Hello everyone. Who out there has a cat-back system on their car, particularly the Borla Cat-Back system? I did a search but couldn't find enough to convince me if buying them was worth it or not. Some say yes, some say no. The Shelby Super Snake has them, but it that because of the gobs of power it has? Why would Borla (and others) go to the trouble of making them if they didn't do squat for the performance? Please educate me.

Jon

 

This is assuming you have a GT.
It depends on what you're looking for. If you are looking for a different sound there are lots of choices but of course that's totally subjective and you'll have to listen to sound clips or better yet try to listen in person.
In regards to a power increase there isn't a lot to be had there.
The factory cat back setup flows very well, therefore you won't find much of a power gain by upgrading it. The Borla system is one of the better ones out there. I think there was an increase if approx. 9 hp with that system. There are many threads on the subject here. Try a search.
Good luck!

 

I have the magnaflow cat back system with the oval mufflers (not the round glasspacks)..i really like it, some on the site say its not loud enuf..very deep sound and plenty loud for me..the midpipe portion or catback portion is just two straight sections..very similar to the stock portion..mine was on it when I purchased the car..If I was buying I would get a X or H pipe and axlebacks as the straight sections which raise the price 1 to 2 hundred bucks dont seem worth the extra coin..try u-tube, tons of mustang exhaust sound clips! gd luck

 

If you're going to change your cat-backs, it's only going to be for sound preference.

 

I have the V6. I waited two years before I got the dual MagnaFlow Exhaust it has a great exhaust note while idling and a throating rumble when you step on it. The thing I noticed ( there will be others that say nada) was that there appeared to be more horsepower and my gas mileage improved. Normally a trip out to the company I work for ( prior to the magnaflow system) and back home took less than 1/4 tank gas at a cost of $14.00. With the Magnaflow system the same trip now costs $9.00 and this was prior to putting on the CAI kit. So for me there have been benefits to the Magnaflow Cat Back setup.

 

scrambler, I understand that performance gains are , well lets say minimal, with a catback system and are never as high as manuf. state, but there are gains, look in the modified mustang sticky above this thread..there is a couple that have dyno #'s b 4 and after only this mod..about 5-6 hp..I sure it will vary but there is minor gains to be had..

 

I've had a MagnaFlow catback system for about eighteen months and I'm real happy with it. I didn't go with an axleback because I wanted a complete system that was tuned for better performance. Mileage increased slightly (lost all of that with 4:11s and a dyno tune) and the buttmeter showed a little increase in HP. Sound is quiet at idle but nice and throaty at WOT.

 

i wanna do long tubes and a cat back.... both for the sound and for the slight hp gain

 

Hello and thanks for the quick reply. I did do a search but it did not yield enough information to me to decide one way or the other, my initial post said as much. Thus the reason for this posting.

 

Agreed, but the cat-backs, along with all our other aftermarket parts are way overpriced. I can see $20-$35 per hp, but not let's say $100 per hp for Borlas ($500+). Mind you, those are the ones I'm running, but again, I did it for the sound and not the hp. But of course it is all subjective and mods are done based on our own preferences. I just wanted to point out the $ per hp difference does not justify the expense for me.

Then again I spent $1200 (~$80 - 1 hp) on Kooks headers, so what the h*ll do I know.

 

if I were you I would just do the axlebacks mufflers, you won't find any measurable gain by replacing the tubes between the cats and the mufflers and on top of that you risk the chance of having the tubes hitting the panhard brace bar when you hit a bump...especially the right side...
Axlebacks + X pipe...

 

I searched yet again and found the attached photo which was posted by Tom281. The Borla system has to be better than the stock system. Significant gains? No.

 

catbacks are not worth it and a waist of $$$! get the axle back kits! your waisting money on pipes you already have from factory!!!

oh and dont believe the b.s. claims that borla, or magnaflow or any other company posts. most your going to get an exhaust is 5hp max. unless you go longtubes and a midpipe

 

Jon_Purdy, First, what do you mean by worth it? $ per HP? Or Value per Mod, as in less expensive to do for the effect wanted? BTW, thats subjective too. Unless you plan on eventually going FI or bracket racing where you need absolutely every bit of horsepower available, changing the pipes(mid-pipes) is a waste of money. All you need is an Axle-back kit. If you want a little more HP, longtubes will help that out. The factory cats are pretty good, but won't work if you go LT though. For me, it was "worth it" to change my Axle-Back mufflers b/c I found a great deal on some used Bassani mufflers, about half-price, btw. John

 

keep an eye in the for sale section here and pick some up at a discount. The more mods you do the more your mufflers will do for you. For instance you will see more gains with after market mufflers on a s/c engine than you will on a stock engine. But yea do it more for sound than for hp