By Willy · Founder & Lead Diesel SpecialistWillys Workshop · Oxley & Warana · 20+ years hands-on diesel experience
Three questions decide it. Which section of the exhaust are you replacing, do you want aluminised or stainless, and is the thing going to drone at 100 on the highway. Get those three right and the part number falls out of them. Complete Manta diesel systems in our catalogue start at $663.04 and run to $4,653.72, with fitting on top.
Manta is an Australian performance exhaust manufacturer whose range covers 4×4, street performance and American truck applications (Manta Performance). We stock the range. If you already know what you want, go straight to the Manta exhaust range.
At a glance
- The name tells you where the system starts. DPF-back begins behind the diesel particulate filter, cat-back behind the catalytic converter, turbo-back at the turbo outlet.
- For a modern turbo diesel with a filter, a DPF-back system is almost always the right answer.
- Complete diesel systems in our range start from $663.04 for a 3in DPF-back on a Mazda BT-50 3.2L, and run to $4,653.72 for a 4in dual DPF-back on a V8 79 Series ute.
- Aluminised is good value inland. Stainless is worth the difference near the coast.
- Drone is a resonance problem, not a volume problem. A quieter system is not automatically drone free.
- We also stock the Manta no-cat engine pipes, dump pipes and turbo-back systems, from $196.63.
Quick Links
- What Manta makes
- DPF-back, cat-back or turbo-back
- Aluminised or stainless
- What it costs
- Off-road and competition hardware
- Fitment, and the two rules that save returns
- Noise and drone
- Common questions
What Manta makes
Mandrel bent systems, across three areas: 4×4, street performance and American trucks.
Mandrel bending puts a support inside the tube while it is being bent, so the pipe holds its full diameter around the curve instead of crushing down and narrowing at exactly the point where you least want a restriction. A press bent pipe of the same nominal size flows worse for that reason alone, and it is most of the difference between a cheap system and a good one.
They also supply the pieces a workshop builds with, bends and flex bellows and gaskets and fittings, which is the part of the range nobody thinks about until they need it. A rusted section on an otherwise sound system does not have to mean a whole new system. Neither does a ute with a tray and a long range tank where the off-the-shelf run will not sit.
Here is what our own Manta catalogue holds by section, counted on 25 July 2026. One system design creates many listings, because each vehicle, body style and diameter gets its own, so read these as catalogue coverage rather than a count of distinct designs.
| Section | Listings in our Manta catalogue |
|---|---|
| Mufflers | 1,427 |
| Extractors and manifolds | 1,359 |
| DPF-back systems | 650 |
| Cat-back systems | 541 |
| Tips and tailpipes | 306 |
| Engine and down pipes | 121 |
Components such as bends, flex bellows and gaskets sit across several of those categories rather than in a separate line.
DPF-back, cat-back or turbo-back
This is where most people get stuck, and it is simpler than the names make it sound.
| System | Replaces | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| DPF-back | Everything behind the diesel particulate filter | The DPF outlet flange |
| Cat-back | Everything behind the catalytic converter | The converter outlet flange |
| Turbo-back | Everything from the turbo outlet back, including the dump pipe | The turbo outlet |
A diesel particulate filter traps soot in the exhaust and periodically burns it off. If your vehicle has one, DPF-back is the usual pick, and it is comfortably the most common 4×4 diesel exhaust we sell. It bolts to the factory flange, it does not touch the emissions hardware, and it gets you the flow and the note for the least work.
Turbo-back is the bigger job, because it starts further forward and takes in the dump pipe off the turbo. That dump pipe is the single most restrictive section on a factory diesel, which is why a turbo-back changes more than anything else on this page, and also why it costs the most. More steel, more labour, more of the exhaust replaced. Manta build them both with a converter fitted and without one, so you will see the same vehicle in our catalogue twice at two different prices.
Budget a tune with it. Change that much of the exhaust and the factory fuel and boost maps no longer match what the engine can breathe, so a turbo-back is one of the few exhaust jobs that genuinely wants diesel tuning afterwards to get the benefit and keep exhaust gas temperatures where they belong. A DPF-back or cat-back on its own does not ask the same question.
Cat-back is for vehicles with a converter but no filter, which means most petrol 4x4s and the older diesels.
Aluminised or stainless
Both do the job. What separates them is how long they last where you live.
Aluminised steel is mild steel with an aluminium-silicon coating. Inland, on a ute that does not spend its life in mud or salt, it lasts a long time and costs meaningfully less.
