+Dejected Sasquatch I always try and keep our cars in top notch shape, but this has always been a clean T-Bird. We don't drive it a lot, only about 10k miles in the last 2 years so it never sees rough weather or salt.
Great mechanic you had there, worked quickly and valued your property when working on it. I do almost all my own car work myself but would be happy to pay for service like this!
My school psychologist at Powell Middle School in Powell, Tennessee had a black 2005 Ford Thunderbird with the power soft top, and it was nice. I wish Ford would consider bringing the Thunderbird back with a new design.
I never saw a 14 years old car so clean and well maintained, it even has the sticker on the differential! Also the sound of the exhaust fits the car perfectly, in my opinion. An overly loud exhaust on such car would be stupid, honestly.
I've always thought that this model T-Bird was so dang cool. Definitely goes down on my list of cars that I would like to own one day. Exhaust sounds awesome Kyle! Looking forward to the pure sounds video!
+Arthur Sperotto wait until cops catch you for emissions violation (if you have that in your area) and the drone on the highway would make you want to put a bullet thru your brain. and the exhaust exiting under the car.... at a red light that shit just rises up into the cabin.
Corkoth55 1st: I don't have that in my area lol. 2nd: Drone on the highway is not bad. It's actually bad at lower RPM's, but that's not a problem since I live downtown and it's stop and go traffic all the time. 3rd: There's something called wind. Lol that's never been a problem. I've only smelled exhaust (great smell imo) while stopped once or twice, for a few seconds until the light turned green, so no harm there.
Arthur Sperotto well the rpm range that a car drones at is different for every car. so that's not particularly fair to say. and i said stopped at a red light. places like some in florida have extremely long red lights. and i'm glad you enjoy the smell of carbon monoxide poisoning in the morning.
Corkoth55 I agree, what I said was particular to my S2000. Every engine is different. Downtown stoplights are fairly quick. And again, I've only smelled it once or twice, only if there is absolutely no wind and my windows are down (even then, it dissipates with air before it gets to the inside of the car). That's more of a myth than a reality, I doubt you've experienced it first hand multiple times (the smell coming up from under the car). SO many classic cars run open headers, it's pretty common. I have cats right after my headers, so the gases are still "filtered". It just flows much faster and is much louder.
one of my clamps is leaking a little or something, (enough to get afterfire on downshifts) and when the engine is cold i can smell exhaust in the car. windows up. life comes at ya fast and hard.
Great! You're the only one that is so thorough with your reviews that I know of, and I for one absolutely love it; your number of subscriptions prove that, I must say!! :-) Cheers, Dave
Kyle you're an amazing guy who knows a lot about cars and loves cars too. I'm your biggest fan. And I really want to meet you in person. Keep up with the good job Kyle.
Hey Kyle! Bought my 2003 Thunderbird a month ago, and I really adore this car. I like the factory sound so far. But anyway, I´ve read and heard about the Borla exhaust sytem before and can´t wait to watch your next video and to listen to that new sound. And, btw: you spoke out what forced me to fall in love with the Retro Bird: I was also looking for a 2005 - 2008 Stang. But as you´ve said, there are tons of ´em cruising around, even over here in Europe. But the 11th Gen. T-Bird IS something rare, beautiful and special, and in the end, I´m more than glad that I didn´t buy the Mustang. :)
Beautiful car. Ironically my mom got one just the other day that she had been wanting a 2003 red convertible with red and black interior. Has the same exhaust on it as you just put on yours. And they even upgraded it with a navigation backup camera. 64,000 miles on it and in near mint condition and we paid $9315 for it. But I work for a car dealer so I got a discount
Hey Kyle! I always enjoy your videos and it makes me realize how much I like cars whenever I watch them! I was wondering if you were planning to do any more classic muscle car videos. If you are, I'm looking forward to it! Keep up the great work! Big cheer from the country of Japan!
