Hey Crew

Long time no see.

My 2008 SE V8 has been having some rattles, and I fear that the New England winters have reeked havoc on the undercarriage and the exhaust system is on its way out.

My mechanic says Toyota's exhausts are "from the cat back" and cost a pretty penny. Id rather replace with something that sounds better, while not worrying about failing an inspection.

Any thoughts?

I still have the original on my 05 with over 270k miles here in NH.

The OEM replacement muffler is stainless. Most aftermarket are galvanized steel, so should be a lot cheaper.

As for brand...not sure there is just one too choose from. Flowmaster or Walker seem to be big around here.

Thanks Mike.

Is it true that if I have to replace a rattling muffler that I would have to replace the cat too?

Sounds like you're not sure what's rattling... Chances are it's not the actual exhaust... Probably a heat shield or hangar rotted away.... I'm partial to borla for the actual muffler... Stainless one from Jegs costs $161, weld it in and you're good to go.

I replaced my exhaust on an 04 V8 with a cat back stainless system from Gibson. It gives the truck a nice rumble but is not loud. It is also very reasonably priced and many others here are happy with the Gibson stainless as well. They make a non stainless version for a little less money but when it comes to exhaust in New England- I would recommend the stainless.

+1 on the Gibson CBE..

Toyota actually makes a nice stainless. its there TRD version. Sounds great. Not a huge fan of the chrome at the end but the sound is nice. It will connect at your Y pipes. Basically will be half your exhaust replaced with stainless. Otherwise you will need to replace your Y pipes which cost some $$$$$ since they have the catalytic converters in them. I have not found anyone that makes those in stainless. My guess is you will need to go to a shop to get that done...that is if you want to pass inspections.

But I am with NuclearN8 most likely a heat shield that is rattling. Mine did the same thing. Just need to get underneath the car and take a look. I just got some bigger washers and tightend that thing back on. Then of course about a couple of months later went wheeling and the back half of my exhaust rusted through on a trail ride...thus the new TRD stainless exhaust

You said the mechanic told you that you needed a cat-back system...that means everything ]back of the cat....so the cat doesn't need replacing.

+3 for gibson, excellent quality, very nice sound.

Check the heat shields attached to the body above the exhaust pipes as well as the heat shields ON the cats.

I went with the non-stainless Gibson exhaust. I purposely did not install the final 2 foot extension which runs out the back. In my opinion, a much cleaner look. The tip of the exhaust is still rear the differential, but is not visible.

The sound is a deep gurgle at idle, but not loud. There is an audible drone at cruise speeds, but it's not annoying. If anything it's a very complimentary sound to the look of the vehicle. A head or two will swing to see if it's really your 4runner.

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Do you get any exhaust fumes inside the cabin? This would be my biggest concern...

I just ordered the stainless version, but since I'll be using a cargo carrier on the rear hitch, I'll have the exhaust shop up the road weld on a new piece to exit just behind the RR tire.

Put a "down cut" tip on the end of the tail pipe to insure you do not get the fumes inside the passenger compartment....

Gibson all the way.

I originally went with a Magnaflow 22 inch muffler, but it was barely noticeable over the stock exhaust. I then swapped in an 11 inch muffler which sounded mean around town, but produced so much drone on the freeway. Once I switched to the Gibson, I seriously wondered by I didn't go with that option from the beginning.

Get a Gibson. It seriously the best sounding exhaust I've heard on a V8 4runner.