Stacks on a gas truck

So, I know this is a topic that is constantly debated over but I always see that its a matter of opinion. I just want some good answers on this topic and not just its stupid or ***.

First off, I love the way stacks look on trucks. Especially lifted trucks. And half the time, they sound great. I dont care if its a diesel or gas truck as long as its done right.

Secondly, is there any proof that putting stacks on a gas truck actually kills HP or MPG? The only thing I ever find when I try to research this stuff is just a bunch of diesel owners tellin owners of the gas trucks that their ***.

third, what is the history of exhaust stacks? Ive heard from multiple people that it actually started with gas trucks first.

Buddy of mine had an early 80s ford with straight piped stacks. It was loud but sounded terrible and the cab noise was unbearable.

If you have a muffler and small diameter pipes it shouldn't be too bad.
Same goes with mpg and hp. You don't want a giant 6inch stack. Then you will probably lose hp and mpg . Imo I wouldnt do it. Plus it takes up bed space. If you haul stuff like me every little bit of bed space is needed.

05singlecabHEMI said:

Buddy of mine had an early 80s ford with straight piped stacks. It was loud but sounded terrible and the cab noise was unbearable.

If you have a muffler and small diameter pipes it shouldn't be too bad.
Same goes with mpg and hp. You don't want a giant 6inch stack. Then you will probably lose hp and mpg . Imo I wouldnt do it. Plus it takes up bed space. If you haul stuff like me every little bit of bed space is needed.

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Everything is stock for my exhaust system but thats one of my main questions. Is there proof that it kills HP and MPG? I obviously wouldnt do huge stacks, but maybe 4 or 5 inch. Havent figured out if I would go dual or just a single, but is there a difference between dual and single? performance wise? If anything, i want to make the perfomance better, not worse.

There have been stacks on gassers before there were light duty diesel trucks!



It's purely aesthetics. with a proper muffler installed prior to the stacks, they might act as an eco chamber which'd add to drone a bit.
But hurt MPG n such, only if installed in place of muffler etc. It would be no different than losing back pressure from a straight pipe.
I was looking at a mid 90's Ram 2500 for a project, I had ever intent of putting stacks on it. I DGAF what other think about it.

Hell Mr Norm made a modern Lil Red Express (oddly, not based off an Express!)

WhiteExpress said:

There have been stacks on gassers before there were light duty diesel trucks!



It's purely aesthetics. with a proper muffler installed prior to the stacks, they might act as an eco chamber which'd add to drone a bit.
But hurt MPG n such, only if installed in place of muffler etc. It would be no different than losing back pressure from a straight pipe.
I was looking at a mid 90's Ram 2500 for a project, I had ever intent of putting stacks on it. I DGAF what other think about it.

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how much does back pressure affect? I had a 99 chevy silverado before this and my buddy took the muffler completly off on me for the sound. It sounded great, but Everytime i let of the gas, especially going down hill at 60-70 MPH, it would rumble very loudly and sort of backfire. Same thing im guessing?

another question, hopefully this one gets answered to. Found a lot of different opinions on this but more just people harrassing because their on gas trucks....

When it rains... isnt the water going to be bad for your truck? Also, will it come out the same in a gas truck as it does a diesel?

I had a red 97 ram 2500 5.9 gas with 6" Aussie stacks (I think) when I put a muffler on it it sounded good. But without it it sounded like **** lol a pic is in my pics. I cant post pics off phone.

butters90 said:

another question, hopefully this one gets answered to. Found a lot of different opinions on this but more just people harrassing because their on gas trucks....

When it rains... isnt the water going to be bad for your truck? Also, will it come out the same in a gas truck as it does a diesel?

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Water in your exhaust is bad, True. Will it come out when your RPMs go up, yes. It'll also blow black **** all over and make a mess.

You can also install a 'trap' with a drain.

I see that done now and then and my first thought is "REDNECK"..No offence intended..
I personally think it looks like crap and an added expence/weight is something no one wants unless it has a worth while benifit..
1st off your gonna have a 90 deg bend somewhere and that hurts performance and adds a lil back pressure(not a to big of a deal on a 4 stroke engine)

As mentioned with water in the pipes after a wash or rain thats no help to ya...I spoze you could always install the flapper thingys on the exhaust tips like those peterbuilt super truckers use and irriate the hell outta yourself at idle..

I had a cpl more ideas and just went blank,damn chilli must be burning my brain..

I personally would never stack a gas truck [diesel yes] but it's your truck do what you wish who cares what anyone thinks. I think you would be better off with a larger single exhaust [again not for me] or installing dual exhaust [my choice] with an aftermarket muffler of your choice. Just my 2 cents!

