exhaust noise thread- updated with video results

[wareaglescott]

I recently hit 1000 miles on my build. The only complaint I have at this point is the noise level. After 20+ years of exposure to jet engines and another 20+ to go before I retire my hearing faces enough threats at work. After 40 years of flying jets my father had very poor hearing so I am sensitive to that and try to protect mine as much as I can. Initially as I was go carting the build I was in the phase of this thing is so awesome I don't care how loud it is. I must say at the 1000 mile point I am over that and the noise level does diminish my enjoyment of the total experience just a bit. (It is still freaking awesome of course! Just could be a little more enjoyable if it was quieter.) I do drive with ear plugs now.
My current setup is the FFR coyote headers, J pipes and polished exhaust.

I decided to pursue a quieter option and have ordered another set of pipes and the flowmaster slimline mufflers. The pipes are currently being cut and welded. I purchased a decibel meter to do a little before and after testing. Below is a short video of the original pipes on startup and under a few revs. My wife took the video standing next to the car with the meter in the approximate position of the passengers ears. The peak level was 110db and that was sitting still and I revved the motor to 5000 rpm. The noise level chart I am using for reference indicates at 112 db you experience hearing damage after 1 minute of exposure. Now of course I have ear plugs in so that is helping but still the noise in motion under a hard acceleration seems much louder.

I plan to make a series of measurements with my current pipes and then with the pipes with the mufflers built in and report back in this thread with some data. Once the new pipes are fabricated I have to take them to get ceramic coated which the vendor tells me they will need about 3 weeks. With that being said it will probably be at least 4-6 weeks before I present more data. My data is only as good as the meter I am using to measure with but it should be constant from one set of pipes to the next. Data won't be perfect but should be meaningful anyways to see the change.

I wanted to start this thread and see if other people were interested in contributing with their exhaust setup and noise levels. I purchased the decibel meter or amazon for $20. There are also some free iPhone apps that you could use for free. Would be interested to know what kind of noise levels other setups offer.

If anyone is willing please contribute with any data and video or audio clips. I will report back when I have more information. Maybe this thread can be useful in the future to someone trying to decide what kind of pipes to go with. Video below:

https://youtu.be/Cv3jevyEkig

[MisterAdam]

I just installed the flowmasters and love them. WORD OF CAUTION....THEY ARE DIRECTIONAL. If you get them (or one) backwards it is not a big deal....not optimum if you are on the track. anyway, they sound great! cruising you can carry on a conversation yet they still bark when you accelerate plus they only get warm to the touch. The wind buffeting at speed is more of a nuisance so i wear Decibulz protection. you won't regret these pipes

[KDubU]

I would have to agree the pipes from FF have a bark and to me seem noticeably louder than the Gas-N's I have on. Not to say they are not loud but definitely a softer tone and deep rumble. I am already deaf in my right ear so am careful around everything loud and always wear hearing protection for grass cutting, chainsaw, etc. I have found the Gas-N's mild compared to the equipment I run around the house. The slimline are a good option and am wondering how they compare to the Gas-N's? I know Bob on the other forum did this testing already running a 347 I believe and he has a dunk so really got good numbers and comparisons. He went the slimline route too.

[wareaglescott]

Adam, thank you for mentioning the directional aspect. The guy doing them for me is extremely sharp and has already done his own so Im sure he is on it.

Kyle any chance you could supply any data on the Gas-N's?

[Gumball]

I, too, just purchased a set of the Gas-N pipes. I haven't installed them, though, as I'm still working on a couple other de-bugging issues on my car.... all this after two years on the road and 8,100 miles.

A couple things I noticed about the FFR pipes: 1) They became louder over time as stuff burned / corroded out, with a noticeable sharp tone under high load; and 2) they rusted out from the inside.

The Gas-N won't rust, that's for sure. I had mine ceramic coated in satin black to keep the old-school look. Pics and video when done.