Yeah...... but something closer to the sound of the open headers would be nicer. Should've heard what aftermarket pipes on my 1200 Sporstster sounded like. $400 Big Uns, and a Kline Hi Flow air filter and OMG! Now she could breathe! And those pipes weren't super LOUD pipes, but they weren't very quiet either. 😄✌🏻🇺🇸
Kyle is a great human being, so innocent and kind.. I really appreciate that he truly gets excited about his new exhaust in his underrated Thunderbird. Hopefully he could get in touch with an image consultor and be less influenced by his lovely wife and he could be a great person who people would actually look up to and give him the respect he deserves.
Bought a 2005 T-Bird at Mecum last week ( the black one with a 2 tone black/red interior although only red on the wheel, middle of the seats and the gearshift knob although the previous owner put a new set of red walls on it and it looked sharp as heck when it came off the truck today in front of my home! Took it for a ride and it's a moose!Now to get this exhaust. Your Video's have been very helpful in helping me decide to buy a T-Bird and now to spend a few more bucks and get this exhaust. Anything else?
good video kyle, i havnt seen this car in the flesh. i have seen videos and magazine articles of it, it would be quite rare here in australia, so yeah its cool to see something different, as you say, mustangs are a dime a dozen. i prefer the sound of the exhaust straight out of the headers, that sound is pretty addictive! hopefully in a few weeks the newly installed exhaust will liven up, even though it sounded fine when you were driving on the highway. it had a nice sound, nothing too obnoxious.
I don't know who you are, but I'm glad you posted this video. I don't understand why someone wouldn't just take the stock system and eliminate the center muffler or the two little resonators near the tailpipes for a better sound.
+randomrazr , yea it always astonishes me when i see such underbody pictures, either there is no dust in America, or people power wash beneath their cars too, there is no spec of dust, no mud, fresh paintwork, how is it possible???
Plus he lives in Charlotte, NC. We rarely see snow and when it does it never sticks for more than a day. Too warm in the winter these days here now-a-days.
Hello Kyle; I just took my 02’ t-bird out of storage this year. Only got 27,000 on it and I want to upgrade to the Borla cat-back. I’ve seen many out there online. From $897 too $1200. Where did you purchase yours, and also, how much does it usually cost to have them installed by a muffler shop ? Thanks Guy !
Hey kyle, I own a 2004 Lincoln LS v8 built off the same platform as the thunderbird. I have 3 questions. Does your v8 have the hydraulic fan set up and if so, did you replace it with the electric fan? And also my main question is would the same borla set up work in my car and if you don't me asking, what were the costs of the product and install so I'll know how much I'll need for this set up. It's something I'm looking to do next year.
You should just take the exhaust back off and run a couple straight pipes lol that sounded so good with open headers. Great video though just my opinion
Great video, thank you! Have you tried the performance trip on these cars? I'm in the midst of buying a t-bird and wondered if there's a decent horsepower/speed increase with the chip and then the exhaust
No matter how silly it sounds, you can’t hide the anemic and impossible to work on engine. I looked into upgrades and even the land Rover supercharger from the same block. The electronics stop everything. This was a truly dumb decision by the engineers leaving the cars interesting but no fun. Then in an initial insult they made 7 test mules with manual transmissions. That, at least would given amateurs something to play with before moving on to more powerful (fun) offerings. An opportunity lost.
Great vid! Always awesome to see something a little different than your normal content! Will you be taking a look at the CT6 anytime in the near future?
+TreJon As I said at the beginning of the video, Borla is the only one who offers an exhaust for this car. I was really happy with the Charger's setup anyway.
G'day, Kyle! By the way, if you didn't notice! The shot of you pulling into the garage with the Ford Thunderbird, and showing off the wonderful Borla Exhaust under the car lift. You just reminded me, a little bit like, Jay Leno's Garage! Cheers! :-)
Please do correct me if I am wrong, but I hear everyone saying that Kyle should just leave the vehicle with open headers. Now I am not the best with cars but, if he was too, would it be illegal to do so because his car would have no catalytic converter?
It's called a "cat-back" exhaust meaning it runs from the back of the catalytic converter. You cannot alter the catalytic converter(s) per federal law. This does not alter the converters. Leaving it open may sound cool but you also risk carbon monoxide poisoning.
