Ugrade - Accel & Exhaust sound/feel???

[TJH-Houston]

[EMAIL=thanlon@houston.rr.com]

:help:

Hello, I have a limited budget, but want to make following upgrades to my stock 04 MM, 1) faster off the line acceleration (top end speed is not really important to me), and 2) a much throatier exhaust sound/vibration.

What do you suggest, and how much for (roughly) do you think it will cost? Thanks very much. Tim

[Logan]

Best and most efficient use of cash to improve off the line acceleration immensely is a Reinhart Stage 1 kit w/4.10's.... Under $1000 installed generally.

Exhaust on a budget? You can get away with replacing your stock mufflers with Flowmasters or Magnaflows... Typically bought and installed less than $250 depending on the muffler...

[Petrograde]

Welcome TJH!
Man, you are on the right site for that question!
1st- more off the line acceleration. Dennis Reinhart has a great kit: Stage 1 - 4:10 gears, hotter plugs, cooler thermostat, and a great chip! reasonably priced. You might also want to check out Trilogy Motorsport, or Cole Performance. They are all site sponsors and will bend over backwards to make sure you have the parts you need for the level of performance you're looking for.

2nd- better sound. I'm about to get some Flowmaster 40s. But, there's other options,.. I'm sure in the posts to follow you'll get 'em!

[studio460]

I've had both the Flowmaster 40 Series DeltaFlows and the 14" Magnaflows on my Marauder. I would say the Flowmasters are about 30% louder than the Magnaflows, and with the Flowmasters, you can hear a low rumble at idle (with the resonatorless tips). The Magnoflows sound a tiny bit throatier (a little more "muffled"), but they're only audible under acceleration, and SILENT at idle. Don't get me wrong, the Flowmasters sound PLENTY "throaty" as well, but with a slightly higher harmonic at higher RPMs (but I wouldn't call it "tinny"). No interior drone at freeway speeds with the Flowmasters. I decided on the Flowmasters with the resonatorless Megs tips from Innovative Interceptors (site sponsor). I'm VERY happy with the new aggressive sound coming out of my Marauder!

[jgc61sr2002]

TJH-Houston - Welcome to the site. The best on the net thanks to Logan and LML. Enjoy your new ride. Dennis Renhart a sponser of this site is the way to go for any Mods you need.:up:

[TJH-Houston]

Logan, Petrograde, NBCShooter and jgc61sr, Many thanks for the great responses. Exactly what I needed. Excellent site, great people. I am pumped to cruise. Sincere appreciation. Tim

[MSR7878]

I run with straight pipes from the cats back, great sound and noone has complained, yet!!

[Ross]

TJH-- glad to have another Houston Marauder on the site. I wish you could hear Logan's new exhaust. I wasn't planning on any exhaust mods until I saw and heard Logan's Kook's system up at Ennis. Now I want one like that! It is a little more pricey than just changing mufflers for better sound, though.

[joflewbyu2]

very, very pleased with the workmanship, quality and sound of my borla. for more info do a search under "borla"

[rumble]

have the Flowmaster 40's (not the delta flow). They have a definite "snarl" on acceleration and no highway drone. $238.00 installed. I like them and most of the folks who have heard them
like them too. Don't expect any performace gains with a stock
motor whith any exhaust modifications. The stock setup is hard
to improve on except for tone.

[martyo]

I have the jet-coated shorties, hi-flows and "X" pipe sold by Dennis Reinhart, backed up by the tcok mufflers and the pre-production (baffleless) tips.

I would say my car is "dialed in" although I do not yet (but will soon) have post header dyno numbers to show you.

I ran 14.2's (and a pair of 14.1's) all weekend long. Oh yeah, and I have never raced at this or any other track before!

How can you argue with that?

[jgc61sr2002]

Originally posted by martyo
I have the jet-coated shorties, hi-flows and "X" pipe sold by Dennis Reinhart, backed up by the tcok mufflers and the pre-production (baffleless) tips.

I would say my car is "dialed in" although I do not yet (but will soon) have post header dyno numbers to show you.

I ran 14,2's (and a pair of 14.1's) all weekend long. Oh yeah, and I have never raced at this or any other track before!

How can you argue with that? Marty - You can't.:coolman:

[TJH-Houston]

Again, more excellent responses. Thanks specifically to MSR7878, Ross, joflewbyu2@aol, Rumble and Martyo. Much appreciated.

