Before you respond please read my post and take into consideration that I am new. I have noticed that a lot of you buy borla, gibson, magnaflow, and other aftermarket exhaust kits that run $300 and up. Down at my local TMA, they told me they will do a cat back exhaust with muffler and tip, take in mind this is a single exhaust, for $150 and they have a guy that bends the pipe himself.

Basically, I am asking what makes the aftermarket ones so much better and is the one at my TMA worth it? I could probably get a dual exhaust for under $300 down there.

 

Aftermarket will be mandrel bent. If you look at what a local shop does, the tube will shrink at the bends. It's your call. If you can save money go for it.

 

Cat-back systems are designed to fit each application perfectly.

Many brands offer Stainless kits, which include stainless steel construction throughout, including the muffler, pipes, and even the hardware and clamps.

most kits are mandrel bent

those are just a few

 

Here's somthing to consider. When people buy "Pre-fab" exhaust systems, those systems are sometimes bolt-on exhaust that merely bolt on after the cat in the factory location. The pipe that you bolt on to is smaller than the rest of the pipe, so even though they're "mandrel bent" they're still restrictive (usually more so). But I'd have to say, I love my Ranger, but if your looking to build a fast Ranger you'd better start looking at an engine swap or a Whipple. But if your just looking for a boost in "Sound Performance" a new Muffler and an intake system would do you just fine.

 

im not sure how its possible that an aftermarket exhaust would be more restrictive than stock?

another reason, maybe not as common, is that the quality of the aftermarket kits usually far surpass custom work. I know that the magnaflow kits have BEAUTIFUL welds and high quality construction, somethings thats very difficult to find locally in a custom exhaust shop.

 

They don't fit perfectly. Pre made systems tend to need fine adjustments. "least thats what i have heard.

If you can get it for cheaper locally then get it done locally. It'll sound just the same. And aftermarket is not restrictive, especially the dual exhausts. Anything about 2 inches single is less restrictive.

Aaron

 

engine swap or whipple? there are easier ways... and he's just asking why to go with pre-fab vs custom made.


for $150 your set-up will:
still consist of a name brand Muffler... if not then your being screwed
rust out in 6 months
possibly cost you some back pressure
leave you desiring customer service when you are less than happy wiht it down the road.

 

for $150 your set-up will:
still consist of a name brand Muffler... if not then your being screwed
rust out in 6 months
possibly cost you some back pressure
leave you desiring customer service when you are less than happy wiht it down the road.[/QUOTE]

well put

 

what if you do it all yourself and do the piping and get the muffler seperate??

 

I was pretty happy with the Dynomax kit and it was in the $150 range. However, I banged it up pretty good offroad.

Now I have a flowmaster 40 (old school 40) dumped right behind the muffler.

The whole idea is multifold:

1. Most of us get off on a different sound than stock.

2. Stock mufflers aren't designed for much abuse.

3. A good cat-back can give you a mild performance boost.

I don't like real loud sound, but it's hard to get with a 2001+ 3.0 anyway. What I got was deep sound and the Flowmaster is uber-tough to hurt.

 

Thank you for all the fast responses guys! I am looking for a better sound, however, performance is more important to me. Will a cat back system add much for performance?

 

a lot of times whenever you get custom exhaust... they leave a lot of crappy welds which will quickly result in exhaust leaks. i personally have custom made exhaust, but just watch them when they do it.. and make sure that they spray the anti-rust spray on the welds.

 

I have custom made exhaust on my Eclipse but I had them go 1 size bigger since they don't do mandrel bends. On my truck I bought the Gibson catback exhaust but payed more than $100 more. I believe the Gibsons, flowmaster, & other pre-made exhaust are tuned for best results(HP) for their particular applications.

Rick

 

I'm not saying that it's more restrictive than stock, I'm saying it's more restrictive than a custom fab, Sometimes. Of course it all depends on who makes it and the quality of the work. Experience goes a long way. I can agree to an extent with the above posts, however, when you have a quality builder build you a quality exhuast you can save alot of money.

What I was trying to say is that someone who'll build you a custom fab exhaust will usually saw off the piece that the factory exhaust will bolt to and weld it vs bolting a pre-fab exhaust to it. Reason behind this is that that piece is a smaller diameter than the rest of the piping(chain is only as strong as it's weakest link). Now saying this, it will add back pressure. Of course, this is somthing that some people want depending on their application, ie, more tourqe on the higher end or on the lower end. Find out what would be most desireable for your setup and go from there.

