I have a 99 ranger about 149K on it and its the four banger automatic.
My exhaust from where it attaches the mid pipe to the catalyctic converter is coming apart . Assuming i decide not to rig it, and go for the proper repair of a cat back exhaust, will i get any decent power return if i go for more af a high performance muffler? If so how much? What brand of muffler do you recommend?
A buddy of mine is telling me $300 for the pipes and a flowmaster muffler ( installed) is the best bet.. your thoughts or comments please

 

Don't expect any performance increase just from an exhaust. The Flowmaster will just make more noise.

 

If you open your exhaust up, make sure you also open your air intake with a K&N filter.

 

The louder exhaust will make it feel like it has more power if it does or not. Flowmaster 40 might be to much noise as it resonates in the cab, I would go with borla, gibson or magnaflow so you don't get that ricer sound. Try motorhaven or jusnes modified, thier 2 of our sponsers located in the left hand colum, they have good prices on catbacks.

 

the flowmaster seems kinda expensive...according to the motorhaven site.. they have a cheapie version does anyone know if that one is any good? ($183)

 

You better see if you can get a sound clip of a flowmaster on a 4 cylinder, it's ricey. Alot of systems might seem high, thats because thier stainless steel, and will last forever. If you want to go cheap, just throw a thrush glasspack on there, or you can buy just the flowmaster muffler from www.summitracing.com fo around 80 bucks, but if you get the 40 seres, it's gonna rattle the whole truck, at least get the 50 seres.

 

The K&N filter on a 2.3L is also a waste!!!! Matter of fact, a K&N on ANYTHING is a waste!! The 2.3L uses the same sized filter as the 3.0L, and 4.0L V-6s, which is way over sized for the 2.3L!!! Not only that, but you risk contaminating your MAF sensor, and IAC valve with dirt and oil passed with the K&N!!!

 

+1

Agree with this. The stock filter has a pretty decent area for flow. Replace it once a year whether it needs it or not and you'll be good to go.

CMOS

 

I believe the post was concerning the exhaust. Keep in mind that alot of our sponsers sell k&n and alot of people here use k&n. Thats a can of worms that need not be openned, since this is an exhaust thread. Everyones opinion is valued, but nothing good ever comes from the k&n debate but hurt feelings and anger. "Now, who has a catback on thier 4 cylinder, what kind is it and what does it sound like?

 

Aside from that, with the head design of a 2.3l (or 2.5l in his case) is the bottlekneck of this engine, a P&P will do more to increase flow than exhaust or intake will. My advice is to repair the stock catalytic system, possibly even go with a hi-flo cat, but make absolutely sure you get a cat back in the system when you repair it. If you want a "cheap" "hi-flo" system, buy stock components, and replace the muffler with a Thrush Turbo muffler. They use a low restriction design, but are not too loud, and they are generally at least as cheap as a Walker replacement muffler, ~$35-$40. Or do what I do, leave the muffler out entirely, just be prepared to hear it in the cab a little, you've really gotta love the sound to deal with it! BTW, removing the intake baffle and muffler in the intake system will do more for performance than a K&N will, the ONLY advantage to a K&N is their service life, particularly in this application!

 

Wendell, the K&N post was made by sfcwoodret in this thread, that needed correcting.......Matter of fact, look at my post, I did a quote on him......

 

Smitty, you never answered me if that was your truck in the piture and if you were going to give it to me for a 5.0 swap, it would be a tax write off cause I'm a charity case ha ha.

 

Whether or not you will get a power improvement from a different exhaust system cannot be emphatically stated. If the exhaust system is in bad condition as you say yours is, it sure isn't going to hurt it any by repairing it.

As a rule, stock exhaust systems are restrictive. They use a large muffler not conducive to the best flow. Not only is it restrictive, but it is a big heat exchanger which cools the flowing gasses slowing the flow process creating unwanted backpressure.

The Magnaflow mufflers being recommended are chambered mufflers, which are also restrictive. It may/may not improve the performance of the engine.

You may not feel as much improvement on a small engine as you would a larger one, but the improvement can still be there.

Sound is relative to the user. What pleases me might be abhorrent to you. I use a Cherry Bomb glasspak. It is inexpensive, has a deep mellow tone, and is unrestrictive, but my truck is turbocharged which tends to quiet the system down some.

K&N's and similar systems have their place. The best results are normally where large amounts of airflow are needed. For stock applications, the factory system works very well, and K&N has no advantage to flow if the factory filter is maintained properly.

Longevity/cost can be a factor to some, and the K&N fits this requirement. As to the oiling problem , they are usually over oiled which can possibly effect the flow sensors. jd

 

I know Bob, I just didn't want it to turn into something ugly like this topic has a habit of doing. You know I have grown alot on my feelings about k&n as well. Just want to keep every one as friends as these things can get ugly, some of the sponsers have gotten offended in the past due to this topic also. Just trying to head off trouble buddy, thats all.

 

what im ultimately looking to do is just get a little more umph when i drive between my home in the city and the one upstate. There are some steep grades between here and there and sometimes when its me the wife dog and a load of junk im transporting i tend to see things passing me that shouldnt be, and in some instances i need a little more power when i stomp on the pedal
I did change the plugs and wires around 106K and i was actually thinking of putting in a K&N or an ebay kind of aftermarket air filter if it would be beneficial
I further realize that ill never have the power i had out of my v8 ford pickup, but i fell this one is kinda lacking.. Im hoping to get about 300K out of the truck in total before i retire it, but it sure dont have what it used to, and i know my motor is good as i never use oil in between changes and my fuel filter/pump is good and i did have the injectors cleaned when i did the plugs for good measure
does anyone have any other suggestions or ideas? ( and thanks to you all for all the responses thus far)