Mustang Exhaust: Frequently Asked Questions

• Shorty Headers - Great for daily drivers! You will notice a small gain in horsepower (usually in the 5-10 hp range) and torque, and they are fairly easy to install with the proper equipment. By replacing your factory exhaust manifolds with aftermarket shorty headers, you allow the exhaust to flow freer which lowers resistance and creates additional horsepower. Shorty headers can be used with the factory mid-pipe or a standard length aftermarket mid-pipe.

• Long Tubes - Great for race or performance applications! Long tube headers give a nice gain in horsepower and torque in the higher RPM range (which is great for drag applications). However, long tubes are more difficult to install and we recommend professional installation. Long tube headers will require the use of a shorty mid-pipe. Check the fitment guides on each header’s page, because not all long tubes work on convertibles because of subframe and transmission clearance issues.

• H-Pipe - Great sounding, moderate gains! An “H-pipe” will give you some low end torque and will be freer flowing than the stock mid-pipe, which increases your Mustang’s hp! It will also help create a deep, lower toned growl which is similar to the sound of old school muscle cars.


• X-Pipe - Great sounding with greater performance gains! “X-pipes” are good for high end horsepower and torque, which is why many performance vehicles utilize the “X” design over the “H” design. The “x” allows the exhaust to flow more smoothly to the rear of the car. An “X-pipe” will have a louder, raspier sound than an H-pipe. It’s a great fit if you are looking for all out performance.

• Polished - headers are great for customers looking for a car show appeal. They look great under the hood.


• Natural Stainless - won’t tarnish or stain, but will age with the vehicle.


• Ceramic - great for customers looking to get the most power out of their car. Ceramic keeps the heat down, resulting in more HP.

• 87-04 – Cat-back - this is the only option for these years.


• 05+ - Cat-back or Axle back - both systems are available for these years.

• Get a cat-back that has two mufflers and connects to the factory Y-pipe. It will give you the appearance of a dual exhaust, but will be more restrictive than converting to a true dual exhaust.


• To get a true dual exhaust, you will want to replace your Y-pipe with an X-pipe. After you do that, you can choose any GT style cat-back.

• Straight through - these will give you optimal flow and a good sound.



• Chambered - these will be a little more restrictive, but tend to offer a more subtle, lower tone.

Most states will require catalytic converters, so you should always check your states regulations before purchasing an exhaust kit. Just because an exhaust kit is listed as “street legal” it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is emissions legal for your state.

MIL (Malfunction Indication Light) eliminators are used when an off-road mid-pipe (no catalytic convertors) is installed. Your car’s computer is programmed to work with cats on the car. When you remove them, the check engine light will come on because of the readings that the car’s computer is receiving from the rear oxygen sensors. The MIL’s essentially trick the car’s computer into thinking that the cats are on the car and that the oxygen sensors are performing properly. MIL eliminators will not bypass a malfunctioning oxygen sensor. They will only shut off the “check engine” light when installed on properly functioning O2 sensors.

If you own a 2007+ Mustang, we recommend that you upgrade the exhaust hangers that are currently on your car. In the 2007 model year, Ford changed the design of their exhaust hangers to a lower quality hanger, and with the new design we have run into issues with proper exhaust alignment. The new hangers are not a requirement, but we HIGHLY recommend them.

It depends on the exhaust part you are installing. Cat-back and Axle-back kits never require tuning. If you are making changes to your headers or mid-pipe, it is more than likely that you will need a tune to not only calibrate the vehicle for the new parts, but to also maximize the performance you get from them. This is not the case for every application, but it is more common than not.