I'm also saying this on the pretense that most aftermarket exhaust systems will require you to bolt on to the previously mentioned location. If one of the manufactures listed doesn't require you to do this, good on them. I'm also not bashing any of the previously mentioned pre-fab exhuasts, but if your budget isn't quite what it should be, a quality shop who will back all of their work probably wouldn't be a wrong choice.

 

Yah if the shop warranties their exhaust work in any way that is good. Someone needs to be responsible damnit.

Pretty much I see it this way.

A bunch of us got a great deal on the magnaflow dual exhaust system, and that offer for 150 is gone.
Many people will pay top dollar for a great exhaust system and have a great exhaust system.
Many people also get one custom made. Jus to note, kris(i love cheese) is pretty much a rep of a company that wants to sell you an exhaust. So I hope he's against custom made. I really doubt people would be buying custom made if it only lasted 6 months. It's just an exaggerated opinion.

Go with what your money allows. And if you get it custom, see what piping they use first.

Aaron

 

most pre-fabbed kits these days attach to stock pipes with a slightly larger pipe that slides over the stock pipe and clamps onto it.

 

im not trying to push a sale. this is my own personal opinion.

 

i still dont get where youre coming from, how a custom made exhaust could flow better than a mandrel bent aftermarket kit. the kits go from the cat back. wouldnt the aftermarket one? the pipe before the cat is the same in either case, unless you illegally remove a cat in a custom setup. I cant really think of ANY case where a custom kit would flow more than a similar cat back system, unless youre getting mandrel bends custom, which would cost more than a kit anyway

my biggest concern with custom fab stuff is poor fitment, sloppy welds that burn through, half-assed use of tacked on hangars, etc. If you can find a GOOD exhaust shop, that actually takes their time to make sure its right, it may be worth it, but to get the same quality as an aftermarket kit, youd have to spend as much or more custom

 

i rep a company that sells exhaust too. does that mean i am biased? or more educated? i have custom exhaust on my torino and F150 now, only because the setup i wanted on the F150 was not available aftermarket. I paid as much as i did for the magnaflow cat back with a huge downgrade in quality. given a choice i would ALWAYS choose a catback over a custom made setup

 

Well, I think we can agree that we've gone on long enough. The point is both type of exhaust systems have a place. Wether your trying to tailor to a look and a sound, or want bolt on performance out of a box without hassle. Both hold merit and could be the perfect choice to a desired outcome. And as far as "mandrel bends" are concerned, I'm not arguing the fact they are not better because they ARE. I guess I'd need a photo to show what I was talking about. And if I was reading " its cheddar baby"'s comment correctly, it shouldn't even be an issue.


And yes, Dosh142, you will get an improvement in performance...You should anyway. However, with just an exhaust, don't expect to be a night and day difference. Just remember that every performance upgrade will build on all the others, especially with a 4.0.

 

Wow guys, I am very impressed with this forum and its fast, intelligient responses. If you read my sig, you know that I have a 4.0L v6. So, if I was to get an aftermarket exhaust what would you recommend? Please take into consideration that I am on a budget and that performance is much more important to me then sound.

 

being on a Budget and wanting performance over sound is not a good recipe for happiness.

the two best mufflers for performance are Borla and Bassani which happen to also be the most expensive

 

Karpe when was the last time you heard of someone with a bassani lol. You just asked me for that exhaust name on AIM. And nothing says that they are the best performance exhausts. There's more than just hte muffler, it's all the exhaust setup and whatnot.

Aaron

 

i dont know much about bassani other than they are $$ i know that borla and magnaflow are some of the best mufflers out there for performance. as far as the piping itself, thats pretty much the same between manufacturers

 

there's at least one dude here with Bassani he's got a yellow Edge.. but his name escapes me right now

KARPE85: hey whats the really expensive muffler for Rangers
AKrangerguy18: borla?
KARPE85: that ones expensive but there another one
AKrangerguy18: gibson?
KARPE85: naw, it sounds like biscotti or something
AKrangerguy18: oh yah
AKrangerguy18: uhh
AKrangerguy18: biscotti lol
KARPE85: lol thats a gay french coffee snack
AKrangerguy18: im tryin to think
AKrangerguy18: biscotti is actually good
AKrangerguy18: if you've had it
KARPE85: I have
KARPE85: its still gay and I wouldnt admit it to the public
AKrangerguy18: lol tru dat
AKrangerguy18: damn french
AKrangerguy18: I got it!
AKrangerguy18: bassani!
AKrangerguy18: www.bassani.com
KARPE85: thats it
AKrangerguy18: **** yes its it
AKrangerguy18: im ****IN GENIUS
KARPE85: withi a capitol J
AKrangerguy18: JEENYUS