3rz exhaust

[lugueto]

Hello, first post here..

Did a search and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.

I think my muffler will need to be replaced soon, I'd love to go with a stainless steel one. Now, from all the big brands (Borla, Magnaflow, Flowmaster and the like) what would be a good replacement for the 3RZ that won't make it notoriously loud? I don't want droning or my truck to sound like a lawn mower, I can't stand droning either....

I want it as close to stock as possible. The reason i'm not going OEM is because there'e no such thing down here, everything is generic, and very bad quality. The aftermarket mufflers you find here are horribly loud, as people look for exactly that. So I'm gonna have to buy my replacement online and figure out a way to import it.

Now, I see all the brands have replacement cats and even sell stainless steel piping to make your own exhaust. Are these components, also from the big brands, any good? If they are, which would you recommend? This would be sweet cause I'd rather have a complete stainless system for durability.

Thanks for any help.

Luis

 

[Mc1337sauce]

I put a JBA catback exhaust on my truck with the 3RZ. I paid somewhere around $300 for it, and it is of very high quality and is stainless (T409 I believe). I think it sounds great, definitely not like a Honda; in fact, all of my friends thought it was a V6 4Runner until I told them it was a 4 cylinder. The tone is nice and deep, and there is no drone. For the price, I don't think you can beat it, and I feel that it is best to replace the whole exhaust system if it is starting to rust out.

 

[lugueto]

Thanks for your reply!!

I wont be able to buy a complete kit as the truck it will be going into is a 90 series Land Cruiser. I was thinking about getting a 50 series Flowmaster, which is supposedly a quiet one. I'm trying to stay away from Magnaflow as i've read bad reports on their quality, but I might go with one of their universal catalytic converters and maybe one of their stainless pipe kits, which i'll have to bend and install down here.

I tried to look into JBA but they only seem to sell complete kits for certain vehicles??

Cheers,

Luis

 

[Chill will]

I put a JBA catback exhaust on my truck with the 3RZ. I paid somewhere around $300 for it, and it is of very high quality and is stainless (T409 I believe). I think it sounds great, definitely not like a Honda; in fact, all of my friends thought it was a V6 4Runner until I told them it was a 4 cylinder. The tone is nice and deep, and there is no drone. For the price, I don't think you can beat it, and I feel that it is best to replace the whole exhaust system if it is starting to rust out.

Where did you order your JBA from?

 

[Mc1337sauce]

Thanks for your reply!!

I wont be able to buy a complete kit as the truck it will be going into is a 90 series Land Cruiser. I was thinking about getting a 50 series Flowmaster, which is supposedly a quiet one. I'm trying to stay away from Magnaflow as i've read bad reports on their quality, but I might go with one of their universal catalytic converters and maybe one of their stainless pipe kits, which i'll have to bend and install down here.

I tried to look into JBA but they only seem to sell complete kits for certain vehicles??

Cheers,

Luis

Since the 90 Series Prado wasn't offered in the US, most (if any) American manufacturers don't make catback exhausts for it. You might be able to find a catback from another manufacturer like Jaos; they offer one at the following link, but you would have to contact them to see about shipping to your country: JAOS_USA/Products Catalog?BATTLEZ×EX typeRS PRADO 90

Redback (an Australian company) also offers a catback for the diesel Prado; you might want to contact them and see if they make one for the petrol version as well. Link is here: 90 Series 1998 - 2002 | Prado | Products

If you want to replace the muffler, just go with what you think sounds good (of course, I agree that Magnaflow is crap, but I, too, just bought one of their catalytic converters because the factory one on 4Runners cannot be used with a turbo setup like the one I am installing). Search on YouTube for a 3RZ exhaust video. I have experience with Borla and Flowmaster mufflers; both are great quality, so those would be my top two choices.

Also, instead of buying a piping kit, you can just go to an exhaust shop and have the tubes bent and welded with your new muffer instead; I think that would be much easier. Just make sure that the shop is using a mandrel tube bender.

One final note: when comparing the part numbers for the Jaos exhaust for the Prado 90 (your truck) and the Surf 185 (equivalent of my 4Runner), they are the same. Because of this, I think you could probably order the JBA exhaust for a 4Runner and it would fit your truck, but I can't guarantee it, as I have never worked on a 90 series Prado. If you could get me some pictures/information on your exhaust setup (stock or otherwise), I might be able to give you a more solid answer.