Stainless steel earns the difference near the coast, in salt, or on a vehicle that sees regular water crossings. It is also the call if you intend to keep the ute. Systems almost never rust through in the middle of a straight pipe; they go at the joints and the hangers, and that is exactly where stainless holds up.
For most coastal Queensland owners, stainless. For a farm ute inland, aluminised is sensible money.
One practical note. Material is not stated in every product title, so confirm it on the specific part number before ordering rather than assuming from the range.
What it costs
The spread on complete systems is wider than almost anyone expects, and the reason is not brand positioning or margin. It is steel. How much of it, and across how many separate runs.
Prices below are for complete Manta systems on 25 July 2026, the cheapest listing per vehicle, with single sections such as connecting pipes, tail pipes and dump pipes excluded so the rows compare like with like.
| Vehicle and system | Fuel | From |
|---|---|---|
| Mazda BT-50 3.2L, 3in DPF-back | Diesel | $663.04 |
| LandCruiser VDJ76 V8 wagon, 3in DPF-back | Diesel | $686.08 |
| Toyota Hilux N70 GGN 4.0L V6, 2.5in cat-back, centre muffler and rear hotdog | Petrol | $773.17 |
| Nissan Patrol GU 4.5L, 2.5in cat-back, centre muffler and rear hotdog | Petrol | $861.25 |
| Nissan NP300 Navara, 3in DPF-back | Diesel | $886.52 |
| LandCruiser VDJ79 V8 ute, 3in DPF-back | Diesel | $1,004.92 |
| Ford Ranger PX Raptor 2.0L, 4in DPF-back | Diesel | $1,200.79 |
| LandCruiser 300 Series V6, 3in DPF-back without muffler, 4in chrome tip | Diesel | $2,067.99 |
| LandCruiser VDJ79 V8 ute 2016 on, 4in dual DPF-back without muffler | Diesel | $4,653.72 |
Two rows in that table are petrol and will mislead you if you skim. The Hilux N70 GGN and the Patrol GU 4.5L are cat-back systems because those vehicles have no filter, so they are not the diesel floor. The cheapest complete diesel system here is the BT-50 3.2L DPF-back at $663.04.
Then there is the jump at the bottom, and it is worth understanding before you get a quote and assume someone has made a mistake. The 4 inch dual system for a V8 79 Series is not seven times better than the 3 inch single for a BT-50. It is roughly seven times the steel, laid out in twice the number of runs, for an engine shifting far more exhaust volume. Own a V8 LandCruiser and you should budget the exhaust as a stage in its own right rather than a bolt-on you tack onto another job.
Run the logic the other way and a smaller diesel ute takes one 3 inch run and lands near the bottom of the range, which is where the BT-50 and the NP300 Navara sit.
If you are building a 79 Series rather than just replacing a tired system, the exhaust is one stage inside a longer sequence, and the order you do things in matters more than any single part. That is set out in our 79 Series LandCruiser build order guide.
Fitting is extra. A straight bolt-in is short work; a ute wearing a tray, a rear bar and aftermarket suspension can take considerably longer to get clearance right.
Off-road and competition hardware
Manta build a parallel line of engine pipes, dump pipes and turbo-back systems supplied without a catalytic converter, for off-road and competition vehicles. We stock them. These are the current prices from our catalogue.
| Part | From |
|---|---|
| LandCruiser VDJ78/79 V8 Troop Carrier and Ute, 3in engine pipe without cat | $196.63 |
| Hilux KUN26R 3.0L TDI, 3in engine pipe with flex, no cat | $295.69 |
| D-Max, MU-X and BT-50 3.0L 4JJ1-TC and 4JJ3, dump pipe without cat, EGT and o2 ports | $757.90 |
| D-Max, MU-X and BT-50 3.0L 4JJ1-TC and 4JJ3, dump pipe without cat, DPF sensor ports | $969.64 |
| LandCruiser 300 Series V6, 3in turbo-back dump pipe without cat, flex and sensor ports | $977.78 |
| Ford Ranger PX and PX2 3.2L pre-DPF, 3in turbo-back without cat, without muffler | $1,340.98 |
| Nissan NP300 Navara, 3in turbo-back without cat, without muffler | $1,864.13 |
| Isuzu D-Max 2020 on 3.0L, turbo-back without cat, without muffler | $1,973.09 |
| LandCruiser GDJ79 2.8L 2023 on, 3in turbo-back without cat, without muffler | $2,395.73 |
| LandCruiser 300 Series V6, 3in turbo-back without cat, without muffler, 4in chrome tip | $2,963.03 |
This group is intended for off-road and competition use. Everything in it lives in our engine and down pipes and DPF-back listings, and the same vehicles are also catalogued with a converter fitted if that is what you are after.
