SteelTownStang

I’ve own numerous vehicles, to include cars, truck, and motocycles(race & dirt), and have modified almost all of their exhaust set-ups. So my 07 Stang would be no exception. I’ve only had this car for 5 months and I’m already on my second exhaust. As I’ve reported throughout this forum, I truly loved my Flowmaster A/Ts and I’ll miss them. They had a deep throaty tone with minimal drone. The 4" rolled stainless tips looked awesome and the aluminized painted black mufflers were stealthy. The only real negative was that they were not loud enough. Although the CAI helped, there really was no other way to increase volume without removing the cats which was not an option for me.... So, upon careful consideration, I elected to go with FRPP/Stingers (M-52305-GT) and report the following:

INSTALLATION: A PIA! It took approximately 40 minuted to installed the Flows and nearly 4 hours to install the Stingers. As mentioned, I have had some experience with this subject... A simple bolt-on they were not. I could not get the Ford supplied clamps tight enough. I even snapped one of them and nearly took my eye out as they were tempered steel and scattered in my face. WARNING: Wear eye protection! So, as most can relate, there is nothing worse than having to go get parts in the middle of a project. Off to Ford I go, and of course they don’t stock the clamps AND they cost $28.00 a piece... that's American money. I needed a clamp, wasn’t going to wait, and definitely wasn’t paying $28.00- so off to Home Depot I go to buy an array of various bolts to modify the broken clamp. Nothing worked as I either broke or stripped 9 bolts. I could go on and on, but this day was not going well. Ultimately, I had some extra Flowmaster clamps, that I didn’t like with the Flows, but they did the job and I was able to seal the connections. Aligning the tips were a nightmare as well. Yes, I loosen up the H-pipe and bent the mufflers brackets. Also, the notch in the connection pipes were not aligned properly and my tips stick out about 1 1/4" further than the Flows. I will probably AGAIN remove them and cut the notches out further so that I can slip the pips over more giving the tips a cleaner look with the rear bumper. Sorry so long on this topic, but I wished that someone would have reported these issued earlier.

SOUND: From 1-10. Stock=2, Flows=5, Stingers=7 in all comparison, to included idle, acceleration, WOT, and cruising. Sure the Stingers are louder and they do sound awesome, but if the Flows were equal in volume they’d sound better(I’d love to hear Leo’s set-up with the O/R pipe in person). The Stingers do have a lower deeper rumble and the burble when down shifting puts a smile on your face. But that smile turns into a frown when you hit the drone zone. OMG, sometimes it will hit a pitch that is indescribable. I love loud, but this is a beast indeed. Fortunately, with a 5-speed, you can shift out of the drone(1800-2000 rpm), but I now understand why those with autos may have some difficulties. Don’t get me wrong. I do like them and I’ll probably keep them, but I was a little disappointed as I thought the Stingers were waaay better than the Flows and they’re not.

APPEARANCE: They definitely look better than the Flows. The slanted tips match the lines of the rear valance better... as soon as I push them back some(Has anyone else had this problem...? Maybe they’re designed to stick out further, however, TocaBill’s set-up looks flush with the bumper). The tips also look more polished and brighter. I like that the "mufflers" are concealed and that you can only see the tips. The T-304 stainless steel is a plus as well.

PERFORMANCE: Very negligible. I maybe noticed very, very minimal hp/tq gains from Stock vs. Flow, but no difference from the Flows vs. Stingers as they cancelled each other out. I wasn't expecting anything so not an issue.


CONCLUSION: Overall, I like them... Not exactly what I had expected, but pleased nonetheless. I wanted loud, and they are loud. It really gets everyone’s attention. They do sound a lot better on the outside than the inside. Very deep, low, and throaty tone. It may not be faster, but it sounds faster.

LEO_06GT

Sorry to hear that Steeltown. If you want to hear my car in person just come on down to San Diego.

