Anybody use Vibrant mufflers on a big block?

[Some Car Guy]

Try to find out if it's a chambered or glasspack design. There's not much difference between brands, but the actual sound of these two designs is quite different.
Chambered = "Flowmaster" sound
Glasspacks = "Cherry Bomb" sound
The loudness of either of these is determined by the model/series/whatever.
For example, the Delta Flow 50 Flowmasters have the same "sound" as the 40 series, just not as loud. Likewise, the Dyno-max "Super Turbo" is quieter and mellower than the Ultra-Flow, but has the same "voice" if that makes any sense.

I found a big comparo flowmaster did on a square body(must be the only thing people do these tests on, guy out the vibrant resonators on and off a truck like that) and it showed the progression in sound. I’m looking for quiet and I kinda like the chambered sound, just not much volume.

The DBX ones would be right at home I think, but that’s 450 for two mufflers! If I were just welding in new mufflers that’d be a strong contender. Since I have to do a complete system, out of the question for now. I plunked down 504 dollars for tips, clamps and hangers. Yikes. Going to cost about a grand to do this whole thing even with cheap mufflers.

 

[Some Car Guy]

What’s the consensus on which is louder inside the car at cruise? Chambered or glass pack? I do think running a bottle style resonator is a good idea for what I want, which is quieted down.

The bottle style seems better to keep more room between it and the gas tank so as to not heat the fuel. I’m not sure if that will be less effective than the canister style. Might be a nonissue, but I’d sure hate to shoot my self in the foot with heated fuel.

 

[33 IMP]

What’s the consensus on which is louder inside the car at cruise? Chambered or glass pack? I do think running a bottle style resonator is a good idea for what I want, which is quieted down.

The bottle style seems better to keep more room between it and the gas tank so as to not heat the fuel. I’m not sure if that will be less effective than the canister style. Might be a nonissue, but I’d sure hate to shoot my self in the foot with heated fuel.

Just my opinion, but I think a glass pack is quieter at cruise.
My experience with chambered muffler. I had hooker aeros with turndowns in front of the axle on my Cortina, didn't care for it at first, got used to it, and ended up really liking them. I have GIANT flowmasters on my 62, quiet considering a 500hp 440 in front, and since I have tailpipes to the bumper, no drone. I love the way they sound. Considering both systems were 3.5 in/out, with 500hp in front, sound volume is quite good.
In my opinion, the best way to save horsepower, and end up with a quiet system is to choose the proper size pipe, including the through pipe in the muffler, and then install the Biggest, Longest muffler that will fit under the car.
Unfortunately, the mufflers I bought have more than DOUBLED in price since 2020. I have no idea why........(my pair of flowmasters now list for about $470/pair. I would NOT pay that for them today. One aero is now 20% higher than what I paid for two!)
If you choose the chambered mufflers, and they end up too loud, a glass pack bullet as a resonator will help.

 

[33 IMP]

.... and if you are looking for GREAT advice on mufflers, pay 100% attention to what voetom tells you. He has forgotten more about mufflers than 99% of us will ever know.

 

[33 IMP]

Oops, I was wrong. My flowmasters, 53553, are now $518 a pair.plus tax. Insane! ($100 each, when I bought em.)

 

[gtx6970]

Both cars Dynomax Super Turbos. Same dimensions EXCEPT pipe size , thus a different part number on the case

Both cars 1966 Satellite and each car has a very different sound over one another , at least in person and in my mind they do.

My black car , Street hemi , stock 2.5inch H pipe that necks down into a 2.25inch muffler and out 2.25inch tailpipes that turndown just ahead of the rear bumper

 

[gtx6970]

And the other car.
1966 Satellite with a mild mannered 383 Full 2.5inch TTI system from manifold to tail pipe and these funny looking chrome tips

 

[gtx6970]

Just for grins

A car I built about 10 years ago maybe.
493 stroker with a huge cam in it. Full TTI system, including headers and 3inch pipes end to end. Im not 100% sure but I think it had flowmasters on it . BUT this car sounded AMAZING at both idle and cruising but screamed if you got into it . IMO it was a little obnoxious to drive. But made its presence known when it pulled in anywhere you took it

 

[33 IMP]

Sound on a phone is very hard to judge...... but that 70 runner does sound like flowmasters to me.

