Catback system and axle back...

[jkeaton]

I wouldn't worry about anything that's quieter than a stock Elantra N.
Commie California? Soviet union banned lead gasoline early on but we didn't have emission testing or noise requirements there as far as I know. (No one I knew had a car lol) Cali is strict but it's still pretty lax compared to rest of the developed world. It's necessary for air quality and people's health. Especially in a place that's so car dependant.

Thanks for your input. Not sure what a louder aftermarket exhaust has to do with air quality and people's health, but ok.

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[Alfa 2407]

Thanks for your input. Not sure what a louder aftermarket exhaust has to do with air quality and people's health, but ok.

He seems to have mufflers and catalytic converters mixed

 

[V8 Yankee]

Next to none.

I swapped out my factory muffler and resonator for custom exhaust using two 2.25" SS Vibrant mufflers with 3" tips. This cost less than half what Borla and others are selling and sounds better IMO. Alone there was next to no HP gain. Simply replacing the exhaust rarely gets you the expected gain unless you install a CAI at the same time. Both compliment each other. Open up the exhaust you need to open the intake to see some gain. In my case there wasn't a huge difference but it was noticeable, especially in MPG gain. Without doing a Dyno Test its really hard to say how much I gained in HP. Along with full synthetic oil, Bell Labs oil additive, increased tire pressure 4lbs and ethanol free 90 I get a 24K avg of 31 mpg. At best 50mpg crusing at 55 on the flats with no headwinds and 10' above sea level. The sweet spot is between 45 and 55. My driving style is very conservative which also makes a big difference.
By changing out only the exhaust you get the cool factor and nice sound but not much else. Adding programming performance chip is where you will get the best bang for your buck in a HP gain. But beware, this also may void the warranty on engine problems if any. IMO i would wait until the warranty expires. The money I've spent has already been paid back in MPG gain, plus it sounds awesome and looks good too. I would definitely do it again if I ever buy another BS.

 

[CrazyKZ]

I swapped out my factory muffler and resonator for custom exhaust using two 2.25" SS Vibrant mufflers with 3" tips. This cost less than half what Borla and others are selling and sounds better IMO. Alone there was next to no HP gain. Simply replacing the exhaust rarely gets you the expected gain unless you install a CAI at the same time. Both compliment each other. Open up the exhaust you need to open the intake to see some gain. In my case there wasn't a huge difference but it was noticeable, especially in MPG gain. Without doing a Dyno Test its really hard to say how much I gained in HP. Along with full synthetic oil, Bell Labs oil additive, increased tire pressure 4lbs and ethanol free 90 I get a 24K avg of 31 mpg. At best 50mpg crusing at 55 on the flats with no headwinds and 10' above sea level. The sweet spot is between 45 and 55. My driving style is very conservative which also makes a big difference.
By changing out only the exhaust you get the cool factor and nice sound but not much else. Adding programming performance chip is where you will get the best bang for your buck in a HP gain. But beware, this also may void the warranty on engine problems if any. IMO i would wait until the warranty expires. The money I've spent has already been paid back in MPG gain, plus it sounds awesome and looks good too. I would definitely do it again if I ever buy another BS.

I would love to go your route too as all I'm looking for is MORE / better sound. I already have a CAI so maybe this will help me some. In the summer heat of 105+ I don't see any change in the CAI...perhaps when it's cooler.
I can't see laying out $900+ installation for MagnaFlow The Vibrant looks like a really nice price!
So, you didn't swap out the cats or anything?
What kind of in-the-cab drone do you hear if any?
Any way you can upload a sound/video clip?
Wow, my MPG is way worse than yours! I have lights, large tires, etc. and the Badlands 2.0 which has a ton of power...now it just needs to sound like it.

 

[V8 Yankee]

I would love to go your route too as all I'm looking for is MORE / better sound. I already have a CAI so maybe this will help me some. In the summer heat of 105+ I don't see any change in the CAI...perhaps when it's cooler.
I can't see laying out $900+ installation for MagnaFlow The Vibrant looks like a really nice price!
So, you didn't swap out the cats or anything?
What kind of in-the-cab drone do you hear if any?
Any way you can upload a sound/video clip?
Wow, my MPG is way worse than yours! I have lights, large tires, etc. and the Badlands 2.0 which has a ton of power...now it just needs to sound like it.

By law you are covered if you modify the exhaust but only behind the Cat. Touch the Cat and you open up the preverbial can of worms when it come to the warranty or emissions testing.
The sound of my BS is awesome, in fact much better than than I imagined it would be, especially for a 3 cylinder. I expect you will get a good sound from the 2.0 but slightly different than mine. There is zero rasp, a very smooth, low end growl for lack of a better term. The only drone is high idle warm up, when warmed up and idling just the low, subtle growl I mentioned.
I tried recording the exhaust on my S22 but it really doesnt pick up the true sound. You can possibly increase your Badlands MPG a tad but with the bigger tires, more weight and other factors I doubt the gain will be substantial. Although even 2 or 3 extra mpg adds up in the long term. Did you change the fuel bias programming to reflect your actual mpg? If you swapped out for bigger tires that changes the ECU fuel usage calculation. You might be getting better mpg than you think.

