I am looking for a new exhaust for my '86 2.0 Ranger. I want one to help increase horsepower , fuel economy and to have a nice deep sound. JC Whitney has this 3" cat-back exhaust for Ford Ranger for about $190. I was wondering if any has put this or a similar exhaust on their Ranger. If you have is it any good and how does it sound?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

 

3" is a little big for a 2.0. It may very well reduce power and mileage, as the engines are "tuned" to have some back pressure.
Dave

 

While I need a new exhaust on my truck because the one on it now has developed a few holes from winters in New York. Any suggestions for a good exhaust system to gain power, fuel economy and a deep sound? What size would be the beat for my truck and should I go with a dual or single exhaust?

 

For a naturally aspirated 2.0, with a rev limit of about 5500RPM, a 2" inch exhaust pipe diameter is good. Any larger and you're going to reduce your exhaust flow speed, which negatively affects cylinder scavenging. Your biggest improvement is going to come from a low-restriction muffler and a short tailpipe. Single exhausts are usually better performers; less disturbances in the exhaust flow. You may also consider replacing your catalytic converter with a free-flowing model (still 2") or, if it's legal in your area, remove the cat alltogether. Your truck is OBD1; the computer will never know the cat is gone. You'll get a few horsepower and better sound.

Options I know of off the top of my head:

<b>Heartthrob Deep-tone:</b>
JC Whitney sells a "heartthrob deep-tone" cat-back for Rangers. Splits to dual tailpipes. $230 with regular tips, $270 with stainless tips. System is supposed to sound deep. I've only seen favorable reviews of the system. www.jcwhitney.com

<b>Midas Ravin' muffler:</b>
Midas carries a line of Ravin-brand mufflers, which many people like. At low power levels, they sound a bit like Flowmasters. When you get on it, it's very agressive, sounding like a car in a Hollywood movie. You can hear sound clips on www.goravin.com. Midas can, of course, fabricate the rest of your exhaust for you, or use an off-the-shelf tailpipe.

<b>Walker Exhaust:</b>
Walker makes good quality cat-back systems that fit like OEM and perform well, and are well-tuned for the vehicles they fit. Part number for the cat-back for your truck is 17464 for thier "super turbo" kit. Expect to pay about $150-170 through Summit, maybe less factory-direct. Will fit like OEM, sound OK, and perform as well as anything else. 2" pipe, and comes with a stainless-steel tip.

<b>Side-Dump Catback:</b>
You can build yourself, or have an exhaust shop make a very simple system for you- put on a new intermediate pipe from cat to muffler, your favorite brand of muffler, and a side-dump in front of the rear wheel. You can buy your own parts at any auto parts store (including a cheap turbo-muffler). These setups often have a very rich, harmonic tone, and are cheap and effective.

Your 2.0 is gonna sound like a Honda if you try for a "race" exhaust. The Summit 3" pipe is gonna sound terrible. "Nothing sounds like a big V8 like a big V8". Best sounding 4-bangers I've heard were beater cars from the 80's with small straight pipes. Very rich tone. And Porches, but that's a totally different animal.

Good luck. I'm looking at options for my 2003 2.3 B-series.

 

I ordered my parts (for my cat-back system) last weekend. They should arrive very soon. I went with the two (stock) pipes with a Flowmaster 50-series muffler and a slash-cut chrome tip for my 2.9L. I'll post my results once it's bolted up. I hope it sounds good.

 

How are you fitting the two stock pipes? Like a dual side-exit? I'm very interested to see your results.

 

I know a guy who does custom exhaust work in my area. I have heard his exhausts on a few of my friend's vehicles and they sounded nice. One of my friends had him put a dual exhaust on his 2.0 Mustang and that sounded pretty close to a V-8. I think I'll take my truck to him and have him put on a custom exhaust that exits in front of the rear wheel and possibly remove the catalytic converter while he is installing the exhaust.

 

BigBlue88 has it right. Exhaust scavenging will suffer big time with something that big.

No engine is "tuned" to run with backpressure.