This car is pretty much the same mechanically to the Lincoln LS right? I have an '04 with the 3.9 liter v8 and can only make it growl at 2000 rpms after coming off the throttle then getting back on it (doesn't do it from a dead stop). I would love to get some more sound from the exhaust it'd make merging on the highway a lot more fun! Btw, the car sounds sick with just the headers! Should of done a pure sound video of that lol.
+acelakid94 Correct, almost identical underneath. I'm sure Borla makes an exhaust for that too, but it made a world of difference. After a few days of driving, it's gotten louder so I'm looking forward on getting the Pure Sound done. I agree, should have left the exhaust off, sounded amazing haha!
That thunderbird sounds a million times better with open headers.
+Ttomisabeast Agreed!
when they started the car I was like holy shit that sounds badass
META 19991 Same here!
+Saabkyle04 Please review 2016 Kia Optima. Thanx
Totally truth! haha
That car is CLEAN. Especially for a 2002. The undercarriage looks extremely clean.
+Dejected Sasquatch I always try and keep our cars in top notch shape, but this has always been a clean T-Bird. We don't drive it a lot, only about 10k miles in the last 2 years so it never sees rough weather or salt.
Great mechanic you had there, worked quickly and valued your property when working on it.
I do almost all my own car work myself but would be happy to pay for service like this!
+lkjlkjlkkj Definitely!
That's a clean ride man for 2002. The new exhaust fits the ride. I'm sure your wife was pleased.
Out of our 5 vehicles and 4 motorcycles, our 2003 Thunderbird gets the most attention.
Right t now looking for a Merlot 2004, hope to pick up one soon
this car really looks like it goes to church
best comment I've ever read. car looks like a pastor
My school psychologist at Powell Middle School in Powell, Tennessee had a black 2005 Ford Thunderbird with the power soft top, and it was nice. I wish Ford would consider bringing the Thunderbird back with a new design.
I never saw a 14 years old car so clean and well maintained, it even has the sticker on the differential!
Also the sound of the exhaust fits the car perfectly, in my opinion. An overly loud exhaust on such car would be stupid, honestly.
+John Capidecallu Agree, there's a lot of immaturity on the internet lol, It really is perfect here.
I've always thought that this model T-Bird was so dang cool. Definitely goes down on my list of cars that I would like to own one day. Exhaust sounds awesome Kyle! Looking forward to the pure sounds video!
Open headers is the way man. Costs $0 and sounds f***ing awesome.
+Arthur Sperotto wait until cops catch you for emissions violation (if you have that in your area) and the drone on the highway would make you want to put a bullet thru your brain. and the exhaust exiting under the car.... at a red light that shit just rises up into the cabin.
Corkoth55 1st: I don't have that in my area lol. 2nd: Drone on the highway is not bad. It's actually bad at lower RPM's, but that's not a problem since I live downtown and it's stop and go traffic all the time. 3rd: There's something called wind. Lol that's never been a problem. I've only smelled exhaust (great smell imo) while stopped once or twice, for a few seconds until the light turned green, so no harm there.
Arthur Sperotto well the rpm range that a car drones at is different for every car. so that's not particularly fair to say. and i said stopped at a red light. places like some in florida have extremely long red lights. and i'm glad you enjoy the smell of carbon monoxide poisoning in the morning.
Corkoth55 I agree, what I said was particular to my S2000. Every engine is different. Downtown stoplights are fairly quick. And again, I've only smelled it once or twice, only if there is absolutely no wind and my windows are down (even then, it dissipates with air before it gets to the inside of the car). That's more of a myth than a reality, I doubt you've experienced it first hand multiple times (the smell coming up from under the car). SO many classic cars run open headers, it's pretty common. I have cats right after my headers, so the gases are still "filtered". It just flows much faster and is much louder.
one of my clamps is leaking a little or something, (enough to get afterfire on downshifts) and when the engine is cold i can smell exhaust in the car. windows up. life comes at ya fast and hard.
I just bought a black 2005, looking at this very exhaust!!
That's a wonderful car - Don't let a hater tell you otherwise. Sounds good with the cat-back exhaust.
