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Dennis Quella at Pantera performance center in Colorado has his own stainless steel mufflers. They are priced as if they are made out of gold but they appear to be a better option than the restrictive GTS mufflers I currently am using.

I am looking for owners that may have already installed these mufflers on their car and seeking their feedback on noise levels, especially at highway cruising speeds.

I am also considering modifying the current GTS mufflers but I understand that approach creates a pretty loud final product.

Would be wonderful if someone with Dennis' mufflers will be attending the fun rally later this month, as I could hear them in person.

Thanks,

Larry
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quote:
Originally posted by George P:

Thanks!

Is it a Magnaflow with tips?


I had a set of Magnaflow mufflers on my Pantera. Magnaflow mufflers have a reputation for low back pressure (high output) and good sound level. At first they were quiet but the quiet didn't last, the mufflers became louder as the packing material filled with carbon and fine particles of unburned oil and gasoline. I assume the power output decreased as the sound level increased. I wrote the cowboy about this, he said that's why he hasn't recommended them in a long time.
Last edited by George P
Do we know for a fact they are Magnaflow mufflers? Regardless, any straight through muffler design, that uses perforated tubing with packing and/or media around the perforated tubing (Borla, Magnaflow, etc.), will get louder with age but performance will remain the same. The situation is worse on a Pantera than on most other cars due to the small size of the mufflers and their close proximity to the engine. The only mufflers that don't get louder with age are either chambered mufflers with no sound deadening packing or straight through/perforated tubing mufflers that use a packing material that doesn't deteriorate (ceramic pellets, etc). Those mufflers simply start out loud when they're brand new. Some racing mufflers are made to be disassembled, so the packing can be replaced (Burns, etc) but I don't think you'll find them in a size suitable for a Pantera, unless you have 180 degree headers.
Muffler design is a compromise between sound level, longevity, physical size, and its impact upon an engine’s horsepower output. Mufflers employing a fibrous packing material for sound deadening have a reputation for high output and reasonable sound level, but the mufflers become louder as the packing material fills with carbon and liquid hydrocarbon particles. Unfortunately mufflers which are both quiet and that have good longevity seem to reduce an engine’s output the most. It is possible to manufacture a muffler that is both quiet and promotes high output ... but it requires more physical size than what is available in a Pantera.

In my opinion the factory GTS mufflers, and those sold by Hall Pantera, are the best because of their sound level, their longevity, and their "factory" appearance. Those are my priorities. However, they are not good choices for an engine having a camshaft with high overlap and/or narrow lobe centers. A camshaft with wide lobe centers, low overlap, and an early opening exhaust valve is better at coping with exhaust back pressure.

If I were to install mufflers using fibrous packing material as a sound deadener I would join the mufflers to the tail pipes with V-band joints, which would facilitate future replacement when they got loud.

I've seen the PPC mufflers on Panteras, always wondered where they were from. Definitely attractive Larry.
I have these on my car. They fit well and are nicely made. I plan on having the mufflers coated so it will resemble the Ansa’s. I have only been in the car twice over the past week, so not a lot of drive time since the new motor has been installed. The car has 3” exhaust pipes. I don’t feel that it is obnoxously loud, but of course that is subjective. What I noticed when I first got them is that you can see right through them. Not a lot of obstruction.

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