 

[furious70]

That 383 is definitely talking smack to it's big brother!

 

[Some Car Guy]

This is what makes this so hard. The 383 car sounds like it’s a racecar. Not what I want at all.

The 70 sounds like my 71 bcuda with a camed 440. We did a muffler called Raven in that one and my guy said it was a Flowmaster copy. Put factory tips on that car and it was just mesmerizing to people. Never did know what the cam was or those funky headers it had that hung low on the pass side. Sure sounded ready to rumble. No why I’d live with that now.

I looked into the Pypes quiet mufflers and they seem to not flow enough even for a stock engine. Worse, I did some work checking the resonator specs and area and found the ultra quiet’s are too big. The bottle style will even be pretty close.

 

[Voetom]

We tested the Raven and it was uniquely made muffler. I'll see if I can find my old ads for it. They had sort of like a channel through them with perforated walls on both sides of the channels. Sort of loud I recall. Expensive to make I bet.

 

[Some Car Guy]

Found a company called AP Exhaust that sells some stock type replacements. They don’t seem to be selling the one for a GTX or roadrunner etc. they list it, but that number doesn’t come up. Says made in USA. Dynomax is china.

 

[gtx6970]

That 383 is definitely talking smack to it's big brother!

Not kidding. Im not sure if its the pipe size or maybe cam ??
Dont know but the muffler son the 2 cars are exact same dimensions except pipe size

 

[496 polara]

There was a thread not that long ago on the A body site (I think) where someone had a rowdy big block with flowmasters and it was too loud and droney. He put long glass packs in front of the mufflers and it tamed it quite nicely. I was impressed with the difference and I am not a Flowmaster fan generally.

I have wanted to try the Pypes Race pro mufflers. I need two mufflers for my Newport but it is a cruiser so unless a deal pops up I will likely be going with the long case dynomax Super Turbo mufflers as they are the cheapest long case mufflers going.

 

[33 IMP]

There was a thread not that long ago on the A body site (I think) where someone had a rowdy big block with flowmasters and it was too loud and droney. He put long glass packs in front of the mufflers and it tamed it quite nicely. I was impressed with the difference and I am not a Flowmaster fan generally.

I have wanted to try the Pypes Race pro mufflers. I need two mufflers for my Newport but it is a cruiser so unless a deal pops up I will likely be going with the long case dynomax Super Turbo mufflers as they are the cheapest long case mufflers going.

Check out Jones Exhaust, at summit. Nice prices on stainless mufflers. Long,case (18" case) turbo style, 2 1/2, 2 1/2 offset/center, sixty bucks.(mf1256)
Ten pages of Jones stuff at summit, but they don't promote their stuff. I'm guessing the profit margin isn't as large as they would like.

 

[Some Car Guy]

I’ve been thinking about upping the budget and going with the Flowmaster 50. This video is all I have so far for a direct comparison.


Trillion or so variables compared to a 440, so it’s taken with a grain of salt. The idle being quieter in the flowmaster is really of interest to me and I like the slight rasp over the glass pack sound.

I found a chart that’s been posted all over forums for over 20 years. It says a fm 50 is good for 362 cfm. A super turbo is 410cfm.

Using the calculator of hp times 2.2 shows at 350 horses, I need 385 cfm. If the engine puts out more like what the factory claimed, then obviously it will want the dynomax.

Would it really kill much to be a bit choked up? Either should be way better than a 2.25 system with these Thrush chambered deals.

 

[71Beeper]

This chart shows air flow percentage vs open pipe along with decibel readings.

 

[Some Car Guy]

Wow that’s the best chart I’ve seen, thank you! It’s so hard to tell from videos, I thought flip of those numbers from the video.

 

[33 IMP]

Wow that’s the best chart I’ve seen, thank you! It’s so hard to tell from videos, I thought flip of those numbers from the video.

See post #24.
That's Tom Hands chart (voetom) he did all that research, and put that chart together.