Well, my catalytic converter died (per my post last week) and luckily the dealer replaced it for free without giving me a hard time. It took them a week.... but hey, what's a little patience, right? Anyhow, in the process they "discovered" that the heat shield on my muffler had come off on one side and was barely hanging on to the other end. Strange, it wasn't like that when I dropped it off. Anyhow, I told them I didn't want a stock muffler and definitely wasn't paying dealership prices for one and to have it installed. Service guy agreed.
Long story short -- I took the exhaust (cat - back) off to verify the problem. Looked all over town for a cat-back system that I could throw up there without any welding. None to be found. I ripped the heat shield the rest of the way off and slapped the system back in. Everything is running fine.
Now, I know the muffler is on it's way out anyway. Time for a replacement. What should I replace it with? I've heard a number of suggestions in the past. BUT, I'm not going for some marginal performance gain, but more like long-term reliability/warranty. I liked the Gibson cat-back I had in my full-size Chevy, but it was LOUD. I don't mind loud. I don't mind quiet. Just don't want to spend too much $$, but have a quality product that I can bolt right in. Thoughts? BTW, I have a reciever hitch, so I think the Borlas are out...
Jeep info:
99 TJ SE (2.5L, 5Spd) 4" Rough Country lift (Sitting in my garage.. will be installed in just a couple of weeks) 31" A/Ts (32's soon... maybe 33's if I can afford the gearing) Reciever hitch Cold Air Intake (ya ya ya, I know) TB Spacer (booo hisssss.. snake oil.. too lazy to take off) 4.0L TB Receiver hitch (most Borlas I found way back when were not hitch-friendly)Don't know what makes a difference in the decision, so I thought I'd give you what might pertain (intake, lift, tire size, etc)
Thanks!!
Eric