Anybody running a Big exhaust 4"?

[BFC]

Anybody bought one from www.bigexhaust.com ? Any input would be appreciated. Sound, fit, quality, easy of install etc.....



As always TIA,



Glenn

 

[Batman]

First I have heard of them.

With that much of a low price, I would find out if they are running the same gauge as the mainliners... ... ... if not, you may not like it.

HTH

 

[Lsfarm]

I bought one

I bought one, and it is a pretty good value. My only problem is that the muffler is not a straight through design. The inlet and outlet are staggered, and you can see through from one end to the other, but it is more restrictive than a straight through muffler. But a lot less restrictive than the stock full bypass muffler.



The fit and design is good, and the clamp system supplied works well.



Greg L

 

[kbond]

Re: I bought one

Originally posted by Lsfarm

I bought one, and it is a pretty good value. My only problem is that the muffler is not a straight through design. The inlet and outlet are staggered, and you can see through from one end to the other, but it is more restrictive than a straight through muffler. But a lot less restrictive than the stock full bypass muffler.



The fit and design is good, and the clamp system supplied works well.



Greg L

Hmmm... . Are you sure you bought one from Bigexhaust in NJ? Reason I ask is the owner (Anthony) told me in a conversation that they have never made one for the Gen2 trucks. Maybe yours is a one-off or something? I have see the pics of there muffler and it looks straight through to me. Could be wrong though.

 

[zman]

Here's the link for the 4" Big Exhaust for 2nd gen trucks:



Big Exhaust 4" system



I've been considering a 4" system from them. I figure if I don't like their muffler, it would be cheaper for me to buy one of the better known mufflers than buy some of the other more expensive systems that ship with the better mufflers.



Greg - Any idea who made the muffler that came with your kit? What is the length and diameter of the chamber?







Here's the link to their 5" system for 2003 trucks (5" from downpipe back):



Big Exhaust 5" system



Steve

 

[Lsfarm]

Mufflers

Yes, the system is from NJ. I read about it here on the TDR.



I bought the system because I experiment a lot with my exhaust trying to tune out the exhaust pipe ressonance and 'drone'.



The muffler supplied: it is well made and was shipped separate from The Expandit Co in Winterset IA. Like I said it is much less restrictive than a factory muffler. But I was expecting a straight through muffler since it is a 4" system, and why would anyone go with a 4" system except for performance reasons?? The dimensions are identical to my Allied, 9" dia x 24" long. I didn't notice on the Big Ex site that the inlet and outlet are slightly staggered. So I assumed [I know I know] that it would be straight through.



I have an Allied straight through 4" muffler that I bought from Rip, and I am swapping and adding, putting one in front of the the other etc. to see if I can come up with a pleasing combination. Right now I'm using the Allied first then the 'Big Ex' muffler second. It is quieter, and a lot less ressonance from the pipes coming up through the floor of the cab. The exhaust exit sound is still somewhat loud, and has a very nice mellow sound. Sounds great with the windows down.



For racing, I will remove the Big Ex muffler for sure, maybe the Allied one too. I use band clamps, as this makes swapping pipes and mufflers a breeze, so I can go to a straight pipe within a few minutes if I wish. The clamps supplied with the Big Ex system are not band clamps, butthe standard U-bolt ones, and I use these for the hanger system only.



The rest of the Big Ex system is very nice, and I recommend it. I would however take a serious look at Rip Rook's system, since he is a TDR member. The shipping for his system would be a lot less if you are out west.



Both the Rip system and the Big Ex are 16 Ga. aluminized pipe.



I'm in the process of swapping to an 11 or 12GA pipe for the horizontal run under the cab to try yet another idea to eliminate the ressonace and drone.



Hope this helps, sorry about how long-winded I get.



Greg L. the Noise nazi

 

[roadranger]

Re: Mufflers

Originally posted by Lsfarm

The muffler supplied: it is well made and was shipped separate from The Expandit Co in Winterset IA. Like I said it is much less restrictive than a factory muffler. But I was expecting a straight through muffler since it is a 4" system, and why would anyone go with a 4" system except for performance reasons?? The dimensions are identical to my Allied, 9" dia x 24" long. I didn't notice on the Big Ex site that the inlet and outlet are slightly staggered. So I assumed [I know I know] that it would be straight through.

Does this really matter??



I mean, look at all of the turns and bends in that tailpipe...



Does this muffler have the two parallel pipes inside of it, where you can't see thru from one end to the other,

OR does it have a single thru pipe with a bend in the middle of it?

 

[Bob Wagner]

You want Big??????

Rip installed a couple of systems last Saturday, and the guys went with 52" long Donaldson mufflers one was 4" and the other was 5"



Rip said it was quite a challenge fitting that 52" muffler on a standard cab



Rip gets very creative

 

[Lsfarm]

Muffler

Hi Roadranger: the bends in the tailpipe don't concern me any. That is nice smooth 4" pipe. I doubt that a dyno could find even a couple of horsepower difference between a straight pipe tailpipe and this one with the curves over the axle and around the spare tire. Maybe this would have an effect over say 550 HP.



The guys running stacks have either two [single stack] or three three tight 90 degree turns in their exhaust, I'd be more concerned about those than this tailpipe.



The muffler has a center chamber that the inlet and outlet pipes end and originate from. You can hold up the muffler to light and see right through it, but only about 25% of the inlet and outlet pipes overlap, and there is about 4-6" between the ends inside the chamber. The pipes have louvers cut into them too.



Hope this answers some questions.



I installed the downpipe and first section of hoizontal pipe, the fit was very good, and the thin 16Ga pipe does not resonate any more than the factory 3" downpipe. Next I'll try the 11Ga pipe for a comparison.



Greg L the Noise Nazi

 

[kbond]

Re: Mufflers

Both the Rip system and the Big Ex are 16 Ga. aluminized pipe.







The kit I will be getting is 14 Ga. That is key to me because I have heard the thicker the Ga. , possibly less drone.