Cat back or Axle back? Difference in performance and sound?

[Tombuscus93]

Hello all! I'm gonna be completely honest here. I don't know much about exhausts, but I've been through the forums and have been reading up on them enough to know what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a deep, throaty, V8-ish sound without too much rasp. Also I'm I'd like to steer away from something that's going to put out a lot of drone. I like the Borla S-type a lot as well as the sound of Flowmaster Outlaws paired with an H pipe and BBK headers. Other than the way they sound, I just don't know what the difference would be.

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[Stripes]

Performance-wise, any differences are negligible at best.

An axleback, for the most part, changes the tone of the exhaust (you are changing the chamber to which the exhaust gases are muffled from. Different chambers muffle it to different extents).

If you get a catback, it's essentially the same thing as an axleback, but you do away with the resonator. It'll be louder, but the mustang S550's are very well insulated to the point where drone shouldn't be a concern regardless how you go.

The Borla S-Types are a great low-pitch rumble muffler/catback setup.

 

[Tombuscus93]

Performance-wise, any differences are negligible at best.

An axleback, for the most part, changes the tone of the exhaust (you are changing the chamber to which the exhaust gases are muffled from. Different chambers muffle it to different extents).

If you get a catback, it's essentially the same thing as an axleback, but you do away with the resonator. It'll be louder, but the mustang S550's are very well insulated to the point where drone shouldn't be a concern regardless how you go.

The Borla S-Types are a great low-pitch rumble muffler/catback setup.

Thanks for the info!

 

[MagnaFlow]

As stripes mentioned- the performance difference is small, but since catbacks include more piping and usually an H/X, the tone is slightly deeper and more full than an axleback.

It also worth noting that most axleback systems will require cutting of the rear pipe sections for install, while catbacks bolt on directly. Some people don't want to do this for the sake of keeping their stock exhaust intact to swap back later.

 

[5SS0]

Personally, I definitely gained power when I installed my Gibson catback. Like others said, the nice thing about a catback is that it's a bolt on and you can always put the stock exhaust back for whatever reason. So for me it's worth it to get a catback because of slightly better gains, better sound, and flexibility.

 

[Mustang_Eh]

Our resonators are quite heavy, so if you have performance in mind with more HP mods to come then might as well go with catback (if you have $$$).

Me personally, all I cared for was sounds so I got Borla ATAK axlebacks. I've had them for 6 months and love them, but now I want more 'rawr' so I'm looking to get a custom H-pipe made. This would not be a problem if I would have gotten a catback in the first place (but I saved almost $1000 CAD by going axleback).

 

[Tombuscus93]

Thanks for all the info. I went with the Borla S-type, I like the way they sound. I did a lot of research and narrowing down and I always came back to those.

 

[fordguys550]

I noticed a good gain in power when i ditched the resonator for a x pipe.

 

[TheDivaDanielle]

i put on a Ford Performance/Borla Touring catback. Lets be real. no change in power. anything that claims it does it either lying or speaking upon the "it's louder so it feels faster" effect.

I experienced this just today. Put in a different tune in my Focus ST, and the BOV and wastegate/compressor stall noises are significantly quieter, thus the car feels slower, even though the tune in fact is more dialed in for my fuel than my old one. It's just less noisy.

 

[fordguys550]

Between the mufflers and my x pipe, i picked up .3 in my 0 to 60. It was very noticable

 

[fordguys550]

I did lots of runs to try and be fair.

 

[Tombuscus93]

I guess I'll have to test it for my self. No harm in that.

 

[TheDivaDanielle]

verified with time slips?

 

[fordguys550]

Verified with track aps. Same road, same air temps. Same launch and shift rpms.i did 4 or 5 runs before and after

 

[5SS0]

i put on a Ford Performance/Borla Touring catback. Lets be real. no change in power. anything that claims it does it either lying or speaking upon the "it's louder so it feels faster" effect.

I experienced this just today. Put in a different tune in my Focus ST, and the BOV and wastegate/compressor stall noises are significantly quieter, thus the car feels slower, even though the tune in fact is more dialed in for my fuel than my old one. It's just less noisy.

That's not true at least in my case. Feels faster is nice but when I talk about power gains I'm talking about proof. I gained .4 seconds in my 0-60 time after installing Gibson catback (same road, temp, conditions etc.). I too verified it with the factory track apps before and after the catback installation every time. My car is definitely faster now.

IMO, a catback that's built and tested properly has to result in power gains because if you combine better air flow with lighter weight, it doesn't make sense not to gain any power unless the aftermarket exhaust is much heavier than the stock exhaust.

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