URD Spec-U Exhaust, 2016+ Tacoma V6 AC/LB, DC/SB

which one are you on? i ran a Spintech 3000XL on my last version of my exhaust, now i'm on a 8000. after installing the high flow catted dump tubes the 3000XL got too loud and high pitch, so the 8000 came and saved the day. and kept the Spintech sound & flow. i really like the Spintechs.

 

I've got a 6000, it's definitely loud. Interested to see how it'll sound when I get some high flow catted dump tubes on her. When my magnaflow on my 1st gen had some welds break I went to the spintech and have stuck with them on every truck since. My 2004 sounded mean with JBA headers and the spintech, I regularly had people ask me if I swapped in a V8

 

Yea mines got pretty raspy after the dump tubes with cats. I got the widow maker on mines. Considering getting a larger muffler.

 

cool. i run two Vibrant Ultra Quiets in series to handle the drone. i'm on a modified mk2 URD Y pipe.

 

the 3000XL was tight with flow, i really liked it. but the pitch was just too high after removing the stock front cats. i spoke to their lead tech and he wasn't crazy about putting the 8000 on a small motor like i did since it's a big volume muffler. but i already had two resonators so the volume is already irregular (although less than stock with that crazy ass 3" exhaust on a 3.5l motor? wth?). anyway, the 8000 has been amazing for quiet and even sound. the flow characteristics are definitely different, however, when putting a big volume muffler on this little motor. it almost has a bit of a turbo lag and boost flow dynamic.

 

Anyone have fitment challenge on a AC/LB? I installed the system, and had some trouble with the enclosed-Y pipe, case hitting the cross-member for the carrier bearing, at the rear of the case, and I also had a slight issue at the rear spring to tailpipe, when the suspension is completely unloaded. It also was a struggle to mate up the V-band connection between the Y and the muffler.

I did get it all together, and with all the clamps loose, I tightened the front flanges first, then: noticing that the Y-case was touching a cross member, I tried shoving everything forward, to no avail. I also slipped the tailpipe out of the connection as far as I dared, as the pipe was hitting the rear spring, with the suspension fully unloaded. I noticed that I could rotate the tailpipe to fix this, but I did not like the look of the tip pointed down, so I set it level; how often is the suspension fully unloaded anyway.

But then on testing, the casing of the Y pipe was definitely touching the cross member, and making noise, so I wrote to URD, and was informed they have had no other reports, and that I should try loosening the down pipe from the motor and everything and it will fit. Did that, and no change, so I loosened everything again, and noticed that rotating the muffler a bit, raised and lowered the y-pipe a bit, so i rotated it what I could, and acquired almost 1/4 in clearance, and tightened everything again. Though now the rubber hangers for the muffler are not proper, one is horizontal and one is ok, at near vertical. So I heated the other rod for the hanger and bent it down, so it provides support.

This still makes noise when under certain engine torque. URD says to stop in at their shop and they can take a look, but too many miles between us for that.

In my opinion and observation, the connections forward of the Y-pipe do not provide any front-to-rear adjustment, the slip couplings are perpendicular to the truck so zero there, the flange bolts are no adjustment, and loosening the down-pipe from the motor did nothing either. For the correct fit, the pipes along the transmission need to be 1/2" shorter, and the tailpipe then lengthened by about 2-1/2 inches (1/2 to make up what would be removed up front, 1/2" so it fully seats in the muffler coupler, and 1-1/2 inches for the tip to move rearward, where the lief spring is higher, to miss hitting the lief spring).

I am happy with the sound, and the build quality overall, just challenged with the fitment, and don't think I am likely to go so far as to cut this apart to fix it, It just sometimes sounds very much like a TRUCK.

Anyone else have trouble with hitting the cross member?

 

Update on collector case hitting cross-member: last summer, I got tires of the noise of the exhaust hitting, so I again loosened everything and tweaked, to no avail, so I started removing rubber hangers and noticed that I could get a sliver of daylight by hanging the exhaust lower, from the muffler back. So again I got out the torch and bent the hangers to make that happen.

All done, this provided a good 1/4" gap vertically between the pipe and the cross; but only a sliver of daylight lengthwise between the collector casing and the cross.

Test driving proved this to not fix the issue, and with the only options to be:
- Leave it, and live with the vibration noise
- Drive to URD in Maryland, as the only option they give is to visit for them to see. They report that I am the only complaint.
- Cut both left and right pipes before the Y, an\nd shorten them by 3/8".

Frustrated with what I spent and lack of a reasonable solution, I took a hammer to the flange of the collector casing, and dimpled it right where it touched the cross, by almost 1/8". Not a great solution, but I was spending a-lot of time to resolve an issue with manufacturing. this gave me 1/8' clearance.

Well the clearance made it tolerable, and now it only touched and vibrated sometimes, mostly at about 1,800 rpm, where teh engine seems to shake a bit more that at other RPM. Was tolerable to me, but NOT to my wife. She was not informed of the problem, but would complain that the noise was causing her pain, whenever the truck was near that RPM.

Yesterday, I again started testing with removing one rubber hanger at a time, and test driving, and for teh first time, I was under the truck while the exhaust was hot; Sure enough, while hot, it the 1/8 gap was gone! With about 5k mile this way, you can now see where the paint was worn off the cross too. Removing hangers and hanging lower did not fix this, so it is time!!!! I removed the exhaust, and cut out 3/8" of pipe, on each of the collector pipes, where parallel to the frame, and welded them back together. With alignment marks and by clamping them to a piece of angle, I was able to do this without tacking and tests, jut cut and welded them back together.


Problem Solved!






I should not have had to do this, on such a costly and high quality product, but I am sure glad that I did. It needed to be corrected.

WOW, that pipe must have been hitting more often that I thought, because now it is actually VERY quiet in the cab with windows up! BIG DIFFERENCE!. Wish i had done this long ago.

So if your Spec-U exhaust is in any way loud in the cab with closed windows, then you need to look close at this point on the cross-member. I cannot believe how quiet this is now. Really sounds like factory again from in the closed cab!!

 

I have the spec-u exhaust system installed on my 2017 Tacoma off-road 6 speed manual. The muffler is definitely quite . I upgraded to a BlackWidow muffler and wow it sounds great!!!
No clearance issues . Had it installed since 2018 approximately

 

You have the opposite issue i do, even after installing a vibrant resonator it's WAY TOO LOUD / DRONE-Y. lol.

 

I assume you are certain that it is not hitting?

 

mine was the first gen beofre the y-pipe resonator was installed. mine has other issues