Best exhaust system for 2018 ram 1500

[texasfan88]

I currently have a Flowmaster Super 44 muffler (muffler swap only) on my truck. It sounds great but I was thinking about swapping it out for a full cat back system sometime in the future. I've pretty much settled on the Carven exhaust (either progressive or competitor) because they both sound great, are made of the same 304 stainless as and are much more affordable than Borla or Corsa. I didn't feel like spending $1200 on a borla kit and, I'm sorry, but I'm not the biggest fan of the way the corsa sounds. Anyway, what makes the decision so difficult is the fact that there are so many different experiences on whether or not the carven exhaust causes an interior drone. Anyone have this setup on their trucks and if so, what are your experiences with interior noise primarily? From what I've read, one person could have the exact same setup as someone else and one person will say they have a ton of drone and the other one doesn't have any. It literally makes zero sense to me and makes choosing a new exhaust system extremely difficult. I've also heard that, I suppose due to the construction of the muffler, that the progressive actually has more drone than the competitor which is why only the competitor is available for the 2019 Rams.

 

[JHayez1911]

I love the sound of the Flowmaster Super 44 that’s what I’m running, however recently I added the JBA Longtube headers and Y pipe eliminated the cats and I loving the way it sounds. Maybe some members here will post up some sound clips for you. Be interested to know which way you go when you make the choice.

 

[bfill_rebel]

I have the progressive on my 2016 ram. I turn off mds with the gear selector and really don’t find I have any drone. Cold starts are loud. I have 5” tips from them as well. Love the sound. At times I wonder how much louder then competitor would have been but really so love my progressive.

Sound is very deep at light throttle and deep/loud/growl at WOT.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Graygoose]

The Magnaflow catback sounds great on mine. Headers will make it even more agreesive, while adding more power.
Shorties require no tune, where I hear Longtubes you will need a tune.

 

[Pull Ya]

Both Magnaflow and Flowmaster make a cat back system for your truck. You might check with Matt at Moe's Performance, a preferred vendor on this forum, to see what his recommendations might be for your particular usage. If you add headers(especially long tubes) to any muffler system you are going to increase the "noise factor". 5" tips will also change the sound of your exhaust system. It will sound deeper and have more tone. I also agree--cat back systems are not cheap.
Jay

 

[texasfan88]

Both Magnaflow and Flowmaster make a cat back system for your truck. You might check with Matt at Moe's Performance, a preferred vendor on this forum, to see what his recommendations might be for your particular usage. If you add headers(especially long tubes) to any muffler system you are going to increase the "noise factor". 5" tips will also change the sound of your exhaust system. It will sound deeper and have more tone. I also agree--cat back systems are not cheap.
Jay

Thanks and to be honest, although I said I didn't like it at first, I'm actually starting to like the sound of the corsa exhaust. It certainly isn't cheap but the fact that it's supposed to have zero drone is a real plus for me. Cedar Creek huh? You actually don't live too far from me...I'm in Smithville.

 

[Pull Ya]

^^ lets G2G and have a cup Coming your way this afternoon, taking the mutt to the Vet, right at the turn off from 71 to Smithville.
Jay

 

[crackerjack1957]

I don't think a cat back system will help at all with restrictive stock exhaust manifold & Y-pipe.
Need to have headers & aftermarket y-pipe for benefits of cat back.
Just change out muffler if you want a different sound but then if you want drone free you can't go wrong with Corsa or Borla cat back.

 

[texasfan88]

I don't think a cat back system will help at all with restrictive stock exhaust manifold & Y-pipe.
Need to have headers & aftermarket y-pipe for benefits of cat back.
Just change out muffler if you want a different sound but then if you want drone free you can't go wrong with Corsa or Borla cat back.

You are correct that exhaust systems in general do not really help with performance, although some supposedly do. Fortunately, that's not my concern at all. All I really care about is the sound so it isn't like I plan on doing any drag racing anytime soon and in my opinion at least, the tubing in aftermarket exhaust systems isn't really any less restrictive than stock, unless you go for a larger diameter. I do really like my flowmaster super 44 muffler so if anything, I might just stay with that and save a bunch of money. I know that borla and corsa use 304 stainless steel which is less prone to rusting than the 409 stainless that flowmaster uses and that I believe is used in most stock exhaust systems but I would think under normal conditions, the 409 would last a very long time. If it's possible to just get the corsa muffler and just do another muffler swap to change the sound, that would save me a ton of money I would think.

