If any of you are on the fence about getting the Manaflow catted X or cat-back, then let me assure you that the quality and fitment is well above average. Before you rank me as just another Magnaflow Fanboy, let me explain....
I am the eternal skeptic. That sometimes stretches my descision making process to the fullest extent of sensibility and good taste
Anyway, I mulled over an exhaust descision for a few months and finally the price vs reported quality and sound of Manaflows got the best of me. I would have rather seen and heard them in person, but no one I knew of locally had one.
I decided to be the guinea pig. Glad I did.
I ordered the catted x and cat-back from Full-Line. Damn good price, shipped 3 day Fed-Ex from the factoryin CA to TN, and were packed VERY well.
For time constraint reasons, I decided to forego having my friend come over today and help me install everything. I took it to Performance Exhaust in Newport (Thanks Jason and Dennis) as I knew I could trust them with my car. They custom make exhaust for all the local street rodders, but won't hesitate to bend some tubing for someone who walks in and needs something for a Saturday project. Sorry, I had to put in a plug for Performance Exhaust. It's just damn nice to have a good experience with a friendly home-town shop that also knows their **** for a change.
They even let me pitch in and help some which was cool! And didn't charge me much at all...As a matter of fact, I tacked on to the bill just so my conscience wouldn't keep me awake tonight....
Anyway, with the car being on a lift and since they had all the tools readily available, the complete install including switching 2 pairs of O2 sensors took only 45 minutes. The fitment as I said earlier is top notch. Probably 10-15 minutes was spent measuring and adjusting the tailpipes within the cutouts, so those guys pretty much hung the whole system in about 30 minutes flat.
According to Jason, it was because the Magnaflows are so well designed as a kit. He said when he saw a Mustang pull up, he was really dreading the install. He did an install of an off-road H and catback a couple of weeks ago, and couldn't get the tailpipes to line up. I guessed the manufacterer first time (who will remain nameless at this point) as I have onwned one of their cat-backs and swore I never would again. I have owned most of the brands on other cars, and I must say that initially, the Magnaflows are leaps and bounds ahead on quality. Who knows at this point how they will hold up. Only time will tell, but the fact that they are stainless and have a lifetime warranty is comforting.
What about the all important sound? It's ridiculous to try to tell you what it sounds like, or even if it sounds good as this is such a subjective thing....BUT what I can say is that it fit the qualifications I was after 100%. I wanted something reasonably qiet at idle that screams at WOT. I also wanted a different sound than Brand X that everyone runs on EVERYTHING in East TN.
KACHING! Totally pleased with the sound.
As for the finish....nice. Polished 3 1/2" tips that are adjustable. That way you have no excuse for running around with one tailpipe slightly longer than the other. That's one of my pet peeves...sorry. Anal retentive I know, but I was scarred for life from experiences with the "nameless" brand.
Oh, and the nice Magnaflow etching on the tips are a nice addition.
What about SOTP gains? Sorry, I'll have to report back later. It has rained here all day....and with the sound, its all psychological as it just feels faster.
To sum up all the pros on a scale of 1 to 10:
1.) Price (for stainless) - 10
2.) Quality - 9
3.) Fitment - 9
4.) Finish - 10
5.) Sound (my tastes) 10
And to be fair and objective, there are a couple of VERY minor things to critique.
1.) The tips. They are adjustable, polished and fill out the 99+ cutouts very nicely, but I feel like they could have benefitted from a slightly more aggresive angle cut. They look almost like a straight cut from a certain angle even though they are not. As a matter of fact, my wife has been goading me all evening with "ricer-fart-tip...hahahaha" She doesn't really mean it though as she already wants the Magnaflow cat-back for the R/T. Gotta love her
2.) The smell. Yeah, I know...all new exhaust stinks....but this stench is likened to what I would imagine a 14th century "house of ill-repute" plagued with rampant STDs would smell like.
I have put about 40 miles on it. Anyone know how long this should last?
3.) Sound. It's perfect for me, but probably won't be what everyone is after. If you want louder or something for a non-daily driver, then get the Magnapacks or off-road x. But if you want something a little more stealth, it should work for you.
Thats about it. I wish I had taken some digital pics, but the last couple of days have been event packed and my wife had taken it to a friends graduation.
If anyone is interested, I can post some pics of the tailpipes and maybe some under the car shots after I clean her up tomorrow if the weather holds.
