Does CAI and Cat-BaCK Exhaust Help?

You have to close you eyes, listen real hard, and leave the bar late at night

 

If they make $200 profit on them you better believe they would. Sucker born every minute

 

Magnaflow has a new model catback system for the tacoma that has an optional hemholtz style resonator.
Best Sounding Tacoma Exhaust? Magnaflow Overland Series Exhaust on A 3.5L Tacoma - YouTube

 

If you don’t plan to run a turbo or super charger . A cold air intake will be just a waste of money unless your just looking for looks and sound .the trd exhaust will give you a little more throaty exhaust without the drone (a constant humming from the exhaust at specific rpms ) it’s really annoying.

 

Sounds like shit ...

 

Compared to some of the other garbage Ive heard on Tacomas I'd say it sounds pretty reasonable.
MagnaFlow Overland Series Exhaust for 3rd gen Tacoma: unboxing, install and sound test - YouTube

 

Can I make a suggestion?

I love to eat this shit. 50 years of beaks, lips, and claws. Maybe 5% here will agree. My point?

GET WHAT YOU LIKE, and try some of this shit. Mmm,mm

 

A resonator on an intake?

 

Yes, TRD intake has a resonator. It’s smaller than stock though.

 

help with what? Help create problems and more posts? Yup!

 

FWIW:

I put on a TRD CAI and TRD Exhaust prior to doing the KDMax 6.0 (never planned on a tune initially) thinking that I would get a little better throttle response (the 'throatier sound' was just a bonus....or so I thought). Those 2 items did give it 'a little' better response but no where near what the tune did. Now I have all the throttle response I want/need (from the tune) and now I have a 'loud exhaust' that to me....drones. Anything over 2K rpm's and I hear it. Is it awful? No, but I would prefer to NOT hear it and will likely be going back to the stock exhaust sometime in the near future.

I bought the TRD exhaust thinking they put this on the Pro so it can't be too annoying can it? Well, it is (imho). Sounds great idling and 2k or less rpm's. 2.5K rpm's + and it's more than I like personally. But then again I'm 56 now and no longer really appreciate the sound my 1970.5 Z28 made when I was under 20....LOL

 

The CAI and catback will leave you with less power from a standstill, but you'll see the benefit in acceleration from a roll. You should be given the heads up though that even with a quiet catback muffler, you'll get a mother of low-frequency drone. You'll be hard pressed to notice it over the tire roar but it's there and it'll for sure give you tinnitus (I figured that out after putting on a set of shooting earmuffs while driving and hearing only this horrible low-frequency hum). Swapped-in a j-pipe resonator and it helped, but without the resonator on the intake and the stock muffler, that drone wont go away unless you measure and calculate the frequency you need to cancel out and fab up a resonator to slap on the catback.

Also, the stock downpipes terminate at a y-pipe that is 2.3" (approx) diameter, if you get a catback, it HAS to match this diameter size. Throw a 3" exhaust pipe on there and you're going to get a hell of a drone and very poor performance due to the exhaust gasses suddenly expanding and slowing down before entering a muffler that is too wide in diameter. Even if the muffler is straight through, that sudden pressure change will rob you of power and fuel economy.

(imagine connecting a garden hose to a fire-hydrant before an adapter to a fire hose, the water will come out the end of the fire hose at significantly less pressure than it would have if the hose was at a consistent diameter, garden hose size or fire-hose size. This is what people are usually referring to when they say you need 'back-pressure', they're actually referring to exhaust velocity. Back pressure is never good, loss of exhaust velocity in your system is just as bad)

If you really want to see performance improvements from the 3.5L, fab up 2.25" extractor pipes from the block, merge to a 2.25 to 2.25 x-pipe for a full dual or 2.25 to 2.5 y pipe and build back from there. This setup with a well fitted CAI that is sealed to get air from Outside the engine bay really puts a kick in this truck's getup. It's amazing the benefit you'll see. Follow that up with a tune and forget about it, my dude.

If you just want better sound, HPS silicone intake hose + have a resonator welded in before your stock muffler will give you what you want. Buying TRD branded parts is a waste of cash, way too overpriced for a product that is essentially the same as stock but without the stock resonator. ($800 for the TRD intake and catback vs $200 for the silicone intake and $100 for a resonator and paying a welder)

 

So here's a question...
I've been looking at TRD exhaust available to "fit" my truck and they all look the same. The question is why is there a "U" bend in front of the muffler? My existing system is not like this, am I missing something here? Mine is straight shot similar to the Borla replacement in the left image (TRD on right). Can someone explain this please?

 

That bend goes over the rear axel. Stock should be the same.

 

Noooooooooo. Mine looks like the Borla on the left. The TRD image on the right, inlet is facing the wrong direction, how the hell would it attach? And, there IS NO bend for the axle. Seriously confounded.

 

The exhaust on the right isnt for a tacoma.

 

Thats the TRD on the right.

 

Yes.

 

Thanks! Now we're getting somewhere...
EVERY image I looked at today for Tacoma TRD exhaust had this image. I've never seen a Tacoma TRD exhaust apparently. Exhausting!!!!!!

 

Son of bitch!
Okay, that looks more like it. I hate being the new guy!
And....thanks all!