Fitment, and the two rules that save returns
An exhaust is built to a specific vehicle, engine, body style and often a build date window. A system that suits a dual cab will not necessarily suit the single cab or the cab chassis wearing the same badge, and the DPF and non-DPF versions of one vehicle take different parts entirely.
Two rules save most returns:
- Order against your build date and engine code, not the model year on the registration paper. Manufacturers change specification mid-run and the model badge does not follow it. A PX2 Ranger 3.2 can be pre-DPF or post-DPF depending on when it was built, and the two take different systems, which is why our own listings carry “PX and PX2 pre-DPF” rather than a model year.
- Check clearance before you order if the vehicle has a tray, long range tank, dual battery tray or rear bar.
If you are not certain, send us the VIN and we will confirm the correct part before you buy.
Noise and drone
A performance exhaust is louder than factory. Nobody buys one to make their ute quieter. The regret, when it comes, is almost never about volume.
Drone is a low frequency resonance that shows up at one particular engine speed, and with the luck these things run to, it is usually the speed you sit at all the way to Roma. It wears you down over four hours in a way that a hard note at full throttle never does. It comes from resonance in the system rather than from how loud that system is, which is why a quieter exhaust is not automatically a drone free one, and why two systems with the same claimed sound level can be completely different to live with.
Two practical points:
- Systems with a resonator or a second muffler generally control highway drone better than a straight through single muffler design. That is why several systems in the range are described as centre muffler plus rear hotdog rather than a single can.
- If you tow, listen to a fitted example at highway speed before committing. Towing changes engine load and often changes exactly where drone appears.
Noise limits are set state by state and checked with a stationary test: the vehicle is held at a set engine speed while a meter reads the level a fixed distance from the tailpipe. There is no single national number because the limit depends on vehicle class and build date. The external noise standard for light vehicles is ADR 83/00, published with the rest of the Australian Design Rules by the Department of Infrastructure, and each state applies it. A properly muffled system fitted properly sits inside the limit without drama. The one that gets pulled up is the straight pipe with nothing in it.
Common questions
Is a Manta exhaust legal in Australia?
Yes. A DPF-back, cat-back or turbo-back system that leaves the filter and converter where they are is a straightforward road upgrade. Check your state noise limit, which is measured with a stationary test at a set engine speed.
What is the difference between DPF-back and cat-back?
The name says where the system starts. DPF-back replaces everything behind the diesel particulate filter and is the usual choice on a modern turbo diesel. Cat-back replaces everything behind the catalytic converter and applies to vehicles without a filter.
Will a Manta exhaust add power?
It reduces restriction, which drops exhaust gas temperature and lets the turbo work with less back pressure behind it. On a diesel that temperature benefit is usually worth more to you than the peak power number, and it matters most under sustained load, which is to say when you are towing. Meaningful power gains want a tune alongside the exhaust.
Aluminised or stainless for a coastal vehicle?
Stainless. Salt air attacks joints and hangers first, and that is where aluminised systems fail, though inland it is still good value.
Will it drone on the highway?
Depends on the system design and your vehicle, not on how loud it is. Systems with a resonator or a second muffler generally control drone better. If you tow, listen to a fitted example under load before you commit.
How much does a Manta exhaust cost?
For a diesel, complete systems in our range start from $663.04 for a 3in DPF-back on a Mazda BT-50 3.2L and run to $4,653.72 for a 4in dual DPF-back on a V8 79 Series ute. Petrol 4×4 cat-back systems start from $773.17 on a Hilux N70 GGN V6. Material and section count drive most of that spread, with platform age and production volume moving it about a bit either way. Fitting is extra.
Shop the Manta range
We stock the Manta range across 4×4, street performance and American truck applications.
- Manta exhaust, the full range
- DPF-back systems
- Cat-back systems
- Mufflers
- Extractors and manifolds
Start from your make instead
Six and a half thousand listings is a lot to scroll. These go straight to the Manta range for one make, which is usually the faster way in.
Or work from the vehicle rather than the brand, in which case these pages hold everything we stock for that platform: LandCruiser, Patrol, Ranger, Hilux, Navara, Triton, Prado, D-Max and BT-50.
Not sure which suits your vehicle? Send us the VIN and build date through our contact page and we will confirm fitment before you order.
Willys Workshop has been working on diesel 4WDs for more than 20 years across our Brisbane and Sunshine Coast workshops. You can read more about us and how we work.
Last updated: July 2026
