Jeep JK Flowmaster American Thunder Cat back Exhaust Install, Review & Sound! PDW Ep.11
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- In this long overdue episode of Project Dirty Willy I show you how to install the Flowmaster American Thunder Cat back exhaust system. I include a bunch of sound clips and give a review of the product. This exhaust is for '07-'16 Jeep JK & JKU. I hope you enjoy the video!
Flowmaster American Thunder Exhaust - goo.gl/xvigUg
Project Dirty Willy - 2015 Jeep Wrangler Willys Wheeler Edition
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Dummied up, this installation is really easy, once the old muffler is out. If your Jeep is more than two years old, just break out the Sawzall and cut the old stuff out. Life is too short to try and finesse that crap out. All the PB Blaster in the world won't save you. Sawzall. Drop the sway bar and it all goes together very nicely. My problem occurred when I tried to tighten everything down. Even using the impact wrench, the clamps wouldn't hold. My entire assembly could be taken apart just by pulling, with the straps tightened as far as they would go. I'm guessing I may need to weld it. I will say, mocked up, the sound was really nice. I love the lack of MUFFLER across the entire rear of the Jeep. It's a little more work, but I do like the system. Also, I'm the only person I've heard that had this issue, so it may just be me.
Hi Willy. I just wanted to send you a thank you for this video. I just installed on my 2015 JK 2-door and I watched your video 2-3 times before hand. You hit it right on the nose. I had to do the other cuts on the front pipe about 1 3/4" off but it worked great. Took me about three hrs using only hand tools. I have no air but got a friend to sinch down the claps with air gun the next day. Please keep the videos coming for us rookies.
Glad I could be of help! I really enjoy knowing that my videos help people, thank you for watching!
Thanks for the video! I installed this setup today on my 15 JK 2 door. I have the exhaust spacers installed as well. I had to cut off about 1.5 inches from the first pipe. I took the rear sway bar down from the frame and that helped allot.
SUBBED!
Thanks for watching and the sub!
Thanks for doing this video man. It helped a lot as I put my exhaust on my 2015 JKU this weekend. My jeep does not have a lift and is pretty much stock. Like you, I for the life of me could not get this sucker to fit without cutting about an inch off. Before doing that, I took it all out again, made sure the pipes were all seated as far a as they could go. I actually did that twice, as even when I called Flowmaster they said I should not have to cut it. That was BS. I ended up taking off about an inch and a quarter in total to make it fit - without doing that there was no way that last hanger was going to connect to the tail pipe. Anyway, after about five hours in total, a lot of muscle, and sore from climbing under the jeep probably about 500 times I got it on and it sounds awesome. Thanks for the video as it was a help.
Thank you for watching! You are right, this exhaust sounds great, but man does it ever make you work for it! A swing and a miss by Flowmaster on the install part of this kit. Thanks again!
nice video. great shots on the sound of the exhaust ! you didn't over Rev it like most people do. I prefer the sound of the muffler over the sound of a revving engine. great vid thank you dude. I have a 18 jk willys 2 door in white. 3 inch lift with 34 inch MT's. great video !!!!!
Sounds like a nice rig! I agree about people over reving in videos, you end up hearing the engine more than the exhaust!
Thank you for watching!
@@RockyXTV thanks you on my rig ! yes more engine than noise exactly and you don't get the real effe t. very good dude !
I just installed this kit on my 2011 JK, pulling the old system off was a crazy pain in the back side but I had no problems with Flow Master's kit. The instruction pictures were not very helpful but the written instructions were very good. Maybe I got lucky but I thought the kit install was easy,
I bought a magnaflow muffler, I cut out the old muffler at the rear of the axle. I then cut a 14 in. section of the straight pipe under the driver's side and with 2 u bolt clamps I installed it. Plus a chrome tip. Total cost was $114, and 20 minutes, I was done.
I have a 2018 Willys JK 2dr... I took your advice and bought the Flowmaster HP2 muffler and took it to my local exhaust shop and they ran some pipe and welded everything together. It ended up being WAAAAY cheaper and only an hour wait.
Awesome! I just wish someone would have told me to do that... I'm glad the video could save you the headache and some time! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the video. I'll add a similar comment I recently posted as a reply to another video.