[KDubU]

Adam, thank you for mentioning the directional aspect. The guy doing them for me is extremely sharp and has already done his own so Im sure he is on it.

Kyle any chance you could supply any data on the Gas-N's?

Scott, I'll see if I can find anything. I think Bob wanted someone to volunteer their Gas-N's for testing but don't know if anyone did. I can say I have had mine up to 105 and the pipes are not an issue but as you stated wind is.

[cfriedman67]

Has anyone tried the Breeze Quite pipes? How do they compare. I rarely see them mentioned. I am not at that stage of the build yet but realized I will like some thing a little quieter. Scott, you had mentioned that besides purchasing the slim lines you also purchased a new set of pipes. Are those from F5? is that because you do not want to cut up your old ones?

[David Hodgkins]

I have CATS and GAS'N pipes and am extremely happy. The BRAP sound of the FFR pipes is gone and the overall sound is much better.

I have the CATS - which replace the j-pipes - mostly for sound. They do help.

YMMV,

:)

EDIT: If choosing this route, You should invest in the breeze exhaust wedges. Pricey, but they allow you to put the passenger pipe exactly where it needs to be:

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=56775&d=1469637881

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=56776&d=1469637882

:)

[wareaglescott]

Has anyone tried the Breeze Quite pipes? How do they compare. I rarely see them mentioned. I am not at that stage of the build yet but realized I will like some thing a little quieter. Scott, you had mentioned that besides purchasing the slim lines you also purchased a new set of pipes. Are those from F5? is that because you do not want to cut up your old ones?

Yes i purchased the new ones from FFR. The bare pipes were originally $475. I had a $250 gift certificate for winning picture of the month so that made them quite cheap. The guy welding them from me lives in Texas so I just had them shipped there and am paying him to send them to me when he is done. Ultimately it was cheaper considering shipping and total cost to just go this way. Plus possibly I can sell my polished pipes or have them as a backup.

[Gromit]

also you might want to consider pointing the outlet down at a 45 deg. to the ground. sound is directional and having it reflect of the ground might help some. learned this from my stock car days when the track's started doing sound bans. having the open pipe facing the outside wall was louder then when we pointed it down. I wouldn't go full 90 deg down because I like to see the opening. just an other thought. wondering has anyone done that test on a roadster.
Chris AKA Gromit

[Dave Howard]

Scott,

I purchased the Gas-N pipes as part of my build primarily as they are known to be a little quieter. And, they truly are a polished work of art.

Ear plugs are a MUST when driving above 50 MPH for any duration. At highway speeds, the wind buffeting and road noise from other traffic (like tractor-trailer units) will drive you nuts. Add to that the odd high rev pass of slow traffic and your ears are ringing in no time. It would be interesting to have your Mrs. measure the sound level at high way speeds at various RPM.

I am a firm believer in custom ear plugs from an Audiologist not the cheap foam plugs from Home Depot. There is a profound difference.

[GoDadGo]

You all have me really concerned regarding how loud my car will be with the stock Factory Five Stainless Steel Pipes because I'm loud right now with my Temporary Go-Kart Mufflers. I have been hoping that it will quiet down once the pipes are in place.

I may see about getting Spintech to make a pair of mufflers that come off the headers instead of fabricating J-Pipes after reading this thread.

https://youtu.be/BcsVu80VG5k

"Ugggg!" said Charlie Brown as Lucy pulls that football away!

Steve

[Toy4me]

Another vote here for the Gas N pipes. I had the FF pipes on mine and at normal speed they are loud. Under hard acceleration they are very loud. The Gas N pipes when driving normally are there but not ear splitting. I have driven mine for a couple of hours and am fine. Under hard acceleration they do get a bit noisy but that is what I like about them.

[cfriedman67]

Thanks. Can't wait to hear what the new ones sound like.

