Looking for opinions on Magnaflows

[BigRed76]

Yes this is another muffler question, but kind of specific.
My current setup is a 5.3, shorty headers, 2.5" mandrel pipes, X-pipe, and 2 15x8x24 Magnaflows with dumps in from of the rear axle. I've had this setup for about a year and a half as a daily driver, and it's very nice but just too quiet for my liking. Recently just for fun I put some straight pipes in place of the mufflers, and although it sounds like a race car it's too raspy and obnoxious at times. I'm thinking about getting the same Magnaflow mufflers but either the 14" or 18" body this time instead of the 24", and I'm looking for opinions as to how much of a difference there is between them, if anyone has tried them. Thanks

[crazy longhorn]

I run a 14" body (single), on my 02 Silverado, & it has a nice sound....not loud enough to give you a headache, but enough to hear it. On my 69, with 5.3, I run 2 1/2" duals/H pipe & 50's Flow masters. I also run street rod shorties, with mandrel bent downs. My tail pipes are 'crush bent", but with easy bends (I built them myself ), & they exit the rear of the truck through the rear bumper. Awesome sound! IMO, to get with the "right sound", you need to loose the dumps, & run the tail pipes out. If you want to hear it good, I would go 14" on the muffler body. Placement, fore/aft will also change the sound.....generally, move em forward to make em "bark", or rearward , to tame the note ? Longhorn

[mattcrp1]

While I haven't installed it all yet, I have the 14" body 3" in/out magnaflow single pipe exit system going in my 76 with a 4.8l swap. I hate the drone of a Flowmaster and heard a lot of good things about the Magnaflow. I am in the process of building a 2.5" y-pipe to a Magnaflow 2-in-to-1 3" out y-pipe adapter. I am hoping for a good sound with out the drone.

[crazy longhorn]

Originally Posted by mattcrp1

While I haven't installed it all yet, I have the 14" body 3" in/out magnaflow single pipe exit system going in my 76 with a 4.8l swap. I hate the drone of a Flowmaster and heard a lot of good things about the Magnaflow. I am in the process of building a 2.5" y-pipe to a Magnaflow 2-in-to-1 3" out y-pipe adapter. I am hoping for a good sound with out the drone.

I have to agree with the drone, on the 40's mufflers....but am happy with the 50's on the truck at this time They bark about as loud as the 40;s @ WOT, but pretty mellow @ cruise? Part could be due to cruise rpms....3.42/29 " tire, & .76 OD. @ hyway speed , that old longhorn runs around 1800-2000 rpms (legal speeds). I will say that the old 383 made around 75hp more than the current 5.3....and was a lot more belligerent on the exhaust note ! I am not here to try to "sell" anybody on the Flow masters, but have used the body lengths as a compairison ? I would like to hear more on the 14 vs 18 " body Magna flows as well (in a dual system/crossover app)? I love the sound on my 02 DD, with a single 14" Magna flow........I still feel, to get the sound on the truck, you need full tailpipes(exit rear, or turn the corners....your choice)? I had the muffler & tail pipe cut off my 02, & had to use it to haul....inside the truck, it sounded like a dirt track car, when stepping on the loud peddle.....outside the truck, my bud told me that he did not even hear it pull in! Longhorn

[mattcrp1]

I just went on a cruise with my bro-in law in his 2002 silverado with Flowmasters and was reminded of why I don't care for them. I promptly bought the Magnaflow. Hoping to get it installed and fire it up soon, with in the next month.

I have heard 5.3l trucks with true duels and no mufflers and I don't think I could drive a vehicle like that for any period of time. I like a vehicle I can cruise and have some good sound.

[BR3W CITY]

I've got a pair of Mag's bullet-style mufflers/resonators on my lq4. My engine sounds a bit different since there isn't a crossover and it exits before the wheels, but the actual exhaust is pretty good. My lack of X means its a bit snappier and aggressive, but doesn't "burble", and does tend to drone a bit on the hwy.

The mufflers themselves are pretty decent, and the small form factor on the ones I used makes mounting them easy. I'd say my truck is probably 10% louder than I'd like, but with my configuration, that may be unavoidable.

[BigRed76]

Longhorn, I understand what you mean about running the pipes all the way to the rear. Unfortunately I can't, due to the truck being lowered 5.5" in the rear and having a 25 gal. square body tank behind the axle.

