Exhaust help (2003 5.7 1500 QCSB)

I have a 2003 1500 with the 5.7 hemi in it. I'm just wondering what is a good exhaust that will not cause me to lose low end speed? I'm hearing that HEMI's run off of back pressure so I was just wondering if anyone had a set up that they are using on their truck that they like? I'd like to stay away from any exhaust coming straight out the rear. I know that dual exhaust may not be good for the whole backpressure thing but if I could find a good dual side exit or single side exit exhaust that'd be great. Thanks guys.

Are you wanting just a cat back system or a full exhaust with headers back?

nbditsjd said:

I have a 2003 1500 with the 5.7 hemi in it. I'm just wondering what is a good exhaust that will not cause me to lose low end speed? I'm hearing that HEMI's run off of back pressure so I was just wondering if anyone had a set up that they are using on their truck that they like? I'd like to stay away from any exhaust coming straight out the rear. I know that dual exhaust may not be good for the whole backpressure thing but if I could find a good dual side exit or single side exit exhaust that'd be great. Thanks guys.

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Whatever you end up going with, the one thing you should make sure you do if you are really looking for performance gains is go with lt headers. Don't waste time on shorties, and the stock manifolds are clearly not made for performance.

I guess I'm just looking for a cat-back that will not reduce back-pressure too much. It's not that I want huge performance gains I just don't want low end losses in performance.

nbditsjd said:

I guess I'm just looking for a cat-back that will not reduce back-pressure too much. It's not that I want huge performance gains I just don't want low end losses in performance.

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No cat back is going to reduce back pressure to much. Most of the major restrictions come before the muffler.

As in catalytic converters and factory y pipe haha XD

Any cat back to your liking and a new y pipe would be a good start.

Sweet thanks guys! I think I'm going to go with the MBRP installer series dual side exit. I know that it's not stainless but I really don't like any of my stainless options and really don't care right now if it's gonna last a while. I know it sounds foolish but I can almost guarantee that I will have the money when the time comes. I may even just start a little fund for when that day occurs.

The 03 having the single cat configuration with the 04+ having dual cats you need to understand what fits when looking at the different kits. IMO, the 03 cat being designed to support the 5.7 engine is a very good cat that flows excellent and IMO cannot be upgraded with the exception of using two of them in a dual configuration. So without going to headers (LT recommended) upgrade the "Y" pipe and go with any straight through performance muffler design. In my experience FlowMaster cost both performance and mileage and I recommend something like a Magaflow in whatever size that suits you. I have run several combinations and finally settled on Pacesetter LT's, ORY pipe, dual Magnaflow spun cats and 36" si/do Magnaflow straight through muffler with pipes dumped at the rear. There are endless combo's you can put together, but what I have is pretty much the standard that a lot of folks end up with. Good luck..