Axle Back Questions and Deafening Cabin Noise

I guess I’ll save a thread and piggyback off this one.. I’m running long tubes, catless x and whatever factory mufflers came off the Shelby GTs (GT-As?).. it’s kind of shouty, good at low speeds but at WOT it’s not great.. I’d really just like it to be deeper, I had MACs on there after I went catless and they sounded good at idle but pretty overkill the rest of the time. Is the remedy for that the mid mounted resonators? I know the Pypes M80s get suggested a lot but couldn’t I just snag some cheap Magnaflow straight mufflers for the same purpose?

I’m waiting this stupid virus out first before I go throwing money at my weekend car, I also don’t want to just waste money if it won’t help the tone.

I have the Roush extreme on my Shelby GT. They were good when everything else was stock. When I went LT's and catless it was absolutely painful. We drove from Beaumont Texas to Gatlinburg Tennessee with 4.10 gears. I swear earplugs made it worse. I then installed the SVE axlebacks and it was back to near perfect. (Kept the front half of the Roush system) Was still fairly loud, but no drone. Fast forward 2 years and its back to intense drone at 55 mph under load. The stuffing is apparently gone in either the Roush mid-pipe or the axleback mufflers. Just FYI.

Forty61 said:

I guess I’ll save a thread and piggyback off this one.. I’m running long tubes, catless x and whatever factory mufflers came off the Shelby GTs (GT-As?).. it’s kind of shouty, good at low speeds but at WOT it’s not great.. I’d really just like it to be deeper, I had MACs on there after I went catless and they sounded good at idle but pretty overkill the rest of the time. Is the remedy for that the mid mounted resonators? I know the Pypes M80s get suggested a lot but couldn’t I just snag some cheap Magnaflow straight mufflers for the same purpose?

I’m waiting this stupid virus out first before I go throwing money at my weekend car, I also don’t want to just waste money if it won’t help the tone.

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Knowing that your running long tubes with catless x. I would highly recommend going with nothing other than Borla Touring axle-back or cat-back exhaust. I definitely would not recommend running any type of mid-mounted resonators that delete the axle-back mufflers, otherwise, your car is going to really sound way overkill above idle with your long tube and catless setup. Meanwhile, I would at first just try out the Borla Touring exhaust and if it's still too loud? you can always add some mid-mounted resonators later down the road. Also, the Borla Touring exhaust does produce a deeper exhaust tone over the Shelby GT GTA axle-back mufflers. That being said, I believe the Borla Touring exhaust would be best suited for your particular application and also provide the type of sound your searching for IMHO. As for Magnaflow straight mufflers? I had the Magnaflow street mufflers which droned horribly with my stock catted mid-pipe still in place. Therefore, I would not recommend Magnaflow either.

MrBhp said:

I have the Roush extreme on my Shelby GT. They were good when everything else was stock. When I went LT's and catless it was absolutely painful. We drove from Beaumont Texas to Gatlinburg Tennessee with 4.10 gears. I swear earplugs made it worse. I then installed the SVE axlebacks and it was back to near perfect. (Kept the front half of the Roush system) Was still fairly loud, but no drone. Fast forward 2 years and its back to intense drone at 55 mph under load. The stuffing is apparently gone in either the Roush mid-pipe or the axleback mufflers. Just FYI.

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The Roush extreme cat-back exhaust consists of just 2 high-flow mid-mount resonators that include axle-back delete pipes with polished tips that do not use any packing material at all. Therefore they'll end up as being way too loud with a long tube header setup and especially way too loud when running catless with the long tubes. Anyhow, more than likely it was from the packing material in the SVE axle-back mufflers wearing out that was responsible for causing your intense drone issues. At any rate, I also considered the Roush extreme cat-back exhaust and found out about the resonators not having packing material when I spoke to someone from Roush a couple of years ago. But in the end, I decided on the Borla ATAK axle-back exhaust over the Roush.

06 T-RED S/C GT said:

The Roush extreme cat-back exhaust consists of just 2 high-flow mid-mount resonators that include axle-back delete pipes with polished tips that do not use any packing material at all.