I received my kit last week to install on my '08 JK 4 Door. That stock pipe on a 2008 JK was a pain in the butt to remove with rusted bolts and hangers that had never moved an inch. Also, to make it ever harder all original slip fits were tightened upside down (especially the first one) so I had to use a heck of a lot of PB blaster etc. to get that to loosen with no space to work etc. (The muffler for whatever reason what welded to the slip fit so I had to get the saw saw out to cut it apart.
Also, my stupid Y-pipe had some sort of soldered round ring I had to cut of with a saw before anything slipped on there. Also, the stupid slip fits in my package were so tight that I had to completely open every one of them (everything going everywhere) then tighten them back together with tools to get them on the pipe.
Finally, the last part of the exhaust pretty much rests on the rear sway bar just like yours. There is absolutely no space whatsoever and just sat on there making it shake. I couldn't cut anything else off to make the hangers line up. I ended up buying a set of the Synergy rear sway bar relocation brackets to fix it all and lower that swaybar about an inch or so.
Thanks for putting videos like these up!
Thank you for watching! I'm going to look at the relocation brackets you talked about now. I still get a rattle every now and then so hopefully you just pointed me to a good fix, thanks!
By the way, flow master refuses to divulge a torque spec to these clamps in instructions and even calling. After a month, I still see some soot coming out from the clamps. Does this mean, torque some more? I saw a study made by magnaflow and they recommended around 41ft lbs for 2.5 stainless slip fits.
Do you recall what you torqued to? (If you say tight, I'll end the conversation right here) 😜
I couldn't find a torque spec either, and I also have soot by my clamps. Flowmaster really needs to work on this kit, it sounds great but it just has so many fitment issues.
I've got under there and tightened those clamps a few times. I'm afraid if I tighten them any more they are going to snap, they are well over 41ft lbs right now. I'd say mine are closer to 65-75ft lbs, they have been tightened by hand, then impact wrench multiple times.
I have installed this kit multiple times, on both the 3.6 and the 3.8 powered Jeeps. I would think that the reason that you had to cut more off the intermediate pipe is due to the possibility that you have exhaust spacers on your Jeep - I can't see in the video. I had a 2014 that I had to trim that pipe due to the spacers, whereas on the 3.8L JKs (2007--11) the system fit with no trimming whatsoever. And I agree - the over the sway bar exhaust piping can be a pain, I think I have about 1/8" of clearance on my personal Jeep with this kit.
I never thought of that, I had to run spacers with the lift. That must have been the issue, thanks! If you find a few of my videos you like, don't forget to subscribe, thanks again.
I can’t tell you how much this video helped me. I need a Catback per mechanic but they can’t/won’t recommend one, basically I have to figure out what to buy online. Anyways, I don’t want to pay $$$ for install and it seems this may have cost me a fortune (I have a 2007 JK 2 door). Thanks again so much for this 🤗 ✌🏻 !
Thank you for watching! Just remember the part in the video about having to chop a little off for the 2 door JK.
@@RockyXTV I’m thinking about something different. I like a little outside depth but no drone or cabin noise. If any suggestions please share. The less labor the better and I have a plastic bumper and don’t want to accommodate with a metal one as I read some recommend it. 🤗
@@Michele-fp8dz I've been through a few exhaust systems on the JK platform. From my experience, most kits caused drone when they had a muffler under the Jeep. The kits with a rear muffler not so much, but they don't sound as good IMHO. The muffler that came with this Flowmaster kit sounded the best to me, the muffler is a Flowmaster HP2. Things to keep in mind,
Have a full length system with a tailpipe out the back. Turn down style tips/pipe are likely to cause drone because the sound is directed down & can get trapped under the Jeep causing resonance/drone.
Rear or "back half" kits are usually the easiest to install, most of the time they just replace the stock muffler at the rear. Most people choose this type of kit because of ease of install & cost. You usually end up with 2 giant exhaust tips that look way too big for a JK, & they don't sound all that great.
All this info probably isn't making your decision any easier, sorry about that. It's always a give and take when it comes to exhaust.
@@RockyXTV you are incredibly generous to share with me. I will figure it out. But your info is beyond helpful. Thank you SO much! 🤗 Be Safe & All the Best!
