The Mustang Forum for Track & Racing Enthusiasts

Taking your Mustang to an open track/HPDE event for the first time? Do you race competitively? This forum is for you! Log in to remove most ads.

  • Welcome to the Ford Mustang forum built for owners of the Mustang GT350, BOSS 302, GT500, and all other S550, S197, SN95, Fox Body and older Mustangs set up for open track days, road racing, and/or autocross. Join our forum, interact with others, share your build, and help us strengthen this community!

Best Resonators for Lowering Volume of 5.0 with Full Exhaust

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

I have a 2013 5.0 with a very loud exhaust. Not quite straight piped loud, but quite loud at anything above 30% throttle. It sounds great at WOT, but being that it’s a daily driver, I’d like it to be quieter when I’m just trying to take off from stoplights and such. So I’m looking at quieting it down to make it more tolerable on the street. I’m looking for a decrease in volume first and a decrease in rasp second.

Current exhaust setup: Kooks long tube headers, Kooks high-flow cats midpipe (not green cats), resonator delete, Corsa Sport axleback exhaust.

The resonator delete was done before I bought the car, so I’m looking to install resonators that will decrease the volume and fit onto the over-the-axle pipe. It’s currently a pretty loud exhaust setup so I’d rather buy resonators that will quiet the exhaust down a LOT rather than just a little. I’ve heard good things about Vibrant 18” resonators so far. What are your suggestions? What resonators will fit the OTA pipes and decrease volume a dramatic amount?

Thank you!
 
141
153
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Arizona
I previously had added two Magnaflow 14419 mufflers (3" inlet, 14" length) to my car that had a full catted ARH exhaust. It was still louder than stock by far but I thought it took too much bark off. The ARH by itself is quite a bit quieter than the Corsa so maybe it would work for you?

I swapped the Magnaflows for two Stainless Headers 8" bullet mufflers and I like it better.

I know you have a S197 but here is what these two ideas looked like on my car to give you an idea of size.

Magnaflows
IMG_9171.jpg

Stainless Headers:
IMG_0181-1.jpg
 
I previously had added two Magnaflow 14419 mufflers (3" inlet, 14" length) to my car that had a full catted ARH exhaust. It was still louder than stock by far but I thought it took too much bark off. The ARH by itself is quite a bit quieter than the Corsa so maybe it would work for you?

I swapped the Magnaflows for two Stainless Headers 8" bullet mufflers and I like it better.

I know you have a S197 but here is what these two ideas looked like on my car to give you an idea of size.

Magnaflows
View attachment 69424

Stainless Headers:
View attachment 69425
Hmmm, those Magnaflows are nice and tidy up there. I like what you said about them taking a lot of bark off. I'm at the point of rather having the car closer to stock volume than what it is right now. It's just too loud for my taste unfortunately. I will definitely take a look at those Magnaflow mufflers.

Thanks for letting me know about them!
 
I previously had added two Magnaflow 14419 mufflers (3" inlet, 14" length) to my car that had a full catted ARH exhaust. It was still louder than stock by far but I thought it took too much bark off. The ARH by itself is quite a bit quieter than the Corsa so maybe it would work for you?

I swapped the Magnaflows for two Stainless Headers 8" bullet mufflers and I like it better.

I know you have a S197 but here is what these two ideas looked like on my car to give you an idea of size.

Magnaflows
View attachment 69424

Stainless Headers:
View attachment 69425
Did the Magnaflow mufflers change the tone or sound of your exhaust at all? I would ideally like to get rid of most of the current rasp the exhaust has, but I don't want to change the tone of the current exhaust. For example, Flowmasters have the typical "tin can" sounding mufflers. I definitely would not want that style of sound.
 
141
153
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Arizona
Did the Magnaflow mufflers change the tone or sound of your exhaust at all? I would ideally like to get rid of most of the current rasp the exhaust has, but I don't want to change the tone of the current exhaust. For example, Flowmasters have the typical "tin can" sounding mufflers. I definitely would not want that style of sound.
I did not notice much, if any, tone change. Deeper idle maybe but at WOT it was about the same, just quieter and less rasp. They are straight through mufflers with a perforated core and packing so they should never cause that Flowmaster sound. They did decrease the rasp a significant amount.
 
