I concur that the Gibson sounds great on the Dak/Durango. I can't
afford or justify the cost of the system however as it made only minimal
improvement when tested with the G-tech (5 HP and about 10 lb/ft over
stock) on the 5.2 Durango w/K&N intake system.
As for the Cats, the Car Sound (made by Magnaflow) is pretty cheap
through Summit (my 2.5" w/o O2 bungs was only $60) and well worth the
price. I ran a Catco on my Turbo car and found that it didn't last
nearly as long as the CarSound (which is still going). It's just
quality, you gets what you pays for. That said, they all carry a 24
month/24k mile warranty by law so even a cheap one should last long
enough to decide of you want to keep it or go with a different system.
Also, the difference in potential flow was obvious between the two
brands of identical spec cats. The catco you could see light through
while the CarSound you can SEE through, kinda like the light at the end
of the tunnel vs. standing at the end of the tunnel and looking out. In
other words, it was obviously less restrictive while just as effective
when tested at the smog shop. Actually, I *think* the CarSound may be
MORE effective according to the smog sniffer results.
Magnaflow has LOTS of tech articles on their web site that may help with
sizing and design of your system. After visiting lots of high-end
exhaust shops, I finally made my own turbo-back system and found it was
not hard at all. I bought pre-made mandrel bends, some pipe, and the
Magnaflow muffler & cat through Summit. You can even buy a cheap
hydraulic pipe bender for under 100 bucks through Northern Tools or
Harbor Freight to make the minor bends to keep things fitting nice
(something I learned after the fact).
For low RPM torque you want enough SPEED in the exhaust gas to
thoroughly scavenge the gas out of the cylinder. Speed is lost in
oversize pipe, therefor the smaller pipe may be better for low-end
torque but not for high-end racing. I follow the PROPERLY sized pipe
with the lowest restriction school of thought and have found that it
keeps a nice drivable system. My Dak is used for wheelin' and towing so
I'm gonna experiment with a 2.5" cat-back system with low restriction
cat, absorption muffler, and only the bare minimum of mandrel bends on
my relatively stock 318...we'll see how it goes when I actually get
around to getting it in.
Dodge uses crimp and/or accordion bends and a baffled muffler so almost
any change should be an improvement!
Just my $.02 worth.
Kevin
Jeffery B. Denning wrote:
> In response to my cat-back recommendation query Gary suggested buying a high
> flow cat and high flow muffler, "unless I need a 3" system," could be much
> wiser than spending $$ on a full cat back. Brett concurred. Thanks. That
> seems to make good sense as all I want is a little bit of rumble - not loud,
> and a bit easier breathing exhaust to match upcoming TB tweak (plus being
> totally stock is, well, stock). So, a few more questions. Why would one
> "need" a 3" system, particularly if it follows a "2.5. pipe? Looks only?
> Plus, the two high flow cats Brett mentioned have way different prices, is
> the Carsound worth twice the price of a Catco?
>
> Jef
> 99 5.2 4x4
--
Kevin Sellstrom, W6KTB E-Mail:ksellstr@softcom.net
***Wilton, California***
'99 Dodge Dakota CC, 4x4, 5.2,
'69 Dodge D200, 4x2, 318,
Also: '83 Volvo 244Ti, '85 Volvo 244, '68 Volvo 122S, '98 Specialized
Rockhopper A1FS
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