Borla Exhaust

bludmon

New Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2022
Messages
6
Reaction score
4
Hi everyone. My 2003 Mustang GT I just bought has a Borla exhaust and it sounds great--until you get on it. The tone gets real raspy and obnoxious. I would like to get some resonators to change the tone but I have no idea which ones I should get. When I am at a stop sign I like the fact that it has a louder idle and if I get the wrong type of resonator I'm afraid that's going to go away. It is a catback exhaust with an x pipe. If anyone has an idea on what I can do to make the sound better when I get on it but yet still be loud at idle I would really appreciate some input. Thank you!
 

tinnocker

Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2021
Messages
153
Reaction score
71
I have the same exhaust and it is basically a glass pack and it is loud. It is a straight pipe perforated with holes and surrounded by fiberglass. No loss of horsepower with this design. I have ordered a Flowmaster Force II cat back which is supposed to be the quietest Flowmaster mufflers. Looking for it to be delivered this week. The Borla was my second choice and I finally picked it when I waited 2 months on the backordered Flowmaster. I can't answer your specific question but you need to get your car on a rack and see if you have room for anything that you buy.
 

joemomma

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2020
Messages
1,225
Reaction score
733
The x pipe is the likely culprit of the rasp. They are known to typically give a more raspy note versus the H pipe. I will say that it is hard to beat the sound of the 2V with Flowmasters. On my '99 I just had Flowmasters welded in place of the stock mufflers and nothing else done, and it was one of the best sounding Mustangs I've owned. If you've got a decent exhaust shop around, get friendly with them. They might have some used mufflers they'd weld in for you and let you try some different things out.

Edit to add: completely different engine, but I bought my '94 with Flowmasters and gutted cats with stock H. Way too loud for me. Changed them out for Borla Pro XS and it's perfect.
 

badass98svt

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
4,114
Reaction score
1,800
Do you have an off-road X? Or is there cats on there.
 

tinnocker

Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2021
Messages
153
Reaction score
71
Also, if you cut your old Borla mufflers off, be sure to see how the inlet and outlet are positioned as far as centered or offset, when you buy your new mufflers. Some mufflers will flow only in one direction.
 

badass98svt

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Messages
4,114
Reaction score
1,800
Also, if you cut your old Borla mufflers off, be sure to see how the inlet and outlet are positioned as far as centered or offset, when you buy your new mufflers. Some mufflers will flow only in one direction.

It's a 2003 GT so offset/offset.
 

RAU03MACH

Legend
Joined
Apr 23, 2019
Messages
6,717
Reaction score
6,510
Location
NEW MEXICO
if your looking to get rid of crackle and pop
dump that get a 40 series flowmaster nice deep tone
 
OP
OP
bludmon

bludmon

New Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2022
Messages
6
Reaction score
4
if your looking to get rid of crackle and pop
dump that get a 40 series flowmaster nice deep tone
It doesn't really crackle and pop. It is just really loud when you just tap the gas. It will really get the attention of the cops in a small town. LOL! As I said I like it loud but I really would like it to have a better tone. I have Flowmaster 40's on my 85 GT but they just are not loud enough. They do have a good tone to them though.
 

ttocs

Post Whore
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
32,386
Reaction score
5,557
Location
Evansville Indiana
I thought resonators added some rasp myself. I have an X and it was raspy until I put the trickflow heads/cam on it and then it went away.
 

Snorky

Active Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2022
Messages
810
Reaction score
671
Add cats. It will quiet it down. Or swap the off road X for an off road prochamber. That would smooth it out a lot.

And what is your definition of good loud. Are ypu an aftermarket catback on a stock mid pipe kind of guy?
 

Mc4

New Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2021
Messages
7
Reaction score
8
I can't really comment on the "rasp", but I read a fairly extensive magazine comparison of H-Pipes and X-Pipes some time back. The one thing I remember from the article was the statement that EVERY X-Pipe was quieter than any of the H-Pipes. Also, I agree with the guy who recommended Magnaflow mufflers. I had three chamber Flowmasters (the "quieter" ones). I hated the drone. They died and my local Brake King (great place) recommended the Magnaflows. Still a good sound, but less to no drone.
 

lwarrior1016

Mr. Secondary Timing Chain
Staff
Joined
Sep 22, 2014
Messages
8,481
Reaction score
4,233
Location
South Mississippi
Hooker Max flow mufflers are what gets my vote every time now. No drone, somewhat soft idle, and loud when you’re hard on the throttle.


After having h and x pipes on my car, with various different mufflers, I’ll say the x has been louder and raspier than the h.
 
OP
OP
bludmon

bludmon

New Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2022
Messages
6
Reaction score
4
I can't really comment on the "rasp", but I read a fairly extensive magazine comparison of H-Pipes and X-Pipes some time back. The one thing I remember from the article was the statement that EVERY X-Pipe was quieter than any of the H-Pipes. Also, I agree with the guy who recommended Magnaflow mufflers. I had three chamber Flowmasters (the "quieter" ones). I hated the drone. They died and my local Brake King (great place) recommended the Magnaflows. Still a good sound, but less to no drone.
So from what I'm hearing I would be better off getting rid of the Borla mufflers and replace them with Magnaflow ones? I don't have cats and I'm not sure if I should get high flow ones or just leave it and replace the mufflers. I don't want to tear the whole exhaust off if I don't have too.
 

J_lope82

Active Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2021
Messages
957
Reaction score
775
Location
South Texas
I would say you will be ok with magnaflow mufflers and no cats. If you still want quieter install the cats.
 
OP
OP
bludmon

bludmon

New Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2022
Messages
6
Reaction score
4
I would say you will be ok with magnaflow mufflers and no cats. If you still want quieter install the cats.
THANK YOU so much for your help! Do people frown on the Borla mufflers? Because I'm only going to change the muffler and not the entire pipe
 

J_lope82

Active Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2021
Messages
957
Reaction score
775
Location
South Texas
Most people do like borla exhaust. I like them. If I picked borla I would go with their proxs or the xr-1. I think their mustang specific exhaust system comes with only resonators. The ones with just resonators are the loudest. Maybe someone that has more experience with borla can add to this.
 

tinnocker

Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2021
Messages
153
Reaction score
71
My Borla cat backs are just oval stainless steel glass packs, a straight thru design with a perforated pipe surrounded by fiberglass. It has no baffles so it doesn't cut horsepower any more than straight pipes and no muffler at all. Just a little too loud for my taste. I have experienced no drone.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
77,435
Messages
1,502,125
Members
14,918
Latest member
Diabolic2010

Members online

Top