[bobl]

Here's a link to the youtube video I made. It's not great quality and pretty boring, but informative to those interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZJ1oi9jJxc

I've got over 3000 miles now and still really like the flowmasters. No one ever came forward with any other pipes to test. I spoke to the folks at Gas N while at LCS. That is a very nice product. If and when I build another Roadster I'll go with their headers and sidepipes.

[ram_g]

I had a set of the FFR pipes and then switched to the Breeze Quiet Pipes. I do not have a db measurement but the Breeze pipes are noticeably quieter and more civilized. I feel it was money well spent.

BTW the Breeze pipes are indeed angled downward at the outlets vs the FFR pipes which were straight out sideways.

[wareaglescott]

Here's a link to the youtube video I made. It's not great quality and pretty boring, but informative to those interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZJ1oi9jJxc

I've got over 3000 miles now and still really like the flowmasters. No one ever came forward with any other pipes to test. I spoke to the folks at Gas N while at LCS. That is a very nice product. If and when I build another Roadster I'll go with their headers and sidepipes.

This is great. Thanks Bob

[CobraboyDR]

Those Breeze pipes look and sound very similar to the pipes on my SPF.

I had a Classic Roadster before with a 351w with glass packs in the side pipes and the noise got to be very tiring and annoying after the "awesome" stage passed.

The SPF had a 520+hp FE and the pipes were baffled, an option at the time. The sound was much more mellow at idle and cruise but would scream at WOT. Much more enjoyable experience.

I'm not a fan of glass packs on anything.

[edwardb]

Monitored sound pressure levels while driving the Roadster about 30 miles today down and back to a small cars and coffee that meets each Saturday AM at a local business. Well known for some pretty exotic cars that show up. Parked one car away from a beautiful original 289. But I digress... My Roadster has a Coyote, GP Headers straight tube headers, and GAS-N side pipes. Nothing super scientific. I had my iPhone with the app resting on the transmission cover. The impression of the car while driving is that it's not loud (at least IMO) at cruise. Yet the app was showing 100db pretty consistently. Mildly aggressive acceleration would put it into the 110 - 115db range. Both higher than I expected. Two takeaways for me: (1) No doubt the kind of engine and sidepipes makes a difference in sound, but these open top cars are a noisy environment no matter what. Wind noise, traffic, plus the sound of the car itself. Engine, exhaust, tires, etc. (2) Ear protection has to be mandatory. We do as a matter of course (Etymotic ER20's) but sometimes I'll get in a hurry or take someone for a ride and leave them out. Need to stop doing that.

[wareaglescott]

Did some additional sound recording today on our drive.
The first video was a moderate acceleration from a stop through first and second gears up to about 50mph. Peak noise level was about 110db.

https://youtu.be/EODCP5eWyPM

The second video is cruising at 60mph in 5th gear at 1900-2000 rpm. That was about 96db. Probably as much from the wind noise as the actual exhaust noise. Pretty easy to converse at this level.

https://youtu.be/labpRrukJYk

[2bking]

WORD OF CAUTION....THEY ARE DIRECTIONAL. If you get them (or one) backwards it is not a big deal....not optimum if you are on the track.
Here is ome more info on Flowmaster Slimlines if you are planning to install them. I was curious as to the direction because mine were not marked so I asked Flowmaster and got this response:

"It does not matter of the direction, but if you want to keep them the same, using a tape measure, measure the depth of each side, the shortest gets used on the inlet."

When I measured mine, there was less than one inch of difference when measuring to the ends of the cones and the insides look identical from one end to the other so they are somewhat symmetrical.

[wareaglescott]

Thanks for posting that King. Good info!

[wallace18]

I have installed the Breeze Quiet pipes on a 347 and a 427 MK4. Very happy with both. You can hear the radio and have a conversation at cruz but they still sound awesome when you drop the hammer.

