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What's the best cat back for decent sound


When I had my 4.0 in my ranger I ran a k and n drop in for stock and got 4 miles less per gallon and no noticeable gains besides a little quicker rev. I have seen dyno numbers on a silverado where all the major brand cai were tested and the air raid intake tube with stock filter housing had the best performance gains. Yes it is not a ford 3.0 but it gets my point accros. To each is own. I am just going off experience.
 
I doubt that. Why is there such a large market for aftermarket intakes? in the last week I've had the stock air box with a stock air filter, stock air box with a K&N air filter, and now the K&N cone filter with the air box and the plastic crap removed and I've noticed the best results from the cone filter. I noticed my truck cruises better with less down shifting and it towed my trailer loaded with heavy firewood a lot easier than it used to. it's a very noticeable difference for sure. the stock air box seemed really sluggish. my next plan is to get something to help shroud the cone from the engine heat. I haven't figured that one yet but I'm not terribly worried about it.
I am having a similar discussion in a different thread (Tuners working their magic), me and you seem to be in the minority on this

The same reason there is a market for all kinds of aftermarket wheels, parts, and other accessories. To make money and people buy them. CAIs generally look and sound cool but do little to actually improve performance. Look where most of them get their air from, right in the hot engine compartment. Even factory intakes don't do that. 24" rims with tires so low profile, they are basically just a layer of rubber on the wheel. What does that do for vehicle performance? Big fiberglass wings for cars and trucks that have no shape resembling a airfoil whatsoever. HID conversion kits for factory halogen head lights that do little in improvement and blind the crap out of on coming traffic. The list can go on and on from there. Just because some company make a "performance" part doesn't mean it really is a "performance" part.
 
The same reason there is a market for all kinds of aftermarket wheels, parts, and other accessories. To make money and people buy them. CAIs generally look and sound cool but do little to actually improve performance. Look where most of them get their air from, right in the hot engine compartment. Even factory intakes don't do that. 24" rims with tires so low profile, they are basically just a layer of rubber on the wheel. What does that do for vehicle performance? Big fiberglass wings for cars and trucks that have no shape resembling a airfoil whatsoever. HID conversion kits for factory halogen head lights that do little in improvement and blind the crap out of on coming traffic. The list can go on and on from there. Just because some company make a "performance" part doesn't mean it really is a "performance" part.
Completely agree.
 
The same reason there is a market for all kinds of aftermarket wheels, parts, and other accessories. To make money and people buy them. CAIs generally look and sound cool but do little to actually improve performance. Look where most of them get their air from, right in the hot engine compartment. Even factory intakes don't do that. 24" rims with tires so low profile, they are basically just a layer of rubber on the wheel. What does that do for vehicle performance? Big fiberglass wings for cars and trucks that have no shape resembling a airfoil whatsoever. HID conversion kits for factory halogen head lights that do little in improvement and blind the crap out of on coming traffic. The list can go on and on from there. Just because some company make a "performance" part doesn't mean it really is a "performance" part.
Everything you mentioned is a performance part. Just because the consumer uses them wrong doesn't mean that there are no advantages to them.
Bigger wheels for bigger brakes, thin walled tires are usually Z rated for high speeds
lips, wings, and foils are all meant to help aerodynamics, drag and down force.
HID/LED lights are far superior to halogens and consume less energy.
Just because an idiot puts the wrong performance part on his/her vehicle doesn't render all performance parts useless.
 
Everything you mentioned is a performance part. Just because the consumer uses them wrong doesn't mean that there are no advantages to them.
Bigger wheels for bigger brakes, thin walled tires are usually Z rated for high speeds
lips, wings, and foils are all meant to help aerodynamics, drag and down force.
HID/LED lights are far superior to halogens and consume less energy.
Just because an idiot puts the wrong performance part on his/her vehicle doesn't render all performance parts useless.

You are missing my point. I never said all performance parts are useless. Many sold out there are nothing more than bling and/or snake oil but there are many parts that actually real, performance parts. The debate we are having about intakes and exhausts fall into this category as well. Yes, you can mount up a great exhaust system and it might actually provide some benefit without doing anything else. Generally, a benefit that one would only see if they did before and after testing on a dyno. Installing a great intake that is properly plumbed to the outside air, same thing. Combine the two and things start to get rolling. But for maximum benefit, work also needs to be done on the engine. Like porting and polishing, perhaps a tune, a better intake manifold, so forth and so on. Any real horsepower gains are not going to come easy and cheap and certainly not by just bolting on a couple parts.

A lot of "cold air intakes" do little to help and actually hurt and just make more noise at the front of the engine. A lot of "performance" exhausts are the same way or only provide a benefit if the rest of the engine is upgraded or customized to match. Aftermarket companies are in business to make money and sell products to keep making money. If all they need to do is take a hunk of plastic tubing, throw a cone filter on it to make people want to buy it, great for them. They'll take maybe $40 worth of materials and make a $160 profit by telling someone who doesn't know better and likes it because it looks cool that it is a performance intake. Buyer beware is still very much alive and well in this day and age.
 
