REVIEW: Magnaflow Exhaust (AKA The Drone Box)

[aballphoto]

This review may seem short, but thats because the Magnaflow exhaust is garbage. The exhaust has brain melting drone from 2500rpm to 3800rpm. It doesn't fit and rubs the rear valance (wearing thru the paint in days). I know this isn't my installation because the guy I bought it from had the same issue (I could see marring on the tips before I installed).

So what did I do to fix it? Well I work for an aftermarket exhaust company (you may have heard of it www.awe-tuning.com - but we don't do fiesta) . I consulted with our engineers and we came up with a number of solutions. Those are a ways out, so in the interim I had to take drastic measures.

Step 1: Replace front resonator with factory resonator.

I took my factory front resonator in and we expanded it to fit in the slip joint of the magnaflow system.

Result? NOTHING. The factory resonator is a straight thru system with a large box around it. It's lighter than the Magnaflow system and thats a about it. Magnaflow resonator carries a little more sound due to tubing size and thickness.

Step 2: Replace rear muffler

I had to weld my factory rear muffler section together and then cut it in the S bend section to make it all work. We expanded this tube to work with the magnaflow S Section and essentially moved the 2nd slip joint to the center of the S to give vertical adjustment to the rear section.

In the end I threw the magnaflow front resonator on and used the factory rear muffler. The sound is about the same as stock with a few more burbles and pops.

Conclusion

So what was really wrong with the Magnaflow system? It droned, BAD. I work for a company that spends hundreds of hours working to eliminate drone from exhaust systems and I have a high bar for what things should sound like this. But this was a whole new level of bad. Completely unbearable. The exterior sound was maybe 10% louder and the interior sound was 110% louder. No bueno.

So stay tuned, as there are more developments in this, but I will come up with a system in the end that both sounds great and is comfortable. Stay tuned.

 

[Natedogg]

AWE should make an exhaust for it. I love the AWE on a coworker's MKV GTI.

 

[FocusMike]

AWE should make an exhaust for it. I love the AWE on a coworker's MKV GTI.

This

 

[me32]

Well that sucks. Sounds like you should also pass this on to MagnaFlow.

 

[no-pistons]

This is interesting to read since Stuntdoogie told me the Magnaflow was "great" when I asked him how he liked it.

 

[stuntdoogie]

I liked it. It did have some drone in cabin but nothing like the 2jr which was deafening. The magnaflow was bearable to my ears. Even my Cobb cbe drones and sounds very similar to the magnaflow in cabin. Not Everyone has the same noise tolerances also our car has not so great noise insulation.

 

[HayesData]

Funny,

After a couple hundred miles my Magnaflow system largely stopped droning. I attribute it to whatever packing material is in the muffler settling into its "normal" resting place after having been kicked around in a box for the last couple of months.

There will be coverage on https://www.youtube.com/user/TheSmokingTire and our podcast http://shoutengine.com/TheSmokingTire/ as soon as we get a few more things done on this Fiesta project (yes it's our second).

 

[MOFiST]

Sounds like the magnaflow mufflers are $hitty. Could this have planted a seed for AWE to build a FiST exhaust?

 

[no-pistons]

Sounds like the magnaflow mufflers are $hitty. Could this have planted a seed for AWE to build a FiST exhaust?

Not sure I would say that. In my experience, the magnaflow mufflers have always been high quality units.

 

[MOFiST]

OK maybe that's a but harsh but it's a lot of money to drop on a droney, quiet exhaust.

 

[BlueBomber]

This review may seem short, but thats because the Magnaflow exhaust is garbage. The exhaust has brain melting drone from 2500rpm to 3800rpm. It doesn't fit and rubs the rear valance (wearing thru the paint in days). I know this isn't my installation because the guy I bought it from had the same issue (I could see marring on the tips before I installed).

So what did I do to fix it? Well I work for an aftermarket exhaust company (you may have heard of it www.awe-tuning.com - but we don't do fiesta) . I consulted with our engineers and we came up with a number of solutions. Those are a ways out, so in the interim I had to take drastic measures.

Step 1: Replace front resonator with factory resonator.

I took my factory front resonator in and we expanded it to fit in the slip joint of the magnaflow system.

Result? NOTHING. The factory resonator is a straight thru system with a large box around it. It's lighter than the Magnaflow system and thats a about it. Magnaflow resonator carries a little more sound due to tubing size and thickness.

Step 2: Replace rear muffler

I had to weld my factory rear muffler section together and then cut it in the S bend section to make it all work. We expanded this tube to work with the magnaflow S Section and essentially moved the 2nd slip joint to the center of the S to give vertical adjustment to the rear section.

