@CDW6212R All right, you asked, now you shall receive.
The Cherry Bomb 88106CB utilizes a reversible design, so while Cherry Bomb's official web site lists it as having a single 2.25" inlet and dual 2.25" outlets, this configuration will fit the 2nd-generation Ford Explorers installed with the Cologne V6 SOHC 4.0L. Its body is 16" long by 10.25" wide by 4.25" tall, constructed from steel.
Here I will be comparing the Cherry Bomb 88106CB to the factory muffler on the '99 Sport V6 SOHC 4.0L, which originally had the same exhaust system as the Limited with the same engine, save for a shorter exit pipe due to its shorter wheelbase, as well as to the previous muffler of unknown brand, material, and interior design.
The factory muffler on the Sport is quiet, canceling sounds of all frequencies fairly well. You can definitely hear it when the RPM's reach 2000-3000, and while the sound isn't particularly pleasant to the ear (after 25 years of service, at least), it isn't irritating and doesn't drone between 1500-2000 RPM's. It just sounds like a machine doing work. Startup is like whispering, and idle is quiet with just a tiny bit of growl to it. Revving up in Neutral doesn't make any special sounds.
The unknown muffler on the Limited was decidedly louder than the factory muffler on the Sport. I cannot speak for the differences in sound deadening between the Sport and the Limited, or the differences in interior resonation between a 2-door and a 4-door, but I mean to say that all known controllable factors being equal, the engine could be heard much more loudly inside the cabin at all RPM's than in the Sport with the factory exhaust. The tone was not far different from the factory muffler, although you could definitely hear the higher frequencies more than the lower frequencies as the RPM's reached the 2000-3000 range, and there was a definite drone around 2000 RPM's. Startup was a bit noisier than the Sport, but not obnoxiously so, and this one had no growl (likely due to the lower-frequency cancellation) but otherwise sounded similar to the Sport at idle. Revving in Neutral is not a thing I ever recall doing with this setup. I didn't want to hear it and I'm sure you wouldn't have either.
The Cherry Bomb 88106CB now on the Limited effected a significant improvement in both sound and throttle response. While I have no way of knowing what a factory exhaust system would feel like underneath a 4-door Explorer, or what other design differences were at play between the previous muffler and the Cherry Bomb, I can say with supreme confidence that the 2" inlets on Hazey's old muffler were suffocating her. My driving habits have not changed, hanging between 2000-3000 RPM's on every launch, and she gets up to speed with a lot more gusto now. The Cherry Bomb has a deep sound, as it muffles the higher frequencies more than the lower ones, but it is not louder than the muffler it replaced. It is decidedly not as quiet as the factory muffler. It does deliver on Cherry Bomb's promise that there will be no obnoxious droning sounds at highway speeds, but I won't lie, you can definitely hear it between 1500-2000 RPM's. Startup doesn't announce its presence, but you won't be making any sneak entrances either. Idle is tame, but you can hear that low growl allll the time. Revving in Neutral should be done frequently and without discrimination. The 4.0 isn't a muscle car engine and it never will be, but the Cherry Bomb brings out a little bite from it, really coming to life when you let off the throttle, as you can hear just a slight bit of crackling when the RPM drops.
The 88106CB definitely capitalizes on the low-pitched sounds that the SOHC tends to make, and I can only imagine that the Vortex sound would pair even better with the 302 V8. Having driven with this muffler for 1 day, I'm going to say that all of the impressions I have thus far are good.
