I want to replace my factory exhaust - muffler/tail pipe on my '97 4x4 4.6. My original unloads in front of the right rear wheel. What I want is a stainless muffler and then am going to fab a tailpipe out of stainless tubing by buying the prebent tubes and cutting the proper radius out of the curves. My question is what the best muffler might be. I do not want loud, now a nice rumble at idle would be cool, but I want it to be reletivly quiet. I want to use the stock 2.5" single inlet/outlet. Most of the mufflers available is much smaller than the stock, which is ok, but I want one that is quiet. If it has a nice rumble - great, and if it flows a little better - great.
What think you?

 

Magnaflow is stainless and has a nice sound. Flows much better than Flowmaster as well.
I had one on my 01 F150. Nice rumble, but not overly loud.

 

Everyone has their own opinions, but you should consider our WickedFlow mufflers. It is made from the highest quality materials, it will not rust, corrode, or fatigue. The all stainless steel construction is designed to be somewhat ductile, which prevents it from cracking around the neck. It uses a true mandrel formed inner tube. And it costs less than many other brands. Magnaflow on the other hand is made from a thin brittle steel, which in most cases doesn't matter, but I have seen even the new all stainless ones crack around the neck, and also around the outside of the casing where the ends are welded in place. Magnaflow press bends the inner tube, which restricts the flow, and the packing they use tends to deteriorate and settle over time, which means if you like the way the sound when new, you won't like how they sound as the age. I know this from experience, my Mazda has a Magnaflow, and it deteriorated very rapidly, now the truck gives me a headache to drive. I have yet to meet someone who doesn't like the sound of the WickedFlow. It is a touch quieter than the Magnaflow, and has a smoother tone. And it sounds exactly the same throughout its useful life (which should be the life of the vehicle). It is actually designed to withstand the most severe race and track use without deteriorating or breaking. There are a few videos to be found too. We sell more 18" mufflers on trucks than any other size, it has a nice rumble to it without being overly loud.

 

Thanks for the responce guys. Bear River - I will check your site right now. Thanks for the input.

 

Hey Bear river... I like the wickedflow muffler you have on your site. Given that I will be using one muffler, which would you suggest. I simply want to duplicate the factory exhaust with stainless, for lack of better terms. If it sounds "appropriate" - I will order one. I hope you understand my objective. I like to think that I can improve on the quality of the factory exhaust without compramising a civil sound level outside or inside the truck.
Any direct suggestions? Part numbers?

 

You might have to add a small piece of pipe, and I am not sure on what pipe size you have. Should be 2 1/2". The muffler we sell the most of on trucks in the 18SCXXX where X is 250 for 2 1/2" or 300 for 3" with an 18" casing length. If you want the system as quiet as possible you can also get the 22SCXXX which is a 22" case. The SC means that it is offset/center, and it is reversible.

Our website is still undergoing major updates. Our website currently just flat rates the shipping, erring on the high side. To really get the best deal, I suggest our eBay store. www.stores.ebay.com/bearriverconverters

 

No need to fabricate a tailpipe. You can get a SS Magnaflow XL series muffler #13746 and a mandrel bent SS tailpipe #15038 for around $120. I run that muffler on the Navigator with the OEM tailpipe and that SS tailpipe with a #13762 on the '98 F150 that dad has now. The Navigator has 80K miles on it after installation of that muffler, and the truck has approx 50K miles ince installation of the muffler and tailpipe. Neither have ever experienced any kind of cracks, leaks or issues. The single in/out muffler on the Navigator isn't much louder than stock with absolutely NO droning of any kind at ANY rpm. the dual in/ single out muffler on the truck was a bit louder with a definite difference in sound. Has a bit of drone around 1500 rpms under a load, but nowhere near what you get with a Flowmaster muffler.
JL

 

Thanks a million for the response. It helps to have some input on these things.