In the end I threw the magnaflow front resonator on and used the factory rear muffler. The sound is about the same as stock with a few more burbles and pops.

Conclusion

So what was really wrong with the Magnaflow system? It droned, BAD. I work for a company that spends hundreds of hours working to eliminate drone from exhaust systems and I have a high bar for what things should sound like this. But this was a whole new level of bad. Completely unbearable. The exterior sound was maybe 10% louder and the interior sound was 110% louder. No bueno.

So stay tuned, as there are more developments in this, but I will come up with a system in the end that both sounds great and is comfortable. Stay tuned.

Well, AWE has branched out into 'other' markets lately... so anything's possible, but more importantly - I see AWE's work often being installed in the shop at ModAuto and if you're having drone issues with the magnaflow system, I'm going to figure it's not a subjective issue, given the attention to detail on exhaust tone and driveability AWE puts into their systems.

So do you notice any change in performance? I wonder if it has something to do with the exhaust ID, as IIRC the COBB system is a rebranded magnaflow unit with larger piping and a different resonator and I don't really feel like it drones, but maybe it's me?

 

[stuntdoogie]

This is my 3rd Catback on this car and find it wierd that with every one of them theres that 1 or 2 people that has a different experience than I. Some must have more sensitive ears than others, construction of the mufflers are made different or the some cars didnt come with proper noise insulation... I dunno but the 2jr cbe drone was so bad in my car, only about 3 of us experienced the same drone but the majority did not like Rodmoe for example. All these cbe drone including FSwerks cbe, i noticed it last year when I sat in airjor13's FiST but it drone just as much as my cobb and magna flow. Maybe magna flow shouldnt drone at all cause then whats the point of a resonator but imo it didnt drone to the point of deafness like the 2jr.

 

[aballphoto]

AWE should make an exhaust for it. I love the AWE on a coworker's MKV GTI.

Haha, not in the cards boys.

Funny,

After a couple hundred miles my Magnaflow system largely stopped droning. I attribute it to whatever packing material is in the muffler settling into its "normal" resting place after having been kicked around in a box for the last couple of months.

There will be coverage on https://www.youtube.com/user/TheSmokingTire and our podcast http://shoutengine.com/TheSmokingTire/ as soon as we get a few more things done on this Fiesta project (yes it's our second).

This was a used system, so break in wasn't something I held out for. That said, I did put over 500 miles on it, which should have been more than enough for the packing bags to melt and the packing material distribute. I am looking forward to seeing you're review. I'm curious if for some reason my system sounds different than others.

OK maybe that's a but harsh but it's a lot of money to drop on a droney, quiet exhaust.

Maybe, but I feel I should tell people about my experiences so they can make informed buying decisions.

Well, AWE has branched out into 'other' markets lately... so anything's possible, but more importantly - I see AWE's work often being installed in the shop at ModAuto and if you're having drone issues with the magnaflow system, I'm going to figure it's not a subjective issue, given the attention to detail on exhaust tone and driveability AWE puts into their systems. *I'd like to think my time in the industry gives me a little credibility *

So do you notice any change in performance? I wonder if it has something to do with the exhaust ID, as IIRC the COBB system is a rebranded magnaflow unit with larger piping and a different resonator and I don't really feel like it drones, but maybe it's me?

Honestly, no. But due to the drone it made the car feel slower. As I powered through the "Drone Zone", the sound of it made the acceleration feel slower, though it was likely no different.

-------------

My time last night was limited, so let me expand on some of the points of this system.

The fitment issues we're a big thing for me. The fact that it rubbed through the paint and into the plastic of the rear valance was really a disappointment. I tried my damnedest to get it aligned in a way that it didn't hit, but no luck. Repairing this damage will be a hassle.

The system also changed note drastically with heat soak. The drone would increase with heat. Also expansion... the tips looked like bazookas coming out of the car when hot.

 

[Azov]

My magnaflow muffler on a custom cbe produces very little drone when cruising. I do get some as I give it throttle through the lower rpms, but his away quickly as it builds. I think they use their street series mufflers on their kits, which have a cheaper quality.

 

[RAAMaudio]

Magnaflow and my 15+ years in the sound deadening business:

As noted we all have different tolerance levels but this particular manufacturer really stands out.

I have had complaints about their drone issues on hundreds of vehicles and my own personal experience was the 5.7 Tundra I had. It sounded great until right at cruising speed and then sounded like hell, not just drone but incredibly crappy sounding drone. I bought the system for a very good price with plans to swap in resonators as I knew it had some drone and it had no resonators as built.