I did not notice much, if any, tone change. Deeper idle maybe but at WOT it was about the same, just quieter and less rasp. They are straight through mufflers with a perforated core and packing so they should never cause that Flowmaster sound. They did decrease the rasp a significant amount.
That's exactly what I'm looking for. I might just pick up a set of these and see how they sound mounted to the OTA pipes. Thanks for the feedback!
 
675
253
Resonators will probably fix your problem. Borla also makes round resonators in various lengths (not everything they have is listed on their site). The other thing I will say is that the Corsas might be part of the problem - they typically have a higher pitch than I prefer. If the resonators don't help enough, try Borla S Type axlebacks or even Tourings - both are deep sounding and shouldn't have any rasp with your setup.
 
Resonators will probably fix your problem. Borla also makes round resonators in various lengths (not everything they have is listed on their site). The other thing I will say is that the Corsas might be part of the problem - they typically have a higher pitch than I prefer. If the resonators don't help enough, try Borla S Type axlebacks or even Tourings - both are deep sounding and shouldn't have any rasp with your setup.
Gotcha. I actually do really like the Corsa Sport tone. You might be right on the rasp though, they could be adding to that problem. When I had my stock manifolds and high flow cats w/ x pipe, the Corsa Sports had a really deep tone with no rasp. Now with the added airflow of Kooks LTHs and Kooks midpipe, a lot of that rasp and ugly sound is there in the 2-3k range. The Corsa Sports could be a problem but I'd ideally like to start with resonators or mufflers welded to the OTA pipes since the car isn't currently insanely loud, just a little louder and raspier than I would like. I think resonators would fix the problem ultimately.

Thanks for the input!
 
675
253
Absolutely, good luck!

I went through various X and H pipe iterations with and without resonators on my GT350R last year to try to knock a little of the edge off the sound. I had some 10" Borla round resonators on a H pipe that really sounded deep and awesome but I ended up going back to a X pipe with short 6" resonators I found on Amazon because the 350s really sound unique with an X (which I don't care for on most Coyotes). It was a fun science experiment for me, to be honest!
 
Absolutely, good luck!

I went through various X and H pipe iterations with and without resonators on my GT350R last year to try to knock a little of the edge off the sound. I had some 10" Borla round resonators on a H pipe that really sounded deep and awesome but I ended up going back to a X pipe with short 6" resonators I found on Amazon because the 350s really sound unique with an X (which I don't care for on most Coyotes). It was a fun science experiment for me, to be honest!
I am right there with you, I don't care for x pipes on the 5.0s at all. But I bet it sounds great on the 5.2! Jealous of that GT350R, I love seeing those around. Did you end up keeping all the other resonators and iteration pipes after you decided you didn't love them or did you sell them? I think it'd be fun to test a bunch of setups but don't want to blow $100s doing it lol.
 
675
253
I still have the H pipe with the Borlas (I sold everything else). Unfortunately they are 2.5" pipes so probably wouldn't do you much good because I assume yours are 3"?

The 350R exhaust is weird - it's 2.5" on the engine side of the factory X but 2.75 at the back side so I had the 6" resonators installed just aft of the new X and then slid 2.75" piping over the other end and had that pipe welded on. I absolutely LOVE my 350R but I also had a 2013 Laguna Seca for over 8 years and absolutely loved the engine and sound (stock exhaust with side pipes open and Borla S Type axlebacks - had tried GT500 mufflers, Tourings, then the S Types - absolute PERFECTION).
 
I still have the H pipe with the Borlas (I sold everything else). Unfortunately they are 2.5" pipes so probably wouldn't do you much good because I assume yours are 3"?

The 350R exhaust is weird - it's 2.5" on the engine side of the factory X but 2.75 at the back side so I had the 6" resonators installed just aft of the new X and then slid 2.75" piping over the other end and had that pipe welded on. I absolutely LOVE my 350R but I also had a 2013 Laguna Seca for over 8 years and absolutely loved the engine and sound (stock exhaust with side pipes open and Borla S Type axlebacks - had tried GT500 mufflers, Tourings, then the S Types - absolute PERFECTION).
I'm currently trying to find some forums that mention the size of the stock OTA pipes. I know the previous owner had a resonator delete pipe welded on but that's about all I know. I will probably just go under there and measure the pipe to make sure I order the right resonator size.