94tbird

seriosuly took you 4 hours? i got mine done in 35 minutes. the only thing i did easier back there was the SLP's i had on previously. mine bolted up and tightened with no issue. maybe you got a bad clamp or two

Chip

I have the FRPP stingers as well and they do stick out rather far! When I installed mine I had to remove the clamps from my stock mufflers (so I have 2 clamps on each) to get them to seal! They do sound great though IMO.

blkstang06

Hey ! Steel sounds like your having fun! Instead of making the notch larger on the axleback! Grind that frickin aliment pin off the pipe! that what I did ! It makes adjusting, and depth setting of the axleback much easier!! Steel I'm on my third set of Axlebacks! Bassinis = drone!, SLP's = drone! and GTA's no drone! but they won't scare the neighbors and make little kids wet their pants !

94tbird

mine dont stick out that far at all. just loosen the clamps on the mid pipe to over axel pipe and adjsutments are made as easy as cake

neil07gt

It's early, but so far, the quote of the year!

Mongoose

Hey Bird apparently you knew what you were doing. Congratulation on a good install.

Poco

As I mentioned in a PM cutting the slot was a PIA but the expanded section of the pipe doesn't seems to be way short.If this section of the pipe were expanded longer in length the unit might slip in further and not hang out quite so much.If you still have your Flows you may want to measure that section for comparison.I'd sure like to know your findings.

blkstang06 had the right idea about grinding that stupid alignment pin off.I took a file and knocked it off,took about 10 minutes with a rat nasty rail file.

SteelTownStang

Apparently

SteelTownStang

With all of the running around to Ford and Home Depot, yes. I only wish that I had Mongoose around with his areospace technology to assist and provide technical data on why the Ford clamps broke under extreme torque in attempts to properly seal the connections... or maybe he could have done my running around . Good idea Scott on cutting the nubs on the over axle pipes

NJJOE

SteelTownStang: Sorry to hear about install issues. I am sure you will like the Stingers in the long run, I am looking forward to getting the Flows from you and getting them on the car. Of course with the weather, they may have to wait until spring...maybe...you know how it is when you get a new mod, just have to get it done! Good luck!!

neil07gt

sometimes things just snap. I had borla on my transam and the head to one of their bolts just snapped right off as if it were made of cheap diecast.

metroplex

How loud is the drone at 1800-2000 RPM from the interior? Would you say it can cause hearing damage/loss over time?

Is this drone very audible from the outside?

Someone I know has a GT with the Bassani's (not the race mufflers) and they sound friggin AWESOME (off-road x-pipe) upon startup and when he gets on the throttle. I can hear it from about 1/2 mile away standing outside.


I'd buy the FRPP 5GT's / Stingers just to try out IF they were sold at a more reasonable price like $250-$300. I remember the time when you could pick up a set of SS mufflers for $200-$300. With the high demand of the 05-up GTs, all of a sudden the axle-backs are $400-$800 a pair.

SteelTownStang

I would say that it's not loud enough to cause hearing loss, but it can be annoying. Hopefully they'll levels out some with time. As mentioned, they do sound awesome, however, if the drone spooks you, then I'd recommend going with Flows which are within your reasonable price range

metroplex

On the contrary, I would love to have drone since I can keep the engine at 1800-2000 RPM with the manual transmission. However, if the drone is loud enough to cause hearing loss for the occupants, then that may be a problem.

neil07gt

I don't think the drone will cause hearing damage, because I can still hear my creaking seat and my creaking clutch after having my stingers for 6 months now.

Ranger

Think your review is right on. Had the standard Magnaflows and they were good like your Flows but not loud enough to suit me. Regarding the post on drone outside the car - don't think it is an issue. Extremely pleased with them. Went thru a similar issue when installing the Magnaflows and had them put on for $40....old age is hell

TacoBill

I know you mentioned that you loosened the mid-pipe clamps, but try that again and have someone push the tips in (if you want the ends closer to the bumper), then re-tighten the clamps.

Also, if you're trying to tighten the over-axle clamps without first loosening the mid-pipe clamps, you may be experiencing some preload, which is preventing you from getting a good seal (on the over-axle clamps).

SteelTownStang

Thanks Bill. I'll try your approach first before attempting to cut the notches deeper or cutting the alignment pins off. What you said about the pre-load makes sense, but the supplied clamps simply did not close tight enough to compress the pipes... They absolutely could not get any tighter and you could still slide the axle backs out... . I actually destroyed both of them due to over-tightening(one by hand and one with an impact wrench). I ended up going with different clamps and they worked fine on the first attempt.