just wondering whats the loudest exhaust you can get besides open headers? i want it loud but open headers leave it too open and running that to much can hurt your valves as im told, so what are some other options? run duals into like 5in pipes or somthing?

 

If you live in an area that allows it, ditch the cat. Otherwise, straight pipe from the cat back would give you the most rumble. But be mindful that there is such a thing as too loud, both for you and for others on the road. I've ridden in vehicles that were real loud just for loudness' sake, and after a while they can give you a nasty headache. And too large of a diameter pipe will have negative results for performance. I'd recommend staying 3" or below if running a single setup, 2.5" or below if duals.

My $.02,

Mike

 

Run a single 3" and dump it under the bed if you want loud. As previously mentioned, try to be mindful of other people in parking lots, drive thrus, etc. Use common sense. I too have had a noise/drone induced headache, and it's not fun. I'm exposed to enough noise at work, I'd rather not speed up my rate of hearing loss.

 

Not the open headers = burnt valves myth again...

Let's see... It usually goes something like this. The open pipes let cold air get to the back of the valves through reversion and it burns them.

It's also usually combined with stories of a friend of a friend who knew a guy that dated a girl who'e father's best friend's neighbor ... knew someone who burnt valves this way.

Exhaust reversion is real and it's certainly possible for cold air to get sucked back up to the valve in certain circumstances but that's not the problem. Properly tuned there is ZERO risk of burning valves.

For proof of the fact that short exhaust has absolutely no connection to burnt valves I submit the Rolls Royce Merlin V12 used in Spitfires, P51 Mustangs, etc from WWII and before. They all used stubby pipes, operated in the cold air at altitude and had ZERO problems from burnt valves due to the pipes.

Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 Engin start up - YouTube

So, what's the problem? Any of the following.
1) The more efficient flow leads to a much leaner mixture. A lean mixture is a HOT mixture and can and does burn things including valves.

2) Heavy use. Who runs open headers? Race cars that are used hard and that hard use can lead to high exhaust temps that can burn valves.

3) Valve material. This one is related but some valve materials are better than others for high temp use. Do you think OEM's use the good stuff that will withstand the high temps?

So, this myth was created when someone ran open headers or manifolds without rejetting the mixture. The resulting lean mixture cause a hot exhaust that was probably exacerbated by heavy running. This lead the the expected failure of the exhaust valves yet since the failure was misunderstood it was wrongly diagnosed.

If you're not running your truck at WOT or other high load continuous setting that's going to cause too much heat to build up and you are properly tuned and not running lean you should have zero problems.

With that said I can tell you that excessively loud can be tiring as well as damaging to your hearing. I've lost hearing on my right side from riding my Harley with loud pipes and now use ear plugs when I ride. It didn't take long to happen either...

I plan on using an electric cutout on mine. They're expensive but I'm planning a dual 2.5" -> single 3" system and I'm going to use a single 3" cutout. So I only have to buy 1.

If you want real loud just to be loud I would run some short 3" extension that have turnouts on them to get the exhaust out from under the truck.

 

Besides open headers or straight pipe, pretty much any kind of race muffler will be loud. The Dynomax Bullet is only good for about a 4 dB reduction, and the Flowtech Purple Hornies are good for about the same, and you can get a bolt up to header version of the Flowtech with turndowns.

 

Ahhhhhhh Purple Hornies, LOL, are they still around? I haven't heard anything about them since the 70's ! One of my buddies ran them on his 70 Chevelle SS 454 back then.

I'll only add my agreement to getting the exhaust out from under the truck. If you don't want to exit the rear then dump it out the side.

I had to ride about many miles in the back seat of my Dads '66 Mustang equipped with Cherry Bombs/no tail pipes when I was a kid. That ruined my desires for loud exhaust, hate it! I've had some sweet rides in my time but they were all as quiet as I could make them. Enjoy your noise! (the PoPo's won't)

 

I have hedmans offroad headers and straight 2.5 to flo master 40 singles true duel that dumps just in front of the R/R tire. Wife says she can hear me comin from over the hill. Thats almost 2 miles.

 

With absolutely nothing behind the stock cats this truck won't be very loud at all, those things have to go or get hollowed to get any tone out of this motor at all. Add just to reinforce the point that burnt valves are not an issue with an EFI motor, you can literally install any type of exhaust system you want as long as that O2 sensor is installed and remains electrically connected so that the computer can adjust the mixture to compensate.

 

Drove trucks with bad exhaust for years. It gets old real quick.

IMO a loud exhaust on an old truck sends the message that it's poorly maintained and falling apart, not that it's "cool", as it would on a bike or a newer truck.

If you do want loud, stay at a low ID and make sure you have no expansion chambers of any sort. The best place to end the exhaust for loudness is as close to the cab/body gap as you can get without starting to worry about exhaust poisoning you while you sit in the cab.

What engine are you doing this to anyway? For a 302 or 300 you can use 2" pipes, might wanna upgrade to 2.125"-2.5" for a 351. The V8's also have a very nice tone to the open pipes, whereas the I6 engines sound kind of corny with them.

 

Yeah, low performance, low compression motors just sound horrible when open. I took the cat-back off my 93 Cobra one time and with just the H-pipe it sounded incredible at idle and low power settings but as soon as I got on it it sounded horrible.

OP, IMO one of the best sounding exhausts you can have uses mild sized pipes and LONG glass packs. Run duals with 2" or 2.25" pipes and some 40-45" long glass packs. It's a killer traditional Hot Rod sound. If you want to increase the volume a bit get some 3" megaphone tips. And get it all out from under the truck. Turn downs just past the cab will make it boomy, especially in the cab, but it gets old.

Look here for a great idea, just replace the turbo mufflers with the glass packs and add some megaphone tips instead of the straight tips.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post11503301

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7NvvcvrBRE

 

You mean that gawdawful BLAT-BLAT sound, I guess beauty really is in the eye/ear of the beholder because IMO there ain't much that sounds worse than that except maybe a 4 or 6 cylinder with open exhaust.

 

Yeah, I guess it is in the eye/ear of the beholder... I agree that the short glasspacks sound crappy but the long ones have a mellower tone, especially with smaller diameter pipes.

Here's the "glasspack" sound I'm talking about:
Bullitt Car Chase (Full Scene) - YouTube

That is one of the greatest chase scenes ever. It also proves that green VW bugs were all over the place in San Fran and Mustangs did come with optional 8 speed transmissions... Must be one of those rare 390 Hemi's that got canceled because of all the broken rear windows...

 

The exhaust I installed is nice at idle and mid, but when you stand on the loud button there is no hiding what you are trying to do. I get alot of complements and people ask what big block I have in there. Thats the sound I like.

 

a buddy of mine has a 92 f150 with the 302 and he got rid of his cats and is running about a 14" glasspack and it exits in front of the rear axle and its almost as quiet as when he was running just one cat and dumping it down

 

My 89 Bronco had the factory cats and no muffler and 5.0 mustangs with flowmasters were much louder. The cats as well as the pipes themselves have a lot to do with the sound.