Longtubes with Cats, what muffler/exhaust are you running and does it drone?

[16WhiteQC]

So I am starting down the rabbit hole and thinking of doing headers next.

Option 1 - keep my Corsa and add some kooks shorties - this is what I'm leaning towards right now.

Option 2 - go all in with some 1 3/4" ARH long tubes with catted Y pipe into a mufflex 24"/stock catback.
(I have heard catted ARH's and the corsa and I am not a fan, way to raspy for my tastes.)

Option 3 - ARH's with a new factory center pipe with something like this https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mpe-14419 welded in and keep the Corsa.
(not even sure the added center muffler would tame the raspy sound at all, but maybe?)

I will not buy another "Catback" at this time and I plan to use the truck as a truck, mild towing (looking at getting a camper though), daily driving, etc. (no track/racing).

I was running a 18" mufflex when the truck was new and it sounded great. I loved the deep "truck" tone and sound but it did drone a bit and I'm not a fan of that at all. I am also not looking for race car loud, looking for a nice mellow rumble under normal driving, then it can be loud when I am really on it.

As of right now I have no interest is installing an electric cutout, I know people run the stock catback with LT's and have installed a cutout for noise, but its not for me.

 

[Mb7640]

You will have a lot of drone with longtube headers. Have not done it to my. Truck but I did do it to one of my challenger R/T that I use to own. I did not care about drone though. Hope this helps

 

[crazykid1994]

You will have a lot of drone with longtube headers. Have not done it to my. Truck but I did do it to one of my challenger R/T that I use to own. I did not care about drone though. Hope this helps

Very dependent on vehicle/engine setup and what size primaries and exhaust tubing you use and muffler style. I have a 2017 1500 5.7 4wd with arh long tubes and catted y pipe paired with a borla s type catback and have 0 drone and 0 raspiness. It’s all in the setup. I had a carven progressive muffler swap and loved it originally but after the break in period it started getting really raspy and droned at around 1800rpm which is really annoying for me as highway or interstate speeds put me around 1600-2000rpm and I had drone. Switched to the borla and no more drone or rasp. Nice deep throaty sound.

So I am starting down the rabbit hole and thinking of doing headers next.

Option 1 - keep my Corsa and add some kooks shorties - this is what I'm leaning towards right now.

Option 2 - go all in with some 1 3/4" ARH long tubes with catted Y pipe into a mufflex 24"/stock catback.
(I have heard catted ARH's and the corsa and I am not a fan, way to raspy for my tastes.)

Option 3 - ARH's with a new factory center pipe with something like this https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mpe-14419 welded in and keep the Corsa.
(not even sure the added center muffler would tame the raspy sound at all, but maybe?)

I will not buy another "Catback" at this time and I plan to use the truck as a truck, mild towing (looking at getting a camper though), daily driving, etc. (no track/racing).

I was running a 18" mufflex when the truck was new and it sounded great. I loved the deep "truck" tone and sound but it did drone a bit and I'm not a fan of that at all. I am also not looking for race car loud, looking for a nice mellow rumble under normal driving, then it can be loud when I am really on it.

As of right now I have no interest is installing an electric cutout, I know people run the stock catback with LT's and have installed a cutout for noise, but its not for me.

I bought the borla catback due to it being a large body muffler and is relatively smooth sounding for that reason. I never liked the rasp of the corsa exhaust. Any large body muffler will help reduce drone with headers. If you are going headers long tubes is definitely the way to go on these trucks unless you need to remain emissions compliant. If I was going to suggest a muffler it would be adding in a large body similar to a borla to help keep the resonance down. Borla has straight through designs to keep exhaust flow restriction to a minimum. If you are dead set on keeping the corsa you could add some type of resonators to the rear of the muffler as well to reduce the rasp or as you are thinking maybe add a center muffler that is a straight through type but has a large body to absorb the sound.

My truck with arh headers and borla s type catback
https://youtu.be/Yh2siXxqR80

 

[hemihustlin]

assuming you already have the stock duals (even if you dont) going to a true dual set up with x pipe will sound great with less drone
the x pipe itself reduces drone and now you can put twice as many mufflers!

pulled from the link in wild one's recent muffler thread

Magnaflow vs. Flowmaster, Who Makes the Best Muffler?