Remove 2 rear bolts and one crossmember bolt and loosen other crossmember bolt and just swing skid off to side without dropping. This also works well when changing fluid in the tcase w/o making a bigger mess
I installed this kit on a 2013 rubicon 4 door. The instructions say no trimming is needed on the four door. I however had to trim about 3.5 inches from the mid pipe and about an inch from the rear pipe. I needed to moved the mid pipe hump forward to clear the frame section and go over the sway bar. It fits tight now but mine was a little more than a bolt on. I do like the sound but be warned because it is loud.
You are right, it is a lot more than just bolt on and it is one of the louder JK exhausts out there. I'm really surprised that you had to do all that cutting for an install on a JKU, that's crazy. Actually now that I think about it, that's more than I had to cut off the kit for our 2 door! I wonder if Flowmaster made some changes to the kit, if they did it doesn't sound like they were for the better. You shouldn't have had to cut for the JKU, Flowmaster really dropped the ball on this kit, but it sounds soo good though. Thanks for watching, and don't forget to subscribe if you haven't yet to keep up on all the new videos and products. Thanks again!
Great Vid! I was trying to install my Flowmaster today... Had all bolts loose and hangers removed, but for the life of me I could not get the muffler off. This is on a 2016JKU with 9k miles. Guess my technique needs to be improved... LOL..Thanks again for posting the great vid.
Mine was a pain to take off as well, best of luck! Thanks for watching!
Great vid man. Very entertaining.
Thanks!
Nice video and ya your right they should have made 2 separate kits one for 4 door and one for 2 door! Sounds like for my 4 door it would be easier to install. I do like the fact it gives more clearance. Love your videos keep them coming lol
Thanks! Yes this definitely would be easier to install on your JKU! Thanks for watching!
Thank for your review and you just talked me out of this for my 2017 JK Sport.
I'm even less of a fan of this kit now, rattling and leaking! Great sounding muffler (HP2) I think, but this kit has way too many issues with the 2dr, I can't speak for the 4dr though. Thanks for watching!
@@RockyXTV How is the exhaust performing now? Any other issues, I have a 2018 Willy's and was considering this as well. I might just leave my stock exhaust. If it's too problematic.
@@chuckisbusy This kit held up great, I no longer have it on the Jeep though. I swapped over to the Magnaflow "Off-Road Pro" exhaust. I needed the extra room in the rear under the Jeep for my new air system. I would NOT recommend the Magnaflow kit though, it sounds VERY aggressive, but it drones like crazy! Thanks for watching!
Rocky X TV you mentioned in the comments somewhere that is was leaking? I found a local exhaust shop that quoted me at $100 to install it, thinking that’s what I will do.
@@chuckisbusy That seems like a reasonable price. I'd go that route, save yourself the headache.
nice video. loved the video shot from under the rear end. was a cool shot. might try that for my vlog with my go pro. seems like a fun shot.
Thanks! Just don't forget that it's under there like I did LOL! I was looking everywhere in the shop for that damn camera!
Rocky X TV hahaha. yah, that might happen.
The nut at the y pipe is killing me right now. Have doused the thing in WD40 and letting it sit for awhile now. So many bloody knuckles.
Yep, I know the pain. I use a ton of PB Blaster! Thanks for watching!
that is awesome rock. I have the redrock dual cat on my 2016 wrangler, and love it. also man, I decided to take that throttle body spacer off. it really didn't do much. guess it was all in my head. but I do love the flowmaster sound
I've been thinking about taking the spacer off as well.
yeah really just wasent what I thought It was going to be. I'm watching your install on the flowmaster American thunder right now actually. I almost got that one but got the dual cat back redrock instead. hey by the way do you have a fb page?
No, I'm not a social media kind of person. Just TH-cam.
I like that rear bumper protector, not much for my kJ plus I don’t want more weight
It does have some weight to it, but it's definitely lighter than a thick plate style bumper. Thanks for watching!
Good review and sound comparisons!
Thanks for watching! I may have some video coming soon of the Magnaflow Off-Road Pro exhaust system. I just installed it because I needed the space for another project on the Jeep.
I'm subbed now, so will watch for it. Am torn between Magnaflow and Flowmaster, but don't want annoying interior sound, just a nice rumble and more throaty as I accelerate.
The Flowmaster is the better sounding of the two, not "ricey" sounding like a Honda. The Magnaflow that I have now is a really short exhaust so it is louder and more aggressive, but has quite a bit of interior drone.
Having owned Harleys for years, I don't care for that "ricey" sound. Ha ha. Thanks for the advice!
