Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Quietest 5" Muffler

[MMcCallie]

I have been driving all over the northwest and midwest at interstate speeds and would love to get rid of the noise. The exhaust is louder than the engine, tires, or wind. I have added tons of sound dampening material to my interior and that helped enough to hear the turn signals at highway speeds. I have not yet upgraded the $25 muffler that came with my ebay exhaust.



I am getting to the point of seriously considering an Aero 5050XL. I've read that it will eliminate the drone. If it could boost power, lower EGTs, and increase my mpg while being quieter I'd have to brag about it. But I'm not one to get hung up on marketing hype. Anyone running a modified Cummins with an Aero muffler have opinions good or bad?



I've read good things about Donaldson and I like that they actually post dB information. But most guys beat out the middle. Does that mean that the mufflers don't flow well enough while achieving the quiet ride? They also seem huge and I would likely bang it up like the one I have now during my off road excursions.



One of the diesel magazines recently had an article I can't quite remember. Was it an actual muffler or some other converter that somehow completely eliminates all black exhaust smoke? Something else to consider perhaps?



Any other suggestions for a muffler that won't restrict performance at all, yet reduce noise to a comfortable, non-noticeable level? Perhaps all I need is a 5" resonator? Downpipe is 4" but there isn't much room between the transmission and frame.



Thanks,

Matt

 

[Forrest Nearing]

don't beat out the middle, it won't hurt anything at your power level. that Donaldson is quiet

 

[MMcCallie]

I dyno'd 491 hp and about 1,147 tq at only 37. 3 psi. The guy running the dyno couldn't figure out how to load it any harder, the tires might have been slipping. He said because I've seen over 46 psi on the road that it is definitely putting down well over 500/1200. I don't much about dynamometers but it did better than I expected.

Forrest, is Donaldson what you run? Are people making well over 500 hp with them? Would they work just as well with major dents in them? The one I have is pretty beat up so I need something compact in diameter. I think what I have is smaller than the Donaldson so the ground clearance issue is my major concern. How do Aero and Donaldson compare in decibels, EGTs, power, mpg, etc?

 

[Lightman]

The aero 5050XL is far from quiet and the drone is unbearable in my opinion. The donaldson is about equal to the stock muffler as far as noise but flows much better. I threw my $300 aero in the scrap pile and bought a donaldson.

 

[MMcCallie]

Wow Lightman, was there any performance gain from the 5050XL? Which Donaldson muffler are you now running and did you modify it? How much bigger if any is it than the Aero?

 

[Forrest Nearing]

there is no performance gain from the aeroturbines over any other good performance muffler or straight pipe

 

[Lightman]

Wow Lightman, was there any performance gain from the 5050XL? Which Donaldson muffler are you now running and did you modify it? How much bigger if any is it than the Aero?

I didn't do it for performance gain I did it to get rid of the drone and noise but I didn't find any performance loss

 

[MMcCallie]

So no muffler will offer lower EGTs, quicker spoolup, and better fuel economy than a straight through muffler? What is the part number and dimensions of the best 5" Donaldson?

 

[bmoeller]

A muffler with the straight through design won't have any change in flow compared a straight pipe.

A straight 5" exhaust, from turbo to tail pipe is WAY drones bad. Had to get a Dynaflex resonator.

With the stacks, I was able to get rid of the resonator. Towed to TX and back, and never bothered me a bit. Deeper sound, too.

 

[Champane Flight]

Diamond eye

I have a 4" turbo back, diamond eye system, muffler is a straight through design, no drone. In fact almost too quiet for me, I put a turn down on the tailpipe and it got quieter. The only time you can hear her is when I jump on it, then turbo whistles louder than exhaust because of cold air AFE. They make 5" systems also, resonable pricing.



Diamond Eye Exhaust for Dodge Cummins



A friend of mine installed a no muffler 5" system, he had a heck of a drone, he had to put new rubber isolaters on the pipe hangers, had the rear hanger hooked over the frame. It took care of a hunk of the drone, still there though, must be the echo factor, like hollering into a canyon!

 

[MMcCallie]

The Diamond Eye 5" offers the Aeroturbine as a performance upgrade with their kit. Is that what you have with your 4"? A buddy of mine ran an Aeroturbine on his Jeep CJ-5 and said it was a major kick in the pants improvement in power and response over his Flowmaster, but, he said it was throatier and possibly louder. He bought a pair for his N14 semi but will have to redo his stacks so he hasn't installed them yet but is confident he will gain especially in fuel economy based on his experience with his Jeep.

My current muffler is straight through but with curved up notches all around. I swear it seems to make it louder as it seems all the noise in the cab is coming from that location. I've checked and it is facing the correct direction. Even with water injection my EGTs reach over 1,800 so I'm really curious about what performance gains a muffler can offer.

 

[Champane Flight]

Can't remember ...

I believe it is the aeroturbine, it is much smaller and lighter than stock of course. With my setup #5 plate and afe, EGTs run around 1200+ on long pulls, if I step on it, no need though as I have yet to find a mountain that is straight enough to be able to keep my foot in it! Most of the time I can break speed limits on anything hauling fifthwheel and boat behind, have to roll off to make corners, too far to fall... Your running way hotter than me, pumping a hunk more fuel, it may quiet you down, but EGTs are always going to be a concern pushing that much fuel, unless you go dual turbo. .