It was a sad day last month, wisping off from the muffler shop almost silent. Almost felt like I lost a ********. I went through alot of old threads with guys saying, "straightpipe it, you won't notice the difference when you don't get on it", or "just lay off the skinny pedal when the cops are behind you". My truck was loud with ANY input. No such thing as 'creeping' home late at night. I live on top of a large 1 mile hill so everytime I would come home everyone in a 2 mile radius knew it, especially the cop behind me (didn't stop me though). My neighbors were so nice about it, halfway joking they didn't need alarm clocks anymore... The rig is a tree truck in close urban quarters and it seemed the conservative homeowners were just magnets for standing by my exhaust pipe when I'd have to start and move my truck!

After a few weeks I really like it now. One guy said my truck used to sound like it was working so hard before. I don't care, I absolutely LOVE the rumble and wish I lived in the country. I also loved the cooler egts. I gained 50-100 degrees remuffled which was noticed within a few minutes of driving. Other performance effects like power, fuel mileage, spool up were barely noticeable either way. In fact I'm sure I'm wrong on this but it seems as though it spools slightly faster with muffler on. Fuel mileage is still 14-16 in city; it may have improved with the straightpipe but I couldn't stop stepping on it and blipping it.


One thing I don't miss...the dreaded drone at 70! Otherwise interior sounds no different with windows up.

Just my first-hand input for anyone else deciding between straightpipe and muffler.

 

I jusat did the same thing. I am glad that I put it on but for the same reason you do. I hated the drone at 65-75 I couldn't hardly hear myself think. Now I can talk to other people at 75MPH

 

I have been thinking about slapping a muffler back on mine. Yeah, its sounds great but it can get annoying, like when trying to come home at late hours. Plus, everybody has a straight pipe it seems. It certainly aint setting my truck apart from the others...

 

Took mine off, hated all the noise, and that drone! Put a bigger one back, enjoying the "quiet"
(As much as these things rattle, Quiet is relative!)

 

I also gave up on my straight pipe after 5 or so years hooking up trailers and trying to talk over the noise, I couldn't take it anymore. I took it to a friend who owns an exhaust shop to reinstall the stock muffler, but he suggested a glass pack instead. That was over 4 years ago and I still like it. Quiet in the cab and much better outside at an idle. However, when pulling a steep grade or when you get after it, the truck still sounds mean.

 

Just wondering, Summit has a nice-priced 4" turbo back system for my '96. It has a "glass pack". Has anybody heard these. I wouldn't mind a bit more noise than stock, but I don't want to create a droning problem either.

 

I have a 5" glass pack with 4" inlet and outlet I like it. It is not quiet by any means, but I am quiet enough to avoid a ticket. The small town I live in has a new noise pollution law mostly directed at strait piped harleys but, all the cops got db meters in their cruisers and it went right to their head, if you fart too loud you get a ticket. I have not been pulled over yet, I can be quiet when needed but it still sounds great when I get on it. Really reduced the drone at 70 too. I would do the glass pak thing, cheap and effective. just my .02

 

I know what you mean there treemonkey i have a muffler and its still loud

 

Running a Volant muffler in place of the stock- remaining exhaust is stock (soon to be changed). No drone for me, a bit quieter than unmuffled (96...resonator/cat too) but a huge improvement on talking outside the truck, and plowing snow at 2AM doesn't make quite as much noise (not like that could be quite in this truck anyway...)
I'm thinking of double mufflers for the new exhaust in place of the resonator/cat thingy to try keeping it quiet (plowing drives means I have to consider that above all else).

 

just got my muffler put on yesterday...i am much happier still loud but i can now talk to someone in the cab doing 65.

 

I like the straight pipe sound so much sometimes I would just stand by the pipe and and listen for a while but glass packs! Why didn't I think of that? What I really wanted to do was quiet it down about 50% from straightpipe. It's perfect for my environment now, though not like the engine is quiet by any means...

Soon I'll be scrapping and replacing the whole system. Thinking about 86ing exhaust brake too cause I read somewhere the shutter causes alot of restriction for swirling exhaust. Anyone hear of that? Miss those cooler egts cause you don't have to sit and cool down as long.

 

I have had the MBRP cool duals. on my 2 CTD's now. They are great. They are quiet untll you really get into them. Even on the highway they are quiet. So if you loud when you put it to the floor these will do it. But just driving normal they only slightly louder than stcok

 

Duals are way cool. Then she can be heard from both sides.

My friend did stacks and recently commented if he could do it over he would have done duals.

 

I'm starting to get annoyed by the drone - and I don't like the look of 2 stacks on a pickup. Might get a single stack or a Hushpower on it.

 

Glass packs on our diesels just turn into DPF's and trap soot until they are just a straight pipe. There are a few good truck mufflers out there like AeroTurbine or Donaldson. The MBRP is good for me.