Trying to choose an exhaust

Hey y'all, I am looking for a new exhaust for my 4.0L 2014 Taco.
I am looking for a cat-back system in the $300-$550 range.
I think I have found the one I want, the Flowmaster flowFX single exit but I have no earthly idea how loud it is, I am finding reviews ranging all the way from "it sounds like a straight pipe" to, "I didn't even notice I installed it" And I was hoping y'all could help me figure out how loud it is or any other medium loud exhausts similar to it.
Thanks
Ig: @jstanphotography

 

I just traded in my '05, but had a TRD catback on that for the last 4-5 years. It was louder than stock, but not by much under normal driving conditions. When you stomped on it you could hear the exhaust wake up, but no drone on the highway. I loved it.

I just put "Flowmaster FX Tacoma" in the YouTube search, and a ton popped up. It's tough to judge without hearing it in person, but the way they formatted the video, is about as good as it gets online.
https://youtu.be/rUl5mR_5eC4
This one would be too loud for me.

 

I got the Gibson for mine. Great customer service, super easy to install. Nice throaty sound but not overly loud.

 

I recently install a catback system on my 2006 Tacoma with a 4.0 V6 and I bought the kit that has a very aggressive Flowmaster muffler, the Super 44. There are two other mufflers above this one that are Flowmasters most aggressive, go to their website and look up street chambered mufflers and you can find where your choice is rated. Have you heard the newer Camaros or Challengers with a V6, it sounds almost the same way. It gives these trucks a growling sound when you rev up the engine or take off from a stop. I have a automatic trans so as it changes gears the exhaust sound gets quieter. The exhaust decibels are not ridiculously loud, but coming from a Tacoma, people think the truck has a performance import engine. Don't get confused with an American Muscle car with a fire breathing V8, these mufflers give a stock Tacoma a really nice performance sound without adding anything else. I love the sound my exhaust makes and I do get noticed by other Tacoma drivers. Hopefully you get the chance to hear a Tacoma in your area with a performance catback exhaust. Check with your local smog station to see if your truck will pass inspection with this system installed. My kit cost $330.00 plus tax on eBay and they go up from there, also you can get a kit that changes from a single to dual exhaust. Good luck.

 

Trd and be done with it. Stainless and one piece.

 

Borla makes a sick exhaust. Nice Quality stainless. They don’t list it to fit 12-15 but if you swap out the insulator at the back it fits. You could find a cheaper price this is just the part https://www.borla.com/products/toyota-tacoma-cat-back-exhaust-system-140160

$8 Walker 35284 Exhaust System Hanger Insulator for Honda CR-V

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0019I86YY?ie=UTF8

 

OP - why do you think you want "an exhaust?"

 

As far as the flow master being too loud but, it all depends on what you like. If you like it loud and screaming like hell it's not going to be loud enough if you like it to be quiet so that you can hear your music at a low volume or have a standard conversation inside the cab then it may be too loud. The Biggest problem is no one knows exactly what you're looking for.. Also no 1 knows the the way you hear things. Overall I would say in my opinion that the flowmaster is just a little bit louder than I prefer under normal driving it's OK. But I like to listen to music and at certain RPM range, it is pretty loud and drony. If you can stay just outside those RPM ranges then it quiets down quite a bit. Once you mash the pedal it opens up and gets pretty damn loud. I personally prefer something closer to a Turbo muffler that has a little bit of sound But still pretty close to stock.. This being said I think I'm going to be looking for a stock TRD muffler to see what that really sounds like.

 

Thanks, I'm a teenager so my main concern was not pissing off the neighbors lol. I am looking for something on the louder side but I also don't want to get pulled over for it. That was pretty much what I was asking and that answer helped. Thanks for the help.

