After months of staring at my headers in the garage, I finally made an appointment with Tillman Speed for installation and dyno tuning. Chris Rose was very attentive and answered all of my questions before I made the leap of faith. I get nervous when having others work on my car, so the fact that CR made me feel at ease is significant. I always try to do work that's within the scope of my abilities, but work demands made that an impossibility. Plus the little fact of me not owning a dyno, or having the years of experience

I brought my own headers and H pipe, and Tillman supplied the tuner, header gaskets & bolts, etc, and labor. They were done in two days, and my wife drove me over the bridge to pick up the car. Let's just say when I fired her up for the first time (the car, not my wife ) I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face! The smile just got bigger and bigger on the way back to New Jersey. The throttle response and sound is just incredible!!! CR said he will post the dyno graphs here for everyone to check out. My butt dyno says OMFG!!!

My only beef with the setup is that after driving it to work on Thursday, I think it's just too dang raspy for my taste. See the video below. I usually prefer a deep rumble, and now there's just too much snap, crackle, and pop. This is MY fault, as I started with the JBA axlebacks and just added the rest of the components, hoping they would sing in harmony together I don't mind the noise itself, I wouldn't have gone with this setup if I did. I'm just looking for something that's a little deeper. Even with this in mind, I was still on cloud nine...



...until I washed my car this afternoon. I guess I hadn't walked behind it since picking it up, but the driver's side muffler is loose as hell I jacked up the car for a closer look and to try and fix it. Unfortunately, after messing with it for about 20 minutes, I realized there is nothing I can do without digging into the entire system. The hangers are in place just fine. It appears that everything was tightened up before slipping on the muffler. The JBA axleback piping is pinched, so the flange cannot slip over the round nut on the pipe that runs over the axle...

So, I'm going to take this as an omen, make the most of the situation, and order a new set of axlebacks - something a bit more on the tame side. I'll order a set today, and leave the car on jackstands until they arrive. Ingenious how I find ways to buy new parts, isn't it?

Overall, I am happy and pleased with my Tillman experience. Of course, I'm a little bummed that after paying someone to do the work for me, I still had to get dirty. But, they are an honest shop that takes the time to talk to the customer and NEVER upsells unnecessarily. That is worth so much more in my book compared to a loose muffler.

I would definitely take my Mustang back for more work based on CR's customer service alone, and just hope that they'll do a better "final inspection" before handing me the keys. It won't be long until I'll get the mod itch again

Here are the vids:

http://media.putfile.com/JBA-longtub...-JBA-axlebacks

http://media.putfile.com/Loose-JBA

EDIT: added pics

 

I got your raspy fix. It's called "Magnaflows". I was running GTA's and thought they were great until I did longtubes and then it was You can hear the difference here.
Scott http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showthread.php?t=466783

 

That's a pretty lame final inspection IMO and your muffler tips are sticking out way too far.

Your car sounds GREAT!

 

Thanks Scott, that thread alone sold me I had a Magnaflow catback on my Nissan Titan, and loved it except for some drone at highway speeds. I know this won't be an issue with the Mustang!

 

CR did the tune on my car. Did a great job on it.

 

I agree, the tune is AMAZING. It's like a different car compared to when I dropped it off!

 

Are these the right ones?

http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/s...ne=AMML&id=843

Or these?

http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/s...ne=AMML&id=855

 

Did they install the axleback? Also the jba's tend to have that rasp!

 

No, the original installation was done last year. The tips have always protruded, but were always straight and did not move. The hangers are in the correct locations and secured.

Yeah, the rasp was very subtle with the stock H and headers. Now it's just too much BTW, these components were my selection, not a recommendation by CR or Tillman, so they had no control over if I liked the note or not . I had the axlebacks first, and just completed the set.

 

Congrats on the install bro!

 

Hey Penguin, glad you like the tune. CR did my car and the power, torque, pull, and throttle response I now have is AMAZING!!!

