Here I am

2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission which exhaust? too many!

Attention: TDR Forum Junkies
To the point: Click this link and check out the Front Page News story(ies) where we are tracking the introduction of the 2025 Ram HD trucks.

Thanks, TDR Staff
Status
Not open for further replies.
I need some help deciding which exhaust to get. I am going to have some $$ at the end of the year and want to get rid of the cobbled exhaust someone put on my truck before I bought it. I have tried to research as much info as possible on MBRP, Rip's, Banks etc. Do I really need to spend $900 on a banks system with the power elbow or can I get by just as well with an aluminized or stainless system from about anyone else and expect the same egt decrease and ease of installation? Any help in deciding would be useful.
 
I would say dont bother with power elbow for sure. Just decide what material you want stainless or aluminum. I have a mig welder so I found a down pipe on ebay,a 5 foot piece of straight pipe from a truck parts dealer,and a flowmaster muffler from Jegs and tailpipe from Rip. I have about $290 in the whole thing and it looks and sounds excellent. But you can also find quality bolt on exhausts on ebay for a good price. If you dont want to go that route then I would say for the money Rips cant be beat.
 
i just purchased a complete alumimunized kit 5" with muffer and 4" down pipe for $400. 00 shipped. aluminumized really under normal conditions should last 3-5 yrs. and 409 stainless still rusts.

i looked at the power elbow too. . figured if i need it that bad then ill just change the turbo(hx40) and downpipe.

really, 4" is all u need and muffed or non muffed is up to u and your sound preference. but 5" is really for looks and well it looks awesome.
 
I have a banks 4" exhaust on mine. The only reason I went with it is because I knew I was putting an exhaut brake on the truck soon after. My darling wife hit a guard rail and broke the rear section of the stock pipe in two places, so in went the Bank's kit for under $900. 00 verses a muffler shop wanting nearly 1/2 that to repair the stock system. The tail pipe tip has never polished back up after its first winter.

The banks kit for mine was an easy bolt in, I have to admit, but I installed just as many no name stainless kits for friends with little to no more effort at all. Kind of hard to really screw up a straight back exhaust system so long as the downpipe is degreed correctly in its curves. (banks has even screwed up a few of those in the past).

As a matter of fact, the down pipe that came with my Bank's exhaust Brake did not fit correctly, it had to be notched at the mid bend and welded back together to fit correctly. Bank's never sent another one out to me now that I remember it, hmm... ... . Need to make a call next week on that. :confused:
 
Last edited:
I just went through this about a month ago. I knew that I wanted SS because I plan to keep my truck for a while. I doing so I read and learned there are two types of SS kits. 409 and 304 SS. The 409 is quite a bit cheaper in price as you will find some 304 kits for several hundred more.

After reading everything I could find on several forums I discovered I could NOT find one person who purchased an MBRP kit and did not love it. All other kits you can find several different opinions whether they like the fit or sound. Good and bad.

I soon realized I wanted the MBRP kit and knew I wanted to purchase it through DPPI and specifically Mark Craig. Just reading his very helpful posts and everyones positive comments about him persuaded my decision. Do as I did and do a search on this forum for MBRP and read up about the kit. Then do a search for posts by Mark Craig and you will see what I mean.

So I emailed him about purchasing his kit and he met another company's slightly lower price. The next day I called and he was a great person to deal with.

So, after all was said and done I got a turbo back stainless system with a muffler, (also the muffler delete pipe), and a 5" polished SS tip, all hangers welded on and a simple fit for $475 shipped.

I first installed it as he recommended without the muffler and drove it for a week. The sound was incredible and very powerful (I loved it) but the following weekend I installed the muffler to hear the difference and it removed the drone and still has a deep roar.

So to make a long story longer... ... I bought the MBRP kit from DPPI and love it and highly recommend this option.





good luck on your decision...



by the way the install took me about 2. 5 hours to remove and replace the exhuast by myself. I highly recommend you use a sawzall, I tried a different appraoch and it added about another half hour.
 
GKarpen said:
The Banks will RUST. Go with the ones who use 304 stainless.



This is true, My exhaust is pitting and shows surface rust along its entire length.

Just FYI, I have known guys who have modified/welded the Banks pipes with regular mig wire for mid steel, the carbon content is really high.



The 4" monster exhaust is also supposedly hand bent on a mandrel bender, not on a CNC mandrel like their smaller systems are. I found this out when installing a monster 4" banks exhaust system on another friends truck and the down pipe was not angled correctly, it was out by several degrees from even bolting up, let alone sealing up correctly on the turbo's outlet elbow.
 
Just want to second or third on rip's, I put on his dual 4 inch. Sounds great and added a little power also. i reconfigured the exhaust a little so it comes straight out of back and not out to the sides. great price and service.
 
I went with the 409 SS. Cost being my reason. I had a hard enough time justifying the $475. I don't know about the longevity of this system but I am very pleased with all aspects of it so far.
 
BOstiguy said:
I went with the 409 SS. Cost being my reason. I had a hard enough time justifying the $475. I don't know about the longevity of this system but I am very pleased with all aspects of it so far.



I wouldn't worry too much about the 409 SS systems life, it takes quite a while to degrade it. Even in the rust belt northeast, it will last several years, which for the cost, is reasonable. I have several friends in Florida and the coastal areas throughout the US, they have had little complaints about the 409 SS systems, the rest of the trucks components are usually eaten up before another exhaust system is needed ;) The nice thing about a diesel is the soot layer in the pipe keeps it lubed :D
 
I choose MBRP T409 4 inch SS from www.xtremediesel.com cause they had free shipping. I used 4 inch SS T305 Band Clamps from NAPA for $10 apiece for 3. They prevent crimpimg the pipes together like exhaust clamps do. The muffler sounds beefy but not too loud. Add a BHAF or high flow filter and get rid of the stock air box and your turbo will whistle... sounds cool. :cool:



Here is a current thread with several pics of my exhaust with the 5 inch tip.



http://69.61.23.10/forums/showthread.php?t=145588&page=2



Whatever you get you'll like the added power and feel of a new exhaust. Get a SAWZALLL to remove the old system. It's hard to decide which one. I'd say the muffler is the most important part of the exhaust and you want one that will last and is at least 30 inches long for keeping noise level down. MBRP's is 7 inch diamter by 30 inches (I think).



Also, with the MBRP's rods welded onto the exhaust pipes they fit perfectly into the stock hangers making the install easy. A good think to look for in an exhaust IMHO. I only had 3 pipe pieces plus the muffler and tip to deal with.



Good luck and let us know what you get and how you like it.



Dave
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Can't agree with Dave M. more. I also had heard about those band clamps and went to NAPA to buy them. I only ended up using two on the muffler but those things are awesome, you won't regret buying them.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top