Borla S drone problems?

[mavisky]

Had the GT500 for a couple weeks and coming from my SN95 I just couldn't stand the fact that I couldn't hear the exhaust at all on the car. Started reading threads and seeing various reports of what works best and kept coming across the Borla S as being the option to go with if I wanted to stay with stock headers and catted x-pipe.

Ignoring all of that advice I bought a set of Pypes Violator mufflers for $260 and immediately took them back as they droned like hell from 0-2000rpm and were as quiet as stock when on the gas. It was also sized incorrectly.

So I went back to the threads and decided that the Borla S was going to be my saving grace. Watched videos on Youtube and they sounded great. Put them on my car and they do sound great under throttle, but there's so much droning between 1500-2100 rpm (where my car spends 90% of it's time as a daily driver) that I nearly got a headache on the way home tonight.

I have read that some people prefer to ditch the cats and go with the FR500KR exhaust, but that's another $100 worth of axleback + the price of the cat delete and I'd still have to swap pipes once a year to pass emissions. The wife is already sick of me spending time and money in the garage this week swapping mufflers.

Is my car some freakish drone freak or have others with the Borla S axleback had the same problem? What changes could I make to bring the drone back under control? Is this just a convertible thing that I'll never be able to work around? Does everyone else with the Borla S have the same drone?

 

[Mongopushn]

Are there any resonators on your system? They help to work against the natural frequencies an exhaust system can make. My current car , CTS-V had crazy drone with Magnaflows and an x-pipe, I feel your pain. I bucked up and bought a nice B&B with resonators and its amazing the difference they made. All tone,no drone..

 

[mavisky]

Car is fully stock exhaust with no resonators at all on it. Only thing muffling the sound aside from the axle back kit are the factory cats.

 

[07 Black Beauty]

Go KR mufflers w/ a Catted h pipe and you will be happy and won't have to swap for inspections.

 

[mavisky]

Go KR mufflers w/ a Catted h pipe and you will be happy and won't have to swap for inspections.

The wife may try to kill me if I buy a third exhaust this week and I really like the Borlas above 2100rpm.

 

[barspen]

So I went back to the threads and decided that the Borla S was going to be my saving grace. Watched videos on Youtube and they sounded great. Put them on my car and they do sound great under throttle, but there's so much droning between 1500-2100 rpm (where my car spends 90% of it's time as a daily driver) that I nearly got a headache on the way home tonight.

Same experience on my 2011. Drone was really bad at 1700-2000 and gave me a headache after a 45 minute commute. Did love the sound at WOT and the fit\finish was excellent. Switched back to stock after a week.

Back to the drawing board on exhaust. :shrug:

 

[SCGallo2]

I have stock exhaust with Borla S axle-backs, and I only notice drone in sixth gear cruising below 2000 RPM. I avoid it by not utilizing sixth gear unless I am going 70 mph or faster. I really enjoy the sound overall, especially at WOT, and it is not so loud that it pisses off my neighbors. If I ever made a change, I would install KR mufflers.

 

[mavisky]

What gears do you have though? 80 in 6th for me is only like 2200 rpm with the factory 3.31's.

I'd hate to have to remove and install different mufflers again to try to solve the problem. When everyone says the "GT500KR" mufflers, what part number are they talking about from FRPP?

 

[SCGallo2]

I am running stock 3.31 gears. Drone goes away at 70 mph and above in sixth gear. M-5230-S is the part number for KR mufflers.

 

[1hot281]

Mufflers, as the name implies, just muffle sound. They can not create drone. They simply can do a better or worse job at muffling drone. Drone is a natural result of sound waves aligning with the resonant frequency of your exhaust system. This is made worse when you use an x-pipe.

Ditch the X-pipe. H-pipes are largely free of the nasty harmonic resonance you get when the x-crossover splits the exhaust pulses... Especially if you have a "clam shell" style X-pipe like Bassani or BBK.

Otherwise, you need a more substantial muffler, like a full size Magnaflow, to try and muffle the drone from that x-pipe.

 

[AtlantaGT500]

I have Borla ATAKs on my stock 12, they are loud, sound great and ZERO drone.

 

[mavisky]

I have Borla ATAKs on my stock 12, they are loud, sound great and ZERO drone.

I've heard the same from 2011+ Borla S owners though. Makes me wonder if Ford changed something in the exhaust to help with droning issues.

Well just broke the news to the wife. Told her that the first time she wanted to go for a drive through the north georgia hills with the top down that she'd want to go back home and help me take them off.

Going to pull them and go with the GT500KR mufflers part number M-5230-S from fordracingparts123.com unless someone else knows of a better place to buy them. Their price of $495 seems to be about the best around right now.

 

[cobraboss]

You could try Dynomax Bullets to calm it down some. I had to run them to calm down the FR sport mufflers.

 

[RARESNAKE]

Funny I have been dying to buy these but now re-thinking what to do. How do the s mufflers compare to flow masters w the drone situation.

 

[mavisky]

Never heard the flows so I can't personally say. All I know is that at this point in time this description is music to my ears.

"Designed for use on the FR500S & will fit any 2005-2009 Mustang V8. Features a throaty, snarl & is a little quieter than other FRPP axle backs. Best of all this system no highway speed (2000 rpm) drone. Includes mufflers with Ford Racing embossed 3.5" exhaust tips. Aluminum 409 stainless steel, corrosion resistant body, with polished tips."

I figure if it's still a little on the quiet side for me I can always consider catless downpipes or even longtubes with high flow cats.

 

[07 Black Beauty]

I've heard the same from 2011+ Borla S owners though. Makes me wonder if Ford changed something in the exhaust to help with droning issues.

Well just broke the news to the wife. Told her that the first time she wanted to go for a drive through the north georgia hills with the top down that she'd want to go back home and help me take them off.

Going to pull them and go with the GT500KR mufflers part number M-5230-S from fordracingparts123.com unless someone else knows of a better place to buy them. Their price of $495 seems to be about the best around right now.

The 2011 + have H pipes instead of X pipes.

 

[mavisky]

Yea, I just saw that while doing some research. The concern is that the 05-09 GT's do too and they still have the same drone problem with the Borla Stingers/S mufflers according to forum posts I've dug up in the GT section of various mustang forums. I don't want to spend an additional $375 on the powerhouse racing H-pipe conversion if it's not going to 100% solve the issue and it doesn't seem that it will. At this point I think I'll stick with the plan of getting the KR mufflers and if I need more down the road I can get the H-pipe conversion. I just need to get rid of this drone as it's literally made most of 5th and all of 6th gear unusable in my car.