BigC9164

i found a shop here in my town that does stainless piping for super cheap so i am going to get my exhaust done soon and i want the single pipe just like stock but want it to sound better. i have had bad experiences with flowmaster rusting and i am not sure i want it to sound like a v8 but i also dont want it to sound like a rice burner. i am leaning toward borla or magnaflow and i have heard very little on here about borla but they seam pretty popular on XJs on youtube. so please tell me what you think i should do! with size pipe and such as well. but i am doig it over from the cat back. thanks guys! o and its a 99 4.0 with the maual ax15

BigC9164

bump

2Evil4U

You don't have to worry about the I6 sounding like a V-8.

I'm jaded, but there is nothing that can be done to an inline 6 that will make it sound good loud. If I had a shop that did good stainless cheap, I'd just get the best OEM style muffler available and have them weld that in. If you have no other engine improvements, it will also be better for low-end torque as it will be a tick more srestrictive than a louder aftermarket can.

dans01classic

My stock muffler had a big hole in it so i finally got around to replacing it. I just got a standard 2 chamber flow master that i had and had it welded in place and had a few sections of the down pipe made a litte bigger (cause it was dented bad). to my surprise it sounds great. A nice throaty sound around 3 RPM but doesnt get crazy and obnoctious with high rpm. Ive been told it sounds like the exhaust on a stock 350z but just a little louder. Ill take that!

I meant 3,000 rpm . . .sorry

BigC9164

okay. thats what i am looking for...the 350z sound. being that i have a manual i spend a lot more time in higher rpms like when i am getting out of second gear. so i dont want it to sound loud and ricey when i am above 3500rpm. anyone have any experience with BORLA??

Tural

a high flow cat combined with a flowmaster 40 will give you a slight db increase without sounding terrible. i don't hear it much when i'm on the highway, but when i give it plenty of gas at slow speed it sounds kinda nice. and i like the way it sound driving offroad.
this might give you an idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=cVdwO5Z1O5w

Doc Brnard

Okay....... I HAVE to ask. What's the deal with "sounding good"? If your Cherokee runs/looks good (hell, does not even have to look good).........If I hear the engine running, hell, I am +1, in my book. One less thing to worry about and troubleshoot.

The only real group I know that is really concerned with "sounding good" is either hot rods or rice burners. A Cherokee is neither. Get used to the "Jeep" Sound, bro. It'll still be there as long as you own it. No matter what you do to it.

It's a Cherokee, sheesh! I love mine to death, but I know it ain't ever going to sound like a blown 454. Not unless I put in a killer sound system and play a recording of one full blast. Even then, the rattles, creaks, clacks and clicks will give it away.

Want that V8 sound? Get something with a V8.......simple. Or a sound system that can overcome the real authentic sound of a Jeep. Personally, I appreciate a well tuned Jeep over a bassy V8. Because I know what it took to get that Jeep to behave right.

jmm0122

Im not a fan of the way borla exhausts sound, especially on a jeep with a 4.0. I run a flowmaster super 40 series muffler with 2.5" piping and a banks header and it sounds awesome to me. Has a low rumble at lower rpms, and is more than loud enough at high rpms. So far as the 350z sound, its never gonna happen in a jeep. Haha. Sorry.

Tural

i'd hate to bash everybody's pessimistic comments, but the sound of the engine is a big part of the driving experience for MOST guys that are proud of their rig.
chances are you're not gonna have the opportunity to try 5-10 different setups to figure out which one you like more, but at least you can ask other people that have aftermarket exhaust to find out what their experience is.
i'm very happy with my setup and i'd never go back to stock. mainly because, my rig, my work, my sweat, my sound - my pride. very sure there are many alike, and if i see them, i'll tell them that i like the way that XJ sounds.
XJ is not your typical grocery getter. most of us have bought it for its capabilities. so, part of modding is engine sound.
how many blown 454s do you see on the road with OEM exhaust?
mod it and let it scream, as long as it doesn't give you a headache

Doc Brnard

I understand what you are saying, Tural. But doesn't that apply more to "road warriors" and faux-wheelers?