 

[Mc1337sauce]

Where did you order your JBA from?

I don't recall exactly where I bought my exhaust (it was 3 or 4 years ago), but I know URD offers it for a very good price. Link is here: Underdog Racing Development

I highly recommend it; I still love mine, and it is holding up beautifully.

 

[Chill will]

That explains the price. I was looking around and couldn't find it that cheap. In all my searching for mufflers it was hard to find other people that also had a 4cyl to compare with. Everyone has a 6.

 

[lugueto]

mc1337sauce, thanks!!

The reason for buying the piping kit is because i want it to be stainless! Off course going to an exhaust shop here would be easier, but the tubing they use is crap, it rusts after a week, i'd be impressed if it lasts for more than a year!!. I'm pretty certain none of the shops down here offer mandrel bending, but I will check.

I'm looking for durability over performance, I dont need any gains over stock because my engine and drivetrain is stock and i'm happy the way it is. But a stainless exhaust's durability would be sweet, even more so if it can give me a slight increase in performance.

My 90 is a short wheelbase model, so I cant order direct kits, there are no kits for this particular model that I recall...

Do you know which Flowmaster/Borla muffler is quietest?? have you had any trouble with the magnaflow cat?

Really appreciate the help!!

Luis

 

[Mc1337sauce]

mc1337sauce, thanks!!

The reason for buying the piping kit is because i want it to be stainless! Off course going to an exhaust shop here would be easier, but the tubing they use is crap, it rusts after a week, i'd be impressed if it lasts for more than a year!!. I'm pretty certain none of the shops down here offer mandrel bending, but I will check.

I'm looking for durability over performance, I dont need any gains over stock because my engine and drivetrain is stock and i'm happy the way it is. But a stainless exhaust's durability would be sweet, even more so if it can give me a slight increase in performance.

My 90 is a short wheelbase model, so I cant order direct kits, there are no kits for this particular model that I recall...

Do you know which Flowmaster/Borla muffler is quietest?? have you had any trouble with the magnaflow cat?

Really appreciate the help!!

Luis

The quietest Flowmaster muffler is a 70 series followed by a Super 50 (much more common). The quietest Borla that I know of is the ProXS. I do know that quite a few people on this forum use Borla XR-1 mufflers. I personally would go with a Borla muffler, especially if you are concerned about rust. Also, try to get T304 stainless piping (not sure what the Magnaflow kit you are looking at is made out of).

As for the Magnaflow cat, I can't comment, as it's not on the truck yet; I'm about 1/3 of the way through the turbo kit install. I do know that they supposedly only last a few years before you get a check engine light (P0420), but if that happens to me, I plan on buying a URD O2 simulator and being done with it.

 

[Mc1337sauce]

That explains the price. I was looking around and couldn't find it that cheap. In all my searching for mufflers it was hard to find other people that also had a 4cyl to compare with. Everyone has a 6.

I hear you there; if you're looking for sound clips, try searching for Tacoma exhaust clips from trucks that have the 2RZ or 3RZ engine in them.

I think that the JBA catback is still a great deal at $345; heck, my friend with a Tacoma paid a bit over $400 for a JBA exhaust for his truck. I definitely think it's the best sounding exhaust for the 4 cylinder trucks, and one of the best sounding ones for a V6. Below is a video that I made quite a while ago of the Tacoma's JBA exhaust (it's a V6, but the 4 cylinder actually sounds pretty similar, maybe even a tad less "ricey").

 

[lugueto]

Thanks again!!

Actually the piping kit i'm looking at is a Borla one, don't know exactly what alloy they use, but I bet its good quality.

I'll be looking out for the mufflers you recommended, thank you!!

Cheers,

Luis

 

[Chill will]

Well it looks like I'm going to pickup that JBA muffler.

 

[Mc1337sauce]

Thanks again!!

Actually the piping kit i'm looking at is a Borla one, don't know exactly what alloy they use, but I bet its good quality.

I'll be looking out for the mufflers you recommended, thank you!!

Cheers,

Luis

Pretty much everything from Borla is top notch. I'm sure you will be 100% satisfied with their products.

 

[Mc1337sauce]

Well it looks like I'm going to pickup that JBA muffler.

I honestly think JBA makes the best sounding catback for these trucks. You can't go wrong with them; the price is good, and the quality is on point.