[BigRed76]

And the main reason I'm only considering Magnaflow is because of how impressed I was with the quality of the mufflers, as far as construction and sound control of the mufflers.

[crazy longhorn]

Originally Posted by BigRed76

Longhorn, I understand what you mean about running the pipes all the way to the rear. Unfortunately I can't, due to the truck being lowered 5.5" in the rear and having a 25 gal. square body tank behind the axle.

I hear you brother, it is hard to reinvent the wheel....& spend a bunch of money! What if you turn out the sides, ahead of the wheels? Add a set of 16" long "/3"diameter "cans" in chrome or stainless....can you hear me now? You might opt for the 18 " body mufflers on that app Longhorn

[BigRed76]

So I know that video clips of exhaust sound don't always do justice for how it actually sounds, but I've been watching a few videos of magnaflows, flowmasters, and borlas on 5.3's, most of them with cats of course, and it really sounds like the borlas have the deeper sound I'm looking for rather than the magnaflow. Even the 14" magnaflow still seems too quiet.

[BR3W CITY]

Borla spends their entire R&D budget on making their exhausts sound deep, and I'm not joking about that. Its their signature thing, the low drum followed by the burble.

If you listen to exhaust clips online, I strongly suggest considering the source. If the video was recorded on a phone, or camcorder, then your missing 30-40% of the actual sound spectrum (audio is instantly compressed and has built in HPF/LPF to prevent clipping). Compare that to something like GymKhana (the Ken Block thing), which is full-budget and each car is mic'd for independent sound.

I've had friends hear something online, put it on their car, and sound NOTHING like what they thought.

I'm finishing some editing but I have a few idle clips of my truck through my Rode prosumer Mic that I'll put up in a little once I finish. Oh and don't listen on laptop speakers

[Andy4639]

I have 2.5" full dauls on my LQ4 Ls 6.0 with long tube headers and megaflows. I like it a lot. They are quit when idling but when you step on it you hear it! That's what I wanted anyways. Understan that this is without any music either!

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

[MalibuSSwagon]

I have been running a Magnaflow 18" body oval muffler, with 2.5" dual in, 3" single out. With longtube headers on my TPI 305, it's got a good rumble at idle, yet it's fairly quiet. When you get on it, it gets loud, but not obnoxiously loud if you know what I mean. No drone in the cab at all. Love it and plan on re-using the same exhaust with the 5.3L that going into the truck.

[BigRed76]

Originally Posted by BR3W CITY

Borla spends their entire R&D budget on making their exhausts sound deep, and I'm not joking about that. Its their signature thing, the low drum followed by the burble.

If you listen to exhaust clips online, I strongly suggest considering the source. If the video was recorded on a phone, or camcorder, then your missing 30-40% of the actual sound spectrum (audio is instantly compressed and has built in HPF/LPF to prevent clipping). Compare that to something like GymKhana (the Ken Block thing), which is full-budget and each car is mic'd for independent sound.

I've had friends hear something online, put it on their car, and sound NOTHING like what they thought.

I'm finishing some editing but I have a few idle clips of my truck through my Rode prosumer Mic that I'll put up in a little once I finish. Oh and don't listen on laptop speakers

That is good to know. I honestly didn't do any research on mufflers when I did my 5.3 swap because I had a coworker/friend that strongly suggested I get magnaflows because they sound great on 5.3's. I'm looking forward to hearing your sound clips.

[BR3W CITY]

Here is the startup and idle after sitting for 5 months. There is still a bit of audio compression from putting it on YT, but its better than the other clips I have. (its also sitting in a garage).

If weather improves I'll back it out of the garage and point the mic at the exhaust dumps so you can actually here what it sounds like off-idle.

You Tube

[crazy longhorn]

BR3W.....that's nice! Can I ask what you are running on the camshaft? Longhorn

[BR3W CITY]

From "Birth" to now, its been on a Texas Speed Tsunami (111LSA)
In a few weeks, we may be updating to a newer cam profile.

[mattcrp1]

So I welded up my y-pipe and "loosely" installed the 3" magnaflow from summit. While my truck is still in the air, I can idle and rev it up. I could not be happier. It is surprisingly quiet at idle and when I rev it up it gets a great sound to it.

The best part was the smile on my wife's face and when she asked when "her" truck was going to be done. I would highly recommend this muffler.

Matt

[engairuph]

I went with borla for the sound 2 1/2" to the rear 69 suburban. Quiet idle and rumble with no gurgle when I'm heavy in the throttle