 

There may be some debate about that. Now we know that exhaust gas is actually a series of pulses, we can use this knowledge to propagate the forward-motion to the tailpipe. How? Ah, more of the engineering tricks we are so fond of come in to play here.
Just as Paula Abdul will tell you that opposites attract, the low pressure tail end of an exhaust pulse will most definitely attract the high-pressure bow of the following pulse, effectively "sucking" it along. This is what's so cool about a header. The runners on a header are specifically tuned to allow our exhaust pulses to "line up" and "suck" each other along! This brings up a few more issues, since engines rev at various speeds, the exhaust pulses don't always exactly line up. Thus, the reason for the Try-Y header, a 4-into-1 header, etc. Most high performance headers are tuned to make the most horsepower in high RPM ranges; usually 4,500 to 6,500 RPM. A good 4-into-1 header is optimal for that high winding horsepower you've always dreamed of. What are exhaust manifolds and stock exhaust systems good for? Besides a really cheap boat anchor? If you think about it, you'll realize that since stock exhausts are so good at restricting that they'll actually ram the exhaust pulses together and actually make pretty darn good low-end torque! Something to keep in mind, though, is that even though an OEM exhaust may make gobs of low-end torque, they are not the most efficient setup overall, since your engine has to work so hard to expel those exhaust gasses. Also, a header does a pretty good job of additionally "sucking" more exhaust from your combustion chamber, so on the next intake stroke there's lots more fresh air to burn. Think of it this way: At 8,000 RPM, your engine is making 280 pulses per second. There's a lot more to be gained by minimizing pumping losses at this busy time than optimizing torque production during the slow season. But how often do you run your engine at 8000 RPM? So manufactures “tune” the exhaust system to a lower RPM for more toqure and HP at lower RPM and thus have more back pressure. If the exhaust is to free flowing the pulses will flow out before the next one comes along to get "sucked" out and performance suffers.

Additionally, the intake system is “tuned” to run intake air flow at everyday needs. Its all those pulses of air going into the engine just like the exhaust theory in reverse. Modern engines have “tuned” intake systems and exhaust systems. And you need to think carefully about changes to either.
Dave

 

My system is going to be a stock single exhaust with a Flowmaster and chrome tip. Sorry if it sounded like I was building a "dual pipe" single exhaust (NASCAR type). Flowmaster makes a single exhaust kit for $300 for the V6 '90-'94 Rangers, but I figured I could build my own for less.

 

"since your engine has to work so hard to expel those exhaust gasses. "

Thats exactly what I am saying. That is bad for both hp and tq. Restriction is restriction, regardless of what it is called.

"If the exhaust is to free flowing the pulses will flow out before the next one comes along to get "sucked" out and performance suffers."

I agree with what you are saying, and I can see you know what you are talking about thats why I commented on the 3" pipe being too big. The pulses cool, and in doing so they slow down, making it just as bad as too small a pipe. The engine has to work to push the gasses out, rather than letting them suck the rest of the exhaust out of the combustion chamber, leaving more room for a fresh charge of air/fuel. Having the right size pipe keeps them moving fast, and they dont have a chance to cool. Thats why an aftermarket system, designed right, will help tq and hp throughout the RPM band, not just up top or down low. Thats because velocity and flow is increased, and backpressure is miminized. There is a trade-off between the 2, but good flow is a must-have whether you are using torque to pull a load up a hill, or racing around like you are John Force.

"Modern engines have “tuned” intake systems and exhaust systems. And you need to think carefully about changes to either."

If someone doesnt know what they are doing, I agree, but..
Modern, factory systems are made the way they are for a couple of reasons.
1.Cost- the cheaper, the better. Mufflers, pipe size, crush bent pipe all fall into this catagory.
2.Sound level- Most people are willing to lose a few hp and tq for a quieter system that doesnt bother Grandpa or Mom while doing their daily chores in their vehicles. Thats why a stock system can always be improved on. 99% of factory systems use the tried and true "box o' baffles" muffler for one reason-its quiet. It also is terrible for power anywhere in the RPM band. Even high performance cars and trucks can use some help in this area. Yes, they are made to run at peak power from the factory with mediocre flow, but can be made much better with just a little work.

"If you think about it, you'll realize that since stock exhausts are so good at restricting that they'll actually ram the exhaust pulses together and actually make pretty darn good low-end torque!"

Im sorry, but I think you are totaly wrong on this claim. Stock Manifolds and exhaust systems are fine, but ANY header made by a decent company will make more torque than a stock manifold. There are dyno plots all over the web to back me up on this.
Same goes with cat back or dual exhaust systems. Backpressure does not equal torque. The right combo of intake, cylinder head, cam and exhaust system design makes torque. Your air pump (engine) will only be as efficient as the most restrictive part. Opening up the exhaust path lets you move on to the next restrictive part.

IMO, I will take a good flowing system that will make more low end for pulling hills, and still let my engine breathe for high RPM runs. You can have both.

 

I think that what he was trying to say is this. The intake system is tuned to run with the exhaust. If you open the exhaust up too much then the intake can't keep up, creating a low power problem. Most 4cyls run the best with factory exhaust (without computer changes).

 

I agree to disagree.
Dave