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If you ever get an excuse (I always give myself one, HAH!) to change the rear resonator or continue the 2.5" pipe of goodness, you can pick up some flow, ground clearance and a much cleaner look by getting rid of the unnecessary pipe bend near the back of the passenger side subframe. I don’t know if the FWDs have a different exhaust back there, but I highly doubt it. I did this on the '02 Highlander and apart from giving me an inch of ground clearance, it made the car look much better from behind, made the system simpler and lighter, and made it easier to adjust the rear toe alignment bolts without the stupid pipe in the way (this probably mainly applies to AWD due to different control arm setup). I would also think the FWDs have a bend here too because every car on our platform has this (Camry, ES, Highlander, Sienna) with the exception of the 09-15 Venza with its "suitcase" muffler.
The only thing I regret is not adding in is a flange before the resonator (muffler in the case of the 01-03 Highlander) for easier removal. It forced me to drop the entire exhaust system instead of sections of it when I did my steering rack. The factory one uses a spring bolt kit, but that is likely overkill for this location and a normal 2-bolt flange would work fine. Even better if you can get one that uses donut gaskets instead of the thin metal flat ones. Overall, this should be even easier to replicate on an RX330 or RX350 / 2004-2007 Highlander as the pipe mainly travels on the passenger side, instead of the driver's side. I will be doing this on my RX when I have my system made.
Highlander - See how nice and tidy that is? The pipe is a lot more straight side-to-side and up-and-down
RX - A bit of a disaster
The removal of the factory resonator, muffler & replacing the factory cat with a flat-shaped Magnaflow 91005 on my Highlander allowed me to achieve a relatively "flat" under body with nothing hanging low. I think it really completes the car and is the way it should have come from the factory. Toyota/Lexus didn't pay a lot of attention to areas like this on our cars in my opinion, so going back and achieving this was a nice touch. I bet if you looked your car is basically flat underneath now after the exhaust system, like my Highlander. No more cat or enormous, restrictive muffler.
Big, tall muffler. The flat dual Mustang one is definitely going to tuck up completely in there at only 3" tall vs the 6" for the stock one. They're both about 22" long, factory one is 12" wide vs 9" for Mustang. Still deciding on location, etc.
The shop did tuck the exhaust in very nicely - which adds a lot of ground clearance there, the cat and oem muffler were placed really close to the ground! Yeah I still have that big bend to the resonator. I would like to improve the look from the back - my car looks like a stock mall goer still. I agree, especially after "waking up the engine" that exhaust is just designed to provide the average Lexus owner with a super quiet drive. Frankly, seems a bit excessive for a people mover to have such a capable motor and just kind of hide it away. My car is a beast now! My current issue with the exhaust now is that I love the Y pipe less restriction, but I went TOO LOUD on the muffler. I was so focused on them doing the Y pipe I did not ask enough questions about the muffler choices. The Borla is very loud between 2-3 grand but fantastic at speed. It is also exhaust-leak loud off the line if I don't really baby it. This car either needs to go bold with big wide black wheels and coilovers to match that exhuast or I think a calmer muffler and more mellow wheels to present a more stealth presentation? The Borla they installed is welded in so I will have to see about how I might change it out myself or take it back and have them weld in a new one. I looked at Magnaflow and the Vibrant choices online - when I woke with modder remorse!. It sounds and drives like a total bad *** right now. I will take a recording video when I can : ) The coilovers have shipped!!! I ordered the camber bolts again! I ordered wheel studs and the front sway bar bushing too. The car is really ready for a sequential shifter. I think paddles on an AWD 3.5 would be really cool. I believe you have the motor they put into the Lotus Evora? If it is supercharged that is the Evora GT?! : )
“People mover with a capable motor” That sums up my 2008 RX350 perfectly! Thing hauls azz as well as it does groceries. I think Borla exclusively makes 14” case rectangular mufflers and the rest of their lineup is high-flow cylinder / bottle resonators. Do you happen to have a pic of that Borla they put on? Would love to see how it sits vs OEM.
Magnaflow has some 18” and even larger case size rectangular and cylindrical mufflers to choose from. I have the parts nos. saved - I’d just have to see how your new system looks to know the inlets / outlet locations. Vibrant, like Borla also sticks to smaller sizes like a 15” case max size rectangular muffler.
Hopefully this big boy is quiet enough despite being straight through!