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Makes sense given their small diameter, they are only slightly larger than the pipe itself.

The cat-back piping is the same diameter as the stock OTA pipes at 2.5" The resonators are 3" in diameter which is only 1/2" larger over the exhaust pipes. So yes, they're only slightly larger just as you mentioned.

I'm hoping the new turbo tames the drone somewhat. That's what I told my wife anyway..... and the increase in gas mileage that I'm sure to see with the turbo setup. Going back to 3.55 gears. So the turbo really was a sensible purchase. So I tell the wife.

Drunkenturtles said:

I recently installed a Nxt Step performance axle-back on my stock 05 gt and I really like the low rumble and the way it sounds, but the cabin noise is deafening when cruising. it makes my mustang undrivable for long distances. When in gear at around 1500 - 2100 rpm the axle back makes the car resonate so loudly that it hurts my ears. I know it's supposed to be a loud exhaust, but being inside the car is louder than being right behind it- that just doesn't feel right.

Is there any practical way to reduce cabin noise? If not, I can return or sell the axle back as it's only one day old. Any recommendations for another axle-back that won't break the bank but sounds good and doesn't deafen my passengers?

Thx!

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So FWIW, a few years ago I bought some generic cat back off ebay mostly just for the over axle pipes, but it also came with a stinger-style axle back that I tried out just to see how it was. It was super loud and the drone was deafening. When I took it back off, I looked inside the mufflers...they were completely hollow, no packing at all. I have a sneaking suspicion you have the same "mufflers" on yours.

06 T-RED S/C GT said:

Other than the Roush extreme axle back aka high-flow resonator exhaust, Roush no longer offers a traditional axle-back muffler for the 2005-10 Mustang. The reason your Roush axle-back exhaust has zero drone, is they were re-designed for the 2011-present Coyote 5.0 models. The OP has the older 2005-09 4.6 3v and is therefore limited to either Corsa, Borla or Ford Performance exhaust systems or unless he considers going with the Roush extreme axle-back delete resonator exhaust or the Roush extreme cat-back exhaust which replaces the axle-back mufflers altogether with mid mounted high-flow resonators. Other than that, the OP really has no other options to choose from IMHO

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Yeah, I don't even know if they're still made for the '11-14; I got mine used from a member on here. Just saying they're a really good solution to something loud without being over the top and having really good tone. I'm sure you could find a set for the '05-09 around used if you look.

And isn't there a way to put the later S197 exhaust onto the '05-09?

Sky Render said:

Yeah, I don't even know if they're still made for the '11-14; I got mine used from a member on here. Just saying they're a really good solution to something loud without being over the top and having really good tone. I'm sure you could find a set for the '05-09 around used if you look.

And isn't there a way to put the later S197 exhaust onto the '05-09?

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That Roush Axel back sounds mighty fine. Loud, but Good grunt, little rasp, but I like my buddies. I have a pypes x-bomb on my s550. That system is LOUD, but exactly what I wanted lol...

Sky Render said:

And isn't there a way to put the later S197 exhaust onto the '05-09?

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I think so, if you switch to '11-14 over axle pipes or change the connection on the '11-14 axle backs.

However I'm not sure they will fit right...I think the tips are longer. I bought a Borla axle back for a 2010 GT off ebay a few years ago and it never really seemed to fit quite right, it always seemed to hang too low and the tips were too long. Bugged me enough that I swapped it out for an MBRP.

Sky Render said:

Yeah, I don't even know if they're still made for the '11-14; I got mine used from a member on here. Just saying they're a really good solution to something loud without being over the top and having really good tone. I'm sure you could find a set for the '05-09 around used if you look.

And isn't there a way to put the later S197 exhaust onto the '05-09?

