Quick background and then my questions...

I use to have a 97 V6 F150 (ext. cab) with an ol' flowmaster/magnaflow that I had cut off (super old and rusted). So this was my first experience with Cherry Bomb mufflers and it sung like a jailbird. super loud!!!...I loved it!


However, I had to get a new vehicle and of course I got a 2003 f150 v8 triton (5.4L) (ext. cab). Someone suggested "branching out" and trying a magnaflow/flowmaster so when I took off the HUGE factory muffler I put on a flowmaster/magnaflow and just did NOT cut it like I thought it should/would (loud wise).

So with that said, I will more than likely be purchasing a newer truck, either a 2005-2008 F150 supercrew or a 250 supercrew.

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1. To get the loudness that I had once had, would it be safe to say that using a Cherry Bomb again will guaranteeingly give me that loud sound again (on my 2003)?

2. Will a Cherry Bomb still work (loud-wise) on a new 05-08 150?

3. If I get a 250, are they possible to change the exhaust to something that will be louder or no? (will a Cherry Bomb work is what im asking?)

I konw this is a long post but nobody seems to know these answers. I have ford faith that you guys (and girls) will.

Thanks,

Andrew

 

If you're partial to the cherry bomb then go for it, you could get it to work i'm sure. I'm not sure how they sound on the new ones though.

But you might want to look at the dynomax bullets, those seem to be pretty loud. I think FordF350Baby has them, not sure?

 

well preference wise i like cherry bomb because its what i've been exposed to and know of it
i've come across purple hornies glasspacks (strange name), referred to gibson mufflers (wont fit my model), looked at the dyno bullets and i dont see much difference......straight through design with fiberglass packing. ?????????

 

cherry bombs will work just fine, if you happen to have the old ones from your other truck put those on cause they will be closer to blowing out, instead of starting over fresh.

 

i hope blowing out is a good thing. haha. unfortunantly i dont have the old one from my other truck. it went with it when i got rid of it. i think i know what you mean by startin over fresh. mine never gave me the "sound" i wanted till after a good 6 months (and one long trip to alabama on open hwy. at 80mph ) if so, i can get one for like 40 bux. at autozone.

i do question why a mechanic says "you going with a glasspack?" i dont get it...do they not want you to have one? i was browsing 3 or for other forums with exhaust and this came up.

 

well they are regarded as cheap and loud, which exactly why people like them so much, but unfortunantly there are some in this world who dont appreciate the sound of our machines as much as we do, they tend to complain about glasspacks (then again they complain about anything), round here we have a name for them. city folk.

And a mechanic wouldnt want you to go with a glass pack simply because then you pick em up from autozone and dont buy expensive ones from him.

and yes "blowing out" is what you described, after about 6 months the packing inside begins deteriorateing and the sound becomes louder with more reverberation. eventually they completely burn out and your truck is effectivally straight piped, but with the the ability to pass a visual muffler inspection (should you get pulled over for noise ordinance in the city)

 

thanks, Godblessmud, that laid it out completely for me...cept one thing.

Essentially, once the glasspack is fully (or almost fully) "Blown out", it becomes a straight pipe.
If it's loud then, why isn't it now. I have literal straight pipes right now and it sounds good but it aint NOTHING compared to glasspacks. Any idea?

 

the webbed design inside the glasspacks creates just enough turbulence so the air stumbles over itself on the way through, which is how it quiets the sound (as much as it does) but not so much that is reduces flow beyond a reasonable level. this turbulence creates a scavanging effect that makes the classic glasspack sound, once the muffler has burned out completely, it is an empty shell, but because it is a different diamenter than the inlet and outlet pipe, the air still scrambles itself enough to get the sound (difference reason, same result), but with no sound deadening material to reduce the sound, so its solid reverberation and tone.

 

so let me make sense of what you're saying. BECAUSE of the hunderds of holes in a glasspack, the holes are what guaranteeingly makes it have a "louder" sound (because of the overlapping air in the holes), as opposed to straight pipes with nothing to halt the airflow. i hope i got this right...

 

The holes likely make turbulence, so a larger ID in the glass pack muffler would be wise compared to the piping. I have a 2.25 ID Raptor Turbo muffler with perforated tubes and my piping is 2.125 ID, so I think it is a pretty good combo. Sounds good, but not loud like you want.

What about the glass packs? The glass packing which acts like 1000s of tiny holes which absorbs the higher frequency sound, so that you can have a deeper rumble not a fart can high pitch ricer sound. In that respect, a glass pack should sound better than a straight through. However, I think a big block engine will not be as prone to high pitch, though high rpms to increase the pitch.

As for the cops, it they are pulling you over for noise, I don't know that a minimal muffler like a cherry bomb is going to make much difference, likely ticket anyway. I think Magnaflow makes a more traditional looking muffler that is really just a straight through with glass packing around it, but the straight through angles for the off set inlet to outlet. This might be even better, though potentially a tad quieter if the extra packing matters that much.

Best, get a cutout (they have electronic) and run a leagally not too loud muffler and then open up the cutout when you want to make some real noise.

 

You can't beat glasspacks on an older or even newer V8.

The cops around here won't even go after someone if they run a red light. I always figured sound wasn't important then.


I highly doubt an 05' up will be any louder than an 03'. Actually the newer the truck is it will probably be quieter.

 

Well thanks everyone for all of your input. Both offline and online I've gotten about equal responses that yes glasspacks are going to make my truck loud again and then no's that say it wont b/c of a larger engine.

No matter. I will go ahead and get one put on sometime soon regardless of whether or not it gives me the loud sound again.

Thanks all,

Andrew