 

[texasfan88]

Actually since both the corsa and borla cat back exhausts upgrade the stock tailpipes from 2.5 inches to 3 inches, I don't think you can purchase the muffler individually without having to fabricate custom tailpipes along with it, in which case, you might as well get the full cat back kit to begin with.

 

[Pull Ya]

^^^ Went to this guy for muffler work. He did excellent work and I would highly recommend him.
American Muffler Shop in La Grange, TX
Jay

 

[crackerjack1957]

Actually since both the corsa and borla cat back exhausts upgrade the stock tailpipes from 2.5 inches to 3 inches, I don't think you can purchase the muffler individually without having to fabricate custom tailpipes along with it, in which case, you might as well get the full cat back kit to begin with.

On the dual tails stock is 2.25 & aftermarket is 2.5.
Aftermarket tips thru bumper are 5"........under bumper 4"

Seems I have deleted photos of crushed stock Y-pipe.
Here is 1 that shows flattened section that crosses under the trans.......the Y-pipe is 3-times more.

 

[crackerjack1957]

AFE aftermarket with hi-flo cats & 3.5 Y-pipe for stock manifolds or shortie headers.



Better view here:
https://afepower.com/afe-power-48-4...ipe-3-to-3-1-2-stainless-steel-exhaust-system

 

[texasfan88]

On the dual tails stock is 2.25 & aftermarket is 2.5.
Aftermarket tips thru bumper are 5"........under bumper 4"

Seems I have deleted photos of crushed stock Y-pipe.
Here is 1 that shows flattened section that crosses under the trans.......the Y-pipe is 3-times more.

Stock tailpipe size, at least on my truck, is 2.5 inches. In fact just about every direct fit muffler replacement you can get for the ram has 2.5 inch outlets.

 

[crackerjack1957]

Maybe if its a single exhaust but if its dual its 2.25 if stock.
My Borla cat-back is 2.5 at the tails & I know it is larger than the 2.25 stock tails.

Don't believe me as Matt from Moe's Performance
https://www.ramforum.com/posts/1077052/

 

[texasfan88]

Maybe if its a single exhaust but if its dual its 2.25 if stock.

Don't believe me as Matt from Moe's Performance
https://www.ramforum.com/posts/1077052/

I have factory duals and they are 2.5 inches. What Matt is likely referring to is the inside diameter of the tailpipes. That very well may be 2.25 inches. However, when fitting for a muffler, it is the outside diameter that matters. The reason is because unlike tailpipes which are measured by the overall or outside diameter, mufflers are measured by the inside diameter. So, if you get a muffler that says 3 inch inlet/2.5 inch outlet for example, that means it is designed to slip over a 2.5 inch pipe. Inside diameter is also used when measuring the inlet size for aftermarket exhaust tips.

This means that if you get a 3 inch dual exhaust, it really isn't a 3 inch opening for the tailpipes. The overall diameter will be 3 inches but the actual opening that the exhaust gases pass through may be 2.75 inches.

 

[texasfan88]

Maybe if its a single exhaust but if its dual its 2.25 if stock.
My Borla cat-back is 2.5 at the tails & I know it is larger than the 2.25 stock tails.

Don't believe me as Matt from Moe's Performance
https://www.ramforum.com/posts/1077052/

Here is a video for reference:

 

[texasfan88]

Maybe if its a single exhaust but if its dual its 2.25 if stock.
My Borla cat-back is 2.5 at the tails & I know it is larger than the 2.25 stock tails.

Don't believe me as Matt from Moe's Performance
https://www.ramforum.com/posts/1077052/

What's the part number for your borla kit, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[crackerjack1957]

I know how they fit, I give up.....LoL
You stated the stock was 2.5 & aftermarket tails were 3 inches also.
More proof aftermarket tails are still 2.5

https://www.borla.com/products/ram_1500_catback_exhaust_touring_part__140552.html

 

[crackerjack1957]

I went with the s-type muffler but have long tubes & no cats so a little to loud for moi....LoL
Wish I had went with touring but if you have cats s-type would probably be okay.
If you don't want loud though go with the touring.
They have black tips also.

This is the s-type with chrome tips.
https://www.borla.com/products/ram_1500_catback_exhaust_stype_part__140307.html

Also seen a post from Nick saying they were on sale
Purchased from Nick@GotExhaust