Exhaust Sound

[RF Overlord]

Just picked up my 2003MM on Wednesday...love it so far but have a Q about the exhaust sound...mine seems very quiet, especially at idle after it's been warmed up. Seems to be missing the burble or rumble I was lead to believe it should have...or all they all pretty quiet? Makes some noise when I lean on it, but I thought it would be louder. Any comments would be appreciated... BTW, just waiting for the first oil change before I install the Reinhart chip...

[03 Merc]

Actually mine is a lot quieter than I expected as well. But that opinion is based on coming from a 01 Cobra Vert that made annoying noises sitting still..like pinging..much less the creaks and groans cornering.

I think we will see some good cat back system come out in the next few months from the aftermarket. Personally I intend to wait a bit before I begin modding just to see who does what as a system rather than piece parting a exhaust system together. A X-pipe and some good mufflers ought to help a lot...

[RF Overlord]

Thanks, 03 Merc...I was beginning to wonder if something was wrong!

BTW...the '72 LTD is a gorgeous car (a friend had one, but not a ragtop), right up there with the '69 Impala SS, one of my favorites. My summer ride is a '68 Buick GS Conv.

[Logan]

I'll have my car up on a lift on Tuesday. I'll take some pics of my custom made Magnaflow cat back with X Pipe...

[cutt]

mine was pretty quiet when it was new but has gotten a good sound to it now,1200 miles.

[warren]

I have 1900+ miles and it sounds louder, better and Just Right.

Question for DENNIS R.

Do you have a X member that is a Bolt On for us available through you and if sooooo....

How much $...?
What's it made out of...?
How big is it, ie. Dia. ...?
Who makes it...?
Why is it better...?

Thanks,

Warren B.

:D [B]

[Secrt.agent man]

It seems Borla makes many high quality cat back exaust for Ford vehicles. I'm sure they are cooking something up for the Marauder. I hope they can find a way to incorporate the package and still keep the stock tips. I'm sure the stock exaust will get louder once the car gets some miles on it as some owners have already mentioned. My mustang Bullitt had a decent rumble to begin with but after 5000 miles the exaust sound makes pedestrians swing around in fear whenever I come up on them.

[cyclone03]

This is funny now that I got mine.
The demo car I drove had about 600 miles on it,I drove mine just to check it out before I closed the deal and noticed it seemed quiter.
It seems almost silent at idle.........

[Marsha]

Mine now has 1700 miles on it and after 1500 my husband (who's hard of hearing) says it is definitely louder than when it was NEW!! I love the sound - low but menacing!!
Marsha:D

[bozobill]

I heard one of the factory touring cars at Sinclairs in St. Louis and knew immediately these 302 horses ARE too heavily muffled.

The morning after taking delivery, a pair of Series 40 Flowmasters made this BBB sound as good as it looks. At idle they are as quiet as the factory mufflers. Under load is when the fun begins. I took Wags for a spin and he thought they sounded great.

I didn't want to wait for Borla or Corsa to offer a CAT-back system but take precautions if you replace the stock mufflers. You'll need a custom shop to do it right.

Bill

[oxy2]

Rather than the loudness, my concern is the way it sounds. When I step on the gas, the increase in muffler noise does not match the acceleration. I call it a vacuum cleaner sound - it sounds like it's really roaring but in fact, it's accelerating much slower than the sound leads you to believe. My previous '99 Vette (standard) and SS both had sounds that more closely matched the acceleration.

[bozobill]

I'm not an expert in this field but here's my take on your experience:

If your Vette and SS had manual transmissions, the drive train was essentially in a lockup condition in that the ONLY part of the drive train that would allow slippage is the clutch. Under heavy acceleration you wouldn't hear the rpm curve out of sync with the rate of acceleration. But... in an automatic transmission, the attempt is to allow smooth rampups to and thru each gear. In the case of the MM the experience you have is expected since the factors of weight, grippy tires, and the 3.55:1 ring and pinion ratio forces the transmission to "clutch" the engine hp and rpm's and allow sufficient internal slippage so that nothing snaps. It essentially absorbs the engine output during a hard standing start. Once inertia is overcome and rpm's are above 3500 the drive train creates the kind of mechanical advantage over the transmission and what you hear is what you get.

[Logan]

What you're hearing is the difference between a a DOHC engine and a SOHC engine. DOHC engines have more of a whine to them than a SOHC engine does...

[MAD-3R]

I'm not an expert in this field but here's my take on your experience:

Not an expert my butt!. Go go Mr. Wizard!:)

Someday I will have that kind of knowledge.

[oxy2]

Thanks, bozobill. I understand why the vette sounded better (the Impala was automatic). However, with all the noise that Mercury makes in its advertising about the 'growl' of a V-8 engine, I would have expected a better sound.

[oxy2]

Thanks, for the reply. I understand why the vette sounded better (the Impala was automatic). However, with all the noise that Mercury makes in its advertising about the 'growl' of a V-8 engine, I would have expected a better sound. I, for one, was dissapointed with the sound. Doesn't mean that Mercury can't make it better.

[Ray Snyder]

I was not happy with my SS till I put a Borla cat back on it, that and the Arizona Spead and Marine cold air package made a big difference. The I capped it off with a Hypertech power programer, and it became what I wanted in the first place.

I expect to have to do the same things to my MM03.