 

I guess things can be very subjective. I bought a TRD for my '15 not long after I got it. 6 months later I dumped that thing. The drone and loudness just wore me out....especially on the highway and under medium to hard acceleration

 

That's understandable, I've got a friend with a nearly straight piped F-150 who's getting pretty worn out too. I don't do much highway driving so that's not a major concern of mine, and I'm not planning on getting rid of the stock exhaust so if I ever find myself consistently driving long distances I can always just put the OEM back on. Thx

 

I can't understand all the doubting or assumptions that's going on about catback exhausts. I for one like a performance sound that an engine makes weather stock or high performance. In days when you couldn't afford a custom exhaust some guys would drill holes in their mufflers to get that performance sound, hey it was the 70's. But for me I waited until I could afford the real deal from the headers to the mufflers. There are two ways that you can hear for yourself what the sound a Tacoma with a V6 will make with a performance catback exhaust before you buy one. There are several websites on the internet that can give you a good idea or you can roll down your vehicles window as you sit next to a Tacoma with a performance exhaust in traffic. Maybe you might get lucky enough to talk to the owner and find out what he installed. I find the sound in comparisons to a newer Camaro, Mustang or Challenger with a V6. Don't get confused with the Tundra's, the majority have V8's. As for this drone sound, that I keep hearing about, a j-pipe can be installed that eliminates that sound and you can find more info on youtube. I just installed a catback Flowmaster system with a Super 44 muffler on my 06 Tacoma with a 4.0 V6 and it sounds absolutely great and it's not loud and doesn't sound like crap. If you want that then just remove the muffler on your truck. You can go further by installing headers but depending on what state you're in it might not pass smog inspection because the headers need to be smog certified in your state like good ol' California where the smog regulations are tuff. So, most of us who just installed the catback system are satisfied with it without having to install headers. Flowmaster provides a large variety of mufflers to choose, from mild to agressive, so take your time and if your still not sure than stick with what you have and be happy.

 

Okay thank you, the Super 44 may actually be on the aggressive side for me because I'm really just looking to get a throatier sound that flowmaster provides. Thanks

 

Trd got mine from the dealership for $365

 

TRD cat back. Under $400 on sale.

also, get some exhaust hanger remover pliers

 

if that's the case makes me want to sell mine given I paid about $100 for it
to get something higher clearance

installed an HC rear so now the exhaust is just hanging down low looking goofy like it's gonna hit a rock, and makes the truck look low
if it wasn't for that, the HC rear would make it look high

 

I suspect flowmasters are popular more because they have a clever name, and less because they perform well. A car I bought came with them. I enjoy a nice sounding exhaust but it was too loud for my taste. Someone I worked with put them on his firebird. It sounded like a hammer hitting a metal plate.

As a general rule regarding exhaust pipes and mufflers. Anything that restricts flow will decrease performance. Restrictions include mufflers and bends. Crush bent and the weird accordion bent curves restrict flow much more than mandrel bent curves. Mufflers that are loud flow better than quiet ones, generally speaking.

Once I cut out a rusted section of crush bent pipe and welded in a mandrel bent piece in a pos jaguar. Just that one change made it perform noticeably better.

A guy I worked with was telling me about how he removed the muffler and installed a megaphone in it’s place. I couldn’t imagine, it must have been stupidly loud. He said he would constantly get tickets for excessive noise.

If I were serious about wanting a good exhaust system I’d have a stainless custom cat back made with a vband connection for the muffler and all mandrel bent curves. If I don’t like the muffler sound, it’s simple to unbolt it and replace with a different muffler. If you can weld, you can do it yourself. Doing it up on a lift is far easier of course. Having molten metal land in your ear when your body is crammed under a car is NO FUN.

 

TRD cat back on mine a week after a I bought it! It's the perfect amount of growl for a stock truck. Anything more and your asking for a ticket and a lot of headache!

 

I don’t think that’s the TRD exhaust pictured on that truck. There’s no fancy TRD tip.

Regardless, the list price at the dealer for the TRd exhaust is $595, so if you got it for $100 that’s quite an incredible deal. You should have posted a tread when they were in stock…

 

My TRD exhaust sounds great. Nice and throaty down low. Sounds great when wheeling and accelerating. Quiet on the highway.

Any of the louder exhausts I've heard sound like ass. They lose that good tone and just become obnoxious. The 4.0 in general isn't the greatest sounding engine.