Is a Magnaflow or a Flowmaster muffler the best? We dig deep into the question and get some help from an Engine Masters $40 Muffler Dyno Test.

www.motortrend.com

The Gen III Hemi fires four and two, and six and five consecutively, and even an LS (the engine with the least to gain from an exhaust crossover) fires cylinders two and six consecutively. At higher rpm, the behavior of these events acts as one longer pulse—a single slug of exhaust twice the normal size that can pile up and cause a restriction. Moreover, as the camshaft's overlap of the exhaust and intake lobe increases, the greater the positive effect exhaust scavenging—and a crossover pipe—has (see this Engine Masters dyno test of crossovers vs. straight pipes on a mild 5.3-liter LS with a 2.5-inch exhaust and a small cam).

The key to reducing backpressure from these consecutive bank firings is to merge the cylinder banks with a balance pipe—what we call an h-pipe or x-pipe. When an exhaust pulse encounters the crossover, the flow capacity of the alternate bank is shared, and a well-designed balance tube can act like an extra highway lane to relieve backpressure. Here, the type of crossover matters somewhat; a simple h-pipe crossover pays a smaller dividend due to the sharp right angles the exhaust must follow (the larger the crossover diameter, the better), while an x-pipe is better than an h-pipe at higher engine speed because it's like a traffic intersection where no turns are needed. So which muffler is best on an engine with serious power, Flowmaster or Magnaflow? Chances are, it's the one that's attached to a three-inch diameter dual system with an unfettered three-inch x-pipe.

and this is another article I was reading

X-pipes and H-pipes Add Easy Horsepower

X-pipes and H-pipes add easy horsepower to your Chevy, but do you know which one is best for you? To find out, we hit up the industry experts.

www.motortrend.com

Blane Burnett of ****** Headers explains. "Secondly, balance pipes smooth out uneven exhaust pulses. Any given engine generates low- and high-pressure exhaust pulses due to the effects of the firing order. As these low and high pulses move downstream through the exhaust piping, they travel at different speeds. Having an exhaust crossover helps draw these pulses out into a more balanced pattern, which ultimately improves engine output. A nice side benefit is that crossovers also decrease in-cabin exhaust drone."

 

[savage_46]

I have kooks 1 7/8" with cats, carven progressive & tips on a 6.4 swap. I've only noticed drone a few times & it's usually tolerable for me. But I've worked in a shop for almost 20 years, so my ears aren't as sensitive. If it's a bit much, a little more pedal while keeping the current gear works for me. I also run my Bluetooth at max volume & radio at 16-20 which does a good job at overpowering most annoyances.

EDIT: I see someone else mentioned tow/haul. In colder weather, I do not use tow/haul. That's when I notice drone the most & I'm sure it's a MDS thing. When it's warm out, I use it all the time & no complaints

 

[RamMan381]

I have ARH catted long tubes, and a magnaflow 24” direct fit muffler “DOD24M”, and stock exhaust after the muffler to the tips.

The exhaust tone is so clean and no drone. I get compliments on it frequently. It’s loud at start up and gets louder as you rev it, but normal driving it’s super clean. I did not want loud but I want to know it’s a V8. I do not get annoyed with it at all even on long trips and when towing my trailer.

The long tubes made the exhaust louder than swapping the stock muffler for the magnaflow FYI.

 

[Jwithing]

So I probably won't be much help here, but I agree with @crazykid1994 . If you're not wanting to spend the money to change your catback at the moment, which is certainly understandable, your options are limited. Exhaust notes are subjective, but to me, corsa is the king of rasp and borla is the king of gurgle. Gurgle gives me the warm fuzziness personally. Rasp makes me want to slap a **** lol.

Personally, I have catless JBA longtubes and a Mopar catback. I put the LT's on, but when I bought the truck with 20kish miles, it sounded so right for the truck that I didn't even realize it had a Mopar catback and had to send my newly purchased Carven exhaust back.

I think I read somewhere awhile back that Mopar exhaust is actually made by borla. I can't prove it, but it makes sense. My Mopar catback sounds amazing and so similar to borla, but I'd give the slight edge to borla and purchase a borla if I had to compare.

