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Review of Dynomax VT muffler on 2010 V6 Sport

24K views 84 replies 14 participants last post by  SixPackABS 
#1 ·
I wanted to thank JTRAV for mentioning this muffler in another exhaust related thread. It led to me buying and installing it on my V6 sport.

I originally was running a straight through Dynomax ultra flo muffler along with Weapon R intake. The reason I decided to try out the VT muffler is because its design was advertised to reduce drone and potentially be quieter during mild throttle operations.

The muffler fits where the Ultra flo was sitting and install was done by the muffler shop for $65 dollars.

After driving it around under different speeds and making a few full and mid throttle acceleration runs I have the following impression:

1. As far as idle this muffler is very quiet. It is not even noticeable when compared to the ultra flo's idle noise level.

2. under 1500 rpm on very light throttle in traffic or after 2200 rpms in light or medium throttle this muffler is quieter. It still has the similar noise as the ultra flo but at a lesser decibel.

3. Drone on the highway speeds is mostly gone. I hear the tire noise more than the muffler noise now when cruising. However, at highway speeds even a little bit of throttle input will still generate some noticeable noise, although less than the ultra-flo.

4. Driving locally and in the 1500 rpm range the rumble is still pretty noticeable. It is not much less than the ultra flo in that range. Now this is an rpm range the car likes to be at a lot in local traffic driving so you are still going to get some rumble as compared to stock.

5. Full throttle acceleration is same noise as the ultra-flo which is pretty loud.

6. I did not feel any loss of performance as compared to the Ultra-flo. This is important to those of us who did a muffler mod in the first place.

Overall: I am happy with this muffler so far. I think it is a good compromise setup between noise and performance. Real performance numbers will not be available until I can take it to a 1/4mi strip next spring.

Now when researching this muffler there was a lot of talk on other forums about a rattle from the valve plate. I did not hear anything so far even during the really cold (it as 20 degrees out) morning start. I take that as a good sign.
 
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#2 ·
Hey, thanks for the review. I was also researching and reading up on reviews about this muffler and I was worried about the flapper making noises but it seems they have remedied this problem.
Could you tell me what the noise level is at 70-85mph (2500-3000rpm) cruising speed? Does it drone at that speed? Lately I've been getting complaints from the wife about how annoying it is (my borla muffler) on the highway for medium to long drives. Also what is the exact model number you got, maybe a link? Thanks
 
#3 ·
I have not tried them on a RAV, but I have had good luck with other V6 vehicles and the Dynomax Superflow 20" body models, such as 17748. They are a high flow design, not too expensive, and offer a nice low throb at idle, noticeable growl on accel, and are quiet at cruise.
 
#4 ·
Veliksam, at 75 - 80 miles an hour there is no drone at all. I hear the road noise more than the exhaust unless I am giving it gas. Even if you are giving it light amount of gas to keep speed there is only a little bit of noise, so much better than the droning rumble we normally get. Dynomax VT 17156 with 2.5 in and out and for under 4.0L motors. Got it from Summit racing for a little over $100 shipped.

BigSwede, the Dynomax 17748 is a turbo style muffler, it means the internal pipes within the muffler is straight through but with bends which changes the velocity of the exhaust pulses and reduce noise. That type is great on noise but you will see a bit less performance gain at the top end. Mid range and bottom end should be great with that muffler style so it is a good option for street use. I do drag race my Rav so straight through without ear damage is what I was looking for and the VT seems to fit the bill pretty well as a good compromise between the two.

Part of the reason I like the idea of the VT design is that I have had two cars that has vacuum operated mufflers factory with the same effect. Loud when you are really on it and quiet when cruising. The VT is more of a simpler and cheaper way of trying to do the same thing but it does seem to work.
 
#5 ·
Dynomax VT 17156 with 2.5 in and out and for under 4.0L motors. Got it from Summit racing for a little over $100 shipped.
Great review and thanks for posting this info up. The muffler is the last piece I'm changing (again). I want less drone but same performance. You do not think the flapper is a restriction in the exhaust at all? It is in the pathway of the airflow.
 
#7 ·
Wow, I actually influenced you to get that muffler! Cool! :)

Glad it worked out. You will have to provide another update once it wears in a bit. Let us know if it gets louder, the durability of the flapper, etc.

It really is the best of both worlds. Acceptable noise level for a performance muffler when you're not on it, and full flow and performance sound when your are on it.

Jeff
 
#12 ·
Hey guys, this is now available for $88.04 on amazon.com
 
#13 ·
That is a good price.

Just as an update. The power delivery changed when I drove this around for the past few days. The exhaust does not open up easily. I have to floor it in lower gears to get the full flow. I found out that even pressing it to wide open throttle sometimes does not open up the flap if you don't get a downshift out of the trans. The noise difference makes this very obvious.

When it is not fully open the top end suffers but the mid range is great. The times I was able to get the full blast noise the car pulled hard up top as well. However it did not open up every time when I tried a passing maneuver on the highway.
 
#14 ·
So are you gonna stick with this for a while? Do you still recommend this muffler after your findings? I already pulled the trigger on this on Amazon but it's not too late to cancel, in your opinion should I get this?

Basically from what I understood from your latest post is that unless you floor it and it shifts into a lower gear the flap won't open and it'll still be nice and quiet? If that's the case then it sounds prefect for me, I only want the loud rumble when I apply medium to full throttle or even if it's just at full throttle I don't mind.

