Exhaust Advice for Fiesta ST mk7 – Resonator Delete vs. Sport Muffler?

[Dream Making]

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on the exhaust setup for my Fiesta ST mk7. I want a sound that is intense and sporty, but still daily-driver friendly (not obnoxiously loud or drone-heavy).

I’m keeping the stock catalytic converter for now. I'm torn between these two specific configurations:

1. Stock Cat + Resonator Delete (Straight Pipe) + Stock Rear Muffler
2. Stock Cat + Stock Resonator + Aftermarket Sport Muffler (Single Tip)

My Goals:

• A deeper, throatier tone.
• Increased volume over stock, but without "wake the neighbors" cold starts.
• Minimal drone at highway speeds (3000–3500 RPM).

For those who have tried both: which setup offers the better "tone vs. volume" balance? Does the stock muffler with a res-delete sound too raspy, or does the sport muffler with the resonator stay too quiet? Keep in mind that i have both the complete stock exhaust line as well as the complete "sport" version (resonator delete + sport muffler)

Thanks for the help!

 

[lemonjs]

I did a resonator delete and a week later bought a completely different exhaust. If you're outside the car, the resonator delete sounds really good, but you cannot tell any difference when inside the car, so to me it was a complete waste of time. I've had both the Mountune and Milltek exhausts and both are barely louder than stock with normal driving.

 

[dhminer]

If you want it to sound good, get a full cat-back. Cobb, thermal, If you just want loud, just change the muffler but it’ll probably sound like shit.

 

[Dream Making]

If you want it to sound good, get a full cat-back. Cobb, thermal, If you just want loud, just change the muffler but it’ll probably sound like shit.

I do Indeed have a full catback, but is not resonated and I fear that could be hella loud

 

[dhminer]

I do Indeed have a full catback, but is not resonated and I fear that could be hella loud

I wouldn’t worry about it. Resonator doesn’t reduce sound all that much compared to the muffler change. Roll with it and if you need to add a resonator that’s very easy. There are several threads on here where you can find folks who have added resonators and done extensive research on the frequencies to attack