There's also a couple good alternatives to borla nowadays. I'd seriously look at stainless works for a true dual. Especially to work with their header setup. If I were to have a redo at this point, id probably go stainless works true dual. There's also another new forum vendor, can't remember their name, but they sounded great as well.

 

[Wild one]

Most aftermarket "Y" pipes act like a "X" pipe,they merge both banks into 1 then into a 3" single pipe to the muffler.The factory crossover does a similiar thing,accept for the fact 1 tube is severely crushed where the two banks merge into 1 pipe

 

[16WhiteQC]

Very dependent on vehicle/engine setup and what size primaries and exhaust tubing you use and muffler style. I have a 2017 1500 5.7 4wd with arh long tubes and catted y pipe paired with a borla s type catback and have 0 drone and 0 raspiness. It’s all in the setup. I had a carven progressive muffler swap and loved it originally but after the break in period it started getting really raspy and droned at around 1800rpm which is really annoying for me as highway or interstate speeds put me around 1600-2000rpm and I had drone. Switched to the borla and no more drone or rasp. Nice deep throaty sound.

I bought the borla catback due to it being a large body muffler and is relatively smooth sounding for that reason. I never liked the rasp of the corsa exhaust. Any large body muffler will help reduce drone with headers. If you are going headers long tubes is definitely the way to go on these trucks unless you need to remain emissions compliant. If I was going to suggest a muffler it would be adding in a large body similar to a borla to help keep the resonance down. Borla has straight through designs to keep exhaust flow restriction to a minimum. If you are dead set on keeping the corsa you could add some type of resonators to the rear of the muffler as well to reduce the rasp or as you are thinking maybe add a center muffler that is a straight through type but has a large body to absorb the sound.

My truck with arh headers and borla s type catback
https://youtu.be/Yh2siXxqR80

This sounds really good!
I do like this sound much better than the Corsa honestly, wait...do I really want to admit that lol.

I would honestly be on more inclined to look at the touring system with long tubes though, a little tamer exhaust is not a bad thing to me.

Hmm...damn it...maybe I sell the corsa and go borla!

I have ARH catted long tubes, and a magnaflow 24” direct fit muffler “DOD24M”, and stock exhaust after the muffler to the tips.

The exhaust tone is so clean and no drone. I get compliments on it frequently. It’s loud at start up and gets louder as you rev it, but normal driving it’s super clean. I did not want loud but I want to know it’s a V8. I do not get annoyed with it at all even on long trips and when towing my trailer.

The long tubes made the exhaust louder than swapping the stock muffler for the magnaflow FYI.

This sounds like the most cost effective option for a nice deep mellow tone without/limited drone and not changing out to a new catback.

So I probably won't be much help here, but I agree with @crazykid1994 . If you're not wanting to spend the money to change your catback at the moment, which is certainly understandable, your options are limited. Exhaust notes are subjective, but to me, corsa is the king of rasp and borla is the king of gurgle. Gurgle gives me the warm fuzziness personally. Rasp makes me want to slap a **** lol.

Personally, I have catless JBA longtubes and a Mopar catback. I put the LT's on, but when I bought the truck with 20kish miles, it sounded so right for the truck that I didn't even realize it had a Mopar catback and had to send my newly purchased Carven exhaust back.

I think I read somewhere awhile back that Mopar exhaust is actually made by borla. I can't prove it, but it makes sense. My Mopar catback sounds amazing and so similar to borla, but I'd give the slight edge to borla and purchase a borla if I had to compare.

There's also a couple good alternatives to borla nowadays. I'd seriously look at stainless works for a true dual. Especially to work with their header setup. If I were to have a redo at this point, id probably go stainless works true dual. There's also another new forum vendor, can't remember their name, but they sounded great as well.

I've heard the stainless works as well, but WAY too much $$ for me

 

[crazykid1994]

I’ve actually contemplated switching to the touring system for more of a sleeper aspect. I bought the s type before deciding to do long tubes and before wanting to do a cam. If I did it again knowing now what my plans are I would probably get the touring. It’s still a straight through design muffler.

 

[HEMIMANN]

Yeah, the old mechanic's advice to irritating noises: "turn up the radio, and if you do that enough you won't need to anymore".