 

http://www.tillman-speed.com/boards/...TMJLTLTORH.bmp

^Dyno Sheet

Thanks for all of the great replies.

Matt, Not quite sure about the axle back issue. I'll ask my tech about it, but if anything like that ever comes up, feel free to stop by and we'll take care of it for sure! I know we only unbolted the H pipe, and the over the axle pipes and axle backs were left alone. Anythings possible, though!

CR
Tillman Speed, Inc.
www.TillmanSpeed.com
610-497-5776

 

I've had my Magnaflow catbacks for almost two years and really enjoy the sound. They do have some drone though esp at low rpm's - 2,000 or so. Nice low growl at idle and meaty at WOT.

 

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the quick reply! It seems like the entire driver's side piping is just a bit off, which is causing the muffler to hang cockeyed. I'm pretty type-A about this car (less than 2,000 miles driven in one year of ownership ) and wash it weekly, so I am certain it was straight previously. I'm guessing that adding pieces to the exhaust system could cause this even without removing the mufflers, especially since you had issues with header fitment (darn JBAs!)

Based on what I saw yesterday, I do not think I could install the Magnaflows by myself without loosening the rest of the system. So I bolted everything back up, and hoping you can help. Do you all have Magnaflows in stock? How about an empty appointment slot on Thursday? I have the day off

I'll give you a call shortly.

 

I have JBA mufflers also and that seems to be the way that they are designed; to stick that far out at the rear. Mine are the same. That will probably change in the very near future though

 

Cool... everything's squared away. We may be doing magnaflow axlebacks this week, and we'll make sure everything looks good while we're under there.

Graypny, cut us some slack, lol. When my tech did the install, everything went smooth, and the over the axle pipes and axle backs weren't ever loosened, except where they mate the H pipe. It's possible something could have been thrown off, but its rare. Either way, we're not responsible for the way the tips stick out, but if something got knocked loose during the install, we'll take care of it as mentioned above.

The headers, motor mounts, intake, tune, everything else satisfied the customers needs.

When the magnaflows get put on, I think he'll be ecstatic!

CR

 

CR is right. The JBAs just stick out that far. Love it or hate it, that's just the way they are.

Someone's gotta be that rare occurrence - I guess this was our time! Oh well....

BTW - I inadvertantly threw a wrench into the mix...this morning, I bought the Magnaflows online as a surprise for Matt! So we have the parts, just need install.

I guess I just ruined the surprise to boot!

 

My cars are basically my children and I treat them better than most folks treat their children. Weekly washes (whether I drive them or not) along with monthly waxing and oil changes every 3 months (which amounts to 500 miles or less) are just the basic perks these cars receive... None of my vehicles have ever been to any shopping establishment and I'd notice a dent from 200 yards away. There's no eating in, near, or around the car. No pets, no children, no sharp objects, no smoking, etc... Basically, my standards are absurd and I'm humble enough to recognize it as a problem.

So, I'm far more picky than the average consumer. For example, I had suspension components installed months ago (not at Tillman, but an unnamed shop) because I simply never had enough time to do it. However, I decided that I didn't like the way everything felt when I got it back and since I physically didn't do it myself, it could not be trusted in any way. As a result, I tore everything apart and re-did it myself. Now I've got everything at the proper torq specs, with the proper kind of grease for each style of bushing, etc and it rides perfectly. I just can't leave well enough alone because I've very OCD about my cars and I have serious trust issues.

At the end of the day, I'm very pleased with my experience with Tillman Speed and I would recommend them to anyone looking for some work on their Mustang. If they're good enough for me, they are good enough for ANYONE!

 

Like to get your feedback on the prothane motor mounts - could be my next mod depending on how much NVH it adds to the drivetrain.

 

^^^ I haven't noticed any adverse effects regarding the Prothane mounts. The only NVH in my entire car is the stupid louvers creaking/squeeking when the outside temperature is lower (which may actually be panels in the back... I have yet to crawl back there while someone is driving so I could find the noise.