[GoDadGo]

Hey Gang,

Have Any Of You Installed Dynomax Vortex Cone Inserts?

https://www.summitracing.com/search/brand/dynatech/product-line/dynatech-vortex-insert-cones?SortBy=Default&SortOrder=Ascending

They come in various sizes and looks like they could be installed at the end of our side pipes.

Steve

[Avalanche325]

Some guys out there have tried various cones, zoomies, etc. I think they all cost HP without a lot of sound attenuation. I did the spiral inserts. It just made me sound like a really loud buzzy tractor. That is where the Flowmasters pay off. No HP loss, great sound and much quieter.
My car was so loud, you could not have a conversation AT IDLE. Even a 5 minute drive required earplugs. Now I can cruise around town without earplugs. I still use them on the highway.

[SingleMaltWSKY]

I'm in the middle of a coupe build and I'm pretty much sold on the Flowmasters. The "Coolshell" tech on it looks decent as well. Question, has anyone installed small resonators or other small mufflers before the sidepipe/under the hood? If so, how did that work out?

[Kyle @ Forma]

Scott, you hit 1000 miles within two months of the car being street legal? I must say, I'm impressed! Good luck with the exhaust, in for results.

[wareaglescott]

Scott, you hit 1000 miles within two months of the car being street legal? I must say, I'm impressed! Good luck with the exhaust, in for results.

Thanks Kyle. I try to drive it every day I am not flying. Really enjoy it and am blessed to live in a rural area with a ton of country roads that are great from driving. I have multiple 30-50 mile routes I enjoy going out on. Did almost 100 miles yesterday. Up to 1150 now :)

Did get an update that my muffled pipes have been fabricated and will be arriving in the big brown truck Friday. Next Wednesday will be my next chance to work on the car. Plan to test fit them and fire the car up prior to sending them in for ceramic coating. Hope to post some sound results late next week.

[Richard Oben]

Very late to this thread but we did several of the low bak mufflers before the Flowmaster was available. Mostly on stroked 351 cars that were un bearable at anything but idle. All the customers were/are very happy with them. No dyne comparisons but we felt no down side. We did order the LONG ones and modified the FFR pipes so we only kept about half of the collector and about half of the turn out, which we turned down and lengthened to cover the rear body bolts. They were a lot of work. Gas N did not exist and I have no experience with them but have heard nothing but good about them. Just trying to give options. JMHO, Richard.

[MisterAdam]

I am with you scott. Drive mine every sunny day and also am blessed with many new england back roads. I do about 1000 a month. Though i have to say for a fast car it gets me nowhere quickly. My 20 mile 30 minute commute turns into 50 miles and 90 minutes. Love every second of it

[cobrajj]

I bought these sidepipe inserts from Jeff at Whitbys--a vendor on the forum. After grinding a bit off the welds, they slide right into the perforated central tube, then drill a hole to secure the insert with a bolt. Easy to remove if needed. I also had tried a spiral auger , but found the sound tractor like. This insert has reduced the volume enough that I don't set off car alarms anymore. It may have lost some HP , but I feel it's worth the noise reduction. My engine is a stock 89 5.0 with BBK headers. I think I paid about $100. for the pair, a couple of years ago. Jim

7085170852

[bobl]

Here's a short video from an IPhone of my Cobra making a 40-120 mph run. You can hear what the Slimlines sound like. I started in second and shifted at 6500. I let off some when I put it in forth gear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMDmiItny9w

Bob

[srobinsonx2]

Man Bob. That is cool. I have ridden in Bob's car. The slimline's sound awesome and you truly can carry on a conversation. I have the Gas-N pipes. I think the slimlines are a little quieter. Plus they are cool even after a spirited run and you won't burn your leg. Trust me, the Gas-N will get hot. A guy I know, has a friend that might have heard of a knuckle head that burned his leg on some Gas-N pipes. Not that I would do something like that. :rolleyes:

By the way, Bob's car will flat out move not to mention it is beautiful

[wareaglescott]

I completed my conversion to the new pipes with the flow master slimlines welded in. I did some more videos today with the decibel meter.
The overall impression of the flow master upgrade is very favorable. The substantial difference is at cruise speed. It is quite easy to carry on a normal conversation. The sound is much more enjoyable. During hard acceleration the noise is still there but does not seem as harsh. Basically it is quiet when you want it to be and sounds mean when you want it to be.
Very happy with this upgrade and would definitely recommend it.

