4" exhaust - straight vs. muffled

[AggieJustin]

This is for any of you with straight 4" exhaust. I know sound is a very subjective thing, but I'm just looking for opinions.



If you've had a chance to compare, how does sound compared to a straight 3" or a muffled 4"? How much drone do you have over the other systems? If you solved your drone problem, what did you use and how did it affect overall sound?



I'm looking to upgrade to a 4" system, but I just want to make sure I get it right the first time. I'm still young enough to like it loud, but I spend quite a bit of time on the highway so I don't want to have a loud drone going the whole time.



One other thing, does a 5" tip on a 4" system affect the sound any? I know larger tips on gas engines make some difference, but how much difference does it make on a diesel?



I've listened to some of the sound files of some of the systems on the web, but those files don't always do justice to the sound. So I wanted to get some opinions.



Thanks as always...



Justin

 

[JTBMC]

AggieJustin

Mine had a horrible drone at 2200 RPM and higher while pulling my horse trailer with out the muffler so, I installed it and the drone was greatly deminished but it does not sound as good, still has deep roar but not as awesome as without. Drone was bearly noticeable while running bob tail at any speed or RPM.

I hope this helps.

TJ

Oh Yea, I've got the Banks Stainless with stainless band clamps

 

[Fireman Dave]

Justin:



I left the resonator on in an attempt to avoid the drone. It's straight 4" from there back to a 5" tip. I don't have a drone problem. It sounds great - not too terribly loud, but sweet. It does announce itself quite well when you get on it, though. I especially like rolling through a downtown area with a lot of buildings around with the windows open. It really sounds nice just idling. You can really hear the turbo through the pipe. I don't think the 5" tip has any affect on the sound. johnrv4 had this same set-up without the tip for awhile. Now he has the tip, and it sounds the same to me. You won't regret losing the muffler.

 

[Evan A. Beck]

Straight pipe it. Save the money you'd spend on a muffler, and put it into a set of injectors or something cool like that. I have straight 4" stainless on mine, and it is quieter inside the cab than some trucks with mufflers.

 

[Big White Beast]

Throwing this out again.......

I'm guessing but I think if you moved the muffler as far forward as possible you could knock the drone down. My resonator is just a mini muffler and it worked. I think it has more to do with location on the system than the product itself. As I've never been straight piped I can't compare but mine sounds nice and throaty when in the pedal.



Garrett

 

[redneckdr]

exhaust

aggie justin... .....

the correct sound for exhaust is kinda like beauty... ... it's whatever you like. i tried straightpiped--too loud for my liking. with the resonator alone, still too loud for me. i now have a 4"system with a straight thru truck muffler. sound is just right. that from a guy riding a harley with straight pipes (i love 'em). try to find some different systems to listen to, if possible.

 

[AggieJustin]

Couldn't have said it better...

Herb, you couldn't have said it better. I guess I'm just looking for the sound that makes everyone turn and look, just like when you walk in the room with a good looking woman.



Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I guess the question now becomes... . anyone around the Dallas or Austin area with a straight or muffled 4" setup that I could take listen to??

 

[dieselboy25]

Justin,

I LOVE the attention from my truck with the straight pipe.

It does resonate at 2200 rpm’s on up, but I can live with it.

I can always put on a muffler.

Eric



Edit: I have a 4" Bully Dog exhaust system from www.smokindiesel.com. Great product at an even better price. It took me about an hour to install it.

 

[baby.driver]

Drone?

I don't know what drone sounds like.

I have the Diesel Dynamics 4" turbo to tail system, and I couldn't ask for a nicer sound. Money well spent.



Jay

 

[torquechop]

I have 4" straight pipe and love the sound. I ran without a tip for a while and had a cheesy grin on my face the whole time!!(It sounded like a dump truck. ) Then I added a 22"long 6"resonating tip that gave it a Deep Hard-Core Diesel sound. A Psd owner at work asked how he could get his to sound that good. It has a good rumble through the gears and a good tone at highyway speed. the turbo sounds were also amplified. It also looks great.

 

[Tcolesanti]

I know I am a little outside the box here, but my 5" straight setup hardly cost me anything and I love it. Yeah, it drones pretty bad over 2100-2200rpm, but with 3. 54 gears and 315 tires, I hardly ever go that fast. I used an HX40 4" down pipe, Exactly 8 feet of straight 5" pipe and Rip's 5" mandrel bent tail pipe. It sounds awesome and it will definatly shake your eyeballs when your in a tunnel with the windows down.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

my straight 5" is totally livable, and doesn't drone much at all...



the key is sturdy hangers, welded connections, and 200lbs of lead sheet lining the interior!



Forrest

 

[CumminsPower98]

I have a 4" Jardine system. I ran straight for a while until an inspection and they wanted a muffler so I put the one that came in the system on for a while but it was WAY too quiet for me. I then installed a 4" Dynomax bullet muffler that is 16" long and 5" overall OD. It does just about nothing but I can say I have a muffler at least. I ran 5" stacks for a while and moved this muffler to the front where it stayed after taking the stacks off. I later moved it back to the stock location. What I'm getting at is that muffler location does make some difference. I have drone and when I moved the muffler to the back it cut the drone down a little.

 

[Rattlin_Ram]

I have a 4" straight off the turbo, LOVE the sound. Not sure who made it, it was on the truck when I got it. It's pretty loud, and there is a slight drone at certain RPMs, but not too bad. I just idle pretty much through the neighborhood, so I do not annoy the neighbors too much. Actually had a guy in a suburban next to me at a stop light the other day BACK UP next to my exhaust pipe, then he rolled his window down, and said "I just had to listen too it, that Cummins sounds AWESOME!" And that was just idling at a stop light... ...

 

[Okie-Go]

I also have the Jardine. I live south of you a few hours. I have a big muffler on mine also. I do a lot of driving and didn't want to take a chance on the drone as it is called. Mine does sound good as I am told. I just returned from a 7 day trip which covered 6,000 miles pulling a 25ft. gooseneck trailer. When you spend that much time in the seat you are glad the sound is not uncomfortable in the cab.