Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications 3.0L Duratec How much louder than stock is a 3.0L with headers?

With what kind of exhaust? The headers will make it rumble louder on a stock exhaust. It will sound nicer and deeper. As soon as you get rid of the resonator is when you are looking at noisy. That said, you will still have lots of power with the 3l that you didn't have before.
I got 196 wHP on my first dyno of my 3L hybrid engine using the completely stock SVT intake and exhaust with gutted precats. Sounded great. Soon as I pulled the resonator and went with straight through mufflers and resonator, it go noisy and droned loudly.
You can put on a better exhaust with a larger diameter and still keep the noise down by using high flowing offset inlet/outlet resonator/mufflers.