 

[clint440]

DT Tri Y headers, Solo Mach 44 muffler, no CATS minimal drone if any, and not too obnoxious.

Definitely recommend LTs and opt for CATs to keep the noise and rasp in check. I sometimes wish I had CATs to have more sleeper truck and cut down on smell.

 

[yomanne]

I have ARH catted long tubes, and a magnaflow 24” direct fit muffler “DOD24M”, and stock exhaust after the muffler to the tips.

The exhaust tone is so clean and no drone. I get compliments on it frequently. It’s loud at start up and gets louder as you rev it, but normal driving it’s super clean. I did not want loud but I want to know it’s a V8. I do not get annoyed with it at all even on long trips and when towing my trailer.

The long tubes made the exhaust louder than swapping the stock muffler for the magnaflow FYI.

I have the exact same headers and setup on my 2014 5.7 hemi 6-speed. Installed the MagnaFlow 6 months ago. Amazon link is https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07M79ZD68/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Looks like the price has gone up, but it was very easy to install. Has gotten a little louder over time. Deep and mellow tone.

Regarding drone, I never noticed any at all until recently. There may be a little at 1500 rpm but since I ALWAYS drive in Tow/Haul (Sport) mode it never shifts into 6th gear and my rpms are just above the drone range.

 

[yomanne]

Sometimes pictures help. Here is the MagnaFlow compared to the stock muffler. Works well with the long tube ARH.


Direct fit, very nice.

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

If you are going to do headers, go with long tubes. You will get a noticeable increase in power, even over shorties.

What if you sell the Corsa kit to recoup some money and put toward new catback. As mentioned earlier the Borla kit with the ARH headers is an awesome combo. Not raspy and not too loud while being loud when you want it to be.

Another option, do you have your stock exhaust? You can do a muffler kit on the stock exhaust like the magnaflow or Solo Mach 40 kit on the stock exhaust with the long tubes and it would be much tamer than the Corsa.

I know you said its too expensive but the Stainless Works performance connect (X-pipe) headers and catback is an awesome setup!

Let us know if you would like a quote on anything. Just send me a message. We offer most brands and great pricing!

 

[16WhiteQC]

If you are going to do headers, go with long tubes. You will get a noticeable increase in power, even over shorties.

What if you sell the Corsa kit to recoup some money and put toward new catback. As mentioned earlier the Borla kit with the ARH headers is an awesome combo. Not raspy and not too loud while being loud when you want it to be.

Another option, do you have your stock exhaust? You can do a muffler kit on the stock exhaust like the magnaflow or Solo Mach 40 kit on the stock exhaust with the long tubes and it would be much tamer than the Corsa.

I know you said its too expensive but the Stainless Works performance connect (X-pipe) headers and catback is an awesome setup!

Let us know if you would like a quote on anything. Just send me a message. We offer most brands and great pricing!

Thanks for the info, the stainless works is very nice, but for $3,500 its a bit more than I want to spend right now.

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

Totally understandable. FYI, we got the ARH LT headers in stock, NO wait time! I think the headers and a muffler kit for the stock cat back exhaust may be your best bet for cost effectiveness.

 

[Eden14699]

I have a 2017 Sport 2WD Reg cab with 1-7/8" Stainless Works long tube & full exhaust. There is ZERO drone at highway speeds. It is a loud sunuvagun at wide open throttle though. Under regular acceleration you definitely hear it, but it is nice low rumble.

 

[DCD5907]

I got arh lt 1 3/4” with cats, stock from there on back with a 18” magnaflow, ya get a little bit of drone around 2-2500rpm(it was much worse before the long tubes). The passenger side cat failed, it’s r attling and it’s loose inside the chamber, I’m gonna gut both of em and use spark plug non foulers to stop mil from lighting up. Cold start makes me smile every time, and wot makes it all worth it. Has a little bit of rumble with torque converter lockup while going down hill. Most of all wife doesn’t complain about volume as you can still hold quiet convos wile crushing down the freeway

 

[Swezey23]

Mopar Catback & 1 3/4 ARHs w/ catted y pipe. Love it. No drone at cruising speeds. The cold starts during Texas cold mornings is sexy af.