The exhaust system on mine was bad, and I really hadn't noticed it until I went to upgrade the old exhaust with a new cat back performance system. I found my exhaust had holes throughout which was strange because I live in Phoenix. In any case it's not that difficult to change and the cost really is negligible when compared to the performance gains and the ease of installation, and the fact that you can order through the mail or web. The system I put in place was a Pace Setter TFX cat back system and it is literally a bolt-in installation. All of the stock hangers work with the new system and it took me about two and a half hours to remove and install the new system. The hardest part for me was removing the rubber hangers so that I could drop the old exhaust system which took the better part of an hour to get loose even with lube on them. There is no need to cut any of the old system, just make sure to have a jack that will go high enough to pull the old muffler and tail pipe assembly out. I ended up jacking in front of the wheel on the right side and using a jack stand in the rear with the jack in place.( I hate working under a car not sitting on the ground) I was able to slide the old system out from the rear forward and once that was out begin installing the new system. The new system will go right into place, lifted or not. The new system is also lighter and performs much better. It fit mostly like a glove, except the rear of the pipe near the hanger on mine was resting on the frame. I have not solved the problem yet but will figure out something. I believe the main hanger to support the muffler was a tad too short. I am pleased, and no leaks. I don't know the exact gains for the system I bought, but I do feel a difference however slight. The system is available through a few resources and they have been around for about 30 + years. The system is fully aluminized and the tubing is larger. I paid about $170.00 with shipping through JC Whitney. I would also recommend the flow master system which sales for about the same price, and is available through Summit Racing. This system is said to give about 15 horse and about 23 ft Lb. of torque on a 4.0 liter Explorer.
| I replaced my exhaust system on my '91 Navajo (Explorer Sport OEM'd my
Mazda) about 2 years ago. I put on the FlowMaster kit from Summit Racing.
The kit is designed for the 4-door model but can be used on the 2-door by
cutting a piece off the new pipe between the cat and the muffler at the
muffler end. I don't remember how much, but it is easy to measure. The
kit fit so well that my friend who helped and I were very impressed. The
elapsed time to complete was about an hour, the hardest part is getting the
old tail pipe / muffler out from under the car.
As for performance and noise, I used to travel a particular road with a hill on it to work. The hill was steep enough to cause speed loss even at full throttle with the factory exhaust. With the new system, I can actually gain speed up the hill, or maintain speed with less than full throttle. The exhaust noise is louder, but not oppressively so, due to the 3 chamber muffler. Overall, I would do it again.
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