Looks as though the Reinhart Stage 1, and the Flowmaster 40's are the way to go. That said, looking forward to hearing more on the Kooks. Their site doesn't say much as yet.

Thanks guys. Tim

[John F. Russo]

Logan

I don't want anymore noise than I have with my standard MM exhaust. If I get a new "Kooks" exhaust does it mean I get more noise automatically?

____________
2003 Blue 300B (Canadian) (traction control, mini spare, trunked 6 disc
CD changer,clock-in-the-radio, heated front seats, hood light)
Born 12/10/02
10,000 miles
Stock transmission (upgraded with Performance Automatic
clutches and band after stock tranny failed in 8,800 miles)
Wheel locks (Ford)
Mileage: 18 mpg at a steady speed of 80 mph
Kenny Brown: 6th “signature series” conversion (450 hp) 3/28/03
Dead pedal
Badgeless front grill (trying to achieve)
Baer front brakes 14 in. two piston, vented rotors
MMX Driveshaft
4.10 gears
Vortech supercharger (7 to 8 psig boost)
Pirelli P-Zero Asymmetric
FordChip
One coil of each front stock spring removed to produce
the “same” effect as an Eibach spring

[SergntMac]

Originally posted by John F. Russo
I don't want anymore noise than I have with my standard MM exhaust. If I get a new "Kooks" exhaust does it mean I get more noise automatically?

Having been a passenger in Logan's MM over this past weekend, I would say "yes," you're going to hear more from your MM.

[Ross]

Hey, Logan and Sarge---- I heard Logan's exhaust from the outside of the car and liked it. I know some exhausts sound louder inside the car, but some don't for some scientific reasons which I don't understand. How does Logan's new exhaust sound inside the car with the windows up compared to stock?

[SergntMac]

I like loud exhaust, Ross, and as a passenger in Logan's front seat, I found the exhaust tone and volume entertaining. The long tube headers move the collector closer to the passenger compartment, and you can notice this. However, some passengers may not be entertained, it's a judgement call on comfort. Only in the back seat once, and only for a few minutes, and there is a cabin drone at 1500 RPM, but we all have that when we mess with the OEM setup. How unpleasant this is, is again a "personal taste" judgement call.

[Petrograde]

What about that Dynamat stuff? I hear it's good stuff, would it work in this application?

[MapleLeafMerc]

Did I hear somewhere that stock MM has resonators inside the chrome exhaust tips, and could they be removed to improve the sound?

[SergntMac]

Originally posted by MapleLeafMerc
Did I hear somewhere that stock MM has resonators inside the chrome exhaust tips, and could they be removed to improve the sound?

This "resonator" is nothing more that the 2.5" OD tailpipe being extended into the 3" Megs tip another 18" or so. This was alast minute change by designers, that serves to move the "cabin hum" factor outside the passenger compartment, with a side effect of reduced external volume. Seems LM got real conservative at the 11th hour, and worried that too aggressive a tone would disappoint prospective buyers. If they knew then what we know now...

The fix many of us here have employed, is to purchase a set of original tips via Wes Chain at Innovative Interceptors, an authorized MM.Net vendor. Installing these tips will restore the original tone and tenor advertised by LM, and when combined with aftermarket turbo mufflers, it gets real "old days" in sound. There are a few choices in aftermarket turbos, and I selected the Ravin Z55s. What ever you pick, and even the OEM muffler, will sound better with the original tips.

You could authorize a good muffler shop to gut the OEM tips, and achieve the same effect, but this is cutting things close, (you need to look under your MM to see what I'm talking about) and if you do that, the cuts and seams are visible to the naked eye when peeking behind the rear tires. Cosmetically, you don't want to see this. Financially, a good muffler monkey can deal with it...IMHO.

I can't speak on availability or cost of the original tips today, contact Wes on that, K? However, the install is seamless when done by a quality muffler shop, and worth the average 60-75 buck labor charge. You won't see any performance gains, but she will bark real nice. Many of us have pushed the tips out back an inch or so, just for fun. Seems the last minute change by L/M tucked the Megs tips up and in too far to be seen. I mean, they are 24 inches of polished stainless steel right? Should we be able to take a peek or two?

If you need more exhaust 411, drop me a line at SergntMac@aol.com I'd be delighted to say more, even more happy after next Tuesday.