I just bought a 2005 XKR coupe. My question is about what changes are required to a stock XKR to make it growl a little more. I've read thru many of the posts about the various aftermarket systems available, etc. but it's not clear to me at this point which direction to go if any.

I'm not planning on making any changes soon, as I like the unmolested aspect of the car at this point. But if I do make any changes later from stock I would love to make it sound like some of the videos I've seen on youtube, some of them sound amazing. I don't want a loud drone at highway speeds, etc. or introduce an emissions problem later, but it would be nice to hear it growl a little more.

What are the easiest/cheapest/least intrusive changes you can make to the car to get that sound? I've seen quite a few different systems mentioned in the posts, not sure how you decide on one vs another.

Thanks!

 

Replacement rear box pipes is the cheapest, you can even use you stock quad pipes to keep the price down. You might get a small amount of drone at about 50mph but then it goes, but cheap and something that works properly don't go together.

 

This is the solution I went for on my 2005. I picked up the pipes on UK eBay for about £180 and used the original quad tailpipes so as to retain the OE look.

It gives just the extra non-metallic noise/burble I was looking for and no droning at all.

It probably isn't as perfect as an entire race-tuned system, but I wasn't prepared to pay £1000+ just for a little extra noise.

 

This sounds exactly what I would be looking for as well.

Can anyone put a link up for what I need from eBay?

Would hate to get wrong thing..

 

I just cut the 2 back boxes and replaced them with straight(ish) pipe. I am sure you could find an independent exhaust place who would do it very cheaply as an alternative.

 

This is probably the way to go. Most of the aftermarket rear box deletes are UK auctions and, with shipping, will cost you more than they are worth. Also, unless you can weld, if you want to use stock tips, you'll have to go to an exhaust shop anyway. It should be very simple and inexpensive for an exhaust shop to do this for you.

 

Removing the rear mufflers is my next modification. I already installed an X-pipe, which didn't really give me much more noise. I'm going to buy some bigger oval exhaust tips and have my muffler guy cut off the exhaust where it comes out of the mufflers in front of the rear axle. He has a bender, and he can bend new pipes that will go over the axle without the crimp that the stock exhaust has in it.

I just hope that the X-pipe in combination with the missing rear mufflers won't be too loud.

 

Just to be clear, do you mean the "muffler" when you say "box"...I realize many of you here are British, but I've never heard the term box used before. I do, however, realize the hood of my Jaguar is called the bonnet. I'm going to have start using the Queen's English now that I own a Jaguar.

Does removing the boxes alter the emissions in any way or just the sound?

 

Cat--{ 1 }---[2]-[3]--


Hopefully this line diagram helps.

Out of the cat, which is what handles your emissions requirement, the exhaust goes through the center muffler (1), that's also where the exhaust gas and pulses 'mix' between the two banks. Then the air proceeds through the rear resonator (2), over the axle, through the muffler (3) and away she goes!

Reverend Sam is referring to the very last box in the chain, after he's already removed the center muffler, and replaced it with an x-pipe. Its said an H-pipe instead will give even more volume to the exhaust.

 

I'm not sure how this would look (or fit?) on our XK8/R's, but I put these Exhaust Tips, Megaphone Tips, Straight, Angle, Rolled Exhaust Tips, Stainless Steel Tips on my first car and it changed the exhaust note considerably. They gave it a very deep resonance (in a good way) at low RPM's.

That said, I'm not planning to put them on my XK8, but it might sound interesting if someone feels like tinkering a bit and wants a unique sound.

btw, I was referring to the "Traditional Oval Tips". The round ones wouldn't look right and the rest of them with the rolled edges do not alter the sound as far as I know.

 

I have removed the rear 2 sections of pipes in favour of big bore straight through pipes with oval chrome finishers.

OH boy does the kitty now roar like a lion!!!

Its a pleasant burble at idle,but if you hit the gas it roars loud from 1500 -4000rpm then you mostly get supercharger whine anyway

Exhaust is manufactured by Stainless Steel Exhausts - Double 'S' Exhausts - Land Rover - Jaguar - Industrial Stainless Steel Exhausts costs £195 for rear sections £295 for middle and rear sections or £499 for complete cats back system.

 

Ask any local muffler shop to remove the center (common) muffler, and fabricate an "H" connection between the two exhaust pipes coming down from the engine as a replacement!

Shoud cost less than $100(US$), and provide excellent sound on acceleration without any annoyance at speed. Love mine! DaleD

 

This is what I did. It's much more aggressive sounding now. I only regret it now because I plan on redoing my whole exhaust with the downpipes and most other kits use the center muffler. So I'm wishing I would have kept it... thinking about the downpipes + Mina exhaust. I'm just hesitant because I don't know of a good performance muffler shop in the area...

 

In California, land of the hotrodder? Just ask around the Mustang boards. Some of those guys change exhausts like underwear.

 

Question H20Boy? On a previous and similar thread, I came away with the impression that the big muffler (1) was as you say, also a pulse mixer then the two in front of the axel were further mufflers (2) and the last units (3) behind the rear axel were resonators. I believe XKRacer suggested keeping the big one (1) then removing the units (2) and running straight pipes under the axel to the units (3). I was getting ready to do just that and now I'm confused (not uncommon). To ensure I'm clear, I thought that from the front to the back of the car, we have one muffler, two mufflers and then two resonators?