 

[CrazyKZ]

By law you are covered if you modify the exhaust but only behind the Cat. Touch the Cat and you open up the preverbial can of worms when it come to the warranty or emissions testing.
The sound of my BS is awesome, in fact much better than than I imagined it would be, especially for a 3 cylinder. I expect you will get a good sound from the 2.0 but slightly different than mine. There is zero rasp, a very smooth, low end growl for lack of a better term. The only drone is high idle warm up, when warmed up and idling just the low, subtle growl I mentioned.
I tried recording the exhaust on my S22 but it really doesnt pick up the true sound. You can possibly increase your Badlands MPG a tad but with the bigger tires, more weight and other factors I doubt the gain will be substantial. Although even 2 or 3 extra mpg adds up in the long term. Did you change the fuel bias programming to reflect your actual mpg? If you swapped out for bigger tires that changes the ECU fuel usage calculation. You might be getting better mpg than you think.

That's good news. That's exactly what I'm looking for. I'll check with my local shop and see what they can do for me.
I used to have two different Corvettes and had CAI, tune, headers, performance cats, Corsa exhaust. It was amazing sounding and performing.
Oh, so how do I change the fuel bias programing? I know that my MPH on the speedometer changed some too. I don't know if that's something can be calibrated too. I think it's actually going faster than the speedometer says, right?

 

[CrazyKZ]

I just now went back to look at my OEM system. The Ford exhaust is MASSIVE! That's a lot of weight, just right there.
The OEM exhaust tips are super tiny. haha If you switch out the tips too you'd probably never see them since they are so far hidden under the car. Did you switch to black or chrome tips? I'll probably go with black.

 

[Alfa 2407]

Oh, so how do I change the fuel bias programing? I know that my MPH on the speedometer changed some too. I don't know if that's something can be calibrated too. I think it's actually going faster than the speedometer says, right?

I can't say much for the fuel bias, but the understanding I have reached by reading the forums is that ford has made it impossible to recalibrate the speedometer, if you come to a different conclusion, then I'd love to hear about it

 

[CrazyKZ]

I'm going to reach out to my rep at Ford and ask about both.

 

[Alfa 2407]

I'm going to reach out to my rep at Ford and ask about both.

Please update us with your findings

 

[CrazyKZ]

He had no idea and had never been asked about that before.

 

[CrazyKZ]

BTW, my local muffler shop said he's taken off more Vibrants than put on and would not recommend them. He recommended the Flowmaster 80 series. He also said to drive it first with the resonator still on and to remove it later if I want it louder. I actually might do it the other way around and delete it, but keep it in case I want to put it back on.

 

[V8 Yankee]

That's good news. That's exactly what I'm looking for. I'll check with my local shop and see what they can do for me.
I used to have two different Corvettes and had CAI, tune, headers, performance cats, Corsa exhaust. It was amazing sounding and performing.
Oh, so how do I change the fuel bias programing? I know that my MPH on the speedometer changed some too. I don't know if that's something can be calibrated too. I think it's actually going faster than the speedometer says, right?

Search for "Engineering Test Mode" on this site. There arr some good tutorials on how to access test mode and change the fuel bias. You will need to run 4 or 5 tanks of fuel to get a more accurate average. Reset the Trip 2 Odo at the first fill up and document the miles at fill up. After running the 4 or 5 tanks of fuel divide the total gallons of fuel into miles driven. That will be your baseline. Then write down the the Odo 2 mpg for the same miles you used for your hand calculation. The difference between the two will be the fuel bias. In engineering test mode you will enter this bias in percentage terms and that will calibrate your ECU to your actual milage.
As far as recalibrating your tire size only Ford can do that. Ford has had some serious lawsuits on tire related litigation so they are very particular about changing tire programming. Some dealers won't touch it, others will from what I've heard.

 

[V8 Yankee]

BTW, my local muffler shop said he's taken off more Vibrants than put on and would not recommend them. He recommended the Flowmaster 80 series. He also said to drive it first with the resonator still on and to remove it later if I want it louder. I actually might do it the other way around and delete it, but keep it in case I want to put it back on.

I have 28K on the Vibrants and they still look and sound like the day I installed them. They have a lifetime guarantee as well. Without the factory muffler on the factory resonator is just dead weight. I tried it both on and off and there is no difference in sound with the Vibrants. Did your shop guy say why he recommended Flowmasters. Curious as to the difference between the two.

 

[CrazyKZ]

I have 28K on the Vibrants and they still look and sound like the day I installed them. They have a lifetime guarantee as well. Without the factory muffler on the factory resonator is just dead weight. I tried it both on and off and there is no difference in sound with the Vibrants. Did your shop guy say why he recommended Flowmasters. Curious as to the difference between the two.

Good to know! It could be that he doesn't stock them or make as much money other than Flowmaster or Borla. He did offer though if I bought them elsewhere that he could install them. Do you use two Vibrants with the Bronco or one? I'm pretty sure he said just one Flowmaster muffler. I might need to contact a different shop.

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