[JeffW]

When I was at the LR dealer a couple weeks ago, I happened to be standing behind a Jag XK when someone fired it up. I 'bout hit the floor, it sounded so good. It's the same engine as the RRS, but RRS sounds anemic by comparison. What's the best way to get that kind of throaty growl on the RRS? Anyone have thoughts on the sound of Borla vs. Magnaflow cat backs, or some of the others?

 

[PJPR01]

Plenty have done Borla or Overfinch as well, and a few of us in RRS and LR3's have a mixture.

I just recently replaced the Borla muffler (had dented it rather severely offroading) so I opted to put a Magnaflow muffler into the Borla catback system. Sounds much nicer, and appears that the quality of Magnaflow is much better. After peering into the Borla muffler itself, I could already see signs of rust...not bad after almost 3 years, but am enjoying the deeper rumble of the Magnaflow.

Another friend with an LR3 just cut out the 2 mufflers, replaced it with a Magnaflow as well and kept the rest of the pipes the same...also sounds rather nice.

 

[Drevs]

After peering into the Borla muffler itself, I could already see signs of rust...not bad after almost 3 years

Aren't they marketed as an all-stainless system with 100K warranty??

I spliced a $100 FlowMaster (BroMaster if you're from Oakland like I am) 50 series SUV into my factory SC system and it's been great.

 

[PJPR01]

They do I deed have a warranty for 1 million miles but I don't think the inside of the muffler is t304 stainless as are the pipes, I may be wrong. Anyway they don't cover dents from off roading under warranty and to be honest looking At the two side by side I think the Magnaflow is much better quality and sound too.

 

[tjZ06]

After peering into the Borla muffler itself, I could already see signs of rust...not bad after almost 3 years

Aren't they marketed as an all-stainless system with 100K warranty??

I spliced a $100 FlowMaster (BroMaster if you're from Oakland like I am) 50 series SUV into my factory SC system and it's been great.

I'd like to hear your rig sometime, I'm down in Santa Clara. I haven't decided exactly what I want to do with mine yet, but I'm going to fab something up soon. I'm not sure if I'll run new pipe all the way back w/ some nice mufflers, or just replace the stock mufflers/resonators and use the stock pipes. I'm going to fab something up, just need to figure out what. I'd like to find a spare stock exhaust to experiment with.

-TJ

 

[Drevs]

I'd like to hear your rig sometime, I'm down in Santa Clara.

Heh, I am originally from the Oaktown area... now I live in PHX.
I get a lot of compliments on the exhaust. It set me back $100 for the can and about 5 hours of farting around with my MIG to get it welded up. I swapped a dualin/dualout Flowmaster for the factory muffler and resonator, and reused everything else. You'll need about 18" of extra pipe (x2 - one for each side) to finish the install.
Absolutely use your factory pipes, unless you buy a premade system like the Borla. There is no gain to redoing the pipes, and it's quite unlikely that any muffler shop is going to get the bends just right to avoid intereferences.

 

[tjZ06]

Looking at this pic:

it really wouldn't be that hard to build my entire system, my buddies and I have built more complex systems for other rides. We just buy a lot of mandrel bend 180s and chop them to have the bends we need, all mandrel with no "kinks" like muffler-shop systems. I'm thinking true-dual off the cat-pipes with an X replacing the two forward silencers/mufflers then a muffler out before each tip (as is stock) but probably stainless magnaflows. We'll see...

-TJ

 

[PJPR01]

No need for a muffler at the end, just a nice long stainless steel tip. Those resonators at the end don't really do anything anyway so I wouldn't waste any money putting another muffler there...it would look like a Honda Accord V6 on steroids otherwise. You'll actually need the muffler up front where the 2 boxes are today...you can cut out the heart shaped item, replace the other muffler with a Borla, Magnaflow or your choice and then run the same pipes back, cutting out the resonators.

 

[tjZ06]

No need for a muffler at the end, just a nice long stainless steel tip. Those resonators at the end don't really do anything anyway so I wouldn't waste any money putting another muffler there...it would look like a Honda Accord V6 on steroids otherwise. You'll actually need the muffler up front where the 2 boxes are today...you can cut out the heart shaped item, replace the other muffler with a Borla, Magnaflow or your choice and then run the same pipes back, cutting out the resonators.

Hmm, maybe I'll go that route. Though I really want an X-pipe in the system and the location where the 2 big mufflers are up front looks prime. I guess you're right though: looking at a RRS I saw on the street on my walk to dinner (I'm traveling on business currently so can't look at mine :doh: ) aftermarket mufflers that are visible in the stock rear resonator position will look "ricey."

BTW, can anybody tell me what the coupler type is between the cat-pipes and the 2 inlets of the large "cylindrical" muffler? Looking at some other diagrams it looks like it might be a slip-fit w/ clamps... that'd be awesome because it'd make for an easy/clean integration point for my own system.

-TJ

 

[Drevs]

The junction is indeed right upstream of the cylindrical muffler, and it's a hybrid: one pipe is a slip fit and the other pipe is a standard "flange" type connection with two bolts, one on each side. I think... it was something weird like that. I chopped it all off and just welded straight to straight with no removable junctions. If you get fancy you could indeed weld it up with the appropriate removable joints. Oh, and cutting through the factory pipe was a major pita. I don't know what they make it out of, but it was some hard stuff. It ate my sawzall alive... had to break out the plasma cutter.
The X pipe sounds cool but if you get a 'co-mingling' muffler that joins both sides of the exhaust it'll accomplish the same thing, no?
Other than giving you a project, I don't see the advantage to rebuilding the entire system from scratch. You've already got nice tips from the factory SC system, the bends are right, the hangers are right, the alignment is right, etc... But knock yourself out!

 

[tjZ06]

The junction is indeed right upstream of the cylindrical muffler, and it's a hybrid: one pipe is a slip fit and the other pipe is a standard "flange" type connection with two bolts, one on each side. I think... it was something weird like that. I chopped it all off and just welded straight to straight with no removable junctions. If you get fancy you could indeed weld it up with the appropriate removable joints. Oh, and cutting through the factory pipe was a major pita. I don't know what they make it out of, but it was some hard stuff. It ate my sawzall alive... had to break out the plasma cutter.
The X pipe sounds cool but if you get a 'co-mingling' muffler that joins both sides of the exhaust it'll accomplish the same thing, no?
Other than giving you a project, I don't see the advantage to rebuilding the entire system from scratch. You've already got nice tips from the factory SC system, the bends are right, the hangers are right, the alignment is right, etc... But knock yourself out!

You make a good point. I'd like to have a stock non-cut exhaust in reserves though incase I have any issues w/ my extended warranty and non-stock parts. That was the main reason I was thinking about building my own.

-TJ