I made a movie with all the clips spliced together and the DB information.
https://youtu.be/_BsQtkuzJdE

[srobinsonx2]

The narrated video is great. And your new set up sounds great. Nice work.

[2bking]

Good Work! Could you put together some decibel readings of similar configurations such as idle, different RPMs, crusing etc. for comparing the Flow Masters and the original FFR pipes? I know it's all here in the thread but it would be less confusing to have it documented in one place.

[wareaglescott]

Yep King here are some numbers. I will say this is a very unscientific sampling. I tried to have my camera girl wife hold the device at passenger ear level for the recordings from outside the car. There is likely some inaccuracy in the readings from before to after but in general they should provide somewhat useful data. Also I made some additional readings after that I did not specifically take before so won't have a comparison number for them.

Startup and Idle inside garage:
Before - 101 After - 98

Startup and idle at various rpms outside:
Before idle - 98 After idle - 86

roughly 3000-5000rpmm:
Before: 105 After - 101

Max observed on high rpm rev while sitting still:
Before - 110 After - 109

Hard acceleration through 1st and 2nd from a stop:
Before - 109 After - 109

Not tested before, numbers with the new pipes:
idle from inside car - 86
Cruise 40 mph, 3rd gear, 2200 rpm - 86
Cruise 50mph, 5th gear, 1600 rpm - 91
Cruise 65mph, 5th gear, 2000 rpm - 95 (I believe the 50 and 65 speeds it is more wind noise than engine noise)

the peak noise under hard acceleration is still about the same. Does not seem as harsh on the pitch though. Previously that was painful to the ears, now it is really loud but not painful.
The biggest difference I notice is at normal cruising speeds as I previously mentioned.

[wareaglescott]

Well quick update. Turns out I had some cracked J-pipes due to the mounting. I have now corrected that and the sound seems even quieter now. I think I was getting extra noise from the J-pipe fractures.
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=71933&d=1502126949

I am going to take some additional sound readings and will update the results.
Here is a quick sound clip with no decibel readings:
https://youtu.be/AYNReloa3Xc

[Ni¢]

I have the Breeze quiet pipes. I had them since I first got the engine going so i can say how much quieter they are. You can easily have a conversation while driving plus they sound great. I mainly bought because I didn't want complaints from the neighbors.

[RJD]

I have the Breeze quiet pipes. I had them since I first got the engine going so i can say how much quieter they are. You can easily have a conversation while driving plus they sound great. I mainly bought because I didn't want complaints from the neighbors.

Hi Nic.

By Breeze quiet pipes, do you mean the Gas N Performance ones offered by Breeze. I''m trying to decide which pipes to get and haven't had any luck finding the Breeze Quiet Pipes. Thanks for the help.

-RJD

[Blue Classic]

Hi Nic, I have had Quiet Pipes on my Roadster for years and love them. They emit a deep solid sound while allowing my wife and I to actually have a conversation on the highway. The wielding, alignment, fit and finish of the Pipes are outstanding.

Quiet Pipes were developed and produced by Boig Motor Sports. They can be reach at: 781-424-0882.

Craig

[mcondos]

Got a chance to hear Gas N's and Boig Quietpipes side by side a couple weeks ago. The GasN's, as others said, are mellower than the FFRs, quieter but a little too loud for me. The Quietpipes were noticeably quieter, still had nice muscular sound. I ordered the quietpipes last week....
I did contemplate the Flowmaster 30" mod, but in vids they seem a little too loud to me (yeah I'm old and my ears are already messed up-trying to salvage what I have left).

