Researching Magnaflow Exhaust

The Magnaflow website says the setup for the Gen I is 2.5 piping. But I have heard on here many, many times that there is no real gain to be had on the Gen II by replacing the piping. The exhaust was already tuned for higher flow than the Gen I and the only real benefit to custom exhaust on a Gen II was sound? Is this all misinformation?
That along with muffler part numbers that used 2.5 inlets led me to believe that we had 2.5 already...
 
Lincoln Luebbe said:
The Magnaflow website says the setup for the Gen I is 2.5 piping. But I have heard on here many, many times that there is no real gain to be had on the Gen II by replacing the piping. The exhaust was already tuned for higher flow than the Gen I and the only real benefit to custom exhaust on a Gen II was sound? Is this all misinformation?
That along with muffler part numbers that used 2.5 inlets led me to believe that we had 2.5 already...
Click to expand...

Again, Im not sure about the sizes but I also read the exhaust is dialed in just right for the power the LS puts down without major power adders.
 
Tru-Blu sorry for the mix up. Honestly I'm glad I read this because now I have to go back and double chack my plans for rumble!
One thing I do know for sure is that many of the guys on here that have Gen II swap mufflers. Some others have x-pipes and some have even done a cat-back custom setup. But as far as I know there is no prepackaged setup from any company for the Gen II.
 
So really all I need to know is muffler size/part numbers IF the rest of the factory exhaust is stainless. My NAPA contact has NOTHING listed for aftermarket exhaust (they use Walker exhaust as a subsidiary of Tenneco Automotive), which may be due to the fact that it could be stainless right from the factory.

Maxx hasn't been able to return my call yet, so I'll call a local dealer and try to get this settled.

Stay tuned (pun intended),

TRU
 
Here's the first exhaust set-up I had. In the last picture, you can see towards the front of the car that the stock piping there is NOT 2.5". The custom pipes are.


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NYC - thanks for all the pics (and sorry for the hassle that you had to do it). So does the exhaust have one muffler in the middle of the system that both pipes go into, and then 2 resonators at the very back? Trying to understand what I'll need to replace.

Will an exhaust shop be able to salvage/use the existing pipes, or will I have to have new pipes run if I just replace the mufflers/resonators/whatever else I'm missing?

Thanks again,

TRU - exhausted (pun intended)
 
In that picture, I went with three mufflers. The one in the middle is a dual in/dual out Magnaflow (and replaces the stock resonators), with a Magnaflow muffler at each rear corner of the car.

After these pics, an X pipe was put in.

Then I removed the middle muffler and added a second X pipe.

Then I removed the second X pipe and put in Aero Turbine resonators where the middle muffler is in the pics above and removed the rear Magnaflows for some Bassani mufflers.

Don't have any newer pics of the set-up how it is now, though.
 
Put an x-pipe inplace of the stock h-pipe, replace the stock mufflers with your choice of muffler and enjoy the cockpit noise.
 
Just get under there and do some measuring, everybody is running a different setup. It doesnt really matter what you get, as long as it fits, and length wise you can just cut off part of the existing pipe to make it fit
 
Tru, are you looking for the magnaflow part # for the mufflers?
 
Mufflers and X-pipe, I guess based on what has been posted so far. I'm assuming that the Magnaflow X-pipe has some advantages over the stock H-pipe, but if it's too much hassle for a shop to change it out I may just go for the mufflers.

TRU
 
The only problem you will run into is if your wallet can handle the money flying out. Cutting out the mufflers and h-pipe is easy. Make sure you get the mufflers with the same inlet, outlet design and diameter (center, offset and 2.25") as the stockers and it should be cake.
 
So it looks like I'm not really going to get any performance or mpg increase by getting some Magnaflow parts as compared to the factory system. Do I have that correct?

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have the gutsier sound out of the pipes but maybe I'll get a little of the that with the K&N FIPK (which I defintely am doing).

I think the only real persuader for me (if the above is true) is whether or not the factory system is stainless or not. If it's not, then I'll wait until she starts rotting and put an entire stainless system in. If it is stainless, then I guess I do nothing with it and put the cash towards something else.

My mod grocery list is getting smaller and smaller, though. :(

TRU
 
- UPDATE -

I don't know if you guys will consider it a major one, but I'll post what I've got.

I called Magnaflow directly, and was able to speak to a product engineer there. Here are the answers to the questions I fired at him:

1. The Gen II cat-back kit IS being produced (16678), and it will be available next year. It is already in their 2010 catalog. This would explain why some websites have it listed.

2. There are more differences in the kit than just the turn-downs of the Gen I kit. Props to JWerner2 for what he already posted about the difference in factory exhaust systems. He said there were changes in the chassis design that made a big impact to where the hangers had to go and that the Gen I kit would not line up well on a Gen II at all.

3. The Gen I and the Gen II kits are both 2.5". When I asked him about back-pressure in relation to torque/etc, he said that the factory systems were compression bent instead of mandrel bent, and as a result they are not going to be as free-flowing in areas that the engine will need/use to generate more power <don't shoot the messenger, just repeating what he said>.

4. He also said he thought the LS factory exhaust was stainless, so if anyone thought they had limited time with their factory exhaust that may not be the case.

All in all, I think I've got enough data to make a decision. I will change out the exhaust when the new Gen II cat-back is available next year. Heck, I might even wait for some other LS'er to be the guineau pig. One way or another, I'm pretty sure I'll be rumblin' with a Magnaflow system within a year or so.

Thanks again to all who posted thoughts/insights/pics. Hopefully this will help any other Gen II owner out there that is thinking about adding an exhaust upgrade to their mod grocery list.

TRU - truly exhausted
 
Well, thanks man!

But, dont hold your breath till 2010. They said the same thing in the past:D
 
Yeah, I figured that even when he told me all this that it could end up being a "pipe dream" (man, I don't know where all these are coming from tonight) but I'll keep the faith for now. If there's not a whole lot to gain from the factory Gen II system, then my eagerness will be able to settle down for a bit.

TRU
 
Trust me, the best way around this is to go to a shop and have the guy at the shop measure and match the diameters and just get some aftermarket mufflers and a X pipe.
 
Tru-Blu said:
So it looks like I'm not really going to get any performance or mpg increase by getting some Magnaflow parts as compared to the factory system. Do I have that correct?
Click to expand...
That's correct. There is one 2nd Gen LS with a MagnaFlow exhaust--T_Man has MagnaFlow's prototype exhaust for the 2nd Gen on his '06. It added a whopping 5hp to his (then) '03, so MagnaFlow shelved the project.

As for it being in their 2010 Catalog, I'll believe it when I see it--an LvC member called them and said it was supposed to be "coming real soon" about this time last year, too. There's a thread about it around here somewhere, but good luck finding it with vBulletin's, umm, lackluster search facilities.
 
What type of sound does the magnaflow mufflers give,inquiring minds want to know?
 
Go out to YouTube, and search on either Lincoln LS or LS Magnaflow, and you'll find quite a few videos (really just for sound) of what a Magnaflow kit sounds like. I think it's one of the better kits in regard to the sound it puts out, but that is VERY subjective.

Your mileage may vary (pun intended),

TRU
 
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