You are missing my point. I never said all performance parts are useless. Many sold out there are nothing more than bling and/or snake oil but there are many parts that actually real, performance parts. The debate we are having about intakes and exhausts fall into this category as well. Yes, you can mount up a great exhaust system and it might actually provide some benefit without doing anything else. Generally, a benefit that one would only see if they did before and after testing on a dyno. Installing a great intake that is properly plumbed to the outside air, same thing. Combine the two and things start to get rolling. But for maximum benefit, work also needs to be done on the engine. Like porting and polishing, perhaps a tune, a better intake manifold, so forth and so on. Any real horsepower gains are not going to come easy and cheap and certainly not by just bolting on a couple parts.

A lot of "cold air intakes" do little to help and actually hurt and just make more noise at the front of the engine. A lot of "performance" exhausts are the same way or only provide a benefit if the rest of the engine is upgraded or customized to match. Aftermarket companies are in business to make money and sell products to keep making money. If all they need to do is take a hunk of plastic tubing, throw a cone filter on it to make people want to buy it, great for them. They'll take maybe $40 worth of materials and make a $160 profit by telling someone who doesn't know better and likes it because it looks cool that it is a performance intake. Buyer beware is still very much alive and well in this day and age.
Still agree ^.
I installed a factory airbox back in the old 2500 8.1 today. Intake temps were 136 dropped to 96. I cut the k and n straight tube down. The factory tube creates alot of turbulence the way its made.I hope to get a 1-2 more mpg out of it.
 
I also agree. I know nothing at autozone is going to boost anything. I think sometimes, people on here just have to be right, even if nobody is arguing with them. If somebody wants to do a cai and cat back exhaust, who cares if they don't get any real hp, that person feels better about there ride. If somebody wants to jack that bitch up six inches and put some super swampers on a 2wd, who cares that it won't go through shit, that person feels better about their ride.
 
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I also agree. I know nothing at autozone is going to boost anything. I think sometimes, people on here just have to be right, even if nobody is arguing with them. If somebody wants to do a cai and cat back exhaust, who cares if they don't get any real hp, that person feels better about there ride. If somebody wants to jack that bitch up six inches and put some super swampers on a 2wd, who cares that it won't go through shit, that person feels better about their ride.
I will give a different point of view on this. I don't think it is about anyone having to be right rather than members posting information from their experience. If it sways the op's opinion or not it is still info that could be beneficial.
 
Yeah but sometimes somebody wants some simple advice and get a bunch of Einstein wannabes. Just sayin'
 
I've never seen a race car with a stock intake or exhaust. I doubt you could tell that guy with a 10 second car his car would do much better with the stock airbox. I bet they would laugh at you. I agree with Ranger850 for the most part. If I want to do it my way then that's what I want to do. I think if you contacted K&N and said their product sucked they wouldn't really care because people are still buying them. And why do people buy them???? because they work, that's why. Same fore exhaust's. spray some expanding foam in you exhaust and see what happens. Engines are highly restricted from the factory to meet EPA standards. That's why aftermarket parts like CAI and exhausts actually sell because they are taking some of that restriction out of the equation. I'd still like to see someone trying to sell a factory exhaust to a race car driver.... just tell them they will greatly benefit from it lol, they are bound to buy it if they you tell them that.
 
What we were talking about is a cold air intake. Not an under under hood hot air cone filter intake.
 
I've never seen a race car with a stock intake or exhaust. I doubt you could tell that guy with a 10 second car his car would do much better with the stock airbox. I bet they would laugh at you. I agree with Ranger850 for the most part. If I want to do it my way then that's what I want to do. I think if you contacted K&N and said their product sucked they wouldn't really care because people are still buying them. And why do people buy them???? because they work, that's why. Same fore exhaust's. spray some expanding foam in you exhaust and see what happens. Engines are highly restricted from the factory to meet EPA standards. That's why aftermarket parts like CAI and exhausts actually sell because they are taking some of that restriction out of the equation. I'd still like to see someone trying to sell a factory exhaust to a race car driver.... just tell them they will greatly benefit from it lol, they are bound to buy it if they you tell them that.

Really dude? Have you been paying attention at all? NO, they don't run a stock intake or exhaust. They get true aftermarket performance intake and exhaust systems AND MODIFY THEIR ENGINES to take advantage of both. If you want to slap one or the other on or both, go on ahead. It's your money and your vehicle. We are just trying to tell you what to expect from doing it. If you do it, great. But before you brag about how much power you have, you better have a dyno test run before you do it and after to prove it.
 
Really dude? Have you been paying attention at all? NO, they don't run a stock intake or exhaust. They get true aftermarket performance intake and exhaust systems AND MODIFY THEIR ENGINES to take advantage of both. If you want to slap one or the other on or both, go on ahead. It's your money and your vehicle. We are just trying to tell you what to expect from doing it. If you do it, great. But before you brag about how much power you have, you better have a dyno test run before you do it and after to prove it.
You beat me to it. The horse has been beat to death in this thread. Then ran over and beat again.
 
I'm running the older version of this kit:

Along with the JBA shorty headers. I like the sound of it. I just installed a new replacement muffler today after almost 10 years, went back with the same dynomax model # muffler that the original kit came with. I'll shoot a video and post it.
 

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