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So back to the shop and got him to remove the X pipe and kept each exhaust pipe separate, and had him put on a rock mineral Glass pack muffler which is straight thru.............love the sound! If you like I can get you the youtube link and let you listen to the car.
jetlag700,
I'm still anxiously awaiting that YouTube link, and, I think someone else requested a parts list
I too wanted a little performance and sound from my '89 XJS, so after reading on this forum last year, I first changed out my stock air cleaner boxes and replaced them with K&N system, then gutted both sets of cats and replaced the mid muffler with straight pipe and added 3"X5" SS exhaust tips beneath the bumper.
I really like the difference, and definitely feel more low-end pulling power under acceleration and love the high-pitch 'singing' when launching. I often use 2nd gear to aid in slowing down, and the burbling sound catches attention too.
She's a great old girl, I drive it like it should, having put 44,000 km on it since buying it almost 4 years ago.
Appreciate this is an old thread, but I'm interested in continuing this to find the 'right' option for a proper GT car. So, does anyone have any further knowledge gleaned since 2014?
That and I found another video of Mark Hammond's XJS!
bringing up an old thread, could one not go under the cage rather than through the cage for a better sounding exhaust? or does something differ from the etypes to the xjs rear suspension. Maybe height clearance?
Might need a sock over the mic to clean it up but ya that is nice, I get a Big Cat growl at 700rpm-1000, lawn mower till 2500 then raspy ferrari v12 from 3000+ rpm.
You seem to capture the best note, I'm thinking my gutted cats are the issue.
From my experience the cats dont make that much difference in the note. I gutted them out long time ago while having the stock exhaust with mid silencers removed - very small difference in the note.
I wanted to achieve more V12ish note, which in case of an XJ/XJS is in my opinion only possible by merging the two sides of the engine at some point (X or H).
I also picked rather small diameter pipes all around hoping to avoid too deep more like V8 muscle car sound, cos I think that just doesnt sound appropriate for the jag.
I am not sure if my amateur ideas did the trick, but I am very happy with the result.
Gutted cats, same size pipes as you, 2 glasspack high flow mufflers to side exits ahead of radius arms. Stupid of me to toss the stock resonators they would of been better than mufflers.
I KNEW I should of done the X pipe...I have one in a box here, at 5000rpm in 1st gear its a menacing rasp, and the idle/rolling idle grows like an actual Jaguar cat but that mid range where we do normal driving is just lawn mower-ish.
Mine doesn't snap and rasp while reving like yours. I'd start calling them professional ideas you've done better then me lol.
My first XJS had a hard shift from 3rd to 4th gear, so I always drove in 3 while on surface streets. I had all of the mufflers out, and used 4 glasspacks for some growl. The combo of driving at higher RPMs in 3 with the glasspacks made it a great drive and interestingly had an exotic tone to it.
From my experience the cats dont make that much difference in the note. I gutted them out long time ago while having the stock exhaust with mid silencers removed - very small difference in the note.
I wanted to achieve more V12ish note, which in case of an XJ/XJS is in my opinion only possible by merging the two sides of the engine at some point (X or H).
I also picked rather small diameter pipes all around hoping to avoid too deep more like V8 muscle car sound, cos I think that just doesnt sound appropriate for the jag.
I am not sure if my amateur ideas did the trick, but I am very happy with the result.
sounds awesome! Just what I want... you have the x-muffler... are the rear silencers gone?
Thanks! just the x muffler and straight pipes behind the axle...no rear silencers.
nice! Did you try it with the silencers at all? Wondering how that would effect the sound ... seems the X-Pipe like the E-Type is the key to a good tone.
Has anyone tried straight pipe after the cats? I had a Lincoln Town Car with 4 cats once and ran straight pipe to the factory Y pipe and single exhaust. It sounded good without being overly loud. I'm curious how something like that would sound on an XJS.
