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Flowmaster...Borla...Magnaflow???

JeffK2019

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Pretty sure I have narrowed down between the Magnaflow and the Borla S Type. From a decibel standpoint would folks guess these are pretty similar? From Youtube and others it would appear the Magnaflow is just a bit of a deeper sound? So tough without seeing/hearing in person. I do spend a fair amount of highway time so don't want any drone.

Also are both of these completely bolt on? No cutting? While I don't mind paying a shop $100-200 to install it, I also like to tackle some things myself although I am certainly no mechanic. Would be a crawl under it driveway weekend project with probably plenty of skinned knuckles!

From all the comment i don't think I can go wrong with either of these systems. The Borla is certainly the more expensive - is it significantly higher quality? Truck I hope arrives any day now so getting everything ordered - catch can, tri-fold, etc.. all here or in route, exhaust last item on my list.
 

Patsy1099

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I’ll let some other guys who have more familiarity with both systems comment but from what I’ve seen/read/heard, the borla s is going to be louder than the magnaflow. Could be wrong. Exhaust sound is very subjective to the listener. Listen to as many sound clips as possible. Listen to them with headphones/earbuds in. Makes a big difference. Attaching borla installation guide.
 

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danielle2019

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FM American Thunder went on yesterday. Love it!! It’s a lot louder than I expected for a “moderate” system, but love the really deep rumble. I was in the waiting area at the shop when they fired it up the first time. Cold starts sound demonic - I’m honestly waiting for my neighbors to complain. It levels out and quiets down a bit at highway speed. No weirdness with MDS or ANC that I notice. Sound bits soon!
 

SColang22

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Pretty sure I have narrowed down between the Magnaflow and the Borla S Type. From a decibel standpoint would folks guess these are pretty similar? From Youtube and others it would appear the Magnaflow is just a bit of a deeper sound? So tough without seeing/hearing in person. I do spend a fair amount of highway time so don't want any drone.

Also are both of these completely bolt on? No cutting? While I don't mind paying a shop $100-200 to install it, I also like to tackle some things myself although I am certainly no mechanic. Would be a crawl under it driveway weekend project with probably plenty of skinned knuckles!

From all the comment i don't think I can go wrong with either of these systems. The Borla is certainly the more expensive - is it significantly higher quality? Truck I hope arrives any day now so getting everything ordered - catch can, tri-fold, etc.. all here or in route, exhaust last item on my list.
Both are bolt on. Borla is 304 stainless while magnflow is is 409. I went with 304 because I’ve had 409 rust out on me twice before. Both are super easy to install. Neither will give you drone.
 

W13NY

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Both are bolt on. Borla is 304 stainless while magnflow is is 409. I went with 304 because I’ve had 409 rust out on me twice before. Both are super easy to install. Neither will give you drone.
How quickly did the 409 rust out on you? I ask because I just ordered my Magnaflow
 

SColang22

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How quickly did the 409 rust out on you? I ask because I just ordered my Magnaflow
Living in Ohio it took about 3-4years. I didn’t take great care of it though. It was tough washing the underbody so I’m sure salt had something to do with it.
 

Limited_Ram

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Pretty sure I have narrowed down between the Magnaflow and the Borla S Type. From a decibel standpoint would folks guess these are pretty similar? From Youtube and others it would appear the Magnaflow is just a bit of a deeper sound? So tough without seeing/hearing in person. I do spend a fair amount of highway time so don't want any drone.

Also are both of these completely bolt on? No cutting? While I don't mind paying a shop $100-200 to install it, I also like to tackle some things myself although I am certainly no mechanic. Would be a crawl under it driveway weekend project with probably plenty of skinned knuckles!

From all the comment i don't think I can go wrong with either of these systems. The Borla is certainly the more expensive - is it significantly higher quality? Truck I hope arrives any day now so getting everything ordered - catch can, tri-fold, etc.. all here or in route, exhaust last item on my list.
Nothing wrong with Magnaflow...but Borla is of much higher quality. The S Type will be a little louder and more clean sounding, and there is one cut required for removal when installing the cat back system. Everything else is straight bolt up
 

SColang22

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Nothing wrong with Magnaflow...but Borla is of much higher quality. The S Type will be a little louder and more clean sounding, and there is one cut required for removal when installing the cat back system. Everything else is straight bolt up
I never had to cut anything. It’s a straight bolt on. Just gotta remove the spare
 

Patsy1099

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I guess that’s why it made sense to me from a cost/benefit standpoint to just do the b2 fab Magnaflow muffler vs the full magnaflow catback. Why replace the existing 409 ss with the same stuff? I know the pipes are a bit diff and no resonators but I didn’t see the gains as huge. Now if you want to pay for 304 ss and get a bit more growl (?) then maybe the borla is worth the extra 1k above just a muffler swap. That’s for me.
 