Great! You're the only one that is so thorough with your reviews that I know of, and I for one absolutely love it; your number of subscriptions prove that, I must say!! :-) Cheers, Dave
Kyle you're an amazing guy who knows a lot about cars and loves cars too. I'm your biggest fan. And I really want to meet you in person. Keep up with the good job Kyle.
lovely car, lovely colour,and the sound of that V8 is fantastic.
That color has to be the best, and yes the new exhaust sound great
i'm so glad you ran it with open headers. that is what i REALLY wanted to see lol.
+Corkoth55 It was awesome haha
Wow that sounds great. That shop looks clean too. You can tell when some dealerships go above and beyond.
fantastic car, I like it more and more every time I see it. Unfortunately, in Russia very hard to find so rare cars in good shape..
It sounds really really good. Ive always loved this car
That mechanic seemed like a great guy!
Hey Kyle! Bought my 2003 Thunderbird a month ago, and I really adore this car. I like the factory sound so far. But anyway, I´ve read and heard about the Borla exhaust sytem before and can´t wait to watch your next video and to listen to that new sound. And, btw: you spoke out what forced me to fall in love with the Retro Bird: I was also looking for a 2005 - 2008 Stang. But as you´ve said, there are tons of ´em cruising around, even over here in Europe. But the 11th Gen. T-Bird IS something rare, beautiful and special, and in the end, I´m more than glad that I didn´t buy the Mustang. :)
open headers makes it sound mean as hell.
Dang Kyle you opened up that box faster than a kid on Christmas morning opening a present..lol.
awesome sound of the borla exhaust on your thunderbird
If I was a guy working in that shop I would hate someone standing right next me filming me lol
Cuz you stink😝
Nice car, nice sound. Can't wait for the Pure Sound video.
Unique video! Idk why, but I'd love to see a gold rush rally vinyl wrap on this thing.
Beautiful car. Ironically my mom got one just the other day that she had been wanting a 2003 red convertible with red and black interior. Has the same exhaust on it as you just put on yours. And they even upgraded it with a navigation backup camera. 64,000 miles on it and in near mint condition and we paid $9315 for it. But I work for a car dealer so I got a discount
Holy shit batman! that thunderbird sounded amazing with only the headers on!
Not how you would expect it to sound at all.
exactly
I want one, but I’d definitely take the mufflers off and put on a bottle resonator I’d rather really hear the v8 hum
Hey Kyle! I always enjoy your videos and it makes me realize how much I like cars whenever I watch them! I was wondering if you were planning to do any more classic muscle car videos. If you are, I'm looking forward to it! Keep up the great work! Big cheer from the country of Japan!
Honda Civic guys be like "I don't like it because it's not as loud as my rusted out exhaust with an AutoZone muffler."
+Mr Everything Actually I think it sounds awesome like all V8's do :-P
Open header fucking sounded amazing
+CHRISTOPHER CHIN I know!!
Coming to my neighborhood to put on the exhaust. Always nice to see people of the local celeb variety out and about here. :)
Everyone on the sidewalk would be like, WTF, when they hear it drive by. 😂
+Mel Laknanurak Hahaha there you go! :D
Great video and great set up on that Tbird!!! I really like that!!! I gotta do that to my future Thunderbird!!!
Yeah...... but something closer to the sound of the open headers would be nicer. Should've heard what aftermarket pipes on my 1200 Sporstster sounded like. $400 Big Uns, and a Kline Hi Flow air filter and OMG! Now she could breathe! And those pipes weren't super LOUD pipes, but they weren't very quiet either. 😄✌🏻🇺🇸
The new exhaust sounds quite nice.
this is one awesome and unique car!
Kyle is a great human being, so innocent and kind.. I really appreciate that he truly gets excited about his new exhaust in his underrated Thunderbird.
Hopefully he could get in touch with an image consultor and be less influenced by his lovely wife and he could be a great person who people would actually look up to and give him the respect he deserves.