If I am out on the trail, damn, if your Jeep can out climb/out power/ out wheel me.......I will applaud the owner wholeheartedly and inquire "What the hell did you do to your Jeep?" and take notes. But sound better...........enhhhhhh. I kind of equate that with the riceburners with a coffee can on the *** end and you KNOW what I am talking about with those, same difference. Sound means absolutely nothing on the trail, other than wasted money, IMO. "OOoooo, you have a better sound than that guy, but hell, the other guy can take a trail soooooo much better, out climb, and out wheel the guy with the good sound". I am old school, if you want a good sound from the exhaust.........don't get an XJ. Hmm, must post this in the "If you have an XJ" thread. Without going into detail, I can tell you a story about how my "stock everything" '88 Cherokee out-wheeled guys with 15K+ in engine and susp. modded CJ's when I was with Fresno Co. SAR. Needless to say, I had to bite my tongue to keep from pissing them off. Oh, and I had a rear oil pan leak at the time. Got 30 miles to the quart with it.

But that's me, sorry. Performance is a way better judge of how you spent your money on a trail rig. The way my XJ sounds is a badge of honor; rattles, Jeep exhaust sound, and all. I worked hard to get it to sound good/and run.

Tural

yeah, but if you're gonna get some power out of your motor, you're gonna have to throw a header, cat and muffler in there somewhere. it's quite uncommon to have a great trail rig with no modification to the motor. so, i guess the question is how not to make it sound horrible.
there's an exhaust system out there to make any vehicle sound nice. i do believe that very much. we don't like ricer sound because we're not into that.
my ex-gf didn't wanna ride in my truck because the symphony of my 396 sounded horrible to her. that was the craziest thing i had ever heard.
sound doesn't represent power, but power with no sound is less than perfect, i think.

Doc Brnard

Sorry, I completely disagree. Power is one thing, how it is used is another, room to use it even another. I'd rather have ample clearance than power. Read my last edit. I more than proved that, at least in my book. Sorry, forgot to mention, I was running a 4 banger at the time. Out-trailed them on the back-side of Kerckhoff Lake to the top of the Bald Point. I did mention, completely stock (tires, engine and susp?), yes? I would say it was a 5+ to 6 trail. 2' deep ruts in places. Trail ended at a bald granite 30 degree+ slope. I mean 30 degree immediate slope. And a stock everything XJ beat them to the top.

It's not in the sound. It's in the proper use of the gear you have. But that brings up an entirely different point. Having a 4 wheeler, doesn't mean you can conquer the world. I have had extensive off-road training, and yes, that was my "edge". Guys with tricked out rigs, well....were self-taught.

Tural

great. i guess me and most others in this forum have wasted a whole lot of money to get more power out of an extremely capable motor.
but i think the OP will still upgrade his exhaust.

Doc Brnard

I am not trying to be contrary here. I am saying...."Don't discount what you can do in a stock Cherokee. You might be surprised." And with proper training, outwheel others with the tricked out stuff, I did it (the nice thing is I can provide references on this). Power and sound (sound.....so much less so. It IS a Cherokee) can only get you so far on the trail. Training will take you so much further. And yes, a trained wheeler with a semi decent rig (like a stock XJ), will outperform someone new with the world's most tricked out rig. Period. That applies to any application you can think of. Training and a good base is key.

Sorry to say, you can throw millions of dollars to your XJ, but if you don't know how to read a trail properly, might as well take a VW up the trail. It's going to have the same result.

I have had a 76 Blazer, an 88' Cherokee, and a 93 Trooper, not to mention the HWMMV's I drove in the service. The Cherokee, by far, beat them all for survivability, flexibility and function. Hence, my going back to a Cherokee.

Tural

power and sound will get you out of your driveway at best. but i think most of us have already made it that far. the thread is not about training, it's about exhaust. if you want your opinion respected, then respect the other people's opinion. the OP said, he wants a specific sound, so give a good, helpful opinion. nobody likes hearing that their upgrade idea is stupid or obsolete. especially after endless number of threads on exhaust upgrade.