I called Magnaflow to ask which resonators they would recommend and though I was quite calm and rational the answer I got was a snotty response from the guy that claimed to be the engineer of the product. "That is what customers want, there is nothing wrong with it" I stated I was in the business of deadening vehicles and and had dealt with many owners of their systems that came to me for help and told them if very loud all the sound deadening in the world could not cure it as just far to much acoustical energy involved, they would have to modify or swap out the system. He then got real nasty with me so I just let him know I would dis their products from then on every chance I got, which I did for awhile but that is something I really do not enjoy so stopped.

I sold the system but made it clear to the buyer it had a serious issue with drone and he said he would be fine with it, he called me shortly after install and wanted to buy sound deadening, said it was horrible sounding and loud. I told him to get the longest and largest diameter resonators installed then call me back about deadening. I also told him I was not able to say if that would be the proper size due to the resonate frequency of the system but better go bigger than smaller. Two days later he called back and let me know he was happy as could be though $250 poorer and did not need deadening as was fine with the road noise of the truck.

Paying top dollar for a big name brand that has poor fitment and nasty drone, that simply sucks....

As I have said many times over the years, only a few companies actually engineer their products, they just make them, slap on some "performace gain" numbers which in many cases is just moving power from down low where you use it more to higher in the RPM band, barely any gain where needed if lucky, etc.....

Hatches, wagons, SUV's and trucks all have the most trouble with noise due to cabin vents open to the interior of the vehicle and the FiST is no expection, in fact that and the particular engine acoustics makes it a tough one for drone, part of why I built my own system and with the plan to modify it once tested if needed.

I am surprised the Cobb system has drone as they are one of the few that engineer exhausts, they did an incredible job on the DP and exhaust on my hugely modified Forster XT, it had zero drone and just a nice sound all around, unlike most Subaru exhausts that are painfully loud.

Rick

 

[McSwine]

Timely thread; I was just about to order this catback since it's on the quieter end of the spectrum. Thanks for the input.

I guess the search continues.

 

[KKaWing]

If you want more internet stories about Magnaflow, look up the ft86club forums. Some guy let them have his car to develop a catback. From the start he wanted his stock exhaust back and ask for them to put it in the car when he went to pick it up. It wasn't in the car when he did, and ask for it back. They just put the stock exhaust beside the car and went back in... classy move.

 

[aballphoto]

Quick update: I got the system off the car and wanted to recap just how bad the drone was and before I got it off the car I had some of the employees at AWE give me their feedback. All of them said it was HORRIBLE. The drone was so bad that people in the back seat felt sick and you could feel the resonate frequencies in the car, because of that we checked the car for any point the system may have been making with the chassis and found nothing, even accounting for expansion. I'm not sure how anyone could say this system does not drone, perhaps they have not experienced a car that doesn't drone yet, I dont know, but this was extreme.

 

[meFiSTo]

Like stuntdoogie, I had horrific droning experience with a SS 2JRacing system. Joe went so far as to send me a replacement resonator. NO luck. Insane drone at 3200 to 3500 RPM. In the end, Joe gave me a very fair partial refund. I now have a 2.25-in Borla exhaust and it's been totally acceptable. It's SO much quieter under normal driving conditions that it's difficult to compare the two. But it's not silent. My stock S4 Avant exhaust -- now THAT is practically silent. You do hear it when you stand on it. V8, oh so nice. But NO drone. I read somewhere that 4-cylinder cars are particularly prone to drone right at that mid-range RPM given the right situation due to resonant frequencies or something (an engineer from the now-defunct Stratmosphere folks wrote a very nice piece for the Audi kids explaining it). In any event, when I was looking around for a 2JRacing replacement exhaust, the Borla and Magnaflow products kind of anecdotally bubbled up as having the least amount of drong. I went with the Borla product as I'd had a good experience with my Focus SVT way back. I have recently noticed a slight steady-throttle drone in that mid-range (3200 to 3500 or so), but it's very tolerable. I'd never think to remove it based on this. It would interesting to ride in a Magnaflow-equipped car, just to hear what you're reporting.

 

[HayesData]

I drive a bigger variety of cars in a year than most people do in their lifetime (half of which are modded to within inches of usability). I still maintain that the Magnaflow catback in my car does not drone in any particularly offensive fashion. Hatchbacks are more prone to this issue due to their design but generally if you make sure the tips project out beyond a point on the body where it can reflect back into the cabin the issue can be mitigated.

I'm not saying your car didn't drone but I am saying that mine does not and I have the benefit of experience to know I'm not out of line here.