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K&N Drop In & Drilled Airbox

bcboy4ca

Active Member
Joined
April 26, 2009
Messages
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City, State
Chilliwack, BC
Year, Model & Trim Level
'98 XLT
I had originally planned on buying a K&N FIPK kit but rather than spend that much money I bought a K&N drop in, removed the silencer in the front of the air box and drilled two 2" holes. The sound that the truck now makes under heavy acceleration is incredible. It has such a nice growl to it and tomorrow I am getting a Magnaflow muffler installed (part # 12268), I can't wait.

I highly recommend to anyone with a 4.0 SOHC that doesn't want to spend alot of money to buy a high flow filter (K&N/Airaid/AFE) remove the silencer and drill the airbox.

The only other mod I have at this time is a JET programmer (part # 15003) set on premium tune with modified shift points and rpm limiter raised.

Just thought I would share.

Cheers

Grant
 



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I had originally planned on buying a K&N FIPK kit but rather than spend that much money I bought a K&N drop in, removed the silencer in the front of the air box and drilled two 2" holes. The sound that the truck now makes under heavy acceleration is incredible. It has such a nice growl to it and tomorrow I am getting a Magnaflow muffler installed (part # 12268), I can't wait.

I highly recommend to anyone with a 4.0 SOHC that doesn't want to spend alot of money to buy a high flow filter (K&N/Airaid/AFE) remove the silencer and drill the airbox.

The only other mod I have at this time is a JET programmer (part # 15003) set on premium tune with modified shift points and rpm limiter raised.

Just thought I would share.

Cheers

Grant

Greetings from Calgary.

I see in your profile that you have a Flowmaster SUV muffler already. Have you heard a Magnaflow on a SOHC before? That was the first big mod I did to my old '00 Sport and really didn't care for the sound. It lasted all of a month and I put on the muffler you have now with much better results. I don't know which Magnaflow I have (it's still sitting in my garage after all these years). I found it ricey sounding and had an inconsistent tone (sounded good at some revs, horrible at others) and it resonated horribly in the cab (even with stock resonator). Granted, the acoustics of a 2 door are different than a 4 door, but I really wasn't a fan of the Magnaflow. I may put it on my 5.0 some day.

All it took was my wife calling me a "riceburner" and the muffler had to go. That and getting a headache from the sound in the cab from a 4 hour drive back from Cypress Hills, SK. :(

What you've done so far to your airbox is sort of a scaled back version of the "Swiss Cheese" mod, a very popular mod for those on a budget and who don't need the bling factor of a full air intake setup. Sounds highly effective.

I don't know much about Jet programming. I've got a SCT XC2 flasher and love it. Once you use a flasher, you're hooked. I love being able to try out new tunes by having the files emailed to me. Nice upgrade down the road. I also like being able to switch between 87-89 and 91 octane tunes if needed. Does Jet have the ability to get files emailed to you as well?

Cheers!
 






Celly,

I didn't have the Flowmaster muffler (the truck exhaust is stock). I work at Mopac Auto Supply in Langley and had the Flowmaster muffler all ready to go but after talking to the mechanics in the shop they got me to switch over to the Magnaflow. I have had magnaflow mufflers on other vehicles and have heard many on customer cars (never a SOHC though) and have generally liked what I heard. I am going to have the muffler installed and am going to leave a resonator in line after the muffler so hopefully I won't have any resonance issues, I guess I will find out tomorrow.

As far as the Jet programmer goes it was the only product of its type (other than plug in units from Superchips/Diablosport) that we carried so I thought I would give it a go. I have to admit that I was a little leary of using Jet but now that I have it installed I am glad I did, I have been running it for a little over a month.
 






I LOVE Mopac. The Calgary location is super inconvenient to get to or I'd be there a lot more (horrible location). I scored my Powerslot rotors/Hawk Pads from Mopac (special order) as well as my MSD coil pack (in stock and cheaper than US pricing). I actually got my Flowmaster from them as well and for a fraction of what anyone else in town wanted for it. I'm not a fan of VHT Night Shades anymore (talk about a dated mod), but Mopac was the only place in town to get it and at a price much lower than the US.

Do you get staff discounts? If so, lucky you. :thumbsup:

If you're looking for an aggressive, but not obnoxious sound, I think you'd be happy with the Flowmaster. I had it installed with 2.5" pipes from the cats back, without resonator. It was quieter in the cab than the Magnaflow in stock 2.25" pipes WITH resonator. I really didn't like the sound of the Magnaflow at all and tried to live with it. I had buyer's remorse within a day of scoring the muffler and never did with Flowmaster.

I eventually went with an aftermarket Flo-Pro resonator, just to quieten down the Flowmaster a bit and only because life changed when we had a baby. It was just a bit too loud inside (although he spent most time in my wife's Subie). Notice the distinction between "loud" and "droney". The Flowmaster didn't give me headaches on the highway. It was just a little louder inside than I cared for inside, but sounded great outside. The Magnaflow droned inside and sounded OK out (depending on the revs). That was with a resonator and in stock pipes. I can't imagine what it would have sounded like with 2.5" pipes (which tend to make an exhaust louder) and no resonator (which tunes the sound....I'm sure you know all this).

Anyhow, exhaust is personal and you may like it. The riceburner comment went a long way with me. My wife didn't feel the same way about the Flowmaster, but did find it a tad loud. The Sport (2 door) is 10" shorter than a 4 door so the sound dynamics are different. You may like Magnaflow on your ride (others do). Magnaflow was my first taste of custom exhaust and it didn't make a great first impression on me. I did a lot of research AFTER I got it (hence deciding on the Flowmaster) and the Magnaflow gets great feedback on OHV V6 and V8 versions of the Explorer. That's why I may use the Magnaflow on the V8 some day.

