Whats a good muffler to replace a borla muffler?
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From: Pasadena Tx
Whats a good muffler to replace a borla muffler? Want to keep the Borla cat back but the muffler has got to go. Has WAAAYYY too much rasp and bark and anything over 1/4 throttle, around 2200 rpms in the city, it sounds like ***. The more throttle I hit, the more raspy shitty sounding it gets. THis is with OR-Y and a cam. Got the biggest hole plate in the right pipe. Whats a GOOD sounding muffler with no rasp(glass pack sound) thats not going to restrict HP? Most of the exhaust comes out the right pipe any way but the muffler has got to go. THinking maybe a magna-flow or dyno max. Any ideas? Also need tips for ground clearance. Car is lowered and the y-pipe clamps and y pipe seem to drag EVERYTHING. Gonna get it on the lift and see it the whole system can come up but I don't think it will. It gets high centered on EVERY driveway anywhere, definetly not a good setup. Its not the headers, its the pipe and clamps. Gonna 86 the clamps but not sure if thats enough. Any ideas on this also? Don't say change springs.lol
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From: I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S
About the best two mufflers I've heard (and others have recommended) with an ORY set-up are either the Hooker or SLP Dual/Dual cat-back systems...The rasp is very minimal with them and they actually sound pretty good without cats for the most part...The Magnaflow actually sounded very raspy to me without the cats (a little better than the Borla, but still not good IMO)...Although nothing will sound quite as "deep & clean" (rasp-less) than a catted Y set-up. 
But I personally think it would be a lot easier to just sell your current Borla cat-back and replace it with either one of the two I mentioned...They're also very cheap (Hooker new & Dual/Dual used) FYI. Or ditch the cat-back & Y set-up all together for an X w/ true duals (which don't sound raspy or crappy without cats).
Mike
But I personally think it would be a lot easier to just sell your current Borla cat-back and replace it with either one of the two I mentioned...They're also very cheap (Hooker new & Dual/Dual used) FYI. Or ditch the cat-back & Y set-up all together for an X w/ true duals (which don't sound raspy or crappy without cats).
Mike
I had a Magnaflow on my SS for about 700 miles and i loved it, you may not though, its raspy too. Close to same design, it has a "U" shaped peice of metal right at the inlet pipe so half of the exhaust is sent right back out not even going through the muffler, which makes the right side pipe louder (like Borla). Mine really screamed at 2200-2400 rpm. Sounded wicked to me!! If you want it quiet I say go with the Hooker, (quiet as a mouse)
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From: Pasadena Tx
Its not that I want it quiet, its that I want to kill some of the resonance/rasp at part throttle in the 2200-2400 rnage. No matter how light I am in the throttle, when it hits that range, it sounds like a loose piece of metal flapping around in the muffler. IT sounds like the old cherry bombs or glass packs on redneck pick up trucks. I like the borla catback's design with the straight through right side so I want to keep the cat back, not to mention the tips look awesome on the TA *** end, just need a GOOD flowing, non raspy muffler. What about a B&B muffler? I like the loudness at idle and would love it to be loud when driving but its the annoying dog barking in town I don't want. Sounds like a ricer with a coffee can on it. 
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From: I-L-L-I-N-O-I-S
I pipe is the "intermediate pipe." It's the peice that connects from the over the axle pipe all the way to your cat...Yes, you could put a Borla XR1 muffler in it which would help clean up the sound/tone (rasp wouldn't be nearly as bad). But like I said, the only sure fire way to get rid of ALL of it is to either use a CATTED Y pipe or ditch the ORY & Borla set-up for an X-pipe w/ true duals.
BTW, don't bother cutting up your Borla muffler to replace it with something else as it will probably be more trouble than its worth. Listen to me when I say the TWO best replacement mufflers/cat-backs that actually sound fairly good without cats are the Hooker & SLP Dual/Dual...You can find those cat-backs for cheap...
But if you "must" keep your Borla and like those tips, then either have the XR1 welded into the Y or replace your ORY with a catted one...
BTW, don't bother cutting up your Borla muffler to replace it with something else as it will probably be more trouble than its worth. Listen to me when I say the TWO best replacement mufflers/cat-backs that actually sound fairly good without cats are the Hooker & SLP Dual/Dual...You can find those cat-backs for cheap...
But if you "must" keep your Borla and like those tips, then either have the XR1 welded into the Y or replace your ORY with a catted one...
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[QUOTE=Vortech5300]ddelatta, whats the I pipe? that where the flange and plates are? or just the muffler with the 1 in, 2 out? any pics? So it has no rasp and bark now? I'm interested.[/QUOTE
I-PIPE = between the ORY and the over the axle tubing. Sorry I don't have any pics. Others have put a less expensive Dynomax bullet (~35-40 dlls) but it doesn't fully eliminate the rasp and once the internal packing burns off the rasp comes back. The Borla XR-1's packing will never burn out because it is stainless steel wool. My cars floorboard had to be hammered in just a tad to get it to fit but that wasn't a real issue for me. The hump left by the hammering will be on the rear passenger side seat next to the tunnel.
