Exhaust cutouts

[Reed487]

Alright so I have a 1982 CJ7 with a '78 AMC 304 V8 engine in it. I have been wanting to get some exhaust cutouts for it to boost power and noise while off-roading. The question I have is which is best for this job, I'm worried the electric ones won't hold up to the mud and water that will be soaking them, and I heard that the auto manual cutouts leak a bit. Then the manual ones seem to be a bit more work, plus you have the added worry of losing the cap or a bolt. Any opinions on which style is the best and/or which brand is the most reliable will be appreciated, thanks.

 

[Hedgehog]

I generally like to go quieter while in the out in the wild, but that's just me.....

 

[Torxhead]

I generally like to go quieter while in the out in the wild, but that's just me.....

Me too, it must be an age thing.

 

[SlowPocono]

Me too, it must be an age thing.

Yeah. What's the point of adding weight, cost, and complexity to make things worse?

 

[IOPort51]

I guess maybe when I was 18 this would have been a good thing. Are you running headers now? If not I would go that way with glass packs or flow masters. It is my understanding that headers work better than open exhaust and the back pressure on the HP exhaust is negligible. I would have to know a lot more about the AMC 304 than what you have told us, intake carburetor ignition etc. than what you have told us.

this would be a good time to fill out your profile so we can know what you have to work with.

I would have to guess that exhaust cut outs on a stock AMC 304 will make lots of noise and very little horse power.

 

[tarry99]

Alright so I have a 1982 CJ7 with a '78 AMC 304 V8 engine in it. I have been wanting to get some exhaust cutouts for it to boost power and noise while off-roading. The question I have is which is best for this job, I'm worried the electric ones won't hold up to the mud and water that will be soaking them, and I heard that the auto manual cutouts leak a bit. Then the manual ones seem to be a bit more work, plus you have the added worry of losing the cap or a bolt. Any opinions on which style is the best and/or which brand is the most reliable will be appreciated, thanks.

Noise.........nah, Boost Power.............nah,
Fire Danger off road...........YES

 

[wm69]

My grandad had a cutout back in the day. Said when he was out in the country at night he would use it for increased MPG but more-so to get the field hands who were walking down the shoulder ample warning that he was coming so they'd get out of the road.

I used to see cable operated ones at JC Whitney back in the early 90's. Don't know if they still have them, but once I was old enough to drive I'd gotten over the "louder is better" notion.

 

[Hedgehog]

Engines are finicky things when it comes to exhaust systems. Carbs are tuned to match the exhaust your running. A drastic change in mid stream while running would be bad for both power and mileage. Even possibly damaging your engine.

 

[mstar]

Please reconsider your plan sir. Many people have worked long and hard to maintain open trails and dune areas.The number one curse on all of this is noise. Tread lightly and go quietly .You will be everyones hero.

Thanks, mike s.

 

[Posi]

I'm on board with the others as well. Keep the noise down.

 

[Scooter402]

Having been an avid mud racer for a number of years, I'll say that there definitely is a place and time for open headers. Do they add power? Well, on a properly tuned engine, they restrict less power potential than full exhaust would. On a stock engine, you'd honestly be doing more harm than good. If you want louder, I'd go with the suggestion of glass packs.

 

[Sasquach]

I'm with all the above.

 

[dsrt4]

I had a set of mccord powerplates on mine for a while and really didnt notice any issues with performance other than it sucked gas. And that was from me romping on it all the time. Eventually the mud and grit got to them and they started rattling and just stopped all together.

 

[Peanut Butter]

Noise.........nah, Boost Power.............nah,
Fire Danger off road...........YES

Good point that many people do not consider. Alvin Texas is not a big wildland fire place, but if you travel out West.........might be a problem. More and more fines and litigation is occuring over such things due to the ever increasing cost of fighting these fires. Rod

 

[Reed487]

Thanks for all the help, and no worries I'm a very courteous person, I plan to use them mostly on private land because I do agree there is a time and place for noise, and public roads and around a bunch of people is not one of them. And I guess I need to go ahead and look into some carb upgrades because most of my stuff is stock. Once again thanks for all the help.

 

[SlowPocono]

Thanks for all the help, and no worries I'm a very courteous person, I plan to use them mostly on private land because I do agree there is a time and place for noise, and public roads and around a bunch of people is not one of them. And I guess I need to go ahead and look into some carb upgrades because most of my stuff is stock. Once again thanks for all the help.

How does a carburetor "upgrade" address the issue of varying requirements for two different exhaust configurations.

The carb. you have now can be set up for your existing exhaust or an open exhaust equally well, but not both.