I have a 09 Pro4X crew cab, completely stock. I just had a 22" magnaflow 2 in 2 out put on with dual exhaust exiting straight out the rear. Under normal driving, it is very close to stock with little or no noise in the cab. Under load (while towing) it has some sound that you might call a light drone going up hills. I am thinking of replacing it with the 18" magnaflow and am wondering if anyone knows how this sounds vs. the 22". Will the 18" sound louder without a much louder drone when towing? Compared to the 22", I am hoping the 18" would give a lower growl at idle and be noticeable without an annoying drone while towing my heavy boat. I also don't want to lose any towing power ( I have heard some people speak of lost power???) If there is something else to be added to the 22" that would give it a little more (maybe cold air intake?) that would be an option too. All comments are appreciated. Thanks!
The 18" will be louder, drone is there, but probably no worse than the 22", having the dual exaust is what will cause the power loss vs the size of the muffler, but you won't loose anymore than you already have y going to the 18". Titans like to have back pressure in the exaust system to keep low end torque, having too much flo through, lowers the back pressure and therefor drops lo end torque. Adding an airaid CAI will give you some more power (a well as addign some more growl) as well as adding a Bullydog GT tuner.
Thanks for the quick response. Your information is eye opening. I wish I would have found this forum before having the 22" dual's put on. It sounds like I spent $750 to have it sound almost stock and lose towing power, so I am disappointed. The shop that did it will replace the 22" with the 18" for an additional $100, basically the cost of the 18" muffler. Since I am this far in, another $100 to be "happy" is OK, but I am concerned if there will be a more noticeable drone (current 22" is OK) and even more loss of torque for towing. Adding a CAI is easy enough but that too would seem to add to the free flowing exhaust and further reduce the loss of backpressure, affecting low end torque. I am not familiar with what a Bullydog tuner is for, how it works, how much it costs, how it is installed, etc. Sorry, I am a rookie who is in over his head.
My wish list is a little more sound without a lot more drone, minimal loss of torque and any gain in MPG is a bonus. Given this, would you go with the 18" or stick with the 22"? Still add the CAI? Other? I am a novice so this forum is helping so I appreciate the advice.
I don't know how much more drone your going to get, I can tell you the amount of drone I get from my 18 doesn't bother me, it does happen in the 1700 RPM range. I can't imagine that it would be much more than the 22". Back pressure happens after the engine in the exhaust, not before, so adding more air into the engine doesn't affect back pressure. Think of running a mile breathing through a straw, then run that mile breathing through a big pipe, then you get the idea of a CAI. Bullydog tuner's are easy to install, they bascally change the truck computer system to improve performance. Plug it into the OBD port and download the tune, it comes with 3 and then there are also options to remove the WOT restriction (wide open throttle), which means you have full power the second you hit the gas not at 15 mph for a 4wd or 40 mph with a 2wd. You can also do a 2* timing advance which will give you more low end torque. You alos have engine monitoring capabilities. You can find them used in the buy and sell section for about $250-$275, new is about $350, most guys sell them and go upgrade to Uprev which is a custom tune and runs about $500. Honestly none of these will improve MPG, but they will improve perfomance and torque.
I don't know how much more drone your going to get, I can tell you the amount of drone I get from my 18 doesn't bother me, it does happen in the 1700 RPM range. I can't imagine that it would be much more than the 22". Back pressure happens after the engine in the exhaust, not before, so adding more air into the engine doesn't affect back pressure. Think of running a mile breathing through a straw, then run that mile breathing through a big pipe, then you get the idea of a CAI. Bullydog tuner's are easy to install, they bascally change the truck computer system to improve performance. Plug it into the OBD port and download the tune, it comes with 3 and then there are also options to remove the WOT restriction (wide open throttle), which means you have full power the second you hit the gas not at 15 mph for a 4wd or 40 mph with a 2wd. You can also do a 2* timing advance which will give you more low end torque. You alos have engine monitoring capabilities. You can find them used in the buy and sell section for about $250-$275, new is about $350, most guys sell them and go upgrade to Uprev which is a custom tune and runs about $500. Honestly none of these will improve MPG, but they will improve perfomance and torque.