Stacks on a gas truck done right can be very cool. My friend has them more for utilitarian purposes than performance (he loves to go mudding and stacks keep the exhaust out of the water and mud). Installing a good muffler is a must with stacks to get back some of the back pressure that may be lost. As long as the stacks themselves are as long as the original pipes though back pressure should be a non issue.
Water in going into the stacks can be fixed in several ways. Putting a trap type bend at the bottom to hold water and a petcock to release the water is one. Using a stack flap like what is available here can help: TRACTOR-EXHAUST-WEATHER-FLAP-4-1-2-INCH- | eBay
A weather flap closes when your truck is shut off, and when it is running the pressure of the exhaust opens it. Or having the tips bent to point backwards can also prevent some water from getting in.
Some trucks do not look good with stacks at all, so you might want to get some chromed pipe and see what it looks like first.

I just replaced the bed on my Dodge (a load crushed other one) and it came with a 6" aussie stack. If I could figure out how to post pics off my droid I'd show y'all. But I'm thinking about leaving it on and hooking it up with a nice deep tone muffler or a flow master 50 series

my buddy had a mazda truck, like the ford ranger, on 40's, went mudding and everything, he had a stack on his. he said he didn't notice any lose or anything.

Lol there is no power to lose to begin with in a ranger

Just installed a set of stacks on another friends truck (shame on him for not owning a Dodge). We started with a set of flowmaster 50 series mufflers, then went through the bed with the connector pipes and into the stacks. 3" stack pipes is what he went with, it sounds real nice. He installed a set of the exhaust flaps I linked earlier to prevent rain from getting into them. We also installed a snorkel for his intake (he likes to cross deep water). His truck looks killer with the stacks, but it is not a dodge (again shame on him).

jbmobbs said:

I just replaced the bed on my Dodge (a load crushed other one) and it came with a 6" aussie stack. If I could figure out how to post pics off my droid I'd show y'all. But I'm thinking about leaving it on and hooking it up with a nice deep tone muffler or a flow master 50 series

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butters90 said:

So, I know this is a topic that is constantly debated over but I always see that its a matter of opinion. I just want some good answers on this topic and not just its stupid or ***.

First off, I love the way stacks look on trucks. Especially lifted trucks. And half the time, they sound great. I dont care if its a diesel or gas truck as long as its done right.

Secondly, is there any proof that putting stacks on a gas truck actually kills HP or MPG? The only thing I ever find when I try to research this stuff is just a bunch of diesel owners tellin owners of the gas trucks that their ***.

third, what is the history of exhaust stacks? Ive heard from multiple people that it actually started with gas trucks first.

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Hello!

First off, stacks are just simply a matter of opinion. Regular exhaust can look as *** as trucks with stacks or vice versa. There is no wrong way to do it as long as YOU like it.

Gas trucks had stacks way before diesels. When trucks became a useful tool during big logging and farming operations the stacks were installed to prevent hot exhaust gasses from igniting vegetation and starting fires during dry spells. Also, i have done a little research myself about putting in a 2.5 inch single stack with a 45 degree side tip to actually increase mileage. The thought process that makes the most sense (to me) is that heat rises, therefore pushing it horizontally when it wants to go vertically would create further back pressure and forcing the engine to work ever so slightly harder. Also lowers exhaust gas temperature at the outlet. What ive noticed is that with no back pressure, your truck barks and snaps because the air has no resistance so it just "snaps and cracks" during vacuum (going from high rpm back to low or idle) a turbo muffler of sorts can create limited pressure to keep a nice sound, but when you open up the pipe on the bed from a 2.5-3 inch to a 6inch, you may run into the same problem. Gentle bends up into the bed can also help resist exhaust "pinching". Keep in mind diesels need larger pipe whereas gas machines dont.

Im not an expert by any means, but I installed a single pipe up and out which essentially turned my bendy pipe from muffler back- horizontal to vertical straight with quarter bend. Works great, and honestly INCREASED my mileage by a couple mpg. All highway driving.

Best of luck!

Please NO...... I personally don't mind stacks if done right and 99% of them are not done right or tasteful etc etc....

I like them on flat beds and usually on a DRW truck.... As stated above somewhere its all a mater of opinion. Best stack job I have ever seen was on a custom DRW 3rd gen, that was lowered on 22's and he had the stacks frenched in between the bed and the cab to where they looked factory.... and the bed still looked like it was untouched... He was on the Cummins forum a while back. I'll have to see if I can find pics of it.

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/BogFrog/media/IMG_0479.jpg.html?sort=3&o=94

I had stacks on my basterdized 79 Ramcharger club cab short box. But it was an off road bush *****. Stacks worked well. 2 1/2" from the headers into glass packs then 90 up into 5" 4ft stacks. Kept all mud out except what my tires through up but with the exhaust belching out from my 8500rpm 360 I don't think mud would go in.
LOUD? Yes. Talking in the cab on the highway was a bit more like yelling. Forget opening the slider rear window. WAY LOUD. Also the exhaust fumes would flow back into the cab. That's fun.
But I LOVED THE ****** THINGS!!!
And did they sound nice in the bush with the stupid pedal on the floor and door handle deep in a mud hole.