Dual exhaust: what say you?

III · 05-21-06, 12:29

What are people's opinion about dual exhaust on half ton, 4 wheel drive trucks?

Accumulator · 05-21-06, 12:32

[Disclaimer: I know nothing about trucks but I do know about dual exhausts on cars]

If you don't have one you oughta get one. Get a good one. Read reviews as there can be significant differences in sound and performance.

chpsk8 · 05-21-06, 12:47

Depends in the function. Noise, or power?

Do your research. Sometimes adding duals does nothing for power. Other times it reduces it, and every once in a while it increases it. Look for products with reliable dyno sheets available. If you're looking for power you'll probably have to add a real cold air intake, which is another bit of research to make sure you're not just getting an internet over hyped dryer duct that actually sucks more heat than less.

I have neither on my Ram. I went with a power programmer instead. There wasn't enough evidence in regards to dyno testing to say that those mods actually improved anything beyond the sound.

lbls1 · 05-21-06, 01:52

I would not waste the opportunity. V8's are still relatively rare (except for suv's and trucks), and the sound of a v8 through a well plumbed dual exhaust is one the best car sounds you will ever hear. Who cares what others think as long as you're happy and its legal!

III · 05-21-06, 03:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by chpsk8

Depends in the function. Noise, or power?

Noise. I don't know if it's worth the money though. What about gas mileage? Will it decrease? If so, by how much?

RTexasF · 05-21-06, 03:53

V-8+duals=

wytstang · 05-21-06, 04:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by chpsk8

Depends in the function. Noise, or power?

Do your research. Sometimes adding duals does nothing for power. Other times it reduces it, and every once in a while it increases it.

Adding duals has never decreased power in any v8 vehicle it has always added. Factory exhausts are not hp/tq friendly, just look at the factory headers they look like turds. Adding a free flowing exhaust will help the engine perform better period. An efficient working motor in a happy motor using less gas (improving gas mileage) to perform the same task.

Quote:

If you're looking for power you'll probably have to add a real cold air intake, which is another bit of research to make sure you're not just getting an internet over hyped dryer duct that actually sucks more heat than less.

So whats the point of letting more air in if you can 't let it out???
The fist rule of hotroding (which stays true for every car known to man) is if it can't exhale it pointless to let it inhale. A motor is nothing more then a huge air pump (air in/air out) the better the air moves the more efficient it is at making hp/tq. .02

lbls1 · 05-21-06, 04:41

What Wytstang said!

Surfer · 05-21-06, 04:44

Well I just sold my 03' V8 Mountaineer (4.6 V8). I had a Mac Intake, headers, and a true dual exhaust with a custom x-pipe. I used two CGS mufflers. Truck sounded badass, ton's better then a similar setup I heard with Flowmaster 40's. It sounded more like a Cobra. Not obnoxiously loud like you hear on a lot of pickups, just a deep, very aggressive sound. And what a burble at idle, Ford's modular motors have that watery burble down low and at idle that I love.

I still have my 00' 5.0 Mountaineer for now, and it's stock. I'm getting bored of not hearing that ripping V8 sound lol. Ordering a Mac Intake and having another custom dual exhaust made, though this time just using a dual inlet/outlet CGS muffler.

I can tell you this, with the mods on my 03', I could pull high 14's in the 1/4 at Moroso, pretty damn quick for a regular suv with just those bolt ons. Fords 5 speed auto keeps the engine in the power band constantly with 3.73 gears, and Ford really bottlenecks their trucks/suv's in terms of intake/exhaust flow. Plus I use to get 16 mpg in the city with a lead foot, and 22-23 mpg highway at 80-85.

What I hate is when you hear trucks/suv's with what are obviously glasspacks, ugghhh, that's one way to ruin the sound of a V8. Even when we still had our 502 Chevelle, we kept a full exhaust on as the sound of straight pipes or glasspacks even on a muscle car IMO make the engine sound all hollowy/raspy. But I guess some people like it raspy so.....

ncsu602 · 05-21-06, 06:25

I did it for sound, even though the Borla ProXS wasn't much louder than stock. I'm still happy I did it, but I couldn't tell any difference as far as power or gas mileage.

The only advice I can give you (which has already been said) is to put something with a good sound on it. I'd look at 70 series Flowmaster, unless you wanna go really expensive and get a Corsa or B&B Triflo.

Just like Surfer said, stay away from glasspacks. Here in NC I didn't think you could get a full size truck without glasspacks for a while. Everyone had that setup, and with smaller piping it's the worst sound imagineable. I've heard a V8 Dodge Dakota with a 70 series Flow, and I was very impressed. It was very quiet at idle, but you could tell it was a flowmaster when you put your foot in it.

chpsk8 · 05-21-06, 06:38

[quote=wytstang]Adding duals has never decreased power in any v8 vehicle it has always added. Factory exhausts are not hp/tq friendly, just look at the factory headers they look like turds. Adding a free flowing exhaust will help the engine perform better period. An efficient working motor in a happy motor using less gas (improving gas mileage) to perform the same task.

That is a fallacy. There are many many documented cases where adding duals has reduced power. Of couse it is minimal, but it is a reduction. It is caused by moving the torque curve to an inefficent part of the curve thus causing reduction in power. You may gain HP, but lose torque, which is the true power maker and is also the butt dyno tell all. I know people hate to hear it, but its true. You can't have a blanket statement claiming all duals are going to increase performance. (unless you just listen to manufacturer claims.)

Hang out at DodgeTalk for a couple years and check out those dissapointed dyno sheets that show up.

FWIW, when Superchips was building the programmer for the 4.7L Rams they had a couple trucks come in for testing with different mods. One had duals and a homemade CAI. It dyno'd the same as the stock truck as far as peaks, but the peak had moved up the sheet 700 rpm. So this guy lost all his low end grunt and moved it up the scale where it wasn't as useful. Unless you're into 30-55 runs. + this guy now had $500 in mods, and no gain, except noise.

Surfer · 05-21-06, 07:58

If your going to run true duals you have to have the right piping size. On my other Mountaineer I had the two CGS mufflers with 2.5" piping run out. I actually gained low end torque and obviously more mid/high range power. Some of the guys with that truck that just wanted a single side exit exhaust for example, they had 3" piping ran out. I almost had 3" piping run out on mine at the time, but that was b/c I almost swapped in an 03' Cobra engine and Kenne Bell blower