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Review 3 of 30
Price Paid:
$95.00
from Summit Racing Year / Model Reviewed:
2003 Toyota Tacoma 3.4 TRD Summary:
This muffler is on a 2003 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4x4 3.4 (5VZFE) V-6 5 spd. I wanted a quiet, free-flowing exhaust. I ordered a 50 Series SUV (part # 52457), which is greater in length and width (and therefore volume) than the standard 50 Series and labor cost was $55 at a local muffler shop to have the stock muffler cut out and the new one welded in, retaining all the stock 2.25" pipes. I expected them to mount it kind of sideways (the whole purpose of getting an offset out), but they put it in level and it works great anyway with the stock tail pipe location. When you start it up, you hear a nice, low rumble and then it's barely louder than stock when the rpms settle down to idle. Now, I'm a huge fan of American V-8s and their exhaust notes, and not a fan at all of loud rice-racer exhausts (unless we're talking sportbikes). This is a low rumble that is pleasing even to me. Engaging the clutch and shifting through the gears is maybe 15-20% louder than stock (if that), and what you do hear, all the way up to redline is a good, relatively deep, solid tone and not loud, raspy, high-pitched noise pollution that is common to so many other exhausts on smaller displacement engines, especially Japanese V-6s (I generally consider anything smaller than 300 cubic inches to be small). Even under wide open throttle, I would not consider this exhaust to be loud or annyoing and there is no resonance in the cab of the truck whatsoever. A buddy of mine has a 40 Series on his Tacoma (identical to mine), and I consider that to be loud and annoying. If you're looking for a quiet, yet powerful sounding muffler for this or a similar truck, you won't be disappointed by the Flowmaster 50 Series SUV. When you let off the throttle to maintain speed, it is barely louder than stock. I can only speak for the stock 2.25" pipes - don't know how much louder it would be with 2.5". Probably a little and I doubt that would be a bad thing with this muffler. As for fuel economy gains, I haven't had it on long enough to give a reliable report, but I'd guess that as with most free-flowing mufflers, it'll be 1-2 mpg. And for power differences, I didn't dyno the truck before or after, but I can say for sure that it is quicker to the redline under acceleration (quicker even than with just the intake alone), and combined with the Airaid intake I installed a couple of weeks ago, total RPM drop at 75 mph cruise in 5th gear (vs stock) was about 450 rpm. That should equal a very noticeable highway miles per gallon increase. Strengths:
- Quiet (not a strength for some)
- Powerful sounding
- Deep (not throaty though, like a packed-type muffler: more hollow like a Flowmaster should be) and not raspy at all Weaknesses:
- A little pricey for just a muffler
- Maybe even a little TOO quiet (I know I've been touting that as a good thing, and it is, but I'd still like to hear that there's something aftermarket on there!) Similar Products Used:
Gibson, Dynomax, LC Engineering (on other vehicles)
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