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Thread: Exhaust Mod: A good place to start?

  1. #1
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    Exhaust Mod: A good place to start?

    Logan and any others who has done an exhaust mod, does it help low end or not with out doing anything else or is this a good place to start?

    When does it make a difference? Chip? Gears? SuperCharger? When will it become the bottle neck or is it already?

    Also, what mufflers to use to keep bascially the same sound as stock, but increase flow?

    A lot of questions, but thanks in advance for the answers.

    2003 Marauder 300A
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  2. #2
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    I don't think it does. Hints why the car comes with "custom tuned exhaust." High flow cats are about it...

  3. #3
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    Yeah, looking underneath the car from cat-back it looks like stock Crown Vic(except for the tips).
    But that(the small pipes) might actually help low end torque.

    Who knows
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  4. #4
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    Just wanted to get this back to the top for more opinions
    2003 Marauder 300A
    Kenny Brown Dead Pedal
    Silencer Removed
    K&N Air Filter
    Amsoil Synthetic

  5. #5
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    Just looking,the mid section of the exhaust is 2".The CAT section up to the output of the aft Cat is 2 1/4" then the muffler section is 2 1/4".
    I wish I had the money to do a before and after test with the stock system then a 2 1/4" X pipe section with no other changes.
    I don't think the 2 1/4" would "kill" the lowend but I have no idea if it would pick up the upper-mid and top.

  6. #6
    ONEBADMK8 Guest
    2.5 with an x is IDEAL for this car.

  7. #7
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    Thankfully, some of the exhaust questions are old school, and things haven't changed much from technology. Bigger isn't always better, and what's best is dependent on CID and other stuff. Getting more HP may cost you low end TQ, and it could happen vice-versa. IMHO, if you're going to change, 2.5 in pipe is your choice.

    I've heard different perspectives on cats, what works what doesn't, and I've heard discussions of X pipe over H pipe benefits that will probably boil down to opinion over fact. Meanwhile, here's some additional info...

    http://www.dynomax.com/techsupport.stm
    Last edited by SergntMac; 01-02-2003 at 12:11 PM.

  8. #8
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    onebadmk8,
    You got proff of that?
    Dyno chart or back to back drag strip runs?
    Remember we're all running automatic trans. and our engines don't rev as high as the normaly asperated Cobras.plus we're carrieing at least another 600lbs so if we lose torque off the bottom we may not be able to make it up with revs.

  9. #9
    ONEBADMK8 Guest
    Originally posted by cyclone03
    onebadmk8,
    You got proff of that?
    Dyno chart or back to back drag strip runs?
    Remember we're all running automatic trans. and our engines don't rev as high as the normaly asperated Cobras.plus we're carrieing at least another 600lbs so if we lose torque off the bottom we may not be able to make it up with revs.
    We have been doing Mark VIII's for 5 years now and we have the same exact engine less intake and a few other minor parts, nearly the same weight and the same exact 4R70W trans less a few updates and we have had great sucess with the 2.5 inch x pipe setup with this drivetrain using the 4.10's.

    Please email me for more info on what set up works best for stock geared cars. I do not want to violate any advertising rules here on the board. Id be glad to help you out with some info and proof, not a problem.

  10. #10
    All I did was replace the stock mufflers with FlowMasters, so I can't say about an X-pipe mod, but I didn't notice any performance difference. Then again, I didn't swap them out for a performance increase, either.
    2003 Mercury Marauder
    2007 Lincoln Town Car
    1993 Crown Victoria LX

  11. #11
    looking97233 Guest
    I was just at my exhaust shop today asking just these questions. The shop is Portland Muffler. They do alot of custom work and I have seen Craftsman Series Trucks in there. I have had them work for me before and I have been very satisfied with them. Anyway what the owner told me was best for the stock motor would be just a cat back type, from the flange at the back of the main cats, they would build and install a 2.25" X-pipe and 2.25 pipes back to either flowmasters or dynaflows (whatever your sound preference is, flowmasters typically are more raspy, while dynaflows are typically a deeper and more suttle sound) then re-use the 2.25 pipe and tips from the muffler back. He said the x-pipe would make the best improvment but will quiet the vehicle down alot, hence the straight thru mufflers. And it still will look stock!
    Hope this helps.
    Last edited by looking97233; 01-02-2003 at 03:55 PM.

  12. #12
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    On a lark, I gave DynoMax a call just to see what they may suggest for an MM. My short advice is to wait. If you're looking for power from the MM, get other basics in place first, and let your seat-of-the-pants impression settle in. Better yet, get a dyno and read the facts, before doing anything exhaust/air box related.

