I Did a Muffler Delete on my V6 Mustang

I now own a muffler delete V6 Mustang, and I only wish I did it earlier. Many mustang owners including myself are told to not chop off the muffler or do a muffler delete because you can get a check engine light, it sounds bad, etc.

Well, none of that happened. I didn’t get a check engine light, it sounds great, and I am in love with it. Here’s a short video clip of us deleting the muffler, and driving away so you can hear it!

Vigilant of Vekhayn.com doing a muffler delete on a 2006 V6 Mustang.

Was Doing The Muffler Delete Worth It?

In my mind, absolutely. The muffler delete was 100% worth it. I had doubts at first, to be quite honest with you. Personally, I was worried how loud it would be, if I would get pulled over every other day, etc. Also, I want my car to sound good, be decently loud, but still don’t want to annoy anybody.

Without a muffler I was at most concerned about my neighbors, and I think this is the primary reason I chose to not go with a massive $500 exhaust upgrade or anything. I wanted the natural sound of my engine to flow through, but not wake everybody up when I leave for the gym at 5am.

The car is very loud, but not loud enough to really be waking anybody up. The trick is, I just have to go very slow through my neighborhood, under 2,000RPMs. However, I don’t think anybody is complaining about somebody driving slow through a neighborhood, especially because it’s more careful.

In a weird way, doing the muffler delete has caused me to drive safer. First of all, knowing people will get mad if it gets too loud in a residential area, and secondly knowing law enforcement will be on me like flies on a dead corpse. So, if I slow down, and don’t fly everywhere, I will avoid the police targeting me for noise and be safer in the process, it’s really a win-win situation.

Overall, I’ve had no regrets. It’s not incredibly loud or obnoxious, but sounds more like a real american muscle car.

2006 V6 Mustang with a Muffler Delete
2006 V6 Mustang with a Muffler Delete

Does the Muffler Delete V6 Mustang Sound Good?

Yes, and I was honestly surprised. Many sources online will tell you a muffler delete in general will sound bad, especially a muffler delete for a V6 mustang.

However, truth be told, I had holes drilled in my muffler previously. It looked horrible, and sounded horrible. I realized the only way to really fix this was getting rid of the muffler entirely, or just replacing the muffler. Getting a new muffler was $80 and I do not have lots of money, so we had to chop it.

2003 V6 Muffler Delete submitted by fan Meepmorp6661. https://old.reddit.com/user/Meepmorp6661
2003 V6 Muffler Delete submitted by fan Meepmorp6661. https://old.reddit.com/user/Meepmorp6661

I love the sound so much. I really feel like I own an american muscle car now, or even a race car. Whenever I drive under an overpass and hit the gas it sounds beautiful. Whenever I’m on the backroads at a stop sign, and I pull out and launch my car the noise is music to my ears.

The incredible rumble, the pops and crackles, it sounds like thunder just hit the street and launched, and that’s why I love muscle cars so much. If I chopped off the mufflers on my minivan, I probably wouldn’t hear the same muscle car sound- y’know?

It sounds so good, and again I added a video of my mustang at the top there, but listen to some other v6 mustangs with their muffler deleted.

2007 V6 Mustang Muffler Delete

Is Owning a Muffler Delete V6 Mustang Controversial?

Owning a muffler delete v6 mustang is extremely controversial. A quick google search will send you running back to the muffler shop and begging for them to put it back on. It seems many hate on mustangs with a muffler delete modification, but truth be told, it’s not bad.

Take a look at this controversial thread from TheMustangSource.com. User Purple Hayz tries to say that the only downsides to owning a muffler delete v6 mustang is that you HAVE to hear that killer american muscle sound, may alienate friends and neighbors, and go deaf. Evidently joking, he received very angry replies.

Many said that removing the muffler would cause backpressure issues, sound horrible, and ruin people’s reputations as “mustang” drivers.

This controversial topic isn’t just limited to TheMustangSource. However, surfing the web brought some sanity from MustangForums.com where shad2009 lays down the hammer and states making mustangs look bad is a stretch, and that most people getting pulled over for their muffler delete mods are driving very recklessly and dangerously. Shad2009 reiterates that if you’re going to drive like a doofus, expect to get pulled over and fined for your muffler mod, but if you drive safe and carefully, you really have nothing to worry about. Shad2009 finally ends their hammer of justice by saying some cops have even complimented his or her car with the muffler taken off because of the nice sound.

The truth is, if you don’t want a muffler on your mustang, get rid of it. Many people like to drop hundreds on expensive mufflers and exhaust modifications to seem cool and have an even louder car.

Having the muffler chopped off will make it louder, and sure a high-end exhaust system will sound better and be louder, but at the end of the day, the muffler delete provides that rich american muscle car sound that you can’t get anywhere else.

Do You Lose Performance on a Muffler Delete V6 Mustang?

You hear it all the time, “you’ll lose backpressure!”. I personally felt my car was slower at accelerating at lower speeds, but I have no proof for that. Additionally, my 0-60 speeds have all remained largely the same and I still fly off when I hit the gas.

I think when people delete their muffler and hear a much lower pitch and darker drone when they accelerate, they confuse it with their car being slower because they are used to a much faster whining noise. This in a way, tricks your brain into thinking the car is slower.

According to scanneranswers.com, in newer cars the ECU and exhaust sensors can go off if you do not have a muffler. This could result in weirder idling and performance.

However, many say that if you have a turbo’d car, it will increase horsepower by allowing the turbos to spool faster. Additionally, many say there just isn’t any performance difference at all.

For me, I have a custom tune, which may be contributing to the fact I did not really see a performance loss, since my car’s computer knows that there is a lot different on my car in regards to air intake and gas.

The truth is, a muffler isn’t an essential part of the car. Many people change their exhaust systems all the time. If there is any engine difference, it is probably less than 2 horsepower. However, since you just did some weight reduction by removing the muffler, it probably was a net change of 0.

Pulled over? Ticketed?

In essentially every state, you need a muffler on your car. Some states have stricter regulations enforcing noise levels. Additionally, if you have to do emissions testing, your car will fail.

I live in Minnesota where many muffler/noise laws don’t exist. Up here, there’s not really a big reason for them to exist or be enforced. It’s really just quiet farmland with lots of snow out here. It would be detrimental for a farmer to be hauling his crop in an old truck and get ticketed.

I personally have been pulled over for speeding with the muffler gone. The law enforcement officer did not make any mention of the noise. The officer was behind me and could see no muffler aswell, but did not comment. While my ticket was later dismissed, she could’ve easily ticketed me for the exhaust.

https://twitter.com/RaisedStunna/status/1179427257061916675

The truth is, the muffler delete v6 mustang just isn’t that loud. Sure, it has its moments, but I was barely speeding over the limit and not driving recklessly. Perhaps if I was flying down the street and flying to 6k RPMs every turn, things may have been different.

I would recommend driving safer in general and most cops will not care. My friend Austin got ticketed for his 5.7L 2007 Dodge RAM not having a muffler, but he did accelerate very quickly all the time so others could hear his truck. If he did not do that all the time, he probably would not’ve had a citation issued for it.

If you have emissions testing, keep the muffler or you will fail it. Also, do not drive recklessly and law enforcement will likely be kind to you.

Conclusion

The truth is, if you want to save some money, chop off that muffler. A muffler delete v6 mustang is perfectly fine and will sound incredible. You may get ticketed or fined, but probably if you’re driving crazy. So get out there, get the sozzle going, and saw away.

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