Man, your car is clean - I’m jealous! Looks like the Borla is decently large so hopefully I don’t get too much drone from my straight through setup! Cat delete probably increased the volume too. I wonder if a larger 15” resonator would help the volume some.
Looks like FWDs definitely still have that dumb bend. I noticed Borla does make some 19” cases as well under their “ProXS” line, maybe that is one of them? Certainly looks like one. Rectangular resonator might be a super tight squeeze / impossible with the trailer hitch. For reference: Stock resonator = 6" diameter / width, the Vibrant I want to go with has a 9" case width. Tight squeeze for sure, but Magnaflow has some more compact rectangular ones with an 8" width.
I got lucky! Oh.. not that way - hah! EXHAUST: The guys at JC Muffler, Oregon USA really did some nice work for me. When I told them my brother used to race dirt bikes (they do race stuff too) and I had seen pictures of the squashed together oem Y pipe on this forum - they cut the old one out with a saw and brought it in to show me!! Studying the pictures I took post install -- they really did a lot of quality work (welds and bends etc) for the measly fee they charged me. I think this is the mother of all 3.3 Y pipes(!): 2.5 in 2.5 out. Wow! They combo'd it with a Borla muffler and the stock resonator (unfortunately I neglected to fully absorb info from MattRX on muffler choices - but luckily I would not go with a straight-pipe without really knowing what I was going for, and I think(?) they made a pretty sensible choice. The guys said this would help wake it up, and it has certainly has. I think this has really changed the character of the engine - which in turn has changed the character of the whole car for me. I have a K&N filter which also made a difference (I will run the Purolator filter when I work/camp/drive in dusty forest service roads - thanks MattRX for the filter post). Initial observations: noticeable audio and throttle difference, while not being too loud (very subjective). I got the audio feedback and pedal connection I was hoping for (my first v6). The exhaust sound is a little gurgly in spots on the low rev(?) but it can be quiet-cruising or give you a responsive tone/feel with a downshift etc. Not too bad at start up with noise for neighbors or off from a stop light. It could be a hair quieter,smoother? I will have to live with it to see. It may not be that much louder than stock - at this point I am hard of hearing anyway. I think my mom (who loved the muffler sound on the old 240z) would approve - but this set up is a little more aggressive still. Here is a pic of that lucky-score-Y-pipe. Looks bone stock from the back.
Awesome looking Y-pipe....The mz's look like you can run a tighter cleaner Y-pipe......
UPDATE: I have had the Ceika coilovers on my car for about three weeks now! I went with 10F and 7R spring rates. the install shop could only get 5cm drop on the front set, so we matched the back - which had room in the coilover for more drop. I think we dropped the car about half its original fender gap height (4inches down to 2inches) (drop of 5cm). The car tracks like a very different vehicle! It is Very planted to the road. On abrupt, from-low-speed, throttle-slams the car no longer wheelies and torque steers. Great turn initiation and Way less body roll. Very stable tracking through turns. It is really well balance to make adjustments mid turn. The coilovers combined with the exhaust, waking the engine up, this car feels to me like a "BMW killer" now (I have never driven a beamer - but we raced dirt bikes as kids). A very high end Audi tailgating me up Highway 1 (with those ohh so lovely led headlights) and could not even keep up with me as we wound down two-lanes-twisty coming into Pacifica - and I was not driving aggressively at all. This car is a sleeper! I am just very confident in the car and how it feels. I can do mountain freeway turns without any driver or car stress at all.
I am sure a track racer would have an more informed opinion, but I feel this configuration would be a good start towards a DD/track car combo. For a solely DD I think the suspension is a little too firm (I do love the handling and towing). When I hit a big dip/bump on the freeway the car can really launch up dramatically - including everything inside of it! On gravel roads a pothole bottoms the suspension hard, even at very moderate speeds. I think both are to be expected with the amazing turn in, but I have put a queries into Ceika about maybe running 8F 6R springs. I am okay avoiding big potholes (vs with the oem) if that is the trade off, but I would like to address the big jumping over dips. This is not bouncing - but jumping. I have also inquired about what a rally coilover would perform like? I may continue to tune the suspension or live with it as is.
In regards to damping I have a few questio9ns into Ceika. I currently run 10 clicks damping (out of 30 click range) on all four corners. At zero clicks the coilovers bounced on even small bumps. I figured the firm springs needed more damping. I am not sure how even more damping would feel or when I would want that? I am also curious if damping should differ front and back given different spring rates etc? So I have more adjusting and learning to do. It has been a fun(!) process for me.
