First I'd like to thank Jason at Burtman for a very smooth purchase. I wanted to give my business to a forum sponsor if I could, and he quoted me a very competitive price, and then went above and beyond to get it built and shipped out to me in time to be installed this weekend after I mentioned that it was a priority. I was expecting it this Wednesday or Thursday, and it came in Saturday. Awesome. Thanks again.
So my stock exhaust had changed pitch recently, and I could hear an audible leak when I stepped on it, so I knew the clock was ticking. Little did I know that time had already run out, and when I found the tailpipe hanging loose while washing it, my hand was forced. Like many others, it had rusted off completely right behind the muffler.
Despite my subconscious desire to turn this into an off-road monster, this T4R's primary duties are DDing for the wife and hauling our 1 year old around. I wanted to hear the 8 more when getting on it and with the windows down, but still needed something civilized around town. From various reviews on here and elsewhere, the Gibson seemed to fit the bill.
Disassembly wasn't too exciting, aside from the two bolts needing some heat from the propane torch before giving up, and one of the hot springs falling on my hand, but the install turned out to be a bit dicey. The ends of the muffler didn't fit in the adjacent pipes! I know the clearances are supposed to be tight, and they were packed very well in bubble wrap, so I'd be surprised if they ended up out of round due to shipping, but either way, they didn't fit. It took an hour or two of cursing and banging and twisting, but I eventually got them together. I didn't trust that they would go back together if I took them apart again to assemble while under the truck like the instructions suggested, so I left the first three sections assembled and wormed it up and over the rear axle as one piece. The tailpipe extends almost to the edge of the bumper itself, so when you slide the tip over it you can very clearly see a lot of tailpipe inside the tip, but realistically I'm glad they included too much material than not enough. I'll eventually trim 3-4 inches off of it so it looks cleaner inside. Overall, more excitement than I was expecting, but not too bad.
Starting it up for the first time is always gratifying, and the Gibson didn't disappoint. At idle I could tell it was slightly louder and deeper, and when the wife poked her head in the garage to gauge success, she said she couldn't tell a difference. Perfect. Of course I gunned it out of the neighborhood, unable to resist, and it was just slightly louder than stock. A bit surprising there, but still sounded good. Around town and partial throttle though, it was quite a bit louder, and pretty boomy. People have different definitions of drone and get pretty worked up about it, so I'll just describe it as boomy and constant, where any miniscule change in throttle is instantly obvious to passengers. It is close to being loud enough to interfere with conversation, and honestly is just tiring. I'm pretty disappointed here, as this is the wheelhouse of any DD. Here is a chart that may help illustrate:
Exhaust Idle 25% 50% 75% 100%
Stock 3 4 4 5 5
Gibson 4 8 6 6 6
I Wish 4 5 5 6 8
This is certainly different than the reviews I have read here, so I immediately questioned my own install. I let it cool down for a while, and then got back underneath after starting it back up and held my bare hand over each joint to check for leaks and didn't find any. (I did have one at the flange that I had fixed after the first startup, so I know what it feels like.) I reconfirmed that the "inlet" sticker on the muffler was facing forward, and it was. (Duh, I don't think the pipe diameters would allow it be installed backwards anyway.) There is good clearance all around, and I never heard any noise that would indicate a rubbing or vibration problem.
To be fair, some exhausts need a few thousand miles to break in and settle into their true sound, and I'm hoping that's the case here. So far the wife isn't complaining, but I'm not sure what I want to do myself. It's certainly possible that I'm pickier than most, but I think most enthusiasts who consider aftermarket exhausts also hear every little automotive noise like I do.
Any thoughts? Did those of you with Gibsons notice any of the same things, or a change over time? Please say yes...
Pic for views, and yes, I know that the first pipe is laying upside down and the muffler is on its side.
So my stock exhaust had changed pitch recently, and I could hear an audible leak when I stepped on it, so I knew the clock was ticking. Little did I know that time had already run out, and when I found the tailpipe hanging loose while washing it, my hand was forced. Like many others, it had rusted off completely right behind the muffler.
Despite my subconscious desire to turn this into an off-road monster, this T4R's primary duties are DDing for the wife and hauling our 1 year old around. I wanted to hear the 8 more when getting on it and with the windows down, but still needed something civilized around town. From various reviews on here and elsewhere, the Gibson seemed to fit the bill.
Disassembly wasn't too exciting, aside from the two bolts needing some heat from the propane torch before giving up, and one of the hot springs falling on my hand, but the install turned out to be a bit dicey. The ends of the muffler didn't fit in the adjacent pipes! I know the clearances are supposed to be tight, and they were packed very well in bubble wrap, so I'd be surprised if they ended up out of round due to shipping, but either way, they didn't fit. It took an hour or two of cursing and banging and twisting, but I eventually got them together. I didn't trust that they would go back together if I took them apart again to assemble while under the truck like the instructions suggested, so I left the first three sections assembled and wormed it up and over the rear axle as one piece. The tailpipe extends almost to the edge of the bumper itself, so when you slide the tip over it you can very clearly see a lot of tailpipe inside the tip, but realistically I'm glad they included too much material than not enough. I'll eventually trim 3-4 inches off of it so it looks cleaner inside. Overall, more excitement than I was expecting, but not too bad.
Starting it up for the first time is always gratifying, and the Gibson didn't disappoint. At idle I could tell it was slightly louder and deeper, and when the wife poked her head in the garage to gauge success, she said she couldn't tell a difference. Perfect. Of course I gunned it out of the neighborhood, unable to resist, and it was just slightly louder than stock. A bit surprising there, but still sounded good. Around town and partial throttle though, it was quite a bit louder, and pretty boomy. People have different definitions of drone and get pretty worked up about it, so I'll just describe it as boomy and constant, where any miniscule change in throttle is instantly obvious to passengers. It is close to being loud enough to interfere with conversation, and honestly is just tiring. I'm pretty disappointed here, as this is the wheelhouse of any DD. Here is a chart that may help illustrate:
Exhaust Idle 25% 50% 75% 100%
Stock 3 4 4 5 5
Gibson 4 8 6 6 6
I Wish 4 5 5 6 8
This is certainly different than the reviews I have read here, so I immediately questioned my own install. I let it cool down for a while, and then got back underneath after starting it back up and held my bare hand over each joint to check for leaks and didn't find any. (I did have one at the flange that I had fixed after the first startup, so I know what it feels like.) I reconfirmed that the "inlet" sticker on the muffler was facing forward, and it was. (Duh, I don't think the pipe diameters would allow it be installed backwards anyway.) There is good clearance all around, and I never heard any noise that would indicate a rubbing or vibration problem.
To be fair, some exhausts need a few thousand miles to break in and settle into their true sound, and I'm hoping that's the case here. So far the wife isn't complaining, but I'm not sure what I want to do myself. It's certainly possible that I'm pickier than most, but I think most enthusiasts who consider aftermarket exhausts also hear every little automotive noise like I do.
Any thoughts? Did those of you with Gibsons notice any of the same things, or a change over time? Please say yes...
Pic for views, and yes, I know that the first pipe is laying upside down and the muffler is on its side.
