mufflers for 5.3 with headers

[handyhands]

ok guys, I need mufflers for my 53. Has a 5.3, I want it fairly loud but not loud enough to make wife and neighbors mad. don't want to sound like a Tahoe either. can you guys help. will be a daily driver.

[dwcsr]

Originally Posted by handyhands

ok guys, I need mufflers for my 53. Has a 5.3, I want it fairly loud but not loud enough to make wife and neighbors mad. don't want to sound like a Tahoe either. can you guys help. will be a daily driver.

I used a set of cheapy Jegs Turbo mufflers and a pair of race cats. only loud wen you romp it. use a cross over tube and it has a nice tone

[torchlight]

I've got a 5.3 with headers in my 53 and I love my Porter mufflers. Good rumbling mellow idle but has a good old hot rod sound when you get into the throttle. Definitely not upsetting the neighbors with normal driving, but also not modern stock quiet. Here's a video of the idle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOo100I0bZ4

[mongocanfly]

I bought a set of magflow...knockoff magnaflow..off ebay..all stainless with great sound..

[Malo83]

Originally Posted by torchlight

I've got a 5.3 with headers in my 53 and I love my Porter mufflers. Good rumbling mellow idle but has a good old hot rod sound when you get into the throttle. Definitely not upsetting the neighbors with normal driving, but also not modern stock quiet. Here's a video of the idle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOo100I0bZ4

Nice!

[Dan in Pasadena]

I plan to use Flowmaster 40's or 50's on my 6.0 mounted as far back as possible to minimize drone in the cab and it'll have an H or X pipe depending on what fits.

[mr48chev]

Do you want a modern rig sound or an old rig set of pipes with some raaapppp to them?

Just loud and obnoxious I'd say a pair short Cherry Bombs. They don't have any decent tone to them but they are usually loud.

I've got turbos on my 71 and they had a great sound with the old 350 but weren't that loud. The old glass packs on the 454 in my 77 dualie are loud but again don't have much tone. They really bark when I am pulling my boat up over the mountain pass though.

On the six I'd say a decent pair of glass packs with pipes running out to the back would sound best. Give you that rap when you want to rack the pipes off but keep peace in the family running down the road. For me nothing is worse than exhaust that drones in your ear for hours on end when you do road trips. I spent years with the exhaust exiting in front of the left rear wheel on the 48 with a totally burned out glass pack and with a similar setup on my 71 that really barked off the Johnson barriers but got tiresome on long trips towing the boat.

[62lwbc10]

I personally like flowmasters but you have to like the drone around 2000 rpm.

[Flysocal]

I went with flowmaster delta 40 with a crossover and side dump. Haven't run the truck yet but I'm optimistic.

[joedoh]

glasspacks, early in the pipes better than late. I had a 283 with a pair of 18" glass packs and it almost sang a song when goaded.

of course, what I think sounds good is subjective, most of what people say sounds good to them sounds to me like an elephant splatter farting in a metal trash can or burping in a tile mens room. yes, I think thats a pair of fair descriptions.

[OutlawDrifter]

Look into the Dynomax Ultraflow line or the Hooker Aerochamber. Both give a nice sound and are pretty mellow travelling at low speed and on the highway.

Flo~Pro is another company that I've recently tried. I'm running their #2510 on my 2500HD with factory 3.5" exhaust. Has a nice sound.

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by handyhands

I want it fairly loud but not loud enough to make wife and neighbors mad.

my wife won't ride in truk, it's too loud (it's not). i'm ok with that
neighbors got used to the mufflers, not ok with me doing burnouts in the driveway though. i'm ok with that too

[Indian113]

When I put the 5.3 in my S10 I was running short on cash towards the end. I bought a set of Jeg's Turbos and thought if I didn't like them I could always change them out. After 30,000 miles on them I still love the sound. People have chased me down to check out the exhaust. I have 2 1/2 pipes with a H pipe and the mufflers are as far back as I can get them and the ends are after the rear wheels.

[JML55]

I have Borla muffler, fairly quiet when you're cruising but loud enough when you step on it.

[handyhands]

lots of good ideas, I was leaning toward glass packs. any one better than the other? Was not going to do H or X pipes ,should I ? and why?

[joedoh]

true duals tend to snap and crackle when you let off the throttle quickly, h and x pipe fix some of that. an h pipe will sound smoother than an x since its more an expansion device than a flow director. allowing that expansion with an x or h does help efficiency too.

I like smithys glass packs but again, its probably a bit subjective. my 283 had cheap old red autozone glass packs and true duals. you want them close to the headers because the further back you put them the longer the standing wave and the more drone you get.