Gibson Black Elite Dual Exhaust

[Scotty J]

Almost a month after ordering, it finally shipped.

I went with the Gibson primarily because it was the most affordable full stainless system. And, yes, the dual rear outlets look pretty tough. I know, I know, departure angle blah blah blah... Sorry ladies, mine's a highway crawler. Will follow up with install/soundcheck/thoughts.

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[Rinn69]

Following. @Scotty J Do you have a part # ? It's not showing up on their website yet. Thanks !!!

 

[Scotty J]

Following. @Scotty J Do you have a part # ? It's not showing up on their website yet. Thanks !!!

Here's where I got mine.

 

[Scotty J]

Its been a comedy of errors, but I've got it installed… sort of. But I’ll get to that later. First things first, comparison shot:

As one would expect, there is a lot less noise reduction going on with the Gibson. One muffler versus a muffler and a resonator. Here’s a shot down the intake side of Gibson muffler:

Typical cheese grater baffling, one into two.


Sound check time, headphones strongly recommended.

Stock:


Gibson:


And, hehe, muffler delete:


The Gibson really is pretty tame (at least compared to my previous vehicle, an SRT8 Cherokee with the noise valve deleted and a Borla ATAK axle back… yeah, that was f-ing LOUD). You can definitely hear more bass in the cabin, but it’s not bad at all. And, so far, I don’t think it sounds at all fart-canny.


As for the install, everything lines up and goes in pretty easy. The stocker comes out with minimum effort. Gibson says to cut the stock muffler off to make it easier, but it’s not necessary. I think they’re just trying limit the possibility of having theirs returned.


The difficult part comes when you tighten everything up and try to get the tips lined up mirror image to each other. Every turn of the wrench flexes something else and then the tips aren't symmetrical. And another thing: These exhaust clamps need a LOT of torque before they actually clamp anything. I was tightening them with a breaker bar and they still weren’t tight. I'm headed to the hardware store today to pick up an impact ratchet. Hope that settles it. If not, I’ll just take it to a proper muffler shop and have it welded up.

 

[Rinn69]

I LOVE the way that sounds !!! And definitely not "fart-canny" And now, for the $24,000 question--- Do you get any drone at highway speeds (65-75 mph) ?

 

[mURmECH]

Thanks Scotty, I enjoyed the videos and it looks awesome, do you have any pictures from the rear from about 10-20 feet? I have mine in my garage just waiting to install. Just a few questions. How long did it take and did you have another hand? Are you able to put the OE exhaust back on if need be?

 

[Scotty J]

I LOVE the way that sounds !!! And definitely not "fart-canny" And now, for the $24,000 question--- Do you get any drone at highway speeds (65-75 mph) ?

Not so much drone. There's definitely a "presence"; more bass, and you can actually hear the engine. And you realize how much this thing shifts through those ten gears.

 

[Scotty J]

Thanks Scotty, I enjoyed the videos and it looks awesome, do you have any pictures from the rear from about 10-20 feet? I have mine in my garage just waiting to install. Just a few questions. How long did it take and did you have another hand? Are you able to put the OE exhaust back on if need be?

It takes about an hour to get it installed, but then it takes forever to get the tips lined up and get the clamps tightened up. I just crawled under it again and there's a clamp over the axle to the driver's side that I just can 't get tight enough. On Monday I'm going to a muffler shop to get this thing welded up. Another thing I did, mostly because of these shitty clamps, was to safety wire the hangers.

So long as you ignore Gibson's recommendation to take a hacksaw to your stocker, it can go back to stock. The stock system can be removed with a bit of twisting, pulling, and shoving.

Here's how it looks from behind. A critical eye can see that the tips are not even close to mirror image:

 

[jeffe]

It takes about an hour to get it installed, but then it takes forever to get the tips lined up and get the clamps tightened up. I just crawled under it again and there's a clamp over the axle to the driver's side that I just can 't get tight enough. On Monday I'm going to a muffler shop to get this thing welded up. Another thing I did, mostly because of these shitty clamps, was to safety wire the hangers.

So long as you ignore Gibson's recommendation to take a hacksaw to your stocker, it can go back to stock. The stock system can be removed with a bit of twisting, pulling, and shoving.

Here's how it looks from behind. A critical eye can see that the tips are not even close to mirror image:

I concur! Those clamps... once you think they are tight, crank down some more! And, as to Gibson's recommendation to cut off the stock exhaust, NO! You can remove the aft hanger mount (it's bolted to the frame) and the system can be worked out with relative ease.

 

[Richard Conley]

I think that is the best I've heard so far - definitely not as "ricey" especially as revs drop. I had a Gibson on a '93 Dodge Dakota that you had to saw through pipe after the cat.....I did not have a recip saw then and it was a task Will consider this. My experience with a Borla on my Mustang was that it was tricky to get the outlets aligned and the professionals that did it gave me the stink I when I complained. Great post.

 

[Scotty J]

NO! You can remove the aft hanger mount (it's bolted to the frame) and the system can be worked out with relative ease.

I just hit 'em with some silicone lube and they popped right off.

 

[Scotty J]

I had a Gibson on a '93 Dodge Dakota that you had to saw through pipe after the cat.....I did not have a recip saw then and it was a task

I had to cut the pipes on my Cherokee for the Borla; I just went to the auto parts store and borrowed their exhaust cutter. Fantastic tool.

 

[Richard Conley]

So my truck is finally "awaiting transportation" and I would like to get most mods taken care of before it come home so wife won't be inquiring as to how much more did this cost....anyway.....I love this sound and I don't know why it sounds better than all the clips I've listened to on this GREAT info source. Is it that there are two outlets, because I think I like the look of two on the passenger side?, is it that the outlets are each spread out instead of coming out together on the side like ? is it that the Gibson marginally bigger tube wise? Is it some sort of an illusion? What am I missing?

 

[Scotty J]

I'm guessing it sounds a certain way primarily because of the construction of the muffler. I don't think the length or location of the outlet pipes has too much to do with it. Also, keep in mind that I'm no audiophile; I recorded that video with an iPhone 6 sitting on an upturned bucket, propped up against a can of Hornet spray. Is the iPhone's mic capable of capturing every nuance of the exhaust tone? Doubt it.

I dropped it off at Lou's Custom Exhaust (New England chain shop) to have it welded up and get the outlets symmetricalized (that is now a word because I said so), and I am very happy with it. Now I'm considering having an exhaust cut out welded up just before the muffler for some noise-on-demand.

 

[mransr]

it sounds great, and the price isn't too crazy...but it is only available for the crew cab Ranger >:|

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