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Thoughts on Active Exhaust


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I assume you're referring to the adjustable exhaust on the Mustang GT?

 

Mine has it, and yes, they are quite different.  Quiet mode is very quiet and you can set it to have quiet starts from times you specify (so you can start in quiet mode in the mornings to not wake people).  Track on the other end is very loud.  Normal and sport are obviously in between the two, but there's a noticeable difference between the 4 modes when you switch between them.

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I created my own version of an active exhaust on my 2018 F-150 with the 5.0L V8. The stock exhaust is probably very efficient but it is also very quiet. Too quiet for my taste. After all, one of the reasons I went with the V8 and not a V6 EcoBoost was because of the V8 sound.

Not long after I purchased the truck I replaced the factory exhaust with a Magnaflow stainless cat-back system. I had the same brand on my V8 Sport Trac and was extremely pleased with it on that vehicle. It had just the right tone and no ill effects. Not too loud and not too quiet. Just right. And, that system was on that vehicle for well over 150k trouble free miles.

The Magnaflow system as purchased for the F-150 consisted of a 3"ID straight pipe between the flange behind the cats and the oval shaped muffler with dual 2.5"ID tailpipes that exit in front of the passenger side rear tire. Very similar to the 2nd gen Lightning. I also think it looks much better than the single factory tailpipe.

However, that system was also way too loud IMO. So, I started by adding an aftermarket resonator. I kept replacing each resonator with a larger one but after three different resonators never really got the noise under control. The resonators I tried were located in front of the muffler in the same location as the factory resonator.  Unfortunately, none of those seemed to make much difference. The best I could get was to go back to the factory resonator but even that was still too loud. The real issue was an annoying interior drone at about 2000 rpm. The other problem was that the factory resonator has a more restrictive 2.5" ID while all of the aftermarket pieces had a 3"ID.

After watching several videos of vehicles with active exhaust, including the Mustang GT, I decided to try something similar, but slightly different, on my truck. What I did was to add an electric shut-off valve in one of the tailpipes. I can now regulate the sound level with a remote control. I can close the valve completely or have it partially or fully opened. With it fully closed all of the exhaust exits out the other 2.5"ID tailpipe and that works because this system uses a single muffler with dual outlets. I also went back to the largest of the aftermarket resonators which is a Magnaflow 3"ID x 6"OD x 14" long can with steel mesh packing, thus reducing the restriction that was added when I tried the 2.5"ID factory resonator. 

Problem solved. With valve closed there is no more interior drone and my neighbors are happy but with it open I can regulate just how much of that sweet V8 sound I want. ?

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On 7/21/2019 at 10:52 AM, akirby said:

That’s cool but doesn’t it hurt power when it’s closed?

Probably a little but I doubt it is any more restrictive than the factory system which had a 2.5"ID resonator as well as a 2.5"ID pipe between that and the muffler. Even with one of the tailpipes on this system closed I still have a 3"ID resonator before the muffler and one 2.5"ID tailpipe. When I push the button on the remote any restriction caused by the shut-off valve is gone and it gets much louder. I can also set the position of the valve anywhere between fully opened and fully closed. I also assume the Magnaflow muffler is less restrictive than the stock piece. I know for sure that it is a helluva lot lighter.

I assume you lose a little power on the Mustang GT system as well in whatever they call their quiet mode. The whole point of these systems is that you are not stuck with one sound. ?

Here's a short video so you can hear the difference. Disregard the fogging camera lens (LOL). It's not that much quieter outside the cab, especially at idle, but inside is much more tolerable than without the valve. Unfortunately, I don't have any videos yet of the interior sound level with the latest setup. Not sure how much difference you could tell anyway. What I do know is that it is now much easier to carry on a normal conversation with the valve closed.

 

 

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