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spike_africa · 10-03-2005, 10:14 AM

Lets run down the basicly of your cars exhaust first.
a stock v6 94-04 has a y-pipe that flows into a single in and single out muffler. the pipe size for a v6 is 2.25 inches.

Dual exhaust-
You can get the look of dual exhaust by buying a catback that takes the single pipe that flows into the stock muffler and replaces it with a y then splits it out ot two pipes which would then go into two mufflers then out the back to give it a dual exhuast look. This is the cheapest option and steeda,mac,borla, etc.... all have kits for this. They sell the steeda HERE

Or you can get a V6 Dual Exhuast Adeptor which takes the stock Y-pipe and splits it back to two seperate pipes for each side of the motor. With this adaptor you can run any GT catback as thats the way they are made. This setup will make the most power out of the two i have talked about so far.

Mid pipes-
So if you have decied to get rid of the little y-pipe all together. You can just like a v8 go with either a H-pipe or a X-pipe that they sell HERE
These are for stock or Shorty headers and will not work with long tubes.
You can also get a shorty H-pipe from MAC that works with Long tube headers that i will discuss next.
As for which one should you get the x or the H its up to you there isnt to much a different in hp, but the H makes slightly more tourqe down low, and the X normaly makes more power up top. Also the H-pipe will give a deeper tone where as teh x will have a more european sound. Also with a aftermarket X-pipe or H-pipe you can also run any GT catback.
Also keep in mind that the v6 is an even firing motor meaning that exhaust gases are going be going going out of the motor at the same time every time it fires the spark. So the X-pipe is really not a good choice to use on the v6 motor. My advice is to run either an H-pipe or True duals which is two seperate pipes from each header with no connecting aka crossover pipe.

Headers-
If you are keeping the stock y-pipe and or are running the dual Exhaust adaptor kit you have to run shorty headers. they will give a nice gain in power,but of course not as much as Long tubes will. To my Knowledge only Mac makes Longtube headers for the 3.8 and they are also the only makers of a shorty mid pipe (which is required with long tubes). This will be the best header and mid pipe setup and will make the most power. With there shorty mid pipe you can also run any GT catback.

You can also take your car to a shop buy or bring whatever mufflers you like and have the exhaust shop fab up a nice true dual setup for you. Alot of times this is alot cheaper then bolting a set on from the internet. But someplaces wont mess with cats or anything of the like so look around see what kind of prices you can get and figure out what is the best way for you.

For 05+ v6 mustangs you are a bit different off then 94-04 cars. You have alot of nice cheaper bolt on kits to give you either a X or H-pipe system, but again I would not recomend an X-pipe on the v6 for the above mentioned reasons. Most of the other advice is the same however and also applys to the new 05+ v6 cars. I will add that if you simply want more sound from your car then a simple and cheap muffler swap would be the way to go as they can be had for as little as $150 and bolt up in minutes replacing the quiet stock muffler. But if you want more power a true dual or H-pipe setup would be the way to go. Also keep in mind that from the research I have seen most 05+ v6 cars dont gain much at all with exhaust untill they have a good amount of bolt on's or have nitrous or forced induction added to them.

what kind of muffler and or how can i get my car to sound like a v8?

Sorry folks you will hear people tell you there car sounds like a v8 idleing.
Yes i can belive that, but anything else will just sound like a v6. its not a v8 and never will be. Dont be ashamed of that.
As for what muffler you best bet is to go HERE you have to register to hear the clips but they have tons that can help you pick the correct one for you.

I hope this helps you all out some.

10-03-2005, 10:14 AM	#1 (permalink)
spike_africa Administrator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Orlando,Florida Posts: 6,968	V6 exhaust choices and setups Lets run down the basicly of your cars exhaust first. a stock v6 94-04 has a y-pipe that flows into a single in and single out muffler. the pipe size for a v6 is 2.25 inches. Dual exhaust- You can get the look of dual exhaust by buying a catback that takes the single pipe that flows into the stock muffler and replaces it with a y then splits it out ot two pipes which would then go into two mufflers then out the back to give it a dual exhuast look. This is the cheapest option and steeda,mac,borla, etc.... all have kits for this. They sell the steeda HERE Or you can get a V6 Dual Exhuast Adeptor which takes the stock Y-pipe and splits it back to two seperate pipes for each side of the motor. With this adaptor you can run any GT catback as thats the way they are made. This setup will make the most power out of the two i have talked about so far. Mid pipes- So if you have decied to get rid of the little y-pipe all together. You can just like a v8 go with either a H-pipe or a X-pipe that they sell HERE These are for stock or Shorty headers and will not work with long tubes. You can also get a shorty H-pipe from MAC that works with Long tube headers that i will discuss next. As for which one should you get the x or the H its up to you there isnt to much a different in hp, but the H makes slightly more tourqe down low, and the X normaly makes more power up top. Also the H-pipe will give a deeper tone where as teh x will have a more european sound. Also with a aftermarket X-pipe or H-pipe you can also run any GT catback. Also keep in mind that the v6 is an even firing motor meaning that exhaust gases are going be going going out of the motor at the same time every time it fires the spark. So the X-pipe is really not a good choice to use on the v6 motor. My advice is to run either an H-pipe or True duals which is two seperate pipes from each header with no connecting aka crossover pipe. Headers- If you are keeping the stock y-pipe and or are running the dual Exhaust adaptor kit you have to run shorty headers. they will give a nice gain in power,but of course not as much as Long tubes will. To my Knowledge only Mac makes Longtube headers for the 3.8 and they are also the only makers of a shorty mid pipe (which is required with long tubes). This will be the best header and mid pipe setup and will make the most power. With there shorty mid pipe you can also run any GT catback. You can also take your car to a shop buy or bring whatever mufflers you like and have the exhaust shop fab up a nice true dual setup for you. Alot of times this is alot cheaper then bolting a set on from the internet. But someplaces wont mess with cats or anything of the like so look around see what kind of prices you can get and figure out what is the best way for you. For 05+ v6 mustangs you are a bit different off then 94-04 cars. You have alot of nice cheaper bolt on kits to give you either a X or H-pipe system, but again I would not recomend an X-pipe on the v6 for the above mentioned reasons. Most of the other advice is the same however and also applys to the new 05+ v6 cars. I will add that if you simply want more sound from your car then a simple and cheap muffler swap would be the way to go as they can be had for as little as $150 and bolt up in minutes replacing the quiet stock muffler. But if you want more power a true dual or H-pipe setup would be the way to go. Also keep in mind that from the research I have seen most 05+ v6 cars dont gain much at all with exhaust untill they have a good amount of bolt on's or have nitrous or forced induction added to them. what kind of muffler and or how can i get my car to sound like a v8? Sorry folks you will hear people tell you there car sounds like a v8 idleing. Yes i can belive that, but anything else will just sound like a v6. its not a v8 and never will be. Dont be ashamed of that. As for what muffler you best bet is to go HERE you have to register to hear the clips but they have tons that can help you pick the correct one for you. I hope this helps you all out some. __________________ Dustin 2002 GT Mustang 5-Speed Drag Radials,Sprayed,Powershifted WOOO HOOOO!