I-PIPE = between the ORY and the over the axle tubing. Sorry I don't have any pics. Others have put a less expensive Dynomax bullet (~35-40 dlls) but it doesn't fully eliminate the rasp and once the internal packing burns off the rasp comes back. The Borla XR-1's packing will never burn out because it is stainless steel wool. My cars floorboard had to be hammered in just a tad to get it to fit but that wasn't a real issue for me. The hump left by the hammering will be on the rear passenger side seat next to the tunnel.
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Thread Starter
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From: Pasadena Tx
DDelatta, so you are using the Borla XR1 bullet muffler in the I pipe in conjunction with the regular borla muffler? So you guys think its the OR-Y thats causing the raspy,barking glass pack sound and not the muffler itself? Do you think having that bullet muffler in line also will restrict the exhaust flow? Does the car still sound good or is it quiet now? The reason I want to keep the borla is because I like the straight through design with the flanged right tail pipe, I also like the tips on the rear of a TA. I don't want to restrict the exhaust at all, 546hp don't like restriction, its already restricted enough running through a single 3".
A friend had a borla cat back in a 5.0 years ago and it was VERY raspy like mine, he swapped the mufflers to flowmasters and the raspy/glassy sound was gone. I was thinking it was a characteristic of the muffler. I could find someone local who may have the plates to the borla, that would be a cheap try. A buddy has the same setup but with a QTP valve in Borla flange and he says his is still raspy, even when its closed forcing all exhaust through the muffler. Guess I will hit up the houston locals for some plates.
A friend had a borla cat back in a 5.0 years ago and it was VERY raspy like mine, he swapped the mufflers to flowmasters and the raspy/glassy sound was gone. I was thinking it was a characteristic of the muffler. I could find someone local who may have the plates to the borla, that would be a cheap try. A buddy has the same setup but with a QTP valve in Borla flange and he says his is still raspy, even when its closed forcing all exhaust through the muffler. Guess I will hit up the houston locals for some plates.
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From: Pasadena Tx
BTW my car is really low and I just had a muffler shop do some customizing to my TSP OR/Y to give me some clearance. Basically custom built the left side of the y and even added some pipe in some places to move the I pipe closer to the right floor as opposed to under the drive shaft. Not sure if I have room for a bullet muffler, especially if its 4" dia. Gonna search now. I really want to make this work. I really don't want true duals. Too much drone in the car. i don't necessarily want the car quiet, I just want it to sound clean, anything would help.
yes, in addition to the Borla in the back I have the Borla XR-1 in the I pipe. And now that you mention it, you will have to go a different route because the XR-1 is 5 inches wide and not 4 like the Dynomax. You won't have any room for the Borla. That's just too bad because this would have retained the straight-through flow that you were looking for. You can see from one end to the other with the XR-1 so there would have been no loss of power. Now about the block off plates..... having the cutout completely closed will eliminate the rasp but your car will just sound like a stocker again and you will lose some flow. post up if you have any more Q's
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Man thanks for the help. So I think maybe I will try to find a plate local from a board member. I remember in my 99 formula I had the middle size hole, it was like 2" hole in the plate and it still had some sound. This car has the 2 3/4" holed plate in it so maybe I could try going down a size. I was thinking it was the muffler making the noise/glass pack sound and not the Y pipe or exhaust itself so maybe I should just change plates. the thing is, my buddy with the same setup but with the elec. valve in the borla flange says it sounds like a stocker with the valve shut, but still get the rasp and resonance. If I could split it down the middle I would probably be happy. Or I could just live with the rasp. Its pretty bad though.
What do you think about leaving the big holed plate in so most of the exhaust comes out the right side and maybe a 3", 2 chamber flowmaster 40 series? That has no glass in it and may help, flows usually sound good.
What do you think about leaving the big holed plate in so most of the exhaust comes out the right side and maybe a 3", 2 chamber flowmaster 40 series? That has no glass in it and may help, flows usually sound good.
Originally Posted by Vortech5300
What do you think about leaving the big holed plate in so most of the exhaust comes out the right side and maybe a 3", 2 chamber flowmaster 40 series? That has no glass in it and may help, flows usually sound good.
Probably not a good idea since it's the sound that comes out of the cutout that sounds bad. If you had the plates you would notice that covering out the cutout eliminates the RASP.
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From: Pasadena Tx
Still have found no plates yet....Guess I will have to get a QTP cutout valve and put in there. You guys know if you can run the cutout valve half open or is it just open or closed?
You guys know if you can run the cutout valve half open or is it just open or closed? 
The QTP cutout can be ran open at any angle. Be prepared to send it back to QTP about every 9 months if you want it to work right and not mess with your ECM. That's what I do. I just shut it all the way or wide open.
If you don't have the money for an electric cutout, I know a lot of people on this board simply make borla plates themselves with tin and a header gasket as a template. Just a suggestion.
A Borla with the open plate and a Loudmouth (I had this one) will sound nearly the same on a LT's/ORY car. The rasp is generated somewhere upstream of the mufflers (ORY most likely). The muffler is not the problem.