Muffler sound... Tahoe '03.

[Danjelo]

My SUV has the stock exhaust system. Dont really like the fact that you really cant hear the truck. What can be done to make sound a bit more without costing me an arm and a leg?

 

[STREETutilityVEHICLE]

i went and had the stock muffler swapped out for a flowmaster. i have an 03 tahoe also, and i was charged $45 at a local muffler shop to have them weld it in. flowmaster i got from a friend who never got around to installing it, he paid 80, i paid 40 not a bad deal. if your really just going for a sound change, almost any higher-performance muffler will work, i think summitracing.com has some of their summit brand fully welded mufflers for around 40 bucks or so. get the 3" muffler. i've even seen certain mufflers like thrush and the non-fully welded summit and jegs mufflers go for something like 20 bucks. one of these options may help you until you get a little more cash for a full cat-back system. hope that helps

 

[Danjelo]

I have not even looked under the truck yet. Is there only one muffler? Some cars have a second muffler that changes the resonator sound in the cab...

 

[jrneyman]

Only one muffler there, bro-- i looked at mine when it was cut off and laying in the shop floor--it s a real piece of crap!~! had a local exhaust shop do mine for $250-
he used a magnaflow, and a mandrel bent tailpiece with a stainless steel tip--all welded, no clamps; its a quiet rumble, really nice--

 

[dye4metal]

i think i am going to cut mine off and reweld in a flowmaster and maybe get a tip welded on? also if anyone knows what type of welders do they use at a muffler shop? if it is gas MIG then i will just do it myself

 

[STREETutilityVEHICLE]

i'm pretty sure you can mig weld it, but i think they "braze" it, with an oxy/acetalene torch and a metel alloy type of rod. the people i went to had the muffler off (it's very heavy and large!) and the new one welded on in like 30 minutes. they had to fabricate a piece to go from the back of the flowmaster to the existing tailpipe that ran behind the right rear tire. system looks stock, sounds mean but not too loud.

 

[Danjelo]

Is the original system stainless steel?
Does anyone have a picture of the original system? I think one of the previous owners has changed it on mine. Mine looks a little strange...

 

[thdrill]

Anyone have any suggestions on a muffler that would allow for better mpg and performance without a lot of noise. Basically don't want to wake up the neighborhood at 6:30 in the morning when I go to work.

 

[Danjelo]

Anyone have any suggestions on a muffler that would allow for better mpg and performance without a lot of noise. Basically don't want to wake up the neighborhood at 6:30 in the morning when I go to work.

I added a Flowmaster which is supposed to not only make the engine sound like a V8, but also improve the performance. I'm not so sure about the performance part (if anything, I think its a bit slower :wow: ), but my Tahoe sounds AWESOME now. The original system is actually not bad at all. It is really quiet and built to match the engines resistence requieries.

 

[GTO2050]

I replaced the stock unit with a cat back Magnaflow from Performance Peddler for $450. It rumbles a bit but no droning. I am very pleased. Mileage probably went up but I can't keep my foot out of it to find out. :Chevy: