Monster Exhaust

[DuramaxDan]

has anyone put an aftermarket monster exhaust system on a Duramax, mine is a 2006. I'm ready to remove this stock system and move up to a full system. Did you notice any power or mileage gains? Which company makes the best systems? I looked at the Magnaflow, MBRP and Banks Monster Exhaust and they all look good but I'm not sure which one to go with. Dan

[Herb]

Hi Dan, I prefer the MBRP. I ran this 4" turbo back system on my 2002 CTD. Loved the sound, for mileage and performance gains this depends. I avg about a 1.5 - 2 mpg gain, though I also ran a 2 stage intake system, and superchip.

[Ken's PS]

Dan:
Both the MBRP and the Magnaflow are excellant systems, Banks makes a good exhaust as well, but the other two are priced to give you a greater value for your dollar. We normally determine which brand would be better for a customer based on their personal opinions on how they wish for the sound to be, in and outside the cab.
Gains should be seen, but on a truck to truck basis, these gains can be a little tough to quantify accurately.
Kenny

[johns4dor]

Great answer Kenny. What is the difference that you find in the sound between the Magnaflow and the MBRP? Is one louder, more mellow, or what? I haven't sold both so don't know, although I have both available through my sources.

[Goose]

Ken, I had a Borla on a 5.3L. Loved the sound, throaty at idle and when you put your foot in it. In the cab it was pretty quiet, no droaning or resonance. How close is the MBRP (T304) to this as I like a throaty exhaust, just not in the truck.

[Ken's PