Cheap Exhaust or Bite the Bullet?

[sixty7ss]

I'm putting a new cat-back on my XJ. I can go cheap and go with the Dynomax or I can go with something nicer like a MagnaFlow or Borla, probably Borla. What are your thoughts? Is it worth the additional $200 for the better exhaust? Is the Dynomax crap? Or is the Dynomax a decent exhaust that I'll be happy with for years? A reasonably happy medium is the Gibson for about $150 more.

Ready.... Go.

 

[Vanimal]

stock. dont waste your money on an exhaust for a stock motor, you're not gaining anything but drone and annoyed neighbors. inline 6's dont really sound good with exhausts IMO unless they're really built.

 

[Voteban]

My stock exhaust + a Thrush Turbo muffler performs a little better than stock, but sounds WAY better, it's nice and quiet (until I bury the throttle, then it roars) it just has a nice beefy tone to it now with no drone.

Also, I have a 2000, so no crimp up front, removing that does help with the older XJs.

 

[G.P_XJ]

I'm running a dynomax cat back on my rig, it is quiet but with a nice deep grumble. Honestly I love the thing because it's noticeable but no where near annoying.

 

[sixty7ss]

I'm running a dynomax cat back on my rig, it is quiet but with a nice deep grumble. Honestly I love the thing because it's noticeable but no where near annoying.

What do you think of the quality of the materials?

 

[sixty7ss]

stock. dont waste your money on an exhaust for a stock motor, you're not gaining anything but drone and annoyed neighbors. inline 6's dont really sound good with exhausts IMO unless they're really built.

I'm putting an exhaust system on it because mine is deteriorating and rusting out. Helping any motor breath is a good thing, especially if a cold air intake and potentially a throttle body are involved. There are obviously two groups on this forum: one who believes in intake/exhaust mods and one who doesn't. I'm not terribly interested in what the latter has to say.

 

[sixty7ss]

By the way, the plan is to pull the cat and replace it with a straight pipe. I'll leave it as a slip connect so I can throw it back in when I have to go thru emissions.

 

[VAhasnoWAVES]

my personal exhaust? i replaced the cracked header with an OE one i got for free. would have probably bought an APN if i want a cheap skate. heated up and removed the dent in the down pipe. quality high flow cat. clamped a cheap muffler in. they get beat up, ill never spend good money on a muffler. it gets smashed, i unbolt it and throw a new one in. i dont like loud exhaust either... its a tractor motor.

By the way, the plan is to pull the cat and replace it with a straight pipe. I'll leave it as a slip connect so I can throw it back in when I have to go thru emissions.

uh-oh...

:dunce:

your not going to get a lot of love on boasting about deleting your cat, for the simple reason that it is illegal. some will say its acceptable on trail only rigs, but i doubt your putting a trail only rig through emission. your creating work for yourself by "swapping" it in for emission testing... yet your going to just let it sit on the shelf? just put a damn cat in. your losing back pressure anyway. next youll be complaining about gas mileage. and as a meteorology student and knowing how these gases interact with the atmosphere... run a cat please.

 

[whitexj98]

Magniflow highflow cat + flomaster 40 + 50 dollars for exahust shop to make a new tailpipe section, I'm supper happy. I think cat back systems are a lot of money for not a whole lot of gain and not only the illegal thing of the cat but it will also throw a CEL and that would drive me crazy, my magniflow cat was only 90 bucks...

 

[MrShaft696]

I would just buy a decent welded muffler, 50 or 60 bucks for a flowmaster, thrush or something like that & just extend the stock tailpipe 6" from the back of the muffler. My most recent exhaust set up I went to the junk yard and there were jeeps there that had nicer exhaust than mine, just took the tail pipe and got a new muffler.

 

[techno1154]

By the way, the plan is to pull the cat and replace it with a straight pipe. I'll leave it as a slip connect so I can throw it back in when I have to go thru emissions.

Pulling the cat is never a good idea no matter the future plans are. Moreover, putting a cat on just so the XJ could pass inspection is cheating everyone including your self as well as breaking a Federal law.

I live in Florida where there is no vehicle inspection and I replaced a working cat that rattles with a new cat equal to or exceeds the OEM specs. If it is good, keep it, or replace it if it is not.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

performance-curve.com has a cat back with your choice of maggy or failmaster. No need to pay hundreds for those overpriced cat-back systems. Dynomax kit is only good if you get one of the rebates that makes it cheap, because they are just that. Otherwise, pick up your muffler of choice and have it welded in.

 

[ktm racer 419]

dynomax on right. tore open on the first run. (as would any cheap "performance" muffler)

stock muffler plated with 1/8" on left, been running it for over 2 years, best thing i ever did to my exhaust. nice and quiet, and can take a beating.

 

[Cherokeekid88]

I think for anyone to say keeping the stock exhaust is a rediculous idea....its so restrictive. It really depends on what you want sound wise. Dynomax is good if you want something quiet but still louder than stock. I am running 2.5" piping from the downpipe back to a 3" tip with a FM super 10 muffler and hi flow cat....its def loud but thats how I like it....if I could go back and do it all over again with unlimited cash.....I would have someone mandrel bend my entire setup with SS and throw in a Borla muffler and have it exit out the side very cleanly.