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So I've got this truck... Toyota Tundra with the 5.7.

I've been throwing around the idea of putting an exhaust on it. No real reason, just because. I started reading up on the Tundra forums to see what people had. i found a bunch of sound clips of different exhausts, and they all pretty much sound like crap. Sure they can sound good at idle and under a light load, but when really pushed, they get extremely raspy. It's almost a sort of cackle. They've got a distinctly different sound than either the Ford, GM, Dodge, or Nissan's with the bigger V8s. People try all sorts of configurations of mufflers, glasspacks, powerstick, with cats, without cats, true dual, 2-1 exhaust, 2 1/4"-2 1/2"-3" etc etc. Exhaust isn't that important to me, so I'm not going to put it on if it makes the truck sound like shit. The only reason I want it is for sound, it's got plenty of power.

So it got me to thinking.... why do the 5.7l Tundras sound so bad with a more open exhaust? The stock exhaust is extremely quiet compared to the others as well, I think that's on purpose because Toyota knows they don't sound good. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the headers. The 5.7L Tundras are the only trucks (I believe) that come from the factory with fairly decent tubular manifolds.

Could this all come down to some sort of noise attributed to exhaust gas scavaging that the other trucks don't experience? Could it be fairly easily tuned out with a properly placed H/X pipe or even a small closed pipe somewhere along the length of the exhaust, ala Honda S2000?

near the flange to the cat in you're not familiar:
Any thoughts?

MICK LVN

Sorry this isn't exactly the response you may be looking for, but look into a set of nice stainless steal magnaflow mufflers. when i worked at an exhaust shop i think that was my favorite muffler on the trucks. it is quiet but yet still have a slight "rumble". also, they come with lifetime warranty.

Slimsta Jimsta

Should have just PM'd Fabrik8

lulz

2ltrgsr

go on jegs and get a 3in xpipe(magnaflow) and run it through a set of corsa db red mufflers, which you can also get on jegs.

I have the x-pipe with a 2.5 setup and corsa db reds and it sounds awesome(6.0 v8)

TNGChris

That'd be awesome if that's what engine he had.Did you even read the whole post?The LSx engines sound good with a variety of exhausts.

I work on pickups,so I hear a ton of different trucks every day,including some Tundras with aftermarket exhausts.I have noticed they don't seem to sound as good as other makes,but I don't know why.Generally,headers will make a V8 sound better,so that doesn't make a lot of sense.It's also I believe a relatively highish compression engine,and it makes good power,which will usually lend itself to a good sound.....I don't know-maybe it's the cam specs?
One muffler I've always liked on V8s are Magnaflows,as suggested above.They seem to be pretty mild and deep in tone.Possibly start out replacing the stock muffler with a Magnaflow,and it not satisfied,work from there.It's just trial and error,as I haven't heard anything I liked that I can recommend.I definitely wouldn't base too much on internet sound clips though,as they don't seem to capture the true sound.
Chris

Z33_Taxi

+1 on the X pipe

well i think has to do with the whole setup in its self and how the air flows..... its like my Z it went from

2 Headers---> cats---Y pipe---split again to two mufflers....its a weak weak design....

now I have tru duals no cats 2.5" all the way down and it sounds deeper and more throaty....

Fabrik8

It's all accoustics from exhaust pressure, and how the pressure pulses resonate through the system. Cylinder pressure, exhaust temp, cam timing, RPM, load, combustion chamber and head geometry, etc., all have an effect on the pressure profile of each exhaust pulse, so different engine designs will sound different no matter what. If the headers are 4-2-1 then the order that the cylinders are connected affects that also.
I'm assuming that the Toyota engine is probably quite a bit different design than most other trucks, so that's not really surprising.

Anyway, there are a lot of ways to tune an exhaust, but they're pretty hard to predict and you'd have to try lots of things. You can also tune it with wave modeling software, but that's not the easy route obviously.

I'm too tired to write anymore, I'm not being very coherent I don't think..

Flite

No you are. i used to work with 2 stroke exhaust quite a bit and I have a fairly good grasp on how different exhaust profiles can change the sound of an engine. Obviously on a two stroke it's a totally different type of exhaust, but I get the basics. I've built tuned 2 stroke exhaust with cut cones, but that's expansion chamber stuff. This is totally different, so I'm trying to get a grasp on if there're any "rule of thumb" idea out there as far as exhaust length, resonance chambers, H or X pipes, or anything like that, that can be used to come up with some idea on how to change the sound.

I did find out that someone out there knows the answer. The full Corsa exhaust systems sound completely different than anything else, despite being simple cat-backs.

[youtube]gjelCvCYEic[/youtube]

BAN HAMMER

A turbo would significantly improve your exhaust tone. trust me.

Flite

You figure out a way to crack the Toyota computer and I'll look into it more....

oh, and you have to convince the wife that turboing my truck, in addition to supercharging my car is somehow a good idea.