Ram 2500 6.4 Hemi w/ Flowmaster 817709 Exhaust

[62Blazer]

Just installed the Flowmaster 817709 exhaust system on my '16 Ram 2500 this weekend. This is a stainless steel cat-back that uses a 3.5" in an dual 3" outlet 50HD series muffler with dual exits. You can either go straight out the back or side exits.

Install:
Removing the factory exhaust system is by far the most time consuming part of the job. My '16 is pretty clean and low mileage but has lived in the midwest and took some time to get all the pipes apart. The directions tell you to just cut the pipe after the muffler to make it easier but I wanted to take it apart at the factory connections in case I reinstalled the factory setup.

Once the factory system was removed the Flowmaster setup went on pretty quick. Starting at the front and working the way back with just tightening the clamps up enough to hole everything together until adjusted. If you line up the factory hanger locations it really wasn't hard to get it aligned and only spent a short period of time making some adjustments. I went with the straight back exhaust exists for now but will play around with the side exits to as it's a pretty quick switch. As of right now I think the chrome tips stick out just a hair too far IMO but that's an easy fix. Also seriously considering not using the chrome tips and getting some 45 degree turn downs and keep it tucked back behind the bumper. After a couple of heat cycles I will go back under the truck and tighten up all the clamps.

Overall sound it not super loud by any means. Cold start it rumbles pretty good for a few minutes but once the idle goes down it doesn't sound much different than stock from the sides or front of the truck, but more rumble from the rear. During acceleration you can definitely notice it but not crazy loud.

Drone on the highway was my biggest concern. 50-55 mph cruising there is a drone under certain conditions but it's not horrible. Freeway about 60 mph and it's pretty quiet in the cab....I think the 35" mud tires make more noise. I will probably experiment removing the tips as they can make a difference in the drone mentioned above. May also buy a pair of resonators for $70-$80 and play with them replacing the tips...plenty of room to put them on the tailpipes and may even be worth it to just install them when going on a long freeway trip.

I should also say that I got this system brand new for $400 when it normally retails for $900-$1,000...never would have paid full price for it but at $400 thought I would try it. Heck, even just the muffler delete pipe is $200.

 

[62Blazer]

Some updates on the system. As expected the wife complained about the drone the first time she rode in the truck. Didn't notice it much at first but now after driving it for awhile there is an obvious drone right around 1,500 rpm....and unfortunately this is the rpm range the trucks runs in at both the 30-ish and 55-ish speed range.

Step 1 = purchased a pair of Dynomax 9" overall length bullet mufflers and placed them at each of the exits. I have about $60 in these and clamps. Clamped them in between the the last two sections of pipe so they sit on each side of the spare tire. The kits rearmost tailpipes for the straight out the back exit clamp on and exit just under the rear bumper....basically just left off the chrome tips for now.
Result is less drone but still noticable.

Step 1B = ordered a set of longer 16.5" overall length Dynomax bullets to try out.

Step 2 = just ordered the parts to do a J-tube resonator, sometimes called a branch or branch tube resonator. Do a search on google and there are tons of posts on this. You take a section of exhaust pipe and weld it at 90 degrees to the exhaust pipe and cap off the end. You adjust the total length of this J-tube to what RPM/frequency you are getting drone and it creates an out of phase soundwave to cancel it out. The total length of this depends on what frequency you are shooting for. I've read dozens of posts on these and have yet to see any where they say it did not get rid of 90+% of the drone assuming the pipe is the right length.

 

[WhiteExpress]

Step 2 = just ordered the parts to do a J-tube resonator, sometimes called a branch or branch tube resonator. Do a search on google and there are tons of posts on this. You take a section of exhaust pipe and weld it at 90 degrees to the exhaust pipe and cap off the end. You adjust the total length of this J-tube to what RPM/frequency you are getting drone and it creates an out of phase soundwave to cancel it out. The total length of this depends on what frequency you are shooting for. I've read dozens of posts on these and have yet to see any where they say it did not get rid of 90+% of the drone assuming the pipe is the right length.