[MisterAdam]

FYE: the current ffr pipes are baffled instead of using packing.

[DavidW]

FFR pipes are loud. At first once I started driving I didn't mind it and saw all the post about the loud exhaust and wondered what all the fuss was about. After a while the noise got to me, especially on long drives. I ended up getting some ear plugs, my son wears ear muffs. I may change my exhaust in the future but I need a good comparison to hear the difference and that might take a while.

[Boig Motorsports]

Quietpipes have always been manufactured by Boig Motorsports. Yes, Breeze Automotive was a dealer for Quietpipes, but Boig Motorsports brought all sales in house last year. If you wish more info on Quietpipes, go to boigmotorsports.com. We are also an advertiser on this forum.

[Blue Classic]

Quiet Pipes the way to go. They have been tested and they last.

I have been down this road looking to save what little hearing I have left. Just like so many of you the stock FFR pipes grew louder over time and the neighbors complained. I did the research on the Slimline Flow Master pipes. Buying a set had them installed and they were louder than the original FFR pipes.
When I bought the Boig Motorsport Quiet Pipes there is an immediate change in the noise level. A mellow deep sound that still lets you know there is something special under the hood but you can hit the throttle wide open and still have a conversation. Well that’s if your passenger can still talk while holding on. At cruising speeds the mellow sound levels back to the mellow deep sound, but at a level where you can talk.

You can’t beat these pipes in any fashion, from design, workmanship, noise level and over all quality.
Look up some of my older post for test results.

[Randy's]

I have not yet received my complete kit from FF but I know the pipes will be too loud. I have been reading about the options available to make them not so loud and it seems like there are quite a few; everything from spiral/cone inserts to completely replacing them with with Gas-N pipes. It seems the cone/spiral inserts are not that effective. The Gas-N pipes are great but I just don't want to spend the money, especially since I just paid for the polished stainless pipe upgrade on my FF kit (too late to change that). So I am looking for the best way to modify the FF pipes. Are the Flowmasters referenced above inserts? If not, does Flowmaster make an insert? I recall reading that someone cut their FF pipes, put a Flowmaster (or maybe another brand) muffler inside then, rather than welding it back together, they used a stainless band clamp. Then the clamp was "hidden" by their heat shields Has anyone ever done anything similar? If so, can you please share what you did and the results?

[Papa]

Hi Nic.

By Breeze quiet pipes, do you mean the Gas N Performance ones offered by Breeze. I''m trying to decide which pipes to get and haven't had any luck finding the Breeze Quiet Pipes. Thanks for the help.

-RJD

Boig makes a product called "Quietpipes". Check the vendor link page for a link to his site.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?22547-Boig-Motorsport-Announces-Its-New-Quiet-Pipes-Side-Pipe-Kits!

[RickP]

Hi Nic.

By Breeze quiet pipes, do you mean the Gas N Performance ones offered by Breeze. I''m trying to decide which pipes to get and haven't had any luck finding the Breeze Quiet Pipes. Thanks for the help.

-RJD

Quiet pipes are from Boig Motorsports (I think Mark at Breeze used to offer them).

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?22547-Boig-Motorsport-Announces-Its-New-Quiet-Pipes-Side-Pipe-Kits!

[RickP]

Boig makes a product called "Quietpipes". Check the vendor link page for a link to his site.
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?22547-Boig-Motorsport-Announces-Its-New-Quiet-Pipes-Side-Pipe-Kits!

I couldn't have worded it any better myself! :cool:

[Alley Oop]

I like the decibel level and sound of the Boig pipes. I am losing my hearing but I prefer to lose it slowly.
The decibel level was my only big concern with the roadster, all the other shortcomings, (I've researched the roadster 85 ways to Sunday over the last few years) are a minor in my opinion.
Thanks again for all of the feedback guys.