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MAC vs. JBA for V6

2502 Views 14 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  stallion05
okay, so i've had the opportunity to install both kinds of mufflers on my V6 in the last few weeks. i know i'm spending extra money, but the sound is very important to me and i like to test stuff for the sake of mad scientist experimentation!

i put the MAC on first and was blown away at how loud it is through the RPM range. when you first light it up, it just growls. here are the pros of the MAC: the low RPM sound is tremendous. i give it a 10 for a V6. it also looks real good if you like a 4" pipe sticking out the back. and it's stainless steel all the way. the cons of the MAC: when you step on it, it does get a little too tinny sounding (see ricey) for my taste. it also drones quite bad in fourth gear around 55mph. this muffler is just plain loud!

as for the JBA - it really doesn't sound much louder than the stock until you step on it. it gets pretty throaty at this point and sounds better than the MAC. it just doesn't have much girth at the low RPM's - pretty quiet. but it is way better in the resonation/droning department. i'm just having a little problem getting it to sit right. it's touching the rear valance ever so slightly. i'm thinking about putting in a few extra washers to get it to drop a little. it also doesn't stick out as much as the MAC - a little shorter tube.

so here's my conclusion after testing both - if you like a really loud sound and are willing to put up with resonation - go with the MAC. if you want a little bit more sound than the stock but not too much, then the JBA is more your speed. i'm actually thinking about keeping the JBA. i'm finding myself stepping on it a little more to hear that awesome high RPM sound.

hope all this helps you sixers out there...
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nope. sorry. fundage is a little low after buying two mufflers! although i really would lilke to test a magnaflow and a flowmaster too. maybe someday.
I was going to go with the MAC since it was 100% stainless... which was a big plus for me... but dang.. a 4 inch tip was a little much for me... LOL! Then i found the Magnaflow single... 100% stainless with only a 3.5 inch tip... More expensive... but I like it a lot... one of these days i'll post a clip... LOL
I guess the fit problems with the JBA V6 axle back are common. My pipe barely touches the bumper cover and it's melted it a little. You have to look close to see it, but it's still annoying. The Goodyear service center that installed it said they could have made it fit by bending the brackets, but they didn't have the necessary heating torch. Someday I'll get around to taking it to a muffler shop.

Anyway I'm very happy with the sound.
when installing the JBA i actually had to hammer the connector pipe a little because it was kind of squared on one side. i got it to fit, but barely - and it's very tight. i bet my girlfriend a homemade dinner that i could take off the MAC and slap the JBA on in twenty minutes. didn't happen. it took me an hour after hammering that thing. the MAC was much easier to put on. now i need to find a vegetarian recipe for dinner :(
I installed the JBA and had the same problem with it touching the rear valance. My soulution was to put the mounting rod on the muffler through the rubber hanger in the open space below the center. The spacing is perfect and so far I have had no rattles or problems.
that's a good idea as long as it doesn't rattle. maybe i'll give that a try. thanks.
The JBA mufflers are sweet. I'm considering upgrading to dual exhaust down the road, so would I just end up buying the GT JBA mufflers instead?
JBA Axleback

Only because i did not have a clue and did NOT follow the instructions....it actually fit perfect and centered like I hoped it would. Go figure.
is it just me or do the jba's sound kind of ricey???i know its not a v8 but what exhaust gives it the deepest exhaust tone.im talking something that would make barry white sound like a soprano!
GumDropLarry said:
is it just me or do the jba's sound kind of ricey???i know its not a v8 but what exhaust gives it the deepest exhaust tone.im talking something that would make barry white sound like a soprano!
Gumdrop,
It could be you. I've got one and it doesn't sound ricer at all. In fact, the closest comparison I can make is that it sounds like my old 302 small block V8. I listened to all of them and thought the JBA and the Magnaflow had that deep tone you refer to. The MAC was too loud and the flowmaster sounded like a tractor, in my opinion.
i don't think the jba's sound ricey at all. the closest i've heard to ricey was revving up the MAC muffler i had. it got a little too farty for me at high rpm - not to mention ear-busting resonation on the highway. it rocks when you turn it on though.
The MAC on my V6 sounds good. Although it is loud around 2500-3000rpm it has a nice deep tone. I'm also a daily highway driver so I lined the entire trunk with Dynamat sound deadener and it really helps with deadening the sound inside the car. Now it is perfect.
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