High Clearance Exhaust

Hello all,
Recently had a C4 Overland rear bumper installed, and am looking at exhaust options.
I currently have the TRD Pro exhaust, but I'd like to get something that's not going to get crushed on the trails.
Any of you have a preference on aftermarket exhausts?
I'm also looking at just cutting the stock exhaust just aft of the rear axle but have a couple concerns:
1: is cutting it going to make it drone more that it already does?
2: there are no exhaust hangars aft of the cat with the exception of the actual exhaust tip. If I cut it, the entire weight of the remaining exhaust tubing will be held by the weld that attaches the tubing to the cat.
Does anyone have any experience with this? Is it anything I should be concerned about, or should I just bust out the Sawzall?

 

Here's my modded SR5 exhaust. You can see where a factory hanger location is. If the exhaust is not supported, sooner or later you won't have an exhaust.

 

That's my concern. My exhaust is side exit, so the only thing I could do is cut it off just forward of my hangar bracket. It would help a little, but it'd look like ass.
Looks like the side exit hangar is in a different location than the rear exit exhaust.

 

If your exhaust is in good shape, you could try to trade it for a standard exhaust, so that you can cut it like @Stoney Ranger has shown. Mine is cut similarly, but I unfortunately didn't do so until after burying it in the mud and bending it backing down from a steep rock I couldn't seem to get up.

 

Carven makes a high clearance catback.

 

I wouldn't want to leave it so closee to the middle as these gases need to be vented correctly outside and away. However, i saw that in one of the 4th Gen tacoma (Trail hunter) I think, they left it right by the Diff which means is probably ok. I would just worried with leaving the vehicle at idle for too long and gases moving into the back seat or trying to get into the back window. Just be careful there, this ain't no joke messing with CO2. As for the aftermarket ones, I would go with Magnaflow. Don't waste time with the other ones, they sound awful and the drone is really bad, how do I know? I tried them all and finally settled with "the stock one". Go figure.

 

There are a few aftermarket options for a shortened exhaust. Other than Carven (which is a few posts up), I can't remember who makes them. The problem I have with most of them is that they stop before the rear axle. That won't pass the annual safety inspection in VA. I may have decided on a URD cat-back but can't really remember. It's very low on my priority list. A kind of: I'll replace it when it gets completely crushed on a trail.

Edit:

Because I'm bored:

MBRP: exits in stock-ish location, looks like it just uses a smaller muffler and tucks more
Flowmaster: ends before rear axle
Carven: Same
R4T: looks like it probably ends before rear axle
Magnaflow: Cuts a few inches off from stock exit; maybe the best option
URD: about the same as Magnaflow; just cheaper
aFE: same as Magnaflow and URD; just overpriced

Probably more, but there ya go.

 

Thanks for the input. The exhaust gasses were a concern for me, but reading on the forums, it seems to be a non-issue for the ones that have either chopped their factory exhaust or went with a short exhaust that dumps under the vehicle.
I'll definitely look at the magnaflow...one of the reasons I didn't really want an aftermarket exhaust is that the side exit TRD Pro exhaust is loud enough for me, and I wouldn't mind if it were quieter. Not looking to have a loud V6.

 

Luckily, I don't have to worry about emissions up here in AK. I'm in your boat...going to wait till the factory one is junked on a trail, but figured I'd do the research now. Thanks for the advice!

 

I'd run it out back and dump it as high as the rear bumper.

 

The Carven sounds great but there is some drone.
Magnaflow overland is a good option with a little less drone than the Carven.

From my research chopping the exhaust is the quietest option.
I've been meaning to do this but I'm a little worried of exhaust fumes coming into the cabin. My high clearance bumper doesn't have any provision to keep exhaust smell from getting up under the bumper and into the cabin vents. I'll probably chop it near the axle instead of the bumper so I'm not breathing exhaust fumes when I'm parked.

 

Since you have a steel bumper, how about this mount https://jccustomsmetalfab.com/products/lg9h4uthh0c9tuf6y8t7eoujmjdskp

 

I ended up gassing myself on the way up slow trail, with a tailwind that matched my forward pace. Took me a while to realize what was happening, and I was blaming my wooziness on the altitude. I only put it together when I saw the dust being kicked up by my buddy’s jeep in front of me never really moved away from him. When I shut down and got out, I realized I could barely stand and needed to hold myself up against the vehicle. Took me a good 20-30minutes to recover from that!

Personally, I’d never consider doing a chop that dumps exhaust in the under the middle of a closed vehicle. Pickup trucks might get away with a chop ending under the bed, but the bed is not closed, or occupied.

I think it would be cool to knock a hole on the side of the plate bumper and figure out how to route the exhaust out of the side of the bumper. Not sure if there is the space to do that though.

edit to clarify: this all happened with stock exhaust. Which demonstrates that on the trail, you’ll probably end up in situations where proper gas venting will be more challenging than it is on the highway. So it’s best to avoid making changes that will make proper gas venting more difficult. This stuff sneaks up on you.

 

Totally get that concern. My argument is that a lot of aftermarket "high clearance" exhausts seem to dump just forward or aft of the rear axle. I think the rear vents are just aft of the rear wheels, basically right where my side exit is already dumping gasses.
I guess I'll have to play around with it and see, and hope I don't end up taking a forever nap.

 

Revisiting this now and I'm seriously considering the R4T exhaust. I'm not hearing reports of droning like the Carven. But it does have a nice growl to it.

 

I am keeping an eye out for it but it seems like it's always sold out.

 

That's the muffler, not the cat. The muffler is well supported with three hangers, so it can support the weight of the tailpipe. However, the space above the axle is tight. Without an additional hanger aft of the axle, the pipe with the additional freedom can hit the cab floor when the engine torques in its mounts.

There are various universal parts you can buy to assemble a custom clamp-on hanger, which you can bolt to the cab or the frame, for example:



Replacement isolators are available in regular and extended lengths: