Question along with first post
 

Hi all, I really like the forum. I have been looking around a bit and didn't really see an answer to the question I have, although I did find a ton of other info.

Anyway...

I bought an 04 stick gt about 4 months ago. The sticker at the dealership said custom exhaust but I was so excited to buy the car I didn't ask any questions about how it was "custom". So the other day I go take a look and it seems that the mufflers were cut out, and that's it, nothing else. The mid pipe is rusted so I figure it's stock.

My question is, if I purchase an xpipe for the car, do cats come on it or does it remove the current ones from my car? Or are the cats not on the stock hpipe?

I want to go with an xpipe but I don't want to if I won't have cats OR mufflers. Doesn't it mess with your valves?

Also, a shop near me will do straight pipes on my mustang for about 100 bucks. How much would not having a crossover on the midpipe effect the car?

Thanks for any answers, sorry if I didn't see any earlier posts about this topic.

-Dan

Edit: Oh yeah I just remembered another question. Does anyone know where I can buy those fender stripes? Like the two hash marks on the wheel well? I can't find them for mustangs anywhere. Thanks again.

You won't want straight pipes, both the X and H pipe help to balance the exhaust banks and create more scavanging. From the factory I believe there are four cats. You can get high flow X/H pipes with or without high flow cats. Here are many options http://www.americanmuscle.com/99-04-....html#shop-by2

Welcome.
I dont know if you are going to find those stripes specific for a mustang. If you really want them, you are going to have to get vinyls that you will cut to length when you put them on.

Oh, and post some pics!!!!!!

But I need to have one or the other right? Cats or muffles I mean.

If just your mufflers were cut out of the factory exhaust I would look into getting a cat back before I worried about the xpipe. Or at least get a pair of mufflers welded in. I wouldn't run the car without mufflers if it was me.

The factory mid pipe should have 4 cats in it 2 on each side. Aftermarket midpipes with cats usually only have 2 cats.

You don't have to have either cats or mufflers for a car to run. It will just be super loud and sound like straight garbage. Straight pipes sound like shit to me and makes the car sound like a boat. Does your car have the stock H-pipe still with 4 or 6 cats on it?

Regardless if it was me I would get a new catback and a different mid pipe for the car. It makes them sound much better and gives a decent boost in power.

yeah its the stock h pipe.

So, if I were to purchase an axleback exhaust with mufflers then I wouldn't need cats on the xpipe right?

Also, the car sounds pretty nice with everything stock minus the mufflers. Will performance mufflers really make a big difference over some cheaper models? I imagine the sound would be much worse on the cheaper guys.

Thanks for all the replies guys. Glad to be a part of such a mature forum.

EDIT: This is pretty much exactly how my car sounds right now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wanRBedrEW4

I've got staight pipes welded in where my mufflers would be, stock H pipe, stock cats. No one has ever told me that my car sounds bad (I've asked for honest opinions). My car it pretty damn loud.

The term "axle back" is the type of exhaust used on 05+ mustangs. Their mufflers are behind the axle. Unlike your 04 the mufflers are before the axles therefore the term is "cat back" because the exhaust kit will include everything from mid pipe back. Like you said you do not need cats on your mid pipe. As far as the cheaper models what brands are you talking about? Flowmasters are pretty cheap but everyone has them and like I said before they drone like crazy during cruising speeds.

everyone here has some good advice. here is a tech article with some good info, hopefully help you better understand what different exhaust terms are.

http://www.americanmuscle.com/unders...t-systems.html


your mid-pipe contains your catylitic converters. a mid-pipe that does not have cats is referred to as an off-road (o/r) mid-pipe. a mid-pipe does not have to be replaced when you install a new cat-back exhaust.

good luck!!

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

I am thinking new xpipe no cats, and some nice mufflers along with headers. Should be pretty loud but still sound good, depending on what mufflers I get. Thanks again.

Edit: After looking at youtube. The flowmaster 40's sound great without being that expensive. The slp mufflers don't sound as good in my opinion. I think that's what I will do. Thanks again!

Edit #2: This looks like a good deal paired with some flowmaster 40's for under 600.
http://www.stage3motorsports.com/pro...rs_X_Pipe.html

One brand I would stay away from is pacesetter. I would go with bbk if you are trying to stay on the cheaper side of longtubes. They won't be that cheap but they will be a higher quality. Are you doing the install yourself? If not you are probably looking at another 4-500 at least to get your headers installed.

Check out Pypes "The Beast" setup. Its an off road X with their violator catback and its a good flowing cheap combo and I think it sounds good. And that comes from a person who doesn't like X-pipes.

http://www.americanmuscle.com/beast-9904gt.html

Here is a video I found that sounds great.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HutIpgBvusM

That does sound pretty damn nice, and the price isn't terrible. I'll look into that more after I get my tuner. Thanks again guys.