Redback Extreme Duty on a Toyota Hilux — 2.8 GD and 3.0 D4D reviewed
The two most common Hilux exhaust jobs we quote: Redback's 3-inch DPF-back for the 2.8L GD and the turbo-back for the older 3.0L D4D — fitment notes, pricing and what to expect.
Topics
The Hilux is the vehicle we quote exhausts for more than any other, and Redback's Extreme Duty kits cover both generations that matter: the current 2.8L 1GD-FTV (2015-on, including SR5, Rogue and GR Sport) and the older 3.0L D4D. Here is how the two systems stack up from the fitting side.
2.8L GD-FTV: 3-inch DPF-back
This is the easy one — a full 3-inch (76mm) DPF-back in 409 stainless that bolts to the factory DPF flange and replaces everything rearward. Redback lists it around the $850 mark on sale, and quotes roughly an hour of fitting time, which matches what we see on the hoist for a clean truck. The factory system on the GD Hilux is restrictive and tinny; the Redback gives it a deeper, more serious tone without turning the cab into a drum. With the resonator centre section it stays civil on the highway.
3.0L D4D: 3-inch turbo-back
The older D4D system is a turbo-back, available with or without a 200-cell high-flow diesel-spec cat, priced around $1,100. Honest fitment note that owners on the Hilux forums also flag: the dump pipe section at the turbo is fiddly — access is tight and it is the one part of the job where workshop experience genuinely saves knuckles and time. The rest of the system goes together as easily as the GD kit.
What you will notice
On a tuned or towing diesel, the freer-flowing system helps the turbo spool earlier and lowers exhaust gas temperatures under load — which is exactly why the kits include an EGT probe boss in the engine pipe. Redback does not publish dyno or decibel figures and neither will we; what we can say is the tone change is significant, the metalwork is tidy, and the hangers line up with the factory rubbers.
Verdict
For a Hilux that works for a living, the Extreme Duty kit is the sensible middle path between a cheap aluminised replacement and a full custom stainless build. Register the warranty within 6 months to get the 10-year cover, pick the sound section around how much highway driving you do, and if it is the D4D turbo-back, let a workshop with a hoist deal with the dump pipe.
Book the right exhaust job without guessing.
Send the vehicle make, model, year, engine, current issue and the result you want so the workshop can scope the right repair, system or fabrication slot.