mxboy

Guys I'm new here so forgive me if this has been kicked around already, I searched and did not find much on this subject.<br><br>Anyway, has anybody just removed the muffler from a new CTD? If so, does this void anything other than the exhaust warranty? How loud is it and would it help/hurt anything? A bunch of guys I work with that have '01's and '02's are saying I should do it. I KNOW someone here has some good advice for a former PSD owner. I love my new Dodge, no more Fords for this 'ole boy! Thanks in advance for your help/suggestions!

The_Warden

One of the biggest things I'd check is the legal issues. A rule of thumb I once heard, for CA, was that some form of restriction in the exhaust was required. For most vehicles a muffler does this, but a turbo will work so, here, it's okay to straight-pipe a turbo engine. The law where you live may be different.<br><br>Personally, I'd go for it. You don't need to worry about exhaust restrictions except for legalities; the more free-flowing a diesel exhaust, the better off the engine is. EGT's will go down.<br><br>I haven't heard the sound of a straight-piped common-rail Cummins, but I've heard a few 12 and 24 valve engines straight-piped, and it's music to my ears. 8)<br><br>Good luck, and keep on truckin'...

pwabbott

mxboy, you might want to read this thread if you havn't.<br><br>http://www.dodge-diesel.org/yabbse/i...;threadid=7253

mxboy

Thanks for the advice guys, I had the '03 3500 straight piped today and will be returning tomorrow for an aftermarket muffler. The truck sounds great but too loud for me, inside the cab is about the same as before but crack a window and it's a BIG difference. I thought I might blow a few Honda windows out returning home on the interstate. With the 4.10 rear end at 75mph this thing really sings. I'm tempted to keep it this way but realized &quot;stealth&quot; mode may not be such a bad thing. I could tell no difference in the way my truck ran, not that I was after a performance gain to begin with. I'm sure some guys would love it but it's too much for me.

turbov6joe

I also straight piped mine and am not sure if I like the drone too much??? I've had many a loud exhaust on vehicles I've owned before, but this might serve to be too much on the long haul. If I do put a muffler on it, I'll prolly use a Walker 4&quot; straight through to hack down some of that noise. I'm going to give it a week of driving to work to make the final decision. I myself only noticed a slight increase in the turbo spool-up. I think my custom intake mod made the most difference! That factory hardpipe down by the turbo on the cool side is a TOTAL restriction not to mention cuts back on the turbo whistle that I like so much. That stock airbox is a total abortion/restriction...that was the first thing to go!