The wait is over - Mountune Exhaust Is Out!

[BiigMe]

Just installed my Mountune exhaust, these can be had for around $600 as someone said above, you just have to dig a little bit. Exhaust is awesome, sound and fit and quality are all fantastic.

Question, my exhaust tips are just a few millimeters from the bumper cover, they don't touch but they almost do, I was thinking of getting some longer exhaust hangers to bring them down a little more to show off the M logo. There's really only one way for it to fit, there is play in the three different sections of piping but the hangers are what determine where it sits and how far out. Wondered if anyone else had this same issue.

So uh...where did you find it for 600?

 

[jeff]

BTW here is what I was mentioning on adjusting the hanger bolts. Just need a spanner. I did mine with the muffler on the car.

Thanks, I will give that a go. May eliminate the need for another hanger.

So uh...where did you find it for 600?

I scoped the internet and found it for the $739 price all over, including on Mountune's website. Then I e-mailed Mountune and told them how much I loved their exhaust over the others and how I wanted it for my car and they sent me a discount code which resulted in my price. I worked in retail for a long time and learned that unless you're a company like Apple or Ferrari, the word "sale" is a VERY flexible word, they often just change out signs and keep things "on sale" indefinitely, using new and fangled marketing to lure people in. My point is that the "sale price" of most items can be had, you just have to wait for it, find the right coupon, or simply ask as I did.

 

[CanadianGuy]

[MENTION=3995]jeff[/MENTION] Make sure to register the serial number for the lifetime warranty, especially good if you plan to keep the car a long time.

 

[CPais]

I tink I would go with the Mountune exhaust. In SoCal where is the best place to get one?

 

[jeff]

[MENTION=3995]jeff[/MENTION] Make sure to register the serial number for the lifetime warranty, especially good if you plan to keep the car a long time.

Thanks man.

 

[jeff]

I've had the Mountune CBE on for a few days and about 100 miles now so I thought I'd post a proper review.

PRICE
As I mentioned these can be found for 15-20% off retail price. Being 3 years in these are old news and I am sure Mountune would like to rid their shelves of them, especially now that there are other cheaper CBEs on the market.

QUALITY
Great fit, great quality of course, you get what you pay for here, no banging under the car or anything, there is only one way to install this - I read somewhere that there was adjustment - there is not. You could theoretically leave the 3 sections spaced a bit apart but it would not affect the outcome of how far the muffler tips stick out because that is dependent on the hangers, not the pipe. I know because I tried to push them out a bit further by not seating the pipes completely (we're talking one inch) but it did not make a difference, the pipe is going to sit where it wants.

INSTALL
Install was about 75 minutes on a lift, I was gonna do it on ramps but screw that, who wants to get under the car with a sawzall on ramps or jack stands? Not me. Anyhow a few tips:
(1) Make the cut in a straight piece, that way if you ever go back to stock and sell the CBE you can easily get a splicer, put the stocker on, and make a few hundred clams off the sale. If you cut on a bend it's much harder to do this.
(2) Be careful not to cut into your gas tank, it's right there where you're working.
(3) Surely enough one of my DP bolts was bad, it took some massaging to get it off and once I did it was pretty stripped. FORD! Erggg. But with care and precision I got the nut back on without crossthreading. Use plenty of PB plaster for removal and use some grease for re-install and it shouldn't be a problem.
(4) I and others found that once tightened the muffler tips do touch the bumper cover. To remedy this you can get a longer exhaust hanger or fabricate some other method. As of this writing I've got a hose clamp holding it all together but I have a hanger on the way which will be a permanent fix.

LOOK
One issue, already addressed in the install notes above, if you want it spaced correctly with the tips visible you'll need to get a slightly longer exhaust hanger....at least I did. Aside from that, the one part of the exhaust you see (tips) look awesome and are slightly larger than OEM but not much, they look super and the M is nice to see as I approach the car. I painted the back of the silver can black for stealth, it looks great and matches my car.

VOLUME
So here is where I actually think it could be a bit louder. I wanted a quiet exhaust and it is, but maybe a bit too quiet. Prior to this I had my resonator removed which maybe added 5% sound. Now with the Mountune we're at about a 15% increase. On start-up there is a very slight difference, most people will not notice unless they're into cars. Accelerate and there is more sound. Around 2,000 rpms whether accelerating or cruising there is a but of sound, call it drone or sound, either way it's not bad at all and is quite nice. Bottom line is that this is an exhaust for grown-ups, a stealth exhaust. It's there but not that much. For me coming from the exhaust resonator delete it made it even more subtle. Had I not removed the resonator a few months ago and gone straight to the CBE I might be more affected. Also of note as others have said you might plug your symposer when adding the CBE, I did because the two sounds conflict and it's annoying.

TONE
Here is where this exhaust shines again, the tone is outstanding. I daresay it sounds a bit like a boxer engine now, reminds me a bit of my Subaru at idle. It just sounds so deep and rumbly and high quality. Rev the engine, as the rpms decrease there is a beautiful rumble and gargle. Not ricey at all - as others have said it just sounds so good. It sounds like an OEM quality exhaust but one that is tuned to be sporty. It sounds just like what Ford wanted when they partnered with Mountune to get a warranty-friendly part that still sounded "like Ford performance" if that makes sense. If it were a bit louder it would be cool since the sound is so great.

