Ok folks, I know we have beat this to death, but . . . it has been a while so I'll ask again, what is the most recommended exhaust for the following situation.

I'm not looking to save money
I need a new exhaust (my stock rotted off at the muffler welds), this is not an exclusive upgrade.
The truck is basically stock
I tow heavy (16k 5er)
I'm already half deaf, so I'm not interested in additional drone or noise.
Of course I'm interested in mileage/performance boost.

Jump in and comment, please! What, where, how much$$

 

get a donaldson m090535 from anderson brothers for $96 get the 5"piping from farm boys diesel it will be as quiet as stock, and no drone towing

 

I can't find a listing for Farm Boys. There are some bad reports about this guy?

 

I beg to differ. The M090535 (which is on my truck) is VERY LOUD under load, especially on an '03 which will not have a cat. It does flow something like 3000 CFM, so it *is* very efficient.

www.ryderfleetproducts.com is the cheapest place for Donaldson mufflers. I got mine for about $75 including shipping. Donaldson makes a direct-fit muffler that flows more than stock, but I can't recall the part number.

Unless you're installing twins, a 5" system is overkill. My '03 had 555/960 at the wheels with a 4" system.

The MBRP muffler replacement works well on an '03, but they get a little loud when they get sooted up...

 

Yeah, I'm definately not going to go up to a 5" on a stock truck. 4" is fine, but the noise issue is hard to pin down. "Loud" is very undefinable. I don't mind a bit louder than stock, but I'm not doing this to get a certain "rumble".

 

Everyone has their own idea of what is loud and what is not. Some exhaust systems are naturally going to be louder than others. I can't speak for all of them but I personally have a Magnaflow on my truck and I don't think that it is very loud. I have a couple friends that are MBRP and Silverline and they each sound pretty good. The Silverline is on an '03 and it is not very loud at all.

 

What about this "drone" I keep hearing about, while towing?

 

It's a resonance or "humming" that you here in the cab from the exhaust. You mostly hear it when the converter is locked up and the truck is under some kind of load. You do still hear it at other times as well.

 

Does one type or brand of muffler drone more than another? Usually when I'm towing, the truck make a bunch more noise anyway.

 

Get a 30" magnaflow and be done w/ it. No drone on the 03s, this was my 1st setup.

 

Here you go.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Magna...spagenameZWDVW