I was just hesitant about using a loud exhaust on my ride which is a daily driver and is also a family vehicle. I use Flo Pro now (Canadian company out of Red Deer, AB) and they are much mellower than Flowie or Magnaflow, but they flow great. High quality construction too. It wasn't too loud at all in the cab, but a year ago my son said to me one day:

"Daddy, can you please turn down your engine?"

I went with a resonator after that and it mellowed it down even more, especially inside. I guess it all depends where your priorities lie. Exhaust can be obnoxious, but it can be mellow. At the end of the day it's all about performance and I'd imagine Magnaflow and Flowmaster are comparable.

I reviewed all three in the reviews section of this site quite some time ago.

I've heard others suggest the SOHC is a tempermental engine to throw an aftermarket muffler on re: sound. I've seen and heard a lot of different mufflers on the site (via Youtube) and a lot sound like ass. No one can convince me that any V6 sounds like a V8 with any muffler. Only a V8 sounds like a V8.

Might want to snoop around Youtube and see if there are any good vids/soundclips there for you to decide.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Brad (celly)
 






i will sound dum when i ask this, but where in the air box is the silencer? i know mustang guys always used to do this for performance.
 






i will sound dum when i ask this, but where in the air box is the silencer? i know mustang guys always used to do this for performance.

I'm dumb too because I never knew about this on my old Sport. :p:
 






i will sound dum when i ask this, but where in the air box is the silencer? i know mustang guys always used to do this for performance.

I may be calling it by the wrong name but it is the trumpet/horn looking thing in the front of the lower airbox. You just remove it.
 






I LOVE Mopac. The Calgary location is super inconvenient to get to or I'd be there a lot more (horrible location). I scored my Powerslot rotors/Hawk Pads from Mopac (special order) as well as my MSD coil pack (in stock and cheaper than US pricing). I actually got my Flowmaster from them as well and for a fraction of what anyone else in town wanted for it. I'm not a fan of VHT Night Shades anymore (talk about a dated mod), but Mopac was the only place in town to get it and at a price much lower than the US.

Brad, thanks for the support. Do you deal with anyone in particular when you go in?

We do get a staff discount :) but having a family and other bills still limits what I can spend on my vehicles.

I got the Magnaflow installed this morning and I must say that it sounds f***ing sick. We left the stock resonator in place and left the tailpipe at 2.25". Greg (the mechanic) did throw on a dual s/s tip. It is a super smooth sound, exactly what I was looking for. I was hesitant of using Magnaflow after reading all the reviews and listening to numerous videos on youtube but I am now glad that I took Greg's recommendation and went with the Magnaflow.

Here is the muffler that I used in case anyone is interested

http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/displayapplications.asp?partnumber=12268

Grant
 






by the silencer do you mean the little ~3-4" rubber piece held on by a metal band at the end of the lower airbox?

and where did you drill the holes in the airbox?
 






by the silencer do you mean the little ~3-4" rubber piece held on by a metal band at the end of the lower airbox?

and where did you drill the holes in the airbox?

I am unsure what it would look like on your truck because you have the OHV and I have the SOHC, I'm pretty sure the air intakes are different.

On mine it was a trumpet/horn looking piece of plastic at the front of the lower airbox. I drilled one 2" hole in the front of the lower air box and one on the bottom near the back. I think I am going to drill one more on the front.
 






I am trying not to hijack the thread, but does anyone know what us people with the OHV can do to achieve the same results?

Where is the OHV silencer located?
 


















i just took off the bottom end of the airbox, im about to go for a drive. still have the OEM filter for tonight, im gonna grab a K&N tomorrow. i'll post results sooner or later. Thanks for the link!
 






def. a difference. it pulls harder off the line and sounds better. on the highway with the o/d off it pulls alot harder than it used to with the o/d off. gas mileage still sucks. we'll see how it goes tomorrow after the filter swap, my current filter is old and nasty as hell so im hopin for a decent results with the k&n.
 






You will notice the difference in throttle response with the K&N but that's it. I think on their site they claim it adds 3 horse power...
 






By drilling a hole past the air filter, wouldn't that allow debris and other random crap into the engine?
 






yeah another small gain with the k&n. sounds great and pulls a hair harder but gas seemed to go quick. may be the rain and wind too, though. i just unplugged the battery for a few minutes to reset the computer (i read that on another site) and i'll see how that helps. i also had to gorilla tape the filter a hair to get the clamp to fit snug on it.
 






Wouldn't the risk of getting crap in your engine make you not want to cut a whole past the air filter?

Couldn't you achieve the same results cutting a few large holes before the air filter and where the air filter sits?
 



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I had originally planned on buying a K&N FIPK kit but rather than spend that much money I bought a K&N drop in, removed the silencer in the front of the air box and drilled two 2" holes. The sound that the truck now makes under heavy acceleration is incredible. It has such a nice growl to it and tomorrow I am getting a Magnaflow muffler installed (part # 12268), I can't wait.

I highly recommend to anyone with a 4.0 SOHC that doesn't want to spend alot of money to buy a high flow filter (K&N/Airaid/AFE) remove the silencer and drill the airbox.

The only other mod I have at this time is a JET programmer (part # 15003) set on premium tune with modified shift points and rpm limiter raised.

Just thought I would share.

Cheers

Grant

:ttiwwp:
Can you post some pictures of the (2)2" holes please, I just want to see the location. I am in need of a new filter at the moment and had been debating just going with a drop in or some a lil more pricey. Thanks
 






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