PERFORMANCE
Probably nothing to speak of here, though I keep an close eye on both my estimated torque and MPGs, and in the 100 miles I've driven both have increased ever so slightly. I'm 3/4 tank full of gas and already logged 150 miles which is unusual. The exhaust is 2.5" as opposed to the 2.25" OEM IIRC so there is some more flow there, if not just a bit. Estimated torque is a few points up too. But it's nothing you can feel, and if you do it's placebo. When it's not hell hot outside I'll take a few datalogs and my tuner Mr. Brunson offered to take a look free of charge and see if there are any tuning adjustments to be made. When that happens I'll report back.

***************
Overall this is a great CBE and I highly recommend it. Could be a bit louder, and the muffler touching the bumper is a small issue, but it's about perfect for my needs and definitely the best choice for what I wanted so I am extremely happy and recommend this to anyone looking for a high quality great sounding non droning exhaust.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Great write up [MENTION=3995]jeff[/MENTION]

Here is what I add with now over 25,000miles (40,000 km) 2 summers an one Canadian winter using Cobb hangers which are installed on the muffler and the mid brace leaving the stock hanger near the DP. The time and miles i put on the car the lifetime warranty is a selling feature I want. Not everyone may want the extra fee but sales occur often enough and there are 15% off codes floating around. Personally I got mine with the vehicle financing as the Mountune parts are resold through Ford Racing at the same price as direct from Mountune.

After the first 500 miles make sure to double check all the bolt connections. I did not find anything loose but worth the 5 minutes. My installation process can be found in my build thread. I did need to adjust the hanger bolts to get the tips levelled

Any exhaust will age and somewhat mellow, this is due to the heat and cooling cycles. The Mountune CBE is the same after about 5,000km it changes slightly and it removes and harshness it may have had. To me and anyone that hears it, it sound great. It a mature sound that if you are just driving around town you will not anyone yourself or everyone else. Yet if you open up the throttle it will roar and make itself known. I have surprise a many other drivers when they feel my car is just another Fiesta. On the highway (50% of my driving day) cruising at around 3,000 to 3,500 rpm the sound is pleasing if you toe into the throttle(boost increase) it rumbles more providing proper feedback.

The look of it has not changed other than darken under the car due to the heat cycles. There is no rust or anything concerning. One thing to make sure is to take the wheel off in spring and get all the accumulated sand from the winter roads off the muffler itself. There can be quite a lot. I have had no issues cleaning the tips. I am one that likes the clean exterior and the matte black interior look of a good exhaust but should you wish a good brushing will clean out the interior quite easily if you do it regularly.

All and all I am very pleased and highly recommend it.

 

[bobjob]

CPais: Directly from them. they have an shop in SoCal, and can probably install it (for extra $ of course)

 

[jeff]

Thought I'd share a few thoughts after a few weeks as my opinion has changed a bit since first review:

1. Concerning SOUND - before I said that I loved the tone but that the volume could be a hair louder. But that was in 95+ degree weather with the windows up. Over the last week it's cooled off to the 70s and 80s which means my windows are down. I drive with the windows down in moderate temperatures which is about 70% of the year where I live. So, with the windows down over the last week I have a new appreciation for the volume and must say that it is PERFECT for me. Cabin noise is minimal with windows up; with windows down this exhaust sounds incredible. I'm realizing how amazing this Mountune piece is because you get no drone and minimal bothersome loud cabin noise, but there is a great sound/volume from outside the car especially of course at WOT. Were this exhaust any louder I would say it would be excessive with the windows down. But it's perfect at least for me as is. I have found that lowering the two rear windows a few inches allows some great sound along with ventilation. Also, with colder temps approaching the sound will only get more ferocious which will be awesome to experience.

2. Concerning MPG - whether or not this continues remains to be seen but I got about 35 extra miles on my first tank with this exhaust. I track my MPG meticulously and I drove my same usual route on this last tank so unless I got some super quality gas in that tank I think the extra exhaust flow has brought some new MPG. I used to get to around 370 per tank but my last tank was over 400 miles city/hwy on my usual weekly route.

OK that's it. So glad I got this exhaust!!!!!!

 

[jeff]

Thought I'd add a few quick colder weather thoughts now that my CBE is broken in and the weather is in the 40s.

Sound has gotten louder/deeper but not excessively. Cold weather = windows up and whereas in 90 degrees it was barely noticeable now it is quite obvious that the car has an exhaust. Also my wife can hear me coming down the road every day as I come home from work so it's audible/noticeable if you're in a house near a window.

All that's to say that this exhaust is quite awesome and I am loving the sound more and more as the winter approaches and I hear more of what it has to offer.

Also don't know if I mentioned this earlier but in order to deal with the tailpipes coming too close to the bumper I added some Cobb hangers. However this did not lower it much at all if any so I ended up dremelling out the hole in the back hanger just a bit to allow it to sit a bit lower. That along with the hanger bend trick has it sitting perfect.