A GOOD cat-back, intake and tune WILL increase fuel economy. We arent talking about doubling your economy but i would be surprised if you see a 2-3mpg increase with those mods. I was getting 15-16mpg freeway before my mods and i can push it to 21mpg now with the mods. My mods also included getting the truck closer to the ground so that helps my case.
If the truck makes more torque and horsepower, it does not have to try to hard to pull itself down the road which means you dont push the gas pedal as much and you get better economy. The people saying performance mods hurt their fuel economy are the ones that are driving more "spirited" after they put their parts on. Drive the exact same way and on the same route and i bet you see an increase.
FYI, Gibson Performance picked up a 9% fuel economy increase on a 5.4L F150 with JUST a bolt on cat-back system. It also picked up 8hp and 12tq..
Thanks for the advise. I will do some research on those recommendations. I am very soft-footed on the truck, even while towing, typically keeping RPM's 2500 and lower. Thus, I am not sure if the WOT enhancements would be applicable. I guess the same can be said for the exhaust. If I hammer it, I can hear the 22", but I don't drive like that so hearing a louder 18" in the lower RPM range might be a better fit. Would you agree with that logic?
I am always puzzled why the manufactures, who spend 100's of millions setting up production for a truck, don't include these upgrades as factory original. It has to be more trade-off than just cost.
If your exhaust exits out the rear under the bumper and you put a trailer behind it, the sound waves coming out of your exhaust are reverting directly back into the truck. Hence the drone you are experiencing.
Magnaflow mufflers are kind of shunned here.Their mufflers get a raspy CIS (card in spokes) sound on a Titan. Which to most, is very undesirable.
NO engine LIKES Back Pressure! Engines perform based on the cylinder head design and how fast you can get the exhaust away from the engine. Here is an example..
If you take a stock Titan with the dual inlet setup (like the OP), it has dual 2.125" pipes.. That would create more back pressure than say a 2.5"-3" y-pipe setup yes? By the theory of "titans like back pressure", that would mean that the stock exhaust would be the best performing system out there. There is proof all around that the 2.5"-3" y-pipe setup outshines the stock dual setup in every aspect. Please dont use the word back pressure. back pressure is bad, exhaust scavenging is good. Magnaflow mufflers are built for "Wide Open Performance" which is part of the reason you are feeling a loss in low end power. I bet it feels better than stock over 3,500RPM..
I would be very unlikely to replace my 18" Magnaflow (12258 DI/SO) with the same muffler. The drone is bad around 60-65 and the CIS (Card In Spokes - a raspy fluttering sound) is embarrassing at wide open throttle.
I just (and I mean JUST) installed my 14" maggy on my T. I'm very dissapointed. I'm actually about to order a new muffler right now. It is not noticeably louder than stock. :/
I didn't see anyone reply to this post yet and I realize it's a bit dated. However, to the poster, that muffler will absolutely get louder once it breaks in, and quite noticeably IMO. I had a maggie catback put onto my truck and I think it came with a 24" muffler. When i first installed it it was equal in sound to the stock system. it took maybe 2 months and it got quite a bit louder. Just an FYI for ya in case you want to put 500-1000 miles on it first.
Thanks for the input. I have not experienced the CIS with the 22" but I also drive it very easy so if it happens at high RPM's, I haven't heard it. The possible drone on the 18", based on your experience, sounds like something I should avoid and just stay with the 22". I am hoping adding a CAI will help some. Others in the forum have said it would help with a little more growl and power.
Do you guys agree, I should stay with the 22" and possibly add a CAI, based on my light footed driving? I bought my Titan for the towing capacity, not to race it.
I would stick with the 22", certainly over the 18". The CIS will only be noticed by you if you have the passenger or rear cab window down and you go wide open throttle. Otherwise, anyone driving on your passenger will hear it when you go WOT. The CIS bothers me, but not enough to spend the money to switch to something else. The drone is a different matter and eventually I plan to do something about it.
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