Hell. I have a 2010 Ford Mustang V8 manual transmission. I love the car but sometimes I wish it was louder. It’s all stock. I know you recommend not changing the exhaust in any car. Are there any exceptions to this such as for a mustang like mine? Also, I live in California. Thank you .
Realize living in California you have very stringent emissions laws changing the exhaust may make your car illegal to drive there
Thank you for your reply and input!!!
Your neighbors might not think it's such a great idea either.
That’s a good point!!
Just don't mess with the manifolds and cats and you'll be fine (as far as California is concerned). Changing the exhaust from the cat's back is not a big deal. Lot's of systems out there that offer better sound than stock. Popular bolt on Mustang V8 systems are Borla, Magnaflow, Flowmaster, Pypes. My personal preference when I had a '99 Mustang GT was Magnaflow. Audio clips on line are not very good to make a decision. Easiest way to hear a certain exhaust combo's is to hit some car shows and ask the people to fire 'em up. When I used to do a lot of car shows 8 years ago, I was always asked to startup my Camaro SS to let someone listen to my exhaust setup.
The biggest sound enhancer in V8's are long-tube headers with a nice free-flowing cat back. Not sure if there are any CARB certified long-tube headers for Mustang available, but you'd have to do some research to see if any exist and if you decide to go that route.
Thanks for all your suggestions and for your input!!! It’s much appreciated!!
I'm fairly certain that if the long tube headers have the proper 02 sensor mounting bung and the system is operational, you'll be OK for smog.
The biggest obstacle for long-tube headers in Cali is that CARB certification. I know people in forums that run non CARB cert'd headers in Cali and then go thru the work to put back to stock when it's smog time. The other options are shorty headers, they have the sound just not the big performance gains LT's give, but there are shorties that are CARB certified
Changing your mufflers alone will not cause a problem emissions, but be careful with your choice because if you go to loud you may attract the attention of your local police.
Thanks! That’s definitely something to keep in mind.
I'd recommend a little thinking, do you want your car to always be relatively loud, especially cruising on the highway, or do you want to have a semi-quiet ride? I replaced my 2017 V6's factory Ford mufflers with Roush axlebacks, and they sound pretty good. My distaste is for cruising on the highway, though. I didn't mess with the resonator, manifolds, etc. but the exhaust noise bugs me sometimes when I'm going over 70. I don't notice it in town going 45-50, because that's when the engine speed is slowest vs the speed of the car. Going 70 on the highway, the RPMs are close to 2100 and it can be annoying hearing that hum sometimes.
There is a benefit to modded exhaust in the Midwest that doesn't get much credit. It gets deer out of your way in the middle of the night. Haha. Last week, I was driving home around midnight and there were 3 deer crossing a country road in front of me. I revved my engine in neutral and they took off running. I've had that exhaust noise save deer strikes a couple times that car.
Thank you for you input and for the information!!
Maybe you should consider an exhaust cutout - full blast when you play, quiet for regular driving.
https://www.summitracing.com/search/part-type/exhaust-cutouts
