ryan1112

Just letting everyone know that JBA released stainless axlebacks. They were debuted at Sema. I ordered a set that will be here on 11/22. I will have pictures and I will make a video.

I like my Bassani mufflers but I just wanted to try out JBA and give a review for everyone. I'll just keep the ones that I like the best.

It will be interesting to hear them with the x-pipe.

The stainless axlebacks are on JBA's site now. Check them out here.

pjdami

Where did you purchase the SS JBAs?

I just installed the aluminized version today on my '05 GT. I also have the Magnaflow axlebacks which I removed. I'm checking out different exhausts too in order to see what I like.

The JBAs seem mellower and quieter than the Magnaflows to my surprise. I've heard of a few JBA owners say that they will get a bit louder with time.

The JBA install went smoother than the Magnaflow. Everything lined up nicely. The 3.5 inch tips allow for more clearance around the bumper valence. The Magnaflow 4 inch tips you have to get just perfect in order to not touch the bumper and possibly melt it.

I also found that the JBA tips "stick out" about an inch more in the rear and actually clear the rear bumper whereas the Magnaflows were kind of 1/4 inch recessed into the bumper valence.

Just my luck that JBA comes out with the stainless version the same week I buy the aluminum ones!

ryan1112

Well, I got the JBAs in from AJUSA. They sound very good. Not as loud as the Bassanis. There is hardly any drone and when at operating temp there is none at all.
The only problem is that there is a rattle that seems to be coming from the passenger side. I think its because of the cheap little u bolt clamps that they give you rather than the nice band clamp that everyone else includes. I'm going to order some band clamps, slot the inlet pipe and clamp it down the way it should be. Hopefully this will solve the problem.
I will post some pics soon.

My Bassanis are for sale now. The passenger muffler is new because there was a defect in the original and I got it replaced and never used it. The driver side has about 300 miles on it and is it perfect condition.
$410 shipped.

Hatchman

I've been pretty happy with my alum. JBA's. Real mellow sound, and after 5k miles, they have gotten a tad louder, but still very mellow, deep, and nice and quiet and hardly any drone in the cabin.

This might change when I put on the Brenspeed H-pipe.

pjdami

Well I spent the first part of the week with the JBAs, switched back to the Magnaflows on Wednesday and put about a 100 more miles on the car until today. Swapped back to the JBAs this morning. I got to hear my sister's stock '05 GT exhaust at the Thanksgiving family get together.

Bottom line, I like the sound of the JBAs. The Magnaflow or JBA you can't go wrong with either if you are looking for more aggresive and deeper bass from the exhaust which I don't find video clips (or computer speakers) can accurately produce.

The JBAs are slightly more aggressive than the Magnaflow. About the same degree that the Magnaflow are more aggressive than stock. Like I said, you can't go wrong with either; more of a personal preference without being overly loud or annoying.

The Magnaflows have a little more drone than stock. More of a hum that you can hear. The JBAs have a little more drone than the Magnaflows but I like it! It only occurs somewhere right below 2,000 rpm but you can speed up or downshift to get out of it and it really isn't that bad at all. The JBAs sound meaner on takeoff. I notice when I drove down the street not as many people would look to see what was coming with the Magnaflows. With the JBAs they could tell something powerful was coming. The JBA also has a sweet deceleration rumble that the Magnaflows don't seem to have.

I've gotten to be a pro at swapping out mufflers and aligning them. I found a 2 foot piece of 1/2 inch aluminum pipe makes a great tool to slight bend the hangers about 1/4 inch - 1/2 inch to make the fit perfect. I was worried about breaking the welds but they held up on both manufacturer's mufflers. I can swap out the mufflers in less than 1/2 hour now with no lift or putting the car on ramps. 1/4 inch ratchet with 13 mm socket, 10 inch 1/4 drive extension, 13 mm combination wrench, and a 14 mm combination wrench are all the tools you need.

Ryan, I don't have the rattle that you describe with the JBAs. Are you sure that the hangers on the muffler aren't rubbing on the body anywhere? I found the JBA U-Clamps to be acceptable. I hand tightened each nut first and then evenly tightened them down 1/2 turn at a time. The notches lined up perfectly with the midpipe.

Now only if I had the stainless version! I guess these aluminum ones will be good for about 5 years or so.

NickDC123

Where did you get the stainless JBA axlebacks? I tried the 3 on-line vendors recommended and none have them yet ...