AlienAbductor

A couple of months ago I installed the SOLO MR400 4" system on my 2011 Ecoboost. I posted a review at that time, but to some it up I was very happy. The fit, finish, quality, and sound were all top notch. Well, after about a thousand miles of driving the sound did deepen a little, but it turned out it was a little too loud for my wife. The J-pipe is amazing for eliminating drone and most noise when the engine is cruising, but under load and accelerating it was just too much. This was especially evident when towing as the engine was almost always under load.

Because of the stellar service I received from Jeff at SOLO Performance, and the quality of the exhaust, I wanted to keep the SOLO system. So I called Jeff and ordered the Mach-46 muffler to replace the MR400. The Mach-46 is 7" longer than the MR400 making the install a little more difficult. I used some Lenox Lazer 18T blades on my saws-all and made the cuts on the front and rear portions of the exhaust. There is not enough room to cut all 7" from one end, so two cuts are required. Then I re-installed the exhaust the same as I originally did. It was a little more difficult this time since the Mach-46 is quite a bit heavier than the MR400. I did the install by myself, so it took a little more effort, but not too bad.

Now the moment of truth. SOLO claims the Mach-46 is about a 2 to 3 on a scale of 1 to 10, and the MR400 is a 10 on the same scale. I was a little concerned that after all this work I would have an exhaust that sounded like stock, even though I would have the performance gain from a free-flowing 4" system. Well, I was instantly relieved when I cranked the truck. The exhaust still has a nice initial growl at start-up, and then a mellow rumble at idle. The most pleasant surprise was the increased turbo whistle. I think I had lost some of that because of the volume of the MR400, but now with the Mach-46 it is louder than ever, and sounds terrific. I am extremely pleased with this system, even more than the MR400 that I begrudgingly had to remove. It sounds like a tighter, more subdued MR400; very sporty. It sounds to me like a system that Ford would put on a special performance model Ecoboost, not extremely loud, but definitely sporty. The turbo whistle is also way more noticeable in cab while driving, with the exhaust not overbearing at any throttle.

I am not disputing SOLO, but I would call the Mach-46 about a sound level 4 to 5 on a scale of 1 to 10, and my happiness is at a definite 10. If the you are worried about the MR400, give SOLO a call and order up the Mach-46. I am completely satisfied with my Ecoboost exhaust, perfect in every way now.

I attached a sound clip below, hopefully it works as it is my first attempt at uploading a video to youtube. I will try to get more driving videos later.


http://youtu.be/4DTX8H0KxTA

BoostedFitz

Great review! It's great to be able to deal with an aftermarket supplier that actually cares! It seems like when companies get too large they sometimes loose something when looking after customers. Not with these guys. Keep us posted with how things go over time.

Nice clip too!

abouzahrr

So i have a question on the MR400 then, it sounds like it was pretty loud? I'm looking for an exhaust that will really give those turbos a noticeable growl

jake17201

Great review. Truck sounds good. I will be looking into this exhaust. Thanks for the sound clips.

AlienAbductor

Here is another clip from inside with the windows up. I tried with the windows down, but it was too windy today and all you can hear is wind noise. This clip is pretty weak, but it's all I have for now. None of the my Droid phone recordings do any justice to the actual exhaust sound, but at least it gives you a little idea of what it sounds like.

As for the question about more turbo sound, for me the sound volume of the MR400 drounded out my turbo whistle. The lower volume of the Mach-46 allowed more turbo whistle to come through. It all depends on what you want. The MR400 is definitely a head-turner, now there are 3 great options from SOLO for your Ecoboost exhaust needs. I think all of them sound better than anything else out there.

TruckLarry

You turned your gnome on and it dried out the sound.

Joewee3.5

Sounds like the J-pipe doesn't do it's job. There's no annoying sound at cruise with no resonator at all. The Jpipe is supposed to eliminate that drone while accelerating and under load. Maybe you need to adjust it like some have mentioned. Trust me, I've done the resonatir delete and from 1000-2200 rpm the sound in cab is loud. That's why I built one into my current system. Your exhaust sounds good btw.

BoostedFitz

I think when he said that he more meant that the mr400 was just too loud when towing for him overall. Not that it was droning. That's what it sounds like to me. My Solo duals are substantially louder when towing our 6000 lb travel trailer. But that's to be expected. It was still fine inside. Actually, the duals towing are probably as loud as the mr400 was empty. So loaded up the mr400 could very well be too much for some folks.

sluggo1

Zero drone inside cab with mine. Not an issue with this system. Design works as it should.

57hippie

I did some towing this weeken yes it louder but no done. But I am ok with that its nice that SOLO has 3 options because we have different taste. Not only do they make a good product but they try accomidate every one.