Good 'ol Helmholtz chamber. Been there, messed with that. It's real, it works...kinda.
If you want less drone, decrease pipe size and make sure the tip is beyond the bumper / sheet metal. Oversized (4" tip, 3" pipe) makes it worse as well.

I can almost guarantee you that you'll dink around with this (a bunch, if you're like me) and still really not be happy with your outcome. Not trying to be a negative nancy, just saying. If you're noticing drone issues with a 50 series muffler, just put your stock exhaust back on.

 

[62Blazer]

Good 'ol Helmholtz chamber. Been there, messed with that. It's real, it works...kinda.
If you want less drone, decrease pipe size and make sure the tip is beyond the bumper / sheet metal. Oversized (4" tip, 3" pipe) makes it worse as well.

I can almost guarantee you that you'll dink around with this (a bunch, if you're like me) and still really not be happy with your outcome. Not trying to be a negative nancy, just saying. If you're noticing drone issues with a 50 series muffler, just put your stock exhaust back on.

I know where you are coming from and in the back of my head have the same concerns. The drone doesn't bother me much but the wife hated it (she hates putting exhaust on anything......and if you go into something already thinking you will hate it before actually experiencing it, likely you will continue to hate it). I have played with the tips. The kit had chrome tips that stuck out just past the bumper. Pulled the tips off and it was louder in the cab because it didn't come out past the bumper. Currently have the tips off, but the 3" pipes are just past the bumper. I would really like to have the tips tucked in further to avoid hitting them when coming off a slope, but agree with the sound.
I went through multiple different exhaust setups on my last truck before settling on a setup I liked.

 

[WhiteExpress]

Is the drone you're experiencing caused by the MDS kicking in?

 

[62Blazer]

Is the drone you're experiencing caused by the MDS kicking in?

No, I verified it was not by running in both tow/haul and manually select 6th gear to make sure the MDS was not kicking on.

Went ahead and ordered a mandrel J-bend, section of exhaust pipe, and a clamp (to allow me to adjust the total length) to make the resonator for about $40 total. Calculated length is about 33" to get rid of the 1,500 drone. Now just need to climb under and make sure there is room.

 

[NH RAM]

I played with the exhaust on my last 1500 and hated driving it on the highway after a while, especially while towing. I ended up putting a pretty big resonator on and at that point it was bearable, but just wasn't worth the hassle unless I was playing in a parking garage or a tunnel. Now if it was not a working truck or a dd, I would have thought differently. This truck exhaust is staying stock to save me the money and headaches...literally and figuratively.
Best of luck, it's a tough balance.

 

[62Blazer]

I played with the exhaust on my last 1500 and hated driving it on the highway after a while, especially while towing. I ended up putting a pretty big resonator on and at that point it was bearable, but just wasn't worth the hassle unless I was playing in a parking garage or a tunnel. Now if it was not a working truck or a dd, I would have thought differently. This truck exhaust is staying stock to save me the money and headaches...literally and figuratively.
Best of luck, it's a tough balance.

I just can't leave anything alone! It is very nice having a quiet truck on the road (though the MT's took some of that away already) but it's really cool having a nice sounding exhaust. I was on the fence about doing anything with the exhaust but I found this complete system for $400 when it retails for almost $1,000.

Will add that freeway driving at 65 mph or above it is very quiet. If you listen closely you can hear the exhaust over the tire noise.

 

[dbking321]

I did the same think to my 1500. Went flowmaster sounded great but droned at 1500 RPM , pulled it off put the stock back on and missed the rumble. Sucked it up and bought a corsa.... no regrets sounds amazing.

 

[theviking]

I did the same think to my 1500. Went flowmaster sounded great but droned at 1500 RPM , pulled it off put the stock back on and missed the rumble. Sucked it up and bought a corsa.... no regrets sounds amazing.

Unfortunately Corsa doesn't have much love for the 2500 trucks. Wish they did.