The blue 19mm Cusco sway bar finally arrived. I am wondering how it will feel? I also wonder if the 8F 6R springs may provide enough firmness when paired with the swaybar? I know I could go with an even bigger sway bar - but I feel I like the driveability factor - as this is not a track car for me (though itching to get it onto an autocross or track day for grins!).
The lasts things I will do to the car aside from minor tweaks are: install rear sway bar and new 'better' front sway bar bushings. Change power steering fluid for better feel. Look for an oem or other sequential shifter and module - and find out how to install them. I really like using the shifter for spirited driving, car balance using throttle and when towing heavy stuff. I keep struggling with the current shifter.
In summer I will likely purchase wider wheels (18X8 30offset either oem 2016 or aftermarket) and 'summer tires.' I will likely upgrade the brakes when the rotors need replacing - but they are fine now. Can anyone still reading this recommend a less dusty brake pad with good street performance?
The exhaust is still a little loud (Bwaaap!!! if you smash the throttle at low rpms). Other than than that I love it! and would even take it louder/more defined (so I can hear it in the cab and get a really nice low speed purr/rumble out of it) (and I like the idea of the engine sound announcing my intentions sometimes - but never obnoxious - just the closer you get the more you see the sleeper potential). I just love the sound of that v6 - even if not the 3.5liter. For a DD it could be less bwaaapy and more detailed. Another area where an experienced tuner would really help. In retrospect - the more expensive exhaust shop had that process built into their service - but I went to the affordable shop! So, it was luck of the draw on what I got. I may go with a high flow cat (to say I have one) in front of a slightly bigger muffler and then reduce or delete the rear resonator? Ideas are appreciated. I will continue to live with it for a while first.
Thanks MattRx and others for the great part finding information! This would have been a lot harder without it!
Here is a picture and a pull before the coilovers were installed. Sorry for the poor quality video (if it posts!).
Ceika coilovers, 5cm drop, 17x oem wheels Ceika coilovers, 5cm drop, 17x oem wheels
THAT'S HOTTT! I love it man, good work and thanks for the informative update! 2" drop looks great, I think I'll run either that or maybe 2.5", depending on how low my coilovers will let me go. "BMW killer" that's how I describe my Highlander! These things are great when they've got the right suspension setup. It gives a lot of surprises to tailgating folks when I casually rip it on the on-ramp. The sway bar will be a welcome upgrade and you'll love it! I didn't notice a massive comfort difference between the OEM 16mm rear and 23mm front one and 22mm rear and 26mm one on my Highlander unless I hit a speed bump with one side, it just feels more connected and less floaty rather than springy (think solid axle pickup Vs. dune buggy with lots of articulation) the real comfort was lost when I went to some super stiff Prothane bushings which I couldn't tolerate after a year, but rubber is 100% A-OK! even with my massive brackets and 22.2mm bar. Mine's an AWD but I don't imagine a FWD would experience too much of a different affect on comfort as the architecture is largely similar.
I'd proudly own a 3.3 L, I prefer the more growly, grunty 3.0 sound of my Highlander vs the 3.5 in my RX, although I think they both sound pretty good. Working on 3.0/3.3 is easier too. The H&R springs in my Highlander are a little bouncy/jumpy too, it can get slightly squirrelly if you hit a big bump while in a corner, the downside of my overly stiff springs for a strut only 15% stiffer than stock, but a decent compromise for DD. I would love to hear how your experiments go with adjusting the dampening, etc with the coilovers. Do your Ceikas just have a single **** for both rebound and compression? This is a far-fetched guess, but you may be losing a little adjustability from them both being combined. I'm going to have to get some coilovers after this!
- Up to 328x34mm sized front rotors with the new RAV4P and 2021 Sienna, still uses 3rd gen RX pads too
- Up to 340x28mm sized front rotors with the 2021+ Highlander, but these use a new pad style which isn't readily available, plus you can't run 17" wheels anymore with these
- Up to 310x18mm sized rear vented IS350 rotors with the 3rd gen Euro calipers, but these are pretty hard to find!