I installed the same kit into my JKU and my tail pipe contacts with frame... I also think they should separate the kit according to size. Any way nice video and nice sound!
Thanks! I really like the sound of this kit, but for the price it should definitely fit better. Make sure to subscribe to keep up on all the new weekly install videos! Only if you want to that is, thanks again!
Sounds good!!
Thanks! I like the sound as well, but man was it a pain to install!
I noticed you added a large washer to the cross member. Is that because of the lift that led to the rattling noise with the OEM exhaust pipe?
That spacer came with the TeraFlex S/T3 lift kit, I believe it was for added clearance for the exhaust crossover pipe. So in short you may be correct, I'm honestly not sure.
Rocky X TV that makes sense! I’m going to add a large washer to mine. The exhaust pipe is making contact with the cross member. Resulting in a rattling noise. Thanks.
I installed this yesterday. I had to cut 1.5 inches off the inter pipe to get it to fit my JKU. Fits great now, sounds amazingly loud though love that. Installation sucked
After having this on my 2015 JKU for the last 1.5 years, I've decided to get rid of it. In the beginning, it sounded okay, but as it broke-in over time, it started sounding more like a system for a Honda. And the drone within the cab is TERRIBLE.
oh. and the exhaust tip is going to melt your wiring at the back
Its been on there for almost a year now and no melted wires, I though the same thing though. The tip doesn't get super hot for some reason, you can actually grab it, it's not cold mind you, but you won't walk away with any burns. This is not an announcement stating that people should go grab their exhaust tip haha. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for posting this video. I have a '17 JK and have been thinking long and hard about this exhaust. Have looked at the MBRP, Pypes and Rock Crawler exhausts and, I don't know, they just don't sound the same as the Flowmaster. I may end up buying the Flowmaster anyway and just watching your video a few times and taking notes. I haven't lifted my JK yet and if I do it will likely only be about a 2" spacer-lift at most. (I don't drive a Rubi and I don't disco so I'm going to keep myself on a lower budget and max out at 35" tires). Do you think your lift had anything to do with fitting the exhaust? I've heard some suspension lifts will move the rear axle an inch or two one way or the other...
The Flowmaster definitely had one of the better sounding products out there. Some lift kits can cause the axle to move, but I can say that's not the issue in my case. The lift I have is the TeraFlex Sport S/T3 kit, it's very complete and keeps all of the OE geometry. It's basically the stock suspension just bigger! Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe to keep up on all the new videos! Or just visit older ones, thanks again!
Thanks for the info brother. Subscribed, watching the old ones too. Cheers!
Thanks!
Has your miles per gallon decreased a whole bunch since installation? Still trying to decide if the sound is worth all the installation hassle and if the mpg is truly affected by this... pls help and thanks for the video :)
The MPG hasn't been affected, some people say they get better some say worse. Mine hasn't changed, at least that I've noticed. As for the sound, this is one of the best sounding exhausts out there for the JK. IMO the only thing close to it is the Magnaflow Rock Crawler or the Pro Series, but the Pro kit went for just volume, not sound/tone. The Flowmaster kit is one of the louder kits, but it also has a really good tone. The Magnaflow Pro series is louder, but to me just sounds like a V6 truck without a muffler. I hope this info is helpful, the best thing you can do is find a Jeep club near you and go to one of their show - n - shine type events to hear some kits with your own ears, find out what sound YOU like. Thanks for watching!
After installing the flow master American thunder cat back exhaust on my 2016 rubi. my gas mileage decreased down to like 13.9 miles per gallon. But weeks later I just took a trip to Mammoth and I
Was getting the best mileage yet owning the jeep. 18-19 mpg
Love the sound. My stock exhaust is way too quiet! I need to upgrade soon
I really like the sound, it would be great if it came in JK & JKU kits because this was a pain to install on a JK. Pypes has a kit just like this one, but it comes in two different kits (JK & JKU) It also goes under the rear swaybar unlike this one that goes over it and can rattle if you don't do some "Jeeper engineering" I used some wire to pull it up a little.
I'm a newbie Jeep owner. I have a '13 Rubicon with 3 1/2" lift and 35s with 20" rims. I really appreciate your vid. I like the sound of the Flowmaster but the installation is not smooth. I wonder if the 1/8" clearance over the rear sway bar could lead to a rattle down the road. Does the Pypes Cat back system provide sufficient clearance if it goes under the rear sway bar? Is the Pypes about as loud as Flowmaster? The Magnaflow was too loud for me.
