One of the things that always bothered me about my V6 Mustang was the single outlet exhaust. While the original six cylinder Mustangs had a solo exit it was partly due to the engine being an inline six instead of the common 'vee' configuration of today. Running duals with a straight six is possible but not terribly common. Making a set of twin outlets for a V6 is generally easier. For the S197 there are several companies that actually make conversions that bolt on with relative ease.
My desire for dual pipes was based solely on the aesthetic; I thought the single muffler and tailpipe simply made the car look unbalanced from the rear. Six cylinders or not, the car--a Mustang--simply should have twin pipes at the back. I had no delusions of a dual system increasing power by itself nor was I particularly interested in making it louder. The rather large displacement 4.0 does make a nice almost-but-not-quite V8 burble through much of the rev range. My worry was that a different system may make it sound less like an American small block and more like an Asian sports car.
Much like the pedestal spoiler I disliked so much the single muffler gnawed at me. Unlike the wing, I couldn't see it while I was in the car but I knew it was still back there looking wrong. The spoiler was an inexpensive fix; the pure vanity exhaust would set me back north of $650. The longer I had the car, the more I wanted to change it. Just as I was about to pull the trigger something unexpected happened.
I received an email from the parent company of American Muscle. They were seeking a 4.0 Mustang for an upcoming video that would compare three different exhausts. The lucky car owner would be able to pick one of the three to keep upon completion of the filming. With zero hope of being picked I filled out the application and emailed it back. I never, ever win anything.
The folks at American Muscle had apparently not been advised I was on some sort of eternal banned-from-winning list and chose my car to use. I was stunned, then ever-so-pleased. I spent hours scouring YouTube for sound clips of the various choices as I tried to make a selection. Arrangements were made, dates were set, changed, then finalized at last. I dropped off my car for three days that turned into a week and a half, though no fault of AM; the weather conspired to make filming outdoors difficult. I didn't mind as S197 is no longer used for anything but weekend fun. I wound up with a free Flowmaster system nicely installed on my car. Additionally, at some point it will be 'internet famous' when the video goes live on their channel. A win for everyone.
Sharing my good fortune with others on social media quickly resulted in the typical mild teasing to the expected 'shoulda just got a V8' commentary, some of the latter who seemed to think it was somewhat dishonest to put duals on a non-V8 Mustang. Sort of 'false advertising' was the likely rationale, or I was simply trying to make it something it is not.
At the risk of sounding defensive--or perhaps I actually am--my Mustang is hardly the only non-pony V6 car out there with dual outlet exhaust. It is commonplace for pedestrian sedans from Ford, Hyundai, Honda and many others to have twin exits protruding from beneath the rear bumper. Nobody questions it; in fact, I doubt most people even take notice. Though once a performance necessity the dual exit exhaust system has morphed into a styling cue available on numerous cars with no sporting pretensions. But, install duals on the 'lesser' pony car and its like those Joker memes from Batman--"Everyone loses their minds".
One must remind themselves on occasion that it is your car and the only person you need please is yourself, though I do take some pleasure in knowing the obsessive-compulsives that may follow me will no longer be bothered by the lopsided appearance of my Mustang's posterior.
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