My first Jag was a 1968 XKE convertible (OK E-Type OTS) and I loved the mild rumble of the XK engine. You can identify the XKE sound without ever seeing the car. My question is: has anyone ever duplicated that sound on the XJS 6 cylinder engine with aftermarket mufflers? I don't want a lot of noise but I get tired of people telling me they didn't even hear me pull up.

 

If you want to duplicate it, just buy XKE mufflers and fit them to your XJS. Some amount of sound will certainly be intake as well, which won't be the same with injection and a different air box.

 

Thanks, I had thought about that but I'm thinking the sound is produced the rear chrome resonators. I may try to find a used pair and see if they can be modified.

 

The easiest way to get a bit more noise is to remove the rear resonators, and leave the mufflers alone. I did this on my last XJS V12. You can buy pipes to do this from AJ6 Engineering, that use the existing routing above the IRS, although it is tempting to instead re-route the exhaust under the IRS.

 

Thats interesting, I always hear it the other way around since the mufflers baffle more than the resonators, which are just like big glasspacks.

 

I meant that in the sense of : remove resonators for a bit more noise, silencers for a lot more.

 

EDIT: My apologies for pinging everyone, I posted in the wrong thread!

I would never do this to mine but, just for the laffs:

 

I have an XJ40 3.2 with standard exhaust, and it has a fine rumble at idle.
On one point I had to remove one of the rear mufflers due to breakage, and it was LOUD. Way too loud to actually use as anything but a toy...

 

I wish I could work on mine that fast.

As for mild rumble, I have the V12. When I got it, the front sound suppressing devices were gone, but the rear ones were still present. You could hear it, but just barely. Then one of the pipes decided to fall off just aft of the left rear cat, so I rented a tailpipe cutter from the local parts store and took out everything past the cats, except for about a 15 inch piece that stuck to the left rear cat. You can hear it now. Here's a link to a not so great sound clip I shot with my laptop:

 

That's a little too much rumble for me.

 

Aside from a resonance at 1500 rpm, it's not that bad in person. I drove it to work like that for a week. When I get around to it, I plan on doing a Y pipe out one side, keeping the cats but not putting mufflers on. I have access to a sound pressure meter at work. I should probably see what it idles at now. It was under 60 dBA before. My Triumph with stock exhaust idles at about 76, and I think the Jag is about the same now.