Sorry for the lengthy post, but I just wanted to offer my take on the Magnaflow products for those who like me were on the fence...
Take care all,
I am the eternal skeptic. That sometimes stretches my descision making process to the fullest extent of sensibility and good taste
Anyway, I mulled over an exhaust descision for a few months and finally the price vs reported quality and sound of Manaflows got the best of me. I would have rather seen and heard them in person, but no one I knew of locally had one.
I decided to be the guinea pig. Glad I did.
I ordered the catted x and cat-back from Full-Line. Damn good price, shipped 3 day Fed-Ex from the factoryin CA to TN, and were packed VERY well.
For time constraint reasons, I decided to forego having my friend come over today and help me install everything. I took it to Performance Exhaust in Newport (Thanks Jason and Dennis) as I knew I could trust them with my car. They custom make exhaust for all the local street rodders, but won't hesitate to bend some tubing for someone who walks in and needs something for a Saturday project. Sorry, I had to put in a plug for Performance Exhaust. It's just damn nice to have a good experience with a friendly home-town shop that also knows their **** for a change.
They even let me pitch in and help some which was cool! And didn't charge me much at all...As a matter of fact, I tacked on to the bill just so my conscience wouldn't keep me awake tonight....
Anyway, with the car being on a lift and since they had all the tools readily available, the complete install including switching 2 pairs of O2 sensors took only 45 minutes. The fitment as I said earlier is top notch. Probably 10-15 minutes was spent measuring and adjusting the tailpipes within the cutouts, so those guys pretty much hung the whole system in about 30 minutes flat.
According to Jason, it was because the Magnaflows are so well designed as a kit. He said when he saw a Mustang pull up, he was really dreading the install. He did an install of an off-road H and catback a couple of weeks ago, and couldn't get the tailpipes to line up. I guessed the manufacterer first time (who will remain nameless at this point) as I have onwned one of their cat-backs and swore I never would again. I have owned most of the brands on other cars, and I must say that initially, the Magnaflows are leaps and bounds ahead on quality. Who knows at this point how they will hold up. Only time will tell, but the fact that they are stainless and have a lifetime warranty is comforting.
What about the all important sound? It's ridiculous to try to tell you what it sounds like, or even if it sounds good as this is such a subjective thing....BUT what I can say is that it fit the qualifications I was after 100%. I wanted something reasonably qiet at idle that screams at WOT. I also wanted a different sound than Brand X that everyone runs on EVERYTHING in East TN.
KACHING! Totally pleased with the sound.
As for the finish....nice. Polished 3 1/2" tips that are adjustable. That way you have no excuse for running around with one tailpipe slightly longer than the other. That's one of my pet peeves...sorry. Anal retentive I know, but I was scarred for life from experiences with the "nameless" brand.
Oh, and the nice Magnaflow etching on the tips are a nice addition.
What about SOTP gains? Sorry, I'll have to report back later. It has rained here all day....and with the sound, its all psychological as it just feels faster.
To sum up all the pros on a scale of 1 to 10:
1.) Price (for stainless) - 10
2.) Quality - 9
3.) Fitment - 9
4.) Finish - 10
5.) Sound (my tastes) 10
And to be fair and objective, there are a couple of VERY minor things to critique.
1.) The tips. They are adjustable, polished and fill out the 99+ cutouts very nicely, but I feel like they could have benefitted from a slightly more aggresive angle cut. They look almost like a straight cut from a certain angle even though they are not. As a matter of fact, my wife has been goading me all evening with "ricer-fart-tip...hahahaha" She doesn't really mean it though as she already wants the Magnaflow cat-back for the R/T. Gotta love her
2.) The smell. Yeah, I know...all new exhaust stinks....but this stench is likened to what I would imagine a 14th century "house of ill-repute" plagued with rampant STDs would smell like.
I have put about 40 miles on it. Anyone know how long this should last?
3.) Sound. It's perfect for me, but probably won't be what everyone is after. If you want louder or something for a non-daily driver, then get the Magnapacks or off-road x. But if you want something a little more stealth, it should work for you.
Thats about it. I wish I had taken some digital pics, but the last couple of days have been event packed and my wife had taken it to a friends graduation.
If anyone is interested, I can post some pics of the tailpipes and maybe some under the car shots after I clean her up tomorrow if the weather holds.
Sorry for the lengthy post, but I just wanted to offer my take on the Magnaflow products for those who like me were on the fence...
Take care all,
