dynomax VT mufflers. They have a valve in them (much like most active exhausts) that opens and closes based on engine load and exhaust flow.

At idle and low throttle conditions the valve is closed and they are super super quiet (but still with a better tone than stock) but as you get more and more on the throttle the valve opens and it becomes a loud straight through muffler.

It doesn't come in an axleback, so you'd have to have a muffler shop weld it in for you, but it's cheaper than most active exhausts and will give you what you want eg. quiet startup and light operation but still having a monstrous sounding engine when you get on it.

accel said:

Ebay, Amazon and other places sell universal exhaust silencers. Basically, you insert them into exhaust tips to make it quieter and remove to do the opposite.

Anyone tried those? I want just a little more sound for my GT, but without disturbing neighbours.I was kooking at American Thunder or Legato AB, but afraid those might still be louder than I want on cold start...

So I'm thinking I wouldn't mind having silencer inserts on for the first several minutes after cold start or even for extended periods of time while on routine errands and then takin them out on weekends/fun runs.

On a side note - anyone with American Thinder or Legato systems - how loid are they versus stock?

Click to expand...

Both of those axlebacks drone, FYI. It'd be minimized by keeping the resonator in place, but they will do it.

If you go with Corsa Touring AB or Ford Racing Touring AB, it'll be louder when you want, but not a lot more, and you'll have a great tone with no drone at all. Removing the center resonator really makes cold starts loud.

Very little info on BBK Varitune axle back system. And not much youtube sounds. But looks like it has adjustability and nice sound.

Any personal experiences?

accel said:

Very little info on BBK Varitune axle back system. And not much youtube sounds. But looks like it has adjustability and nice sound.

Any personal experiences?

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You have to get tools out to adjust it. The only person on here that's reported on it had drone typical of a chambered muffler with no selective frequency cancellation of any kind.

BmacIL said:

You have to get tools out to adjust it. The only person on here that's reported on it had drone typical of a chambered muffler with no selective frequency cancellation of any kind.

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I searched... I think those who complained at bbk (and flowmasters) had auto transmission which tends to keep low rpms under load, like 1300-1500 at 6th. I'm onmanual and try not to load engine under 2000rpms.

But listening to clips I wouldn't be surprised if it droned.

Still bbk is very modular and I could install some drone killing cones before or after the muffler....

You should get electric cutouts. I'm planning on getting them next year as well. My car is extremely loud.. My friend was standing behind my car videotaping while I was dynoing and his ears were ringing for like a week lmao. No lie

Anyways long story short, I'm not worried about my neighbours I just hate waking up my whole house after I come back late night. My cold starts are crazy though, my neigbour literally came and told me that I wake her up every day and If i miss a day of work she probably wont wake up either

smann said:

You should get electric cutouts. I'm planning on getting them next year as well. My car is extremely loud.. My friend was standing behind my car videotaping while I was dynoing and his ears were ringing for like a week lmao. No lie

Anyways long story short, I'm not worried about my neighbours I just hate waking up my whole house after I come back late night. My cold starts are crazy though, my neigbour literally came and told me that I wake her up every day and If i miss a day of work she probably wont wake up either

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I'm not in my teens, have kids in college, so I appreciate my neighbors being quiet and do not want to disturb them.

My ideal setup would be one that is not louder than stock on cold startup, but then after warm-up is a little louder at idle and under light loads. Might be not louder than stock under heavy load.

accel said:

I'm not in mu teens, have kids in college, so I appreciate my neighbors being quiet and do not want to disturb them.

My ideal setup would be one that is not louder than stock on cold startup, but then after warm-up is a little louder at idle and under light loads. Might be not louder than stock under heavy load.

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I'm not in my teens either lol?

Like I said before.. Electronic cutouts are your best choice

smann said:

I'm not in my teens either lol?

Like I said before.. Electronic cutouts are your best choice

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Hm... you mean like having stock exhaust, and have sort of like electronic cutout installed before the muffler that will bypass mufflers and work like "mufler delete" on demand?

accel said:

Hm... you mean like having stock exhaust, and have sort of like electronic cutout installed before the muffler that will bypass mufflers and work like "mufler delete" on demand?

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Pretty much, but people generally put the cutouts before the resonator. So it'll be straight pipe or stock sound. You put in a switch and you can open close it on command, leave it partially open, etc.

If you want to do it cheap, just weld a Y pipe and manually close it up with a plate but if you want it to be electric of course its gona be more expensive