Bought a 2005 T-Bird at Mecum last week ( the black one with a 2 tone black/red interior although only red on the wheel, middle of the seats and the gearshift knob although the previous owner put a new set of red walls on it and it looked sharp as heck when it came off the truck today in front of my home! Took it for a ride and it's a moose!Now to get this exhaust. Your Video's have been very helpful in helping me decide to buy a T-Bird and now to spend a few more bucks and get this exhaust. Anything else?
Great video sounds good I wouldn't what that kind of car to sound to loud it's got the right amount of Rumble.
good video kyle, i havnt seen this car in the flesh. i have seen videos and magazine articles of it, it would be quite rare here in australia, so yeah its cool to see something different, as you say, mustangs are a dime a dozen. i prefer the sound of the exhaust straight out of the headers, that sound is pretty addictive! hopefully in a few weeks the newly installed exhaust will liven up, even though it sounded fine when you were driving on the highway. it had a nice sound, nothing too obnoxious.
+ozzycarnut Definitely! Thanks so much for watching!
That sounds nice with open headers.
I'm curious to see if this will fit a 2005 jaguar s-type 4.2 just because they share the same architecture.
i love the interior on these cars
I don't know who you are, but I'm glad you posted this video. I don't understand why someone wouldn't just take the stock system and eliminate the center muffler or the two little resonators near the tailpipes for a better sound.
Kyle, do you still have this car? If so, are you happy with it? I bought a 2004 recently, and watched your videos before and after. Great stuff dude.
That is one heck of pretty car!
COOL Borla Cat-Back Exhaust Upgrade! Unboxing, Installation & Initial Impressions - 2002 Ford Thunderbird
nice. that sounds like a thunderbird should sound. especially with open headers. lol
8:01 DAMN.....that sound is "Van Glorious !!"
the underbody, so clean! good thing ur not in canada, the salts on the winter roads woudl destroy the underside LOL
how? rust?
Zali Zali salt and snow/water just eats away at the metal
+randomrazr , yea it always astonishes me when i see such underbody pictures, either there is no dust in America, or people power wash beneath their cars too, there is no spec of dust, no mud, fresh paintwork, how is it possible???
Plus he lives in Charlotte, NC. We rarely see snow and when it does it never sticks for more than a day. Too warm in the winter these days here now-a-days.
+Mr Thomas Rhino Line it
Man, that's a nice shop. At the dealership I work at, everyone is always yelling and throwing stuff lol
+Marius G It's a great place to film too, I'll take all projects like this here, everyone's very professional.
I like the flower on the visor!
Nice car! Should've done a back to back comparison to the stock exhaust sound
+TruBlue16 I said in the video that I was doing a Pure Sound video on it. I'll have a lot of before and after clips.
That workshop looks like a dental clinic, so clean
lovely car
I know you're a young kid, but please start doing old(er) cars again, love you mate.
Thanks, Great Vid, I have an 05 Bird, will be doing Borla soon. The 05 has 280 HP
Hello Kyle; I just took my 02’ t-bird out of storage this year. Only got 27,000 on it and I want to upgrade to the Borla cat-back. I’ve seen many out there online. From $897 too $1200. Where did you purchase yours, and also, how much does it usually cost to have them installed by a muffler shop ? Thanks Guy !
cool video and great sound !! :) and I have always wondered, what do you do when you re not making a video ?
There's a red one of these parked just off Sloane street in london..if you don't see many in America it must be a pretty rare sight here!
Yes, Roush makes an exhaust for your 'Bird just like I have on my '13 GT/CS 'Stang.
+Michael Powers I've never heard of that haha, awesome!
cool thunderbird and nice exhaust system
The only thing I wish is that the pipes were pushed back a bit more flush with the bumper.
You are so right! Yes! More hidden like the stock pipes.
I like the idea. Why be like everyone else on the road. I think it is brilliant to be honest.
+gasolara2002 Our thoughts exactly!
He's the best guys!!
No other exhaust system can compare to the borla cat back system. That is top of the line. That system will out last the life of the car.
I like it without the exhaust sounds like a amg v8
A car can't function without an exhaust. It can, but only for VERY short periods of time.
I know
There's a special tool to take off those annoying exhaust hanger/bushings which makes it a ton easier than screwdrivers or a pry bar.