One thing that's reassuring is that they offer a lifetime warranty so if the flapper/valve starts making funny sounds they'll reimburse the labour for removal and installation and give you a new one.
 
#15 ·
For good street performance and acceptable noise I do still recommend it.

The flap issue is more for me to disclose to those who may believe you can have instant full through flow power on demand. At highway speeds that is simply not happening without manually downshifting and flooring it. From a standing start no problem if you gun it outright.

The mid range is quite good though. So typical passing manuvers are easy as always.
 
#16 ·
Looks like I'll be installing my VT on Tuesday, I'll also report on this after its installed.
 
#18 ·
Yeah, imo this thing sounds like it has the best of both worlds, as long as the flapper does it's job and opens up on wot then in theory there shouldn't be any loss in performance. I'll definitely post my findings and opinion on the VT.
 
#19 ·
Hey guys, I received my VT but I have not yet installed it because I discovered a new part for my dual exhaust piping and I'm waiting for it to arrive.

The way my current piping is setup is very messed up because I'm not getting equal pressure coming out of both pipes, and the reason for that is because the the drivers side pipe is connected to the passenger side pipe by a small 3" long pipe and there was only a small hole cut out on the passenger side pipe so that I would get some pressure coming out of the drivers side, I hope this makes sense.

When I installed my borla muffler and had the drivers side pipe installed, I asked the mechanic to install a Y adapter but he said that there was no space for 2 pipes to pass under the same place where the one factory pipe used to pass and said that if he did go ahead and do that then the pipes would hang too low to the ground. So his solution was to do the split just after that lowest point of the car (I'm guessing that's the diff box?) and that's how I ended up with a mostly decorative drivers side pipe.

Now I've discovered an awesome part called a "Smooth transition T pipe" and it's made by Magnaflow, it's part number 10734. This thing is the perfect part for the job, it's like it was made for the Rav4 :)
So anyone who wants to have a dual exhaust this is probably the best way to get equal pressure from both sides and is for sure the best looking solution. I'll post before and after pictures on Monday if I get the part early enough and manage to do the install the same day.
In the mean time here is a link to the part: http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/displayapplications.asp?partnumber=10734
 
#21 ·
Yes, I meant to say I will take pictures of the undercarriage before and after the install of both the muffler and the T pipe :)
 
#22 · (Edited)
Ok guys, got this installed today and my first impression is that it's now much quieter in the cabin and like Turbomatic said the drone is almost gone (I can barely notice it). When I do accelerate hard a very nice sound tone is being produced by the VT, deep with a a very little bit of rasp. Overall I'm very satisfied and I'll report back on this in a few weeks when the VT settles a bit more. I will post some photos shortly.

Before:




After with Dynomax VT and Magnaflow smooth transition T pipe




 
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#23 ·
Photos added
 
#25 ·
Thanks. I did some 0-60 runs and timed them with my Bluetooth odb and torque app, the best time I got was 7.24. Is this an accurate way of timing? Does the app use the my phone gps to determine the timing or does it use the car ecu?
Anyways, I thought the Rav4 was capable of times just below 7 seconds?
 
#27 ·
Well I'm guessing the under 7 second times were achieved with stock V6 Rav4's so I don't think the spare tire or extra 10lbs exhaust should be a problem. Maybe the problem is that my Rav4 is 4wd and the under 7 second times were done with a 2wd? Anyways 7.2 is fine by me, I was just curious.
 
#28 ·
I am not sure how accurate the app is. The stock 0-60 is 6.2 range for a v6 awd. 7.2 is slower by a large amount. Does it feel slower than before? Are you running it with traction off?

I launched mine after muffler change without traction control because when I left it on the tire slip triggered power reduction.
 
#31 ·
Yes, I made sure the temp was at the halfway mark. It was around 55°f outside last night when I did the runs.
 
#32 ·
Here's the latest test of the 4.3 Rav4 V6 AWD:

2010 Toyota RAV4 Limited 4x4

so Car and Driver recorded 6.4 seconds. I used the dynolicious app for an ios device and have gotten consistently around 6.5-6.6 seconds using light brake torquing and around 30% throttle, then instantly release the brakes and going full throttle with the AWD lock button engaged.
 
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#33 ·
Brake torquing for quick launching is usually not bad for the trans. You do not want to hold it for long periods as the trans heat up quick and could get damaged once heat level is too high.

Now as far as the 0-60 do you have any way to calibrate the app? Maybe try on a different car to see if it is accurate on another car? I tend to use the drag strip to test performance but a well calibrated GPS based unit can be accurate.
 
#35 ·
I'm going to try the brake torque method for launching today and hopefully I'll see some better numbers ;)
 
#36 ·
Just did three runs, the first was the best @ 6.8 seconds, I did the brake torque method and raised the rpm to 2000, had the 4wd locked. Unfortunately the tarmac was damp from earlier precipitation so there was excess wheel spin. I also just realized as I was parking the car at home that my a.c. was on :banghead:
I think if the road was dry and my a.c. was off I probably could've gotten close to the 6.4-6.6 seconds. Overall this little experiment has reassured me that my V6 is a solid performer.
 
#38 ·
Maybe, but wouldn't the brake override only work when the ecu senses that the vehicle is in motion? I know I have the brake override because mine is a 2012, that's why I would think it only works when the car is moving. Maybe someone can clarify.
 
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