gibson exhaust: yay or nay?

[bbfirebird]

i've done searches on the subject, but it didn't really answer all my questions.
who has the gibson exhaust on the 4.7 liter? is there a noticeable performance difference at all? how is the sound difference, does it sound good? have you had any problems with it rusting or anything? is there a difference in sound or performance between the single exit and dual exit systems?
i found the single exit gibson for $249 at performancecombos.com, and i figured that would be too sweet a deal to pass up if the system is a good one. thanks

[KGElster]

I bought mine used for $180. No rust at all 'cept for the tip which I replaced. It is well built and very sturdy. It has a good tone. (when you first install it, have stand by it and have a friend start your truck. It'll growl.) Overall, it is probably one of the most mellow setups. No cat-back system is going to give you a notable increase in performance, though the Gibson single claims to be optimized for mid-range gains.

[bbfirebird]

it doesn't hurt your low-end torque, does it?

[mariog]

I had a Gibson Exhaust on my 4cyl Nissan; it improved performance at 3k rpm and above. A buddy has one in his Chevy 6cyl with improved performance at 3.5k rpm and above. I just order Gibson Dual Sport Truck for my 8cyl Tundra. Can’t wait.

[dyogim]

I say go with a stainless steel setup. Whether it be Gibson or another brand. This way you won't have to worry about any rusting. I have the JBA EVOL catback and I'm very happy with it. For a single type exhaust system, it has a nice throaty sound. As far as performance, maybe a few hp's. I got mine on ebay for $380.00 from a company named SS Auto Chrome(www.ssautochrome.com).

[DeMello OR]

I put a flow master muffler on the wifes Tundra with 4.7 and it's got a nice mellow grone at start up and sound good till the higher RPM's then it's kinda sound like stock. We used a SUV 3 camber muffler. If I did It again I would probably do a regular 3 camber.

Power increase was noticable to me! It also sounds much much better!

[rodchester]

Anybody ever put one on a V6? If so, what were the results?

Rod

[bbfirebird]

my friend had one on a v6 tacoma (3.4L). sounded nice with the K&N cold air kit. gave him a good power increase too he said.

[seamarshal]

So, I just picked up a 2002 Tundra V8 and was under the impression an upgraded exhaust (catback) and/or a K&N airflow system would improve my horse-power and fuel mileage. Are these things just for sound or do they do anything else?

Thanks,
Sea

[thombiz]

When I was active on the Tacomaterritory.com board this topic was kicked around quite a bit. Of the dyno tests I've seen, you can expect to loose torque and horsepower at low rpm's (below 3200 rpms) but you can expect modest increases in torque and power above 3500 rpms. So if drag racing is your thing, and you're always above 3500 rpms, you're gonna like the catback.

[Azbrian]

I purchased a single-side exit Gibson exhaust (used) from another member in this forum several months ago. Overall, I am very satisfied with it. It is awesome! It added noticeable low end torque, and the truck "jumps" off the line quicker than with the stock exhaust. They advertise their exhaust as being good for giving more horsepower and torque at a lower RPM range than with others, and I can verify that. I previously had a Dodge 5.2 V8 with a 70 series Flowmaster muffler, and it added more "top end" power and torque, but was much louder. The Gibson is loud enough that you know it's there, but driving around on the freeways it's hardly noticeable. I can't say enough good things about the Gibson single side exit exhaust.

By the way, when I looked into purchasing this exhaust, I emailed Gibson, and they told me that the single side exhaust added more power/torque than the duals, because of some backpressure issue. One thing I will say about the Gibson on the Tundra 4.7 is that it took probably 4-6 weeks for the engine computer to adjust to the new exhaust conditions. I was skeptical when I first installed it, but all of a sudden after about 6 weeks and 1000 miles, it found its optimal setting!

[bbfirebird]

Azbrian-
so you don't think the single side exit exhaust decreased your bottom end torque? does the system get real loud and give that deep v-8 sound at full throttle? i'd love a system that was tame during normal driving, but got loud at heavy throttle.
did you add a k&n kit to it as well, or do you just have the gibson?

[KGElster]

I'd say the Gibson has just the opposite sound curve. It starts off growly and then eases up as it backpressure is created. Go take your stock muffler off and give it a listen. By definition, without the muffler is as loud as the truck could possibly get and it's not that loud relative to other cars due to the resonator and dual cats

[Azbrian]

I've noticed that my bottom end power is better with the Gibson, not worse. I'd say that between 1500-4000 RPM, there is noticeable improvement with my truck's acceleration, especially when cruising around on the freeways in Phoenix. Other than the Gibson, I just have a drop-in K&N filter. I don't have the K&N filter pack, as I've read a lot of negative things about it. I am very satisfied with the Gibson single side exhaust. The muffler also does not give that "drone" sound that my 70 series Flowmaster did on the Dodge I owned at one time. I can hear the exhaust inside of the cab more than the stock exhaust, but it's not irritating like the Flowmaster was. And once you are up to freeway speed, you hardly notice it.

[bbfirebird]

hey guys thanks a lot for all your help.
gonna order it in a few weeks, i'll let everyone know how it goes