Hmmm, ya. That's strange sizing. A neighbor of mine has a school bus yellow 2013 LS and I drool over it every time he pulls it out of the garage lol. The 5.0s do sound really good with a proper exhaust setup, the problem is 90% of modified street driven 5.0s are straight piped and insanely annoying. Sounds like you have had a great collection of Mustangs! You should add them to your Vehicle Profiles on this forum, I'd love to check them out.
 
675
253
Heck, your cheapest/easiest bet might be to find some OE OTA pipes with the resonators still attached. Agree with you about hearing so many horrible sounding Coyotes. It's hard to get them to sound great - they definitely need an H pipe and some muffling. My Boss was maybe the best sounding car I have ever heard and my friend that bought it keeps telling me the same thing. It put down over 420whp on a 100 degree day with just a Steeda Boss specific CAI, the Borlas, and an AED datalogged tune. Was plenty fast for my needs!

Boss Side Profile 1.26.20 crop.jpg
 
Heck, your cheapest/easiest bet might be to find some OE OTA pipes with the resonators still attached. Agree with you about hearing so many horrible sounding Coyotes. It's hard to get them to sound great - they definitely need an H pipe and some muffling. My Boss was maybe the best sounding car I have ever heard and my friend that bought it keeps telling me the same thing. It put down over 420whp on a 100 degree day with just a Steeda Boss specific CAI, the Borlas, and an AED datalogged tune. Was plenty fast for my needs!

View attachment 69598
Oh dang, that’s pretty good! I like the wheels a lot. That was a good looking car. Borla exhaust systems do sound really good.

Hmmm, you might be onto something with just picking up a set of OE OTA pipes with the stock resonator. Do we know how restrictive the stock resonator is on power and torque? If it’s only 1-2 hp or something, I’d definitely do that. It probably isn’t too restrictive. But if it’s more, I’d be totally ok with picking up a set of Magnaflow mufflers or Vibrant resonators. But an OE set of OTA pipes might just be a really easy and pain-free solution!
 
675
253
Thank you! Lots of iterations of suspension, brakes, wheels, exhausts, etc on that car. Those are 20x10.5 Signature wheels at all 4 corners. Car later had Stoptech 6 piston brakes, 15" rotors, and Ferodo 2500 pads (absolutely fantastic setup).

It's been years so I could be wrong, but I believe that the OE OTAs don't lose you much, if any, hp. If you look at Lethal Performance, they don't even mention any increased hp for any of the 3 different OTA pipes they sell. I would probably try that route first (i.e. OE OTAs).
 
Thank you! Lots of iterations of suspension, brakes, wheels, exhausts, etc on that car. Those are 20x10.5 Signature wheels at all 4 corners. Car later had Stoptech 6 piston brakes, 15" rotors, and Ferodo 2500 pads (absolutely fantastic setup).

It's been years so I could be wrong, but I believe that the OE OTAs don't lose you much, if any, hp. If you look at Lethal Performance, they don't even mention any increased hp for any of the 3 different OTA pipes they sell. I would probably try that route first (i.e. OE OTAs).
Ah very nice. Usually I'm not a fan of 20" wheels but those looked great on the Boss. I am likely going to go 6 piston S550 brakes eventually.

I will definitely look into that, that's a great idea. I could probably find a used set local to me. Thanks for the advice! Cheers!
 
14
12
Exp. Type
Drag Strip
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
USA
I use these, Vibrant Ultra Quiet resonators, right off of the X. 1-7/8" --> 3" X --> Ultra Quiets --> Borla over axles --> GT500 axle back. It's very quiet, to the point of not waking the family on an early, cold start.
 
I use these, Vibrant Ultra Quiet resonators, right off of the X. 1-7/8" --> 3" X --> Ultra Quiets --> Borla over axles --> GT500 axle back. It's very quiet, to the point of not waking the family on an early, cold start.
Ahh very nice. How do you like the Ultra Quiets? Did you weld them onto the very beginning of the OTA pipes? Do they change the tone or sound of the exhaust at all or just the volume?
 

TMO Supporting Vendors

Top