Gibson Cat Back, Will ti fit with a receiver hitch?

Gibson Cat Back, Will ti fit with a receiver hitch?

I knwo the catalog says it won't, is it because of the tip?

Installed the Gibson Catback exhaust on my 98 over 5 years ago....
The tip and exhaust pipe WILL rattle against the hitch....
The solution was to remove the chrome tip, cut the exhaust pipe back about 3" and had to modify the muffler clamp fastening the pipe to the hanger.
No rattles and rarely scrapes during departure from an obstacle.

Charles

my brother has a 99, and installed the gibson and it did rub against the hitch. it rubs the excess lip of the hitch, all you have to do is grind that lip down a little and it wont rattle anymore. it doesn't weaken the hitch so dont worry about that. you could also cut the pipe and re-mount like he said, but its more work. if you have access to a grinder couple minutes of youre time would fix the problem. i run the borla cat back on my 01, and it was designed better, didn't come close to the hitch, and tucked up under the body for more ground clearance. both exhaust are good.

Etan Miller

Personally, I wouldn't recommend Gibson at all, but that's off-topic. I also must admit their cat-back is the best fitting system I've found with the modifications I have. Next time it will be a custom system, but this is what I’ve got now.

I have both a hidden hitch and gas tank skid.

I've found my biggest problem after modifications, is the clearance on the skid. The corner of skid and pipe are extremely close.

As has already been stated, I also had to shorten the rear pipe about 2.5 inches, dump the tip totally, and alter the rear hanger. With all of these changes and a bit of patience to get the adjustment setup it works well.

Hope this helps..
Kent

To bring it back into topic, Why wouldn't you recomend Gibson?

Here is my Dilemna, I need a new muffler, It has a hole in it, I don't do rockcrawling and such, just the normal farm type driving. I can pick the Gibon up for $150 or so, or I can get a flowmaster, dynomax, whatever muffler and install it where the original one was. A muffler will run about $100 or so, and I can retain the stock piping.

My personal experiences with Gibson have been very bad. I purchased both their stainless steel shorty header and cat-back. Within a few weeks both were rusting.

I contacted Gibson stating I didn't receive the stainless steel products. Gibson insisted on seeing photos. So I sent photos clearly showing the pitting and rust after a few weeks of use. Gibson suggested something was wrong with the color photos or I had subjected the exhaust to a harsh environment.

I then purchased a stainless steel clamp and drove for a few more weeks taking new photos. These clearly showed a non-blemished clamp and even more rust. I sent the new photos, with the receipt of the stainless steel clamp. I also noted the exhaust was magnetic, while the clamp wasn’t. I figured this would further support that I didn’t get the stainless products. After several more calls, etc I simply gave up.

The system fits better then any other vendor I’ve tried. But their custom service was so abrasive I vowed never to purchase from them again.

To date five friends looking for exhaust products have purchased products other then Gibson based on the problems I encountered.

I’m not suggesting you boycott Gibson. If they have the product you need, buy it. Just be aware warrantee or other issues, may be a challenge to resolve.

Thanks,
Kent

badexpresso said:

To bring it back into topic, Why wouldn't you recomend Gibson?

Here is my Dilemna, I need a new muffler, It has a hole in it, I don't do rockcrawling and such, just the normal farm type driving. I can pick the Gibon up for $150 or so, or I can get a flowmaster, dynomax, whatever muffler and install it where the original one was. A muffler will run about $100 or so, and I can retain the stock piping.

Click to expand...

I recommend going down to a local muffler shop, not a chain store. Tell the guy you want something that sounds good and will help it breathe better, and you only have $150. You will most likely get a welded up system, no clamps (except at the hanger by the spring) for $150. I pick up the last two systems for my XJs like that. I spent $200 and got a custom bent system and a Magnaflow knock off, and never knew the difference.

Is Gibson still selling that huge round "truck" muffler for the XJs?

i have the gibson on my 94, with an after market class III hitch......i didn't put in tip on and it still hit the hitch just a little, so i welded the rear hanger out about an inch, hasn't rubbed at all since