To or no to. Aftermarket exhaust

[MannyS]

What are the pros and cons of an aftermarket exhaust?

Is it healthier for the life of the Ranger to leave the stock or better to put on a aftermarket exhaust?

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[THLONE]

It is healthier to not do mods, especially the damper.

 

[MannyS]

It is healthier to not do mods, especially the damper.

I put a damper on a month ago and my truck has been in the shop twine since then. ?

 

[Racket]

It is healthier to not do mods, especially the damper.

I'm impressed with the speed that response got posted.

I got a mid-priced exhaust system - not a wild assed bigger all the things from the turbo back setup - because I didn't like the unfinished look of the stock pipe on my Lariat and if I went to the trouble of swapping the visible part I felt I might as well get 'permanent' quality (all stainless steel) from the downpipe back.

Is there a mechanical advantage? I really don't know. But I'm happy with the look and tone.

 

[Lonegun]

I had a custom exhaust put on my Ranger admittedly for the coolness factor. Nothing wild, but now I can hear it run, and I did get a mild MPG bump.

 

[MannyS]

Question is, can it hurt the reliability of an engine, or can it help?

 

[gameovergt]

I replaced stock muffler with a $35 one.$65 to weld in.

 

[Trigganometry]

Question is, can it hurt the reliability of an engine, or can it help?

Honestly I have had both, reliability wise it’s a nonstarter. Gives you less back pressure so free flowing. Just my opinion but I think you get a very slight performance boost. Now to quantify that opinion, only a dyno test will tell for sure. They do sound better though!

 

[SILK]

Question is, can it hurt the reliability of an engine, or can it help?

As hard as it is to resist, my opinion is to hold off on anything that could cause a Ford shop to void my warranty until after my warranty has expired. Nothing wrong with anyone who would disagree, but if something happens and there's a question on whether or not the piece caused or contributed to an acceleration of failure, I don't want to be going against Ford's pricey corporate lawyers.

Plus an exhaust on these isn't much of an upgrade, sound wise.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

I swapped out the muffler with a Dynomax Super Turbo model# 17792. It produced a slight increase in tone, better mileage and retains factory look.

The chances that replacing just the muffler and possibly tail pipe being blamed for engine related issues and denial of warranty is so minimal that it's really a non issue. As long as you don't mess with the catalytic converters or O2 sensor placement you really do not have to worry.

 

[MannyS]

I don't care about the sound. I care about the reliability.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

I don't care about the sound. I care about the reliability.

Any muffler of good quality will be as reliable if not more so than the OEM muffler. Especially since the stock muffler has a baffle plate restrictor in it that could present flow issues if it were to get clogged up with soot. The best option then would be to get a stainless steel muffler as it'll never rust, but any aluminized or galvanized muffler will be fine.

 

[dcg]

I consider the powertrain a strength of the Ranger, but I think buying one (or any 4 cyl) for the exhaust note is a recipe for disappointment.

When it comes to replacement, I wouldn't be particularly concerned about negative impact on engine life. I also wouldn't have high expectations for increased performance or sound (frankly, I'd be more worried about ending up with something that sounds embarrassing when I step on the gas).

For my money, there are many other mods which provide much more bang for the buck. I don't see myself replacing any exhaust components until stock items wear out.

Edit - missed the latest replies: I see you don't care about the sound. My non-expert opinion is that the impact to reliability would be negligible (in either direction).

 

[wanted33]

I don't care about the sound. I care about the reliability.

If that's your mission I say just stick with the OEM exhaust. Ford tests every system for reliability before the they sell their vehicles, so I'm good with the stock system.

 

[Apples]

Oh, come on! Annoy your neighbors with a loud exhaust every morning!

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