I am looking for something that has a nice, deep rumble at idle and sounds angry when you step on it, but is mellow at cruising speed. Which flowmaster fits this description best? I went to their website, but to my ears I couldn't really get a good idea from the sound bites they had.

Thanks,
Bill

 

a friend of mine has the setup that u r looking for. it is a 97 f-150 w/4.6 5-speed. he has 2.5" pipes, no muffler and 3.5"X22" tips. it sounds awesome and it pops and cracks on deceleration, which to me i love that sound and it is very deep, it is really loud but only when u rev it hard or stomp on it.

 

My 93 with a 5.8 has the 3 inch flowmaster cat back with the big block series muffler. It has a nice idle and roars when you open it up. There is no interior reverberation like the flowmasters on my mustang. I also have both my cats.

 

VMAN, what kit do you have is it the 17135? If so where does it exit and what kind of tip is on it. Also how difficult was it to put on. By the way its not for my truck listed below.

 

It's been so long I don't remember. It's the standard kit for those trucks listed in the Summit catalog.It's 3" and it exits behind the rear wheel. It doesn't have any special tip.I think getting the old stuff off was the hardest part. The bad part about putting it on is I remember having to cut a couple of the pipes down. They must use good steel because it was hard on the cut off wheels. I think their clamps are junk.

 

I had my muffler guy put a 2-1/2" single exhaust on my 309-6 last summer - from the downpipe back. I had plans of upgrading to headers. After about 3 months, the turbo died (something came loose and it developed an annoying rattle). The replacement turbo just developed the same symptoms, this time after 6 months. The "normal" sound had been a mellow - near stock -sound. I went back to the shop and asked the guy what he had in the scrap heap. I recently put EFI exhaust manifolds on, along with a Clifford intake and a Holley 390. The guy pulled out a decent looking (used) Flowmaster (no indication of which series), 2-1/2'' in and out. The prior owner thought it was too loud. As my old muffler was rattling in an embarassing fashion, he gave me the Flowmaster and I installed it.

End result - my 309 now sounds like a VERY healthy 351. I wish I knew which model it is, 'cause I'd probably go for a step or two quieter. It's still nowhere near the loudest thing around and I might just get used to it. The 4bbl/intake/EFI-exhaust have it running STRONG too. I'm sure the ported, polished & mated head
is part of it.

I don't know if you've got that kind of rappor with your muffler guy, but it might be a cheap way of "trying on" different sounds.

 

I've got a 2.5" Flowmaster cat-back with a series 70 muffler on my 96 300. Nice noticable burble at idle, very healthy rumble at WOT and very quiet in the cab when at constant cruise. It may actually be TOO quiet for some tastes, I like it. The next quietest Flowmaster is the Delta 50, which they claim still reduces cabin resonance to minimal levels.

Flowmaster part numbers were 52570 for the muffler and 15901 for the exhaust

 

Please excuse my repetitive (other) posts. Are you running the catco cat? I noticed that my stock cat is in bad shape and want to replace it with a 2-1/2'' in & out hi flow cat. I read "Project MPG" (nice reference, Steve83) and see that a high flow cat is less restictive than some mufflers. Any thoughts about going with the (newer style) air inlet tube cat to further reduce emissions? I assume it would plumb right off the smog pump...

 

I have Flowmaster 2-chamber mufflers hooked up to true duel exhaust (with cats) and they have a nice rumble at idle. When driving casually, they have a nice tone to them - but when I step on it and shift gears a high RPM, it sounds as good as my 1990 5.0 Mustang. I don't notice much performance increase over the stock 1994 exhaust system - I have 2 1/2" pipes from the cats back - I think its just for look and sound (I have the exhaust pipes angled out in front of the back wheels on both sides with s/s tips cut at a 45 degree angle - looks nice and even with the wheel wells). I hope that helps. Glenn

 

I have the CATCO 2 in/1 out high flow 3-way cat part number 9513. It legally replaces both the stock cats. A local exhaust shop did the install since it's a wed-on.

 

You would like the Flowmaster 40 series 'The Original Flow' not the 40 series 'Delta Flow'. Do you plan on replacing the cat? or adding 1 for true duals(if you don't already have 2).
I have 2 Catco cat.'s and 2 Flow. 40 series 'original' and my truck sounds great @the exact times you are looking for.
......oh yeah.........hmmm..cough, cough....it's on my '95 Ram w/a 360.
I have glaspacks on my '77 F-100.

One note: I put the mufflers on after driving w/ cat.'s only for 6 month's.........never gotta ticket(but should have). It sounded awsome, especially at the track, but it was way too loud!