There are a million of reasons to install aftermarket parts on a Jeep. Performance, esthetics and improved efficiency are near the top of the list. But what if you have a performance part that works fine in theory but may bother you in other ways? That’s the case with our TJ Jeep Wrangler, which has an aftermarket exhaust that overall performs ok but can have quite an annoying pitch at certain RPM or cruising speeds.

When Road Race Motorsports recently came out with their Jeep Wrangler JK Power Pack Exhaust Kit, we wondered if they had the same setup for the TJ. We went to the man himself, RRM owner Robert Tallini, and asked him this very question. He said they did not but modifying their kit to the TJ would be possible. We told him why we wanted to make the swap, noting the “wife approved” noise level the JK kit purportedly had.

Before we knew it, we were on our way over to RRM’s shop in Southern California in Santa Fe Springs to knock out the install. Having just returned from our Rubicon trip last month, we had spent plenty of time off the trails cruising around the Lake Tahoe area to notice we needed to try another exhaust on our TJ. It was just a little too high-pitched for our liking at certain speeds. RRM was happy to help us with the special request, and our Wrangler was put up on the lift to check out the situation.

The Road Race Motorsports Jeep JK Wrangler Exhaust features:
- TIG-welded construction, made in U.S.A.
- Dirt-track racing proven
- Smooth tone, no droning sound
- Full system is half weight of stock JK exhaust
-Axle-back design for more ground clearance

The good news was that the existing exhaust piping was still in great shape. So, after measuring the length needed, the previous muffler was cut out, the new one measured and cut to fit, and then Will and Johnny went to work welding it in place.

The install was knocked out in no time, and RRM was thorough enough to unhook the pipe and make sure there was a complete weld sealing the new muffler into place. When we first fired up the Jeep, it sounded pretty similar. Then again, we didn’t have any issue with the idle noise – it was at cruising speed. Once we hit the road, the TJ still had good pickup but we the exhaust was definitely quieter. At 40 mph, which is a pretty common speed to travel on the city streets, our previous exhaust would have a high-pitched hum that just was hard to bear at times. We’re happy to report the RRM exhaust is much quieter overall, yet it still provided us with a little boost in performance – which is important when you’re running taller gears.

Sometimes the best upgrades aren’t necessarily massive improvement in power or performance. Sometimes the best ones are the ones that make you enjoy your rig that much more. Although the RRM exhaust system will make a big improvement over the stock system, for our case the improvement in sound and tone was the main goal. We weren’t expecting a huge boost in performance since we already had an aftermarket piece equipped – just something similar with a much more palatable tone from our pipe. We’re happy to report mission accomplished. Although the muffler was modified for our setup, RRM does offer a complete exhaust setup for the JK as well. Contact the shop for more information.

SOURCE
Road Race Motorsports
562/906-0080
RoadRaceMotorsports.com