    You may stop reading now, the important stuff has been said. The rest of this is just my closet "troll" speaking out.



    Tech Support said the engineering department hasn't looked at the MM yet, and won't be looking until sufficient numbers have been sold, to justify the R&D expense. He added they were "plugged in" to a national database of sales records, (who isn't?) and I was the first caller he got about an MM (yeah, sure), and the MM is now in their T/S computer. He added that the R&D guy will call me Monday (we'll see). Are these guys always this smooth?

    I suspected this would be the case, here and with other mods. We may hear this "not yet" stuff for a while, maybe spring, if we are expecting to see Marauder specific upgrades from the usual suspects. Sure, we can cut and gut our way through the exhaust (and air box) system(s), but having a front to back performance kit specifically tailored for an MM after a manfacturer's research, makes the upgrade decision come a bit eaiser too.

    I'd also guess that after DynoMax investigates the MMs potential, and only comes to offer a cross-ref on in-house and developed parts, that this could be a sign (in their opinion) that all is well from the factory. But, I also stop to remember that their job is to sell us parts, and there is more money in a full kit, than a stock item. So, if they can justify the performance boost, we'll see a MM specific kit. If not, we won't buy much from them and they know this. I'm not sold or swayed either way right now, I'm going to wait.

    It's been my experience that overhauling an exhaust system front to back is usually well worth the time and money in power and sound improvements. Anyone fine tuning a CV/PI or MKVIII for performance would do a complete exhaust system overhaul which quite naturally justifies itself with remarkable improvement over stock system(s). But, if new cats, turbos, "X" or "H" pipe, tips, and so on, for my MM don't net me at least 20 HP, I'd prefer to keep my low end TQ, and eat 'em up on the launch.

    I'm also considering that the MM is a 4200 pound black evil meanie that takes up a lot of real estate at stop lights and on-ramps. Launch her just right and it's soon race over, psychologically speaking. I beat you when you give up, think about it. Sustained HP at the top end may not be worth the cost of torque at the launch.

    Hint: FMCs new anthem "start me up" means something. Is Detroit selling us "stop light/on ramp" wins? Is it possible that LM considers that few MM buyers will actually visit any race track, or even acknowledge that they enjoy the ocassional "run"? LM does seem to know a lot obout the average MM buyer in their overall marketing, you tell me.

    I like my MM sound now, and I am quite pleased with the power after my humble, but "required" mods. (something I suspect LM expected 2% of us to complete) It's obvious to me in other areas of the car, that LM was performance minded in their initial design, could be that they figured that a few of us would push the performance window, but they couldn't predict just how far we would go. Therefore, it could be that LM got the exhaust (and air box) stuff right the first time...Could be.

    No doubt, there is always room for improvement over any factory design. The real question here is, how much room does an MM leave us? They gave us gobs of power, and leather seats, with an Alpine 100 watt stereo system. Just who are they selling the MM to, and what are they selling? Is on-ramp/stop light an automotive sport to come? The MM does seem to target the "zero 2 eighty" segment of those with money to buy the right American car. "Fast and Furious" for the nostalgic geezers, and Ladies in business suits? Could be...

    FMCs new anthem is cool. I love start ups, and spring ain't that far away. Look how fast '02 flew by...

    I'll wait.

  13. #13
    looking97233 Guest
    Well said SergntMac. I posted the info I got from my local muff shop, but I'm not ready to change anything yet.

  14. #14
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    SergnMac- Happy New Year

    Yes, well said--there is a time do make a move and time not to-- a period or hunch to just wait and see type - condition-----I was at first going to wait till the later part of the MM year to buy BUT instead felt --NO--It's best to go ahead now( 11-2-02)..did so and am very glad...seems ..a hunch or whatever you want to call it--I went ahead and am very pleased ---now watching all the threads --reading and etc,, and like you ,,waiting again for that hunch feeling to appear with-in the gut again to tell me to go..make the move and do it bit for now-- however I'm a happy stock fella for now ...very happy to be doing performance similar to alot on these boards with no mods for the moment.. but back to your comments--------

    You have pointed out the issues very clearly and plain .....at least to me..
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  15. #15
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    Thanks Looking, I did that too, but didn't mention that here.

    Walk into any aftermarket retail shop and they WILL have a mod that IMPROVES the base vehicle. It's good business for them, maybe not for us. Their catalogues will see us as GM owners, and we may be cutting away what we should be keeping.

    All I'm saying, is that it may be too soon to really know.

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