SColang22

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I guess that’s why it made sense to me from a cost/benefit standpoint to just do the b2 fab Magnaflow muffler vs the full magnaflow catback. Why replace the existing 409 ss with the same stuff? I know the pipes are a bit diff and no resonators but I didn’t see the gains as huge. Now if you want to pay for 304 ss and get a bit more growl (?) then maybe the borla is worth the extra 1k above just a muffler swap. That’s for me.
The catback also deletes resonators and most open pipe from 2.5-3” I believe
 

JeffK2019

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I never had to cut anything. It’s a straight bolt on. Just gotta remove the spare
Did you have the long bed? I thought I had watched a video where the cutting was required as the Borla came for either the long or short bed but if short bed it had to be cut. Not saying I can't cut a pipe if needed but was just curious on the differences. I was pretty set on the S Type but then noticed a lot of folks with the Magnaflow on the forums here.

I do like the 5 inch tip look so that was part of going with the cat back. Plus the B2 videos I watched it seemed like it was not as loud as the Borla S Type or Magnaflow, and while I don't want the ATAK loudness I do want some growl. A noticed a number of B2 installs indicated they thought it would be louder. As for the stainless types - I live in CA in an area that gets less than 10 inches of rain a year, no snow, no salt - I have a 2001 Nissan Frontier I bought for my teenage daughter this past year, the underside of it looks brand new, almost no rust. My typical vehicle lifespan is around 5-6 years or 150k miles so pretty sure either system would last me.

I am going to dig for more sound files and video clips to sort through the two options. I appreciate all the input, thanks.
 

Patsy1099

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The catback also deletes resonators and most open pipe from 2.5-3” I believe

Yes the resonators will be deleted and the pipes will be bigger with a full catback (either magnaflow or borla). So there will be more sound from the catback for sure. I guess the question becomes is that diff worth swapping the 409 for the 409 (doing a magnaflow catback). For my $$ I would either just do a muffler swap and save the money (gain some sound) or go with the borla and get the 304 ss and even more sound.
 

SColang22

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Did you have the long bed? I thought I had watched a video where the cutting was required as the Borla came for either the long or short bed but if short bed it had to be cut. Not saying I can't cut a pipe if needed but was just curious on the differences. I was pretty set on the S Type but then noticed a lot of folks with the Magnaflow on the forums here.

I do like the 5 inch tip look so that was part of going with the cat back. Plus the B2 videos I watched it seemed like it was not as loud as the Borla S Type or Magnaflow, and while I don't want the ATAK loudness I do want some growl. A noticed a number of B2 installs indicated they thought it would be louder. As for the stainless types - I live in CA in an area that gets less than 10 inches of rain a year, no snow, no salt - I have a 2001 Nissan Frontier I bought for my teenage daughter this past year, the underside of it looks brand new, almost no rust. My typical vehicle lifespan is around 5-6 years or 150k miles so pretty sure either system would last me.

I am going to dig for more sound files and video clips to sort through the two options. I appreciate all the input, thanks.
I have the short bed. No cutting required. When you buy it they have one for the long bed and one for the short bed. If you buy the one for the long bed and you have the short bed then yes you will need to cut. The exhaust bolts together with 2 bolts before the muffler, 3 clamps after the muffler and 3 screws for the sheet metal protecting the spare tire.
 

SColang22

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409 ss rusting our in 3-4 years, even with salt, sounds very premature to me. Not saying it didn’t happen, just that it shouldn’t.
When I say “rusts out” I meant it was covered in surface rust. No holes yet but I could tell where it was starting to chip off
 

SColang22

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Yes the resonators will be deleted and the pipes will be bigger with a full catback (either magnaflow or borla). So there will be more sound from the catback for sure. I guess the question becomes is that diff worth swapping the 409 for the 409 (doing a magnaflow catback). For my $$ I would either just do a muffler swap and save the money (gain some sound) or go with the borla and get the 304 ss and even more sound.
Yea I was just saying it’s not just sound you’re getting. Not judging just saying there’s more benefit with a full kit then just a muffler replacement
 

Kadarnall

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Borla ATAK original owner. Was not a fan of the super aggressive sound due to it being a daily driver.

Bumped down to the borla S type and love it. Much better low growl then the ATaK and is a great highway experience.



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What did you do with the ATAK muffler? Sorry if you already answered this elsewhere.
 

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