Lubricating the rubber usually works best
Hey kyle, I own a 2004 Lincoln LS v8 built off the same platform as the thunderbird. I have 3 questions. Does your v8 have the hydraulic fan set up and if so, did you replace it with the electric fan? And also my main question is would the same borla set up work in my car and if you don't me asking, what were the costs of the product and install so I'll know how much I'll need for this set up. It's something I'm looking to do next year.
You should just take the exhaust back off and run a couple straight pipes lol that sounded so good with open headers. Great video though just my opinion
Decibel meter before and after?
8:01 never mind the Borla exhaust system!
Great video, thank you! Have you tried the performance trip on these cars? I'm in the midst of buying a t-bird and wondered if there's a decent horsepower/speed increase with the chip and then the exhaust
Can you try to find an 1996-98 Oldsmobile Achieva and do an in depth video of it?
looks like the exact same exhaust system for my 03 jag s-type must be similar platform that jag and ford shared.
I have this car!Its amazing😄
Hey Kyle what's good? Where's the sound video?
How much was the borla exhaust?
Kyle, what do you use as a seal protector between the hardtop and the car. Thanks.
Man that big cross frame thing in black is a bit weird. Cheap effective way to stiffen the chassis or what?
+Adddam Ah bugger, just came to the part where Kyle explained it, lol. Scratch that query.
What size tires are those? Thanks.
No matter how silly it sounds, you can’t hide the anemic and impossible to work on engine. I looked into upgrades and even the land Rover supercharger from the same block. The electronics stop everything. This was a truly dumb decision by the engineers leaving the cars interesting but no fun. Then in an initial insult they made 7 test mules with manual transmissions. That, at least would given amateurs something to play with before moving on to more powerful (fun) offerings.
An opportunity lost.
Great vid! Always awesome to see something a little different than your normal content!
Will you be taking a look at the CT6 anytime in the near future?
Is there a reason why you choose borla over flowmaster
+TreJon As I said at the beginning of the video, Borla is the only one who offers an exhaust for this car. I was really happy with the Charger's setup anyway.
open headers sounds better but you bought the borla with resonated pipes...
Is that the same 3.9L V8 that is found in the Lincoln LS V8?
+DeloreanDrag Yep!
***** Thanks! Gotta love V8 power! And awesome video! :)
+DeloreanDrag Thanks my friend!
I cant' wait for the Mustang Gt350/R review!! and for the BMW M2!! PLEASE
First one done watching vid
G'day, Kyle! By the way, if you didn't notice! The shot of you pulling into the garage with the Ford Thunderbird, and showing off the wonderful Borla Exhaust under the car lift. You just reminded me, a little bit like, Jay Leno's Garage!
Cheers! :-)
Please do correct me if I am wrong, but I hear everyone saying that Kyle should just leave the vehicle with open headers. Now I am not the best with cars but, if he was too, would it be illegal to do so because his car would have no catalytic converter?
It's called a "cat-back" exhaust meaning it runs from the back of the catalytic converter. You cannot alter the catalytic converter(s) per federal law. This does not alter the converters. Leaving it open may sound cool but you also risk carbon monoxide poisoning.
Do you still have this car?
If you do some wheels and lower it just a little, it would look absolutely gorgeous
and open headers sound MEAN
Should have left open headers tbh
What tires you running on the t bird?
This car is pretty much the same mechanically to the Lincoln LS right? I have an '04 with the 3.9 liter v8 and can only make it growl at 2000 rpms after coming off the throttle then getting back on it (doesn't do it from a dead stop). I would love to get some more sound from the exhaust it'd make merging on the highway a lot more fun!
Btw, the car sounds sick with just the headers! Should of done a pure sound video of that lol.
+acelakid94 Correct, almost identical underneath. I'm sure Borla makes an exhaust for that too, but it made a world of difference. After a few days of driving, it's gotten louder so I'm looking forward on getting the Pure Sound done. I agree, should have left the exhaust off, sounded amazing haha!
Do you mind if I ask how much the installation cost?
+nickalee100 The install was a little over $100, it was done rather quick. Easy install with this car.