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According to the Roush website, the axle-backs for the 11-14 Coyote models are still in production. IIRC the Roush axle back exhaust for the 05-09 models were both manufactured and later discontinued by Borla. Prior to the redesign for the 11-14 Coyote models, the Roush/Borla exhaust systems were also known for having drone issues. Therefore I would also avoid getting a pair of used Roush mufflers for the 05-09 models as well. As for a way of retrofitting the later S197 exhaust onto the 05-09? It could probably be done by an experienced speed shop, but would the cost of retrofitting be worth it? I honestly cant say, as it would definitely require retrofitting the 3" mid-pipe and OTA exhaust pipes from a 11-14 in place of the stock 2.5" exhaust of the older 05-09 cars, then on top of that, would the hanger rods on the 3" exhaust pipes line up with the hanger mounting locations or would they require modification in order to fit properly? Also as ghunt81 pointed out in his response, there's also the issue of the tips being longer due to the changes Ford made to the rear valance from 2009 to 2010. Just through his experience alone, he mentioned there were fitment issues with Borla axle back mufflers from a 2010 GT that didn't fit right which seemed to hang too low along with the tips being too long. That being said, I really don't think it would be worth all the trouble and hassle in attempting to retrofit the exhaust from the later 2010-14 S197 models onto the older 05-09 cars. Anyhow, just saying

ghunt81 said:

I think so, if you switch to '11-14 over axle pipes or change the connection on the '11-14 axle backs.

However I'm not sure they will fit right...I think the tips are longer. I bought a Borla axle back for a 2010 GT off ebay a few years ago and it never really seemed to fit quite right, it always seemed to hang too low and the tips were too long. Bugged me enough that I swapped it out for an MBRP.

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Exactly the same reason I decided against retrofitting the later S197 exhaust systems onto the older 05-09 cars.

Who makes the later Roush exhaust? I'm sure that same company makes an exhaust for the earlier S197.

500+ for the Roush axle backs for the 05-09 mustang, no thanks. Look at MBRP

I like my MBRP's...little loud inside the car but I also have longtubes and high flow cats (added small resonators last year which helped some), and they sound beastly. They were good on the stock setup though.

If your exhaust is too loud, you could always stick some cotton wool into your ears. It's a far cheaper solution than swapping axlebacks.

jewc75 said:

500+ for the Roush axle backs for the 05-09 mustang, no thanks. Look at MBRP

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They're not even true axle back mufflers. What your paying 500+ for are 2 high-flow resonators that replace the axle back mufflers mounted after the rear axle. That being said, most definitely, no thanks. I'd much rather pay the additional $124.00 for the Roush cat back exhaust that include high-flow resonators with axle back delete pipes.

Sky Render said:

Who makes the later Roush exhaust? I'm sure that same company makes an exhaust for the earlier S197.

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Very good question, as nobody seems to know lol.

Please read this old post of mine about fixing exhaust drone. I did it a long time ago on an 08 V6 with GT duals but it will work on ANY dual exhaust. Very easy and cheap, any muffler shop can do it in about an hour, or DIY if you are a welder. I found out about it from an old-timer hot rod chat room, and several people there verified that it works.

https://www.allfordmustangs.com/for...h/336870-v6-dual-exhaust-drone-fix-works.html

tabstang said:

Please read this old post of mine about fixing exhaust drone. I did it a long time ago on an 08 V6 with GT duals but it will work on ANY dual exhaust. Very easy and cheap, any muffler shop can do it in about an hour, or DIY if you are a welder. I found out about it from an old-timer hot rod chat room, and several people there verified that it works.

https://www.allfordmustangs.com/for...h/336870-v6-dual-exhaust-drone-fix-works.html

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I'll have to give that a try when I get back to the shop in Texas, which is 2600 miles away. Don't know how long that will take, with the Zombie19 apocalypse and all. Gonna load up the airsoft with lead pellets.

tabstang said:

Please read this old post of mine about fixing exhaust drone. I did it a long time ago on an 08 V6 with GT duals but it will work on ANY dual exhaust. Very easy and cheap, any muffler shop can do it in about an hour, or DIY if you are a welder. I found out about it from an old-timer hot rod chat room, and several people there verified that it works.

https://www.allfordmustangs.com/for...h/336870-v6-dual-exhaust-drone-fix-works.html

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Would you be able to post more images of the anti-drone split cross pipe? I'd like to see a closer look if possible.