Premade VS. Custom Cat Back Exhaust

[talk2dan]

I finally put the exhaust on my '00 Explorer Sport. I went the exhaust shop and talked for a bit. We tried 2 4" rounds Magnaflow with coming out the back.

http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/shopexd.asp?zone=main&id=7188

If you want loud and annoying this is the way to go. I hated it, was too loud for me, didn't want to wear earplugs to drive. Went back the next and talked again about the exhaust, had new ideas.

We put on a dual in and dual out magnaflow muffler

http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/shopexd.asp?zone=main&id=7599

Along with dual resonator tips

http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/shopexd.asp?zone=main&id=7534

It toned it down alot and I enjoy the truck alot more. I did notice it dropped my RPM's down to about 500 when it was normally around 800. Not alot of drone in the vechile when cruising at 65mph.

 

[Rayz2000Sport]

Looks Nice. What did all that run you? Any sound clips?

 

[Xan]

thats the same set up as mine exsept i pushed my outlets into the center

 

[talk2dan]

OK I lied there is a ton of droning between 60-70, so much it hurts my ears. Seriously going to be changing it to a Flowmaster 70 soon.

 

[mrmagooo13]

I'm assuming with some people talking about taking the cats off...there are issues with inspections? Sounds like a new system with taking a couple of my cats off would be ideal, but if I have to deal with inspection issues, I might just opt out of taking them off. How much of the performance gain is due to taking the cats off? Thanks.

 

[heathmo]

Kind of depends. There was a test run on some ricers where they tested hp w/o cats, and w/ high flow cats. The only thing I'm not sure of is if they tested them with the stock cats. They saw 1 hp difference between no cat and the high flow. I even asked one place how much it would be to have a cat-back installed on my truck and they said if I told them it was an off-road only vehicle they could remove the cats, but I'd rather not contribute to more pollution. Cat converters are expensive, I'll give you that. But the ones on the SOHC V6 don't hinder flow exponentially. You've really only got 3 cylinders using each cat, which is a heckuva lot better than the 6 sharing one like I had on my Buick and that probably had more power than my truck, at least before it started to crap out.

I think that there was even a discussion about this a while back too, for the most part the cat converters on these trucks do flow pretty well. And yes an aftermarket cat will cost you. But to prevent wherever you live from having smog as bad as L.A.s I'd leave the cats, unless they smell like rotting eggs, then it's time to replace them.

 

[techieman33]

Removing the rear cats is mostly for sound, not performance, that why it's usually just the guys with the v8's that remove them.

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

What exactly do resonator tips do? I would think they're so short htey can't do anything... or is it only on upgraded exhaust systems that they have an effect? When my exhaust was stock I had one installed and it did nothing, maybe with a magnaflow or flowmaster exhaust it enhances the sound because there IS sound?

 

[heathmo]

The resonator tips are really just to tone down the drone. Basically the one's that I've seen either incorporate some baffling, which is usually just a piece of steel plate to I guess absorb the sound. The others that I've seen have basically a glasspack in them. That's probably why you didn't notice any difference on your stock exhaust, they're already too quiet.

 

[jumpman45iz]

Does anyone have an idea where I can get a 2.5 inch tail pipe for a 97 ford explorer XLT v6 for a decent price?
I have a tail pip but its 2" and cannot fit into my 3" flow master outlet even with an adapter I have been told it will choke out the exhaust.
Someone please help