For pads, I like the Raybestos EHT pads I tried along with Akebono Pro-ACT. For fluid I run ATE TYP200, a little "overkill" but we need a lot for the E46 M3 for track days so it just gets used on all the cars and gets changed regularly. The EHTs are cheaper (almost half) and work great with only a slight amount of more dust and noise than the Pro-ACTs which are basically silent. I prefer the EHTs and I want to try Hawk Street Performance pads next (Felix is running these) with my 3rd gen RX caliper setups. Autocross didn't get anything on the car anywhere heated enough to see points of failure, so I want to see how long these non-track pads last. Too bad they don't make any track pads for our cars, my friends with their 2015 Charger 5.7 Pursuit have the same problem. We're no pros by any means, but all three of us could only go about 4 8/10ths laps in before we had to pull in because the front brakes were getting cooked (Akebono ASP pads, the most aggressive we could find for the Pursuit brakes other than poop Powerstops). Those are some big 370x32mm rotors too, but that car is a HEAVY beast and has a lot more power than mine, so I think I would fare a lot better.
Your RX sounds fantastic! Definitely louder than the Highlander but I prefer the sound of it for sure.
If anyone gets a check engine light while doing this like I did, it's from removing the immobilizer to change the LED in it. Code is B2796
I'm in the process of swapping every single light in the entire Highlander interior. The RX and Highlander and most Toyotas seem to use PLCC-2 / 3528 LEDs, I think it's turning out great so far and I may do my RX next. I did some yellow inspired by our M3. Definitely changes the feel of the whole car. You can get red needles from a Lexus ES330 too if you want a change from the dentist office white. I do have to make some light shields though as the light seems to bleed through with yellow.
Since you have a straight-through exhaust it will be a little louder and "bwappy". I think if you replace that useless tiny 9"x6" can resonator with the largest and longest oval/rectangular straight-through muffler you can fit in there, it should make a difference at cutting down some unwanted drone/frequencies from coming into the cabin. If you could find a baffled 14" muffler to go in there, it would probably be as quiet as my Highlander. With the mileage our cars have, I wouldn't be surprised if all the packing material in the original resonator is all blown-out by now. Also, a theory I have on this low-rpm drone off the line might be related to the exhaust systems on 2004-2009 RX rather than the exhaust itself. Even my 2008 RX350 with the vacuum cleaner stock exhaust has a pretty annoying droning that resonates into the cabin when you're launching hard off the line. It is probably even more pronounced when the exhaust is modified. On my Highlander, I can mash it from a standstill and have sound echoing off buildings/tunnel and the interior stays very quiet. I want to try driving some 2004-2007 Highlanders and seeing if this phenomenon exists on them too. I always wondered if it was because the exhaust was changed on later models: small resonator at the back, big baffled muffler in the middle Vs. the old design of: Big baffled muffler at the back near bumper, big resonator in the middle.
Probably going to pick these up soon for my RX, they're being sold locally, take-off from a 2010 RX350. Weapon R Sienna long tube headers for the 2GR-FE! I'm expecting to have to make a custom setup to accommodate the rear header, but I wanted to do a whole system anyway.
Guess who just got some headers! Weapon R 2011-2017 Sienna SS headers! The worksmanship on these is impressive! 304 stainless steel (not magnetic at all), all measurements perfect on the dot, beautiful welds and no rust! They will need a little bit of a cleaning but these guys are looking awesome! I'm doing the entire exhaust on the car, all out! Full dual 2.25" exhaust w/ x-pipe, Magnaflow hi-flow cats w/ 02 bungs relocated to avoid CEL from headers, 22" resonator and still deciding on what to go with on the back, I'm torn between some 18" straight-through oval mufflers, or some 14" baffled oval mufflers followed by some 304 stainless steel 9" Ford Mustang GT exhaust tips. Rest of the system is going to be 409 stainless. I will also be buying new exhaust manifold studs and nuts because I am betting some will break. STAY TUNED!
Thanks! I got them for a very affordable price and they're getting hard to find now as stock is dwindling (they were a very limited production). I wasn't planning my exhaust until next year, but the bad bank 2 cat gave me a great excuse to do this! Should save me a lot of hassle of taking off & putting back on the old manifolds if I were to get some new cats welded to them. These should sound great and free up some ponies, especially after I get it tuned after the exhaust.
Here is a full write-up I did of the dash, plus another user's example in red. The RX uses the same dash SMD chips as the 2001-2007 Highlander (and most Toyota / Lexus) and shares most of the switch lights. Red turned out amazing on his car!
11-17-22, 03:31 PM