The sound is great with the Flowmaster, one of the best sounding cat-backs I've heard on a JK. As the system moves around over time it did start to cause a rattle on the sway bar, mainly under hard acceleration and reversing. I just added another hanger to pull it away from the sway bar, no more noise! As for the Pypes system, it is pretty much the same thing as the Flowmaster just with a little lower quality pipe and muffler. It does however go under the rear sway, but you still have to trim and cut it just like the Flowmaster. As for the Pypes brand, they make good stuff, but have been referred to as the "Chinese Flowmaster" I hope this info is helpful, thanks for watching!
thanks!
Thank you for watching!
Could you please tell me the part number of the actual muffler? I want to run my exhaust a little different and just want to buy the muffler
It is the Flowmaster HP2, it comes in a bunch of different lengths as well as inlet and outlet sizes. It also comes in moderate or aggressive sound versions. I found a bunch on amazon by searching for Flowmaster HP2. I hope this helps you out, thanks for watching!
@@RockyXTV thank you
Do you have an automatic trans?
Yep! Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe to keep up on all the new videos, only if you want to that is. Thanks again!
What is the name of the rear bumper bar you on your Jeep?
Here's a link to the rear bumper guard, thanks for watching! www.extremeterrain.com/red-rock-4x4-rear-guard-jk-j100567.html
thanks!
No problem!
Looks like you let your kid draw on you lol
Yes, I got it for improving my gas milage 3-4 MPG. But NO 4 door don't matter! I just had a real bad experience with this company, I bought a bolt on Flowmaster American Thunder Cat back of my 4 door JK end up have to hire two mechanic to install, end up have to cut at 2 location just to make it fit right. Flowmaster refuse to be responsible, say neither mechanic know what they are doing, and this was a muffler shop, such BS! $$$ later.
Drone?
Surprisingly no. Unfortunately I do not have this kit anymore though. I had to switch to a short pre-axle dump type kit for clearance with my new on board air system. The new exhaust is the Magnaflow Off Road Pro kit, this kit has a TON of drone... Makes me miss the Flowmaster kit. Thanks for watching!
Rocky X TV do you think I can daily drive de flowmaster,? I want a little more sound from my Jeep but I don’t want the hate of my wife 😩
The Flowmaster kit is one of the best sounding kits for the JK, not ricey like a honda and no drone, at least none on the 2 door Jeep. The only issue is along with being one of the best sounding, it is also one of the louder exhausts out there. It's not the loudest, but definitely louder than most.
It is true. I hated this kit so bad
I really like the sound, but Flowmaster needs to rethink this kit, it needs soo much improvement.
Just as much of a pain on a JKU.
it dont work, pack that shit up and send it back. That they understand.
You have put together an awesome video with a very thorough look at our system. Nice work, and sweet Jeep! We are however sorry to hear that your install was as challenging as it was. Our approach to the design of this system was similar to what we do with our truck systems, in that we build it for the longest configurations and provide instructions for shortening to fit the shorter vehicles. We noted that as the JK and JKU share the same hanger locations, it should only be the mid-pipe that would need any trimming. The intention being that this would allow this system to be sold at a lower price point than if we were to build individual systems. That being said, we value your feedback greatly and will forward your experience to our R&D team for consideration of any changes or alternative options. If there are ever any questions that we can answer in the meantime, feel free to give us a call at 707-544-4761.
- Team Flowmaster
Thank you very much! I have to say that I am very surprised that Flowmaster watched my video! I do really like this system, but it honestly could use just a little work on the install, I completely understand keeping the cost down by manufacturing it as a "1 size fits all trims" If you get the chance, check out some of the comments for this video and you will see a lot of others that really like this system, but just have issues with either the installation or slight fitment issues. I still say this is one of the best sounding systems for the JK on the market, but I do tell people to have someone else install it or get ready to throw your tool around the garage. Thanks again for watching my video and for making great exhausts!
@@RockyXTV well there went your sponsorship lol..
Have any changes been made as of 2021 to make the install easier?
What’s the purpose of changing your exhaust other than making it so loud you can’t even hear your damn radio while driving? No thanks I’ll pass stock is just fine for me.