True Dual exhaust 2nd gen 4.0 SOHC

[Explorer Power]

Hey Guys,

I have a '99 Ford Explorer 2nd gen 4.0 SOHC V6.
I have already ordered a Mac Intake and now i want to put a custom true dual exhaust system on it. I'm thinking of going from the back of the 2 small cats, with 2.25" piping to a pair of mufflers and then to a pair of stainless steel tips.
I don't want to put in a balance pipe because it will affect the sound.
I'm thinking of putting in a pair of Cherry Bomb Vortex mufflers because i like the fact that they flow even better then glasspacks.
Do they give a nice deep rumble? Do they sound good with this engine? and especially how loud are they?
And do the pipes have to be exactly the same lenght if i don't use a balance pipe.

Thanks

 

[celly]

Be careful with the SOHC as to what mufflers you choose. I didn't do duals when I had the SOHC due to cost, hassle and the fact I wanted my spare tire where it is. There are no performance gains and I've heard of cases where you actually hinder performance by doing so. There are countless posts and Youtube vids of the SOHC with exhaust and frankly, the sound can be horrible. Don't fall for the "it sounds like a V8" hype because only a V8 sounds like a V8. I had a Magnaflow for a while on my SOHC and my wife called it a "Riceburner". Enough said. I switched to a Flowmaster 50 series and it was better, but it still sounded like a V6 with an aftermarket exhaust.

How did I get mine to sound like a V8?

I traded it in on a '99 Eddie Bauer with a V8.

 

[Explorer Power]

ok, yea i know it won't sound like a v8, but you don't know what effect a pair of cherry bomb vortex's would have?, will it be loud or will it be quiet? will it have a low sound?

 

[Elessar65]

Like Celly said, there are literally hundreds or thousands of youtube vids with explorer exhaust. Spend some time looking around there, and here too. There is a whole thread, with like 16 pages of posts, dedicated to nothing except 4.0 exhaust stuff. My advice is before you do anything, RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH.

 

[Explorer Power]

Yeah ive spent quite some time doing that and listening to youtube vids too, but i can't make up how loud they are, exhaust on youtube is not like it is in real life. that's why i'm asking for someone who has heard them irl or even has them mounted on his truck. I just like tot know if it will sound good a true dual system, no balance pipe and a pair of vortex mufflers, will it be a deep rumble, or a crappy glasspack noise? and espcially will it be loud or not?

besides there are indeed lots of sound clips about flowmasters etc. but not about the vortex

 

[hunterdan]

In order to save space and cost, I would go with the Vortex, but use the dual in/dual out version. Using this muffler would almost be like having an x-pipe built in, giving better performance and should sound a little better. The vortex is already known to sound really good on the SOHC. If you want true duals, this would be one of your better options, and technically you will still have true duals since the muffler will essentially act as an x-pipe, which is a good thing.

Dan

 

[Elessar65]

I second Dan on this one. That'd be the way I'd go. Just don't go bigger that 2 1/2" on the pipes, the SOHC likes a little back pressure. Might have to figure something out as far as where to put the muffler if you do it that way though. No matter what you do though, get an intake and a tune. its the complete package that makes the difference, any one of them on its own and you'll barely notice the difference.

 

[Explorer Power]

I had some other mufflers on my mind too, the Hooker MaxFlow or maybe a magnaflow. but i'm not sure if the magnaflow sounds a bit more like a ricer.
Don't know wich one is louder the vortex or the Hooker maxflow.

And how much is a tune gonna cost me? and what kind of tune do you recommend, btw i live in the netherlands.

Oh and i already ordered a Mac intake

 

[hunterdan]

Hooker doesn't make the max flow in a dual in/dual out, so in my book that would rule them out. Are you going for maximum loudness? The vortex isn't the quietest muffler out there, especially if you do the dual in/dual out. I am currently running a dual in/dual out flowmaster Super 40, which is the only dual in/dual out they make in any of the 40 series mufflers. I have also heard some issues with the quality of the Max flow. If you go the cherry bomb vortex route, you will likely not be disappointed.

Dan

 

[95EBxploder]

i have a 95 x and i want some duals as well..its a v6 second gen..i was thinking vortex single in dual out or single in and single out..i was some deep rumble that sound bad ass pulling my boat past the slower trucks....what do you guys suggest im open???

 

[rileyrs]

your not gonna get a deep rumble, giving that you have 4 huge cats on there.
the first step to that is replacing the 2nd downstream cat with high flow one.

if you want true duals, you have to eliminate both downstream cats and the 02 sensor, and then have a dual in dual out, or two seperate mufflers, and an x pipe. thats your call.

if you want to have dual tailpipes, then get a single in dual out, and use the high flow cat.

and last (and simplest), would be a single in single out muffler, that dumps out as quick as possible, to avoid alot of tailpipe, or you could also follow the stop tialpipe routing.


anyway, with the 4 cats on that truck, your never gonna get a real deep rumble out of it, the honeycomb in the cats makes it impossible. it will always sound ricey.
so first step is dealing with those. then you can move on to finding the right muffler for you.

 

[dkchrist]

Don't go true dual. Most engines will scavenge the exhaust better if the pressure is equalized between the two banks, i.e. x-pipe h-pipe some where in the duals.

 

[rileyrs]

a dual setup with an x or h pipe is considered a true dual setup.

 

[95EBxploder]

i think ima just get a single in and dual out and make my own custom pipes come out before the rear tires near the passenger doors...i was thinking if i make the tail pipe shorter with the mufflers closer to the baack of the vehicle causeing it to be louder would that help a bit??

 

[rileyrs]

shorter exhaust is always better, its less distance for the pipes to cool, and less distance for gas to slow down.
so in front of rear tires can really help since you dont have to route it over the rear axle.

 

[appealingpit]

No regrets

I have a 99 ford explorer 4.0 SOHC, mostly stock. I had dual glass packs installed, with stock size pipes. I gained one to two miles to the gallon, and some perfmance gains. A minor con I encountered was had to loose the belly spare. Oh well, reloacted it to my sub box with custom fabbed bracketing. Sound great and melow till I push the gas a little harder. Then is well heard, and notice, it becomes a head turner. I have no regrets, just get a reputable person to install the exaust. There is hardly no room for errors, the person who done my exaust had lots of fun on the install. It was his first 99 ford explorer dual exaust job. Turned out great.

Now just have to install air shocks.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

i got single in and dual out 40 series flows on my 01 sport