[Nuke]

Thanks...I think your answer is fairly comprehensive, especially when you describe the ability to do conference calls without anyone saying there is an issue. Drone is just that irrating harmonic the seems to permeate the cabin at certain rpms. It usually isn't present all the time, just sometimes. The sound of the stock system has gotten better (just shy of 15K), but I still would like something with just a tad more bass. Don't want to wake up the neighbors in the morning, but its okay if they can identify when I pull up when they are awake.

Given your definition of drone, I will say 'yes', there is definitely drone now, as opposed to before the exhaust mod. When engine RPMs are in the ranges of ~12K-14K and ~22K-24K, the sound of the exhaust coming from the muffler resonates inside the cabin in such a way that it can be felt physically. However, I would like to point out that I never noticed it until I attempted to detect "drone" for this response, so it is not like it will make the CD player skip or make your arm hairs dance.

Also, a friend recently rode with me and commented on the increased cabin noise of the exhaust. It appeared to have evoked some sort of visceral response in him, and I fear he might have started rubbing my leg had we continued the trip much longer. Needless to say, I dropped him off POST-HAST!!.

As for the neighbours, I would say I am not waking them up now with my new exhaust because none of them are giving me the stink eye when I see them during the day and chit-chat. However, one neighbour did remark about how I keep odd hours (I work at night, so am in and out at night), so I know she can tell when I come and go.

I suspect it is a lot like the Camaro I used to have in high school which I put some Flowmasters on the last year I was there. When the car approached, you could detect a very low rumble, but it wasn't immediately identifiable as any particular car and wasn't "in your face", so to speak.

Hope this helps,
Nuke

 

[RockanRoll]

DI/DO: JFB vs FM

Nuke, any update on your DI/DO JFB #4554? How's the drone? I'm now thinking of getting that unit, or one of the Flowmaster DI/DO mufflers (2.25" of course). But, I plan on keeping the resonators on to help smooth out the drone. Any suggestions?

 

[Nuke]

Nuke, any update on your DI/DO JFB #4554? How's the drone? I'm now thinking of getting that unit, or one of the Flowmaster DI/DO mufflers (2.25" of course). But, I plan on keeping the resonators on to help smooth out the drone. Any suggestions?

Funny you should ask because after 3+ years of thinking I might know what drone is (but never really being sure), I now know for sure what others are referring to when they reference drone and how annoying it can be.

I never really knew for sure what drone was because I had never really driven a vehicle affected by it. But with everyone always complaining about it and worrying about, I figured my JFB setup must be suffering from at least a little drone, and so I usually answered "not bad" or "tolerable" when asked about the drone of the JFB on the 3.6L in the Challenger.

I recently received my baptism of drone when asked to drive a car from Dallas to another town for a buddy who'd just bought it and couldn't come get it for a while. The car was an '02 Jetta with the turbo charged 4 cylinder diesel, and the numb-nut that owned it had replaced the exhaust with something akin to what your typical dime store cowboy might run on his 1 ton diesel dually p/u - not suitable for a city-driven passenger car IOW.

Anyway, about an hour into the 4 hour trip it dawned on me that the annoying buzz giving me a headache was the exhaust sound at highway speeds. Then the light bulb went off - DRONE!

So knowing what I now know, I see now that I was just imagining things when I thought my Challenger might be exhibiting some drone, and that the 3.6L with the JFB di/o muffler (replacing factory mufflers and resos) does not produce anything annoying like that at highway speeds...at least not in my humble opinion.

So my advice to anyone considering the JFB di/do muffler on the Challenger 3.6L would be to pull the trigger. I haven't had any 2nd thoughts since having it done to my Challenger, but I have had many compliments, so it's winner-winner-chicken-dinner in my book.

 

[Nuke]

Thanks! But last question, is it better to put the muffler where the resonators were or to the stock muffler? I noticed most people put it in the resonator section. Oh and the product # of the muffler.

If you go with the dual-in/dual-out single muffler, there will really only be one place it can be mounted - below the drive shaft, right in front of the rear differential. Basically in the same spot the resonators are now (or are they mufflers? No one can agree from what I've read...I'm referring to the long, tubular hooteramuses in the middle...not the waffle-maker looking ones at the back).

On the subject of placement of a di/do single muffler, it took me two tries to find an exhaust shop that would do it...and that I was comfortable with them doing it. The first place told me they didn't want to do it because the drive shaft would travel up and down too much and make contact with the muffler. Based on what I can see up under there, vertical movement by the drive shaft is going to be very limited, if any at all. So I took it somewhere else to have it done.

The fact that I have now had it done (with no instances so far of the drive shaft making contact with the muffler), and there are half a dozen other people out there that have had it done and documented such on these forums and youtube and such, I would say it is okay to have this type muffler mounted on these cars right in front of the rear-end.


FB4554 is the part# from Jone Exhaust website(see 'F' at bottom of page):
Performance Exhaust Systems

I ordered mine from Summit, which uses part# JEX-FB4554:
Jones Full Boar Flow Deflector Performance Mufflers FB4554 - SummitRacing.com

If you decide to go with some other make/model muffler, be sure to get the one that fits 2.25" pipes. I've seen some specified for these cars which fit 2.5" pipes, but that is pre-2011. From 2011 on, the exhaust is 2.25" all the way back.

Nuke

Test reply to try to extract a link back url for this post

 

[WazzRT]

Here's my 2014 SXT on magnaflow mufflers in the middle

 

[McDego]

Here's my 2014 SXT on magnaflow mufflers in the middle


Challenger 2014 SXT Magnaflow Exhaust - YouTube

:rice:


I used a Gibson CFT Superflow dual in/dual out.

Very pleased with the outcome.