What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

...of course family friendly and performance don't always go together, but I figured I would get your thoughts since there are a lot of family folk here.

I have a 70 C10 with a 350 SBC, headers and 2.5" dual exhaust out behind the rear tire, looking for new mufflers.

Criteria: Good flow with a noticeable rumble without waking the baby on acceleration and not resonating out my fillings on the highway.

From my basic research:

Magnaflow: Good performance, but flow-thru design may be a little too loud for this application.
Hooker: Again, Aero Chambers have great performance, but they don't seem to be the quietest muffler around.
Flowmaster: Delta 50 series looks promising, but never been a fan of the brand.
Walker: Quiet flow 3 has tons of positive reviews on Summit website.
Dynomax: Super Turbos look nice, but I've read they have a bad drone at low RPM.

Any other mufflers I should consider? Suggestions?

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

Subscribing.

I'd be interested in whatever the modern equivalent is to the old Walker "turbo muffler" would be.

K

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

What's your beef with Flowmaster, if you don't mind me asking?

K

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

IMO flows are played out. Everyone runs them. I like to be and sound different. My Tu era has Borla ProXS mufflers with 5” tips. It has a lil tone at idle, but when accelerating it gets a lil deeper but never overpowering. Under load is when it sounds best IMO. I have true duals with an H-pipe, ZERO drone. I go on YouTube to get sounds, but even that has it’s disadvantages. Crappy cell phone from years ago, or like in my case a laptop with tiny speakers, hard to tell the sound quality most the time. They are on the more expensive side of mufflers, but if looking at blowmasters they aren’t too much more.

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

I know that I'll be accused of being a shill for "Engine Masters" because I bring it up so often, but I like their content.

Muffler comparison:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXQ-cXeri1Y

They have several other episodes covering 2.5 vs. 3" pipe, H-pipe vs. X-pipe, and so on, all on the dyno.

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

No beef, but having lived through the 90's I'm just burned out on that sound.

Love that show, especially when you can watch it on YouTube and fast-forward through the part where he always adds Amsoil to the motor. I appreciate the scientific approach to their experiments.

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

I'm burned out on that sound for newer SUVs, but our vintage of truck has earned the right to sound that way. ;-) Still, the PO of my truck put on some really loud pipes that don't quite fit my neighborhood and I'm thinking about other options, too. Possibly something that follows the Corvette or Z-28 specifications for 1970.

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

The crew in my avatar had a tired 350 with headers and Cherry bomb welded mufflers. 2 1/2" then 3" after the mufflers, then 5" tips out the back. It was super deep, was loud, but not obnoxious loud. Cheap too, think $40 at Advance Auto.

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

I've got a set of walker quite-flow ss for my current build...havnt cranked it yet but theyre going behind a ls engine...I also have a 6cyl with a straight pipe that I just stuck one on it to see...huge difference in sound....a buddy of mine just put a set on his dudge truck and he loves em...

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

family friendly performance muffler ? I have to say that sounds funny, never heard of such wording but again I must live in a totally different world. Maybe I should get out of the shop more and listen more to the country sounds....oh, yea that sounds like a Big block with flow masters.....there goes a set of turbo mufflers on a pinto.....sounds like a family friendly Dodge Caravan coming up the road with a performance muffler and a 12 inch Chrome tip.... LOL!!!! Just havin some fun ....now I am going back up under the lift to weld some flowmasters on this AMC....

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

I just replaced a 20 year old exhaust(sat for 10 years in the garage) which had 40 Series Flowmasters. I too was over the 40 Series drone.

I replaced with the Magnaflow SS system 16643.

I am very happy with the Magnaflow system.

It was quite challenging as far as installation, but the it really quieted down the exhaust noise in the cab.

I cannot address what it sounds like out of the truck during acceleration, but I am very pleased.

Engine is a stock 305, 258hp with rams horn manifolds. Downpipes are 2" aluminized steel.

Original system was 2 1/4" true duals...no H or X pipe.

New system is 2 1/2" with an X pipe.

I seem to have better low end acceleration and a bit more top end speed.

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

I used a 3" magnaflow in mine. I put in the largest that would fit (5x8x24 IIRC). It is quiet. Super quiet. I cannot hear it while on the freeway.

I can always tell someone that is running a dronemaster (flowmaster).

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

Nothing family friendly about Cherry Bombs, but they'll always hold a place in my heart.
What about all the budget Bentleys and Prius dragsters out there?:sexy:

What did you install this setup on?

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

I actually think they were thrush welded mufflers. I wanted to try the cherry bombs...but it sounded really good, even for a tired 350.

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

I put Cherry bombs on my '68 shop truck with a 350, liked the sound, but just a little too much on long trips, it was hard to hear the radio....that's why I replaced them with these:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-632500
Word is, they are made by Magnaflow, don't know, but I liked them so much, I replaced the Flowmaster 10's on my farm truck with them. Very deep rumble at idle, very quiet at cruising but pretty aggressive above 3000 rpm or at WOT.

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

I'm running Thrust welded mufflers with headers and 2 1/2 inch pipes out the back. They sound good and are cheap too. They almost sound like stock mufflers until you get on the gas and then they come alive.

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

oh mine didn't!!!!! It was loud, but like a tractor trailer with 8 or 10" stacks, just really deep and throaty. The 5" tips will give than tone. You could hear it at idle, but wasn't overbearing.

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

I have used Flowmaster Muffler 40 series since their inception. My kids slept through all the power shifts and passing gear downshifts of slushboxes just fine. But my kids were raised around hot rods and drag cars from their birth. :)

I don't car what anybody says... the Flowmaster 40 series pioneered the sound of power for a street/strip rig... Nothing sounds meaner... but that's just me. :)

Gary

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

After doing some research and reading more reviews, the Dynomax Super Turbo looks very promising. They don't seem very obnoxious and have good flow ratings. It hard to gauge the sound via the Dynomax website and various YouTube videos though.

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

I used thrush rattler mufflers on my 65'. They sounded great in my opinion not too loud at idle and lower rpms, though they were pretty loud when getting on it. megaphone tips made the truck louder of course too. New exhaust will be a open down pipe right off the turbo

Video i made of them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNyib3bO8GU&t=2s

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

I use those on my Caddy with a 472 motor and run tailpipes out the back. Good mufflers, not too loud or too expensive. Edit: in my experience with my truck, tailpipes out the back are the key. Get the sound out behind you and away from the vehicle's occupants. Just changing mine from out the side (in front of the wheel) to going over the axel made a nice difference. Makes sense I guess because you are always driving away from the sound, leaving it behind for others to enjoy :)

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

Makes sense. What diameter pipe are you running?

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

Truck has ramhorns with 2" outlets and pipe. Car has factory maniolds and 2.25"
Only the car has the Dynomax mufflers. Truck has Porter Steelpaks.

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

I've got a Magnaflow XL series on my 5.3 and I like it. It's nice and mellow for the cruising time but lets you know you've got a V8 when it's time to drop the hammer :metal:. Mom and I took a 90 mile trip last summer with the windows down and the wind noise was louder than the exhaust noise on the highway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyNwb00aBTo

Re: What's a good "family friendly" performance muffler?
 

I think you need to check out Gibson MWA series mufflers , these are what I have on my 68 and I liked them so much I purchaed another set for my 69 build. they are in the relm of your description , there was a youtube video , the guy has them on a square body c10 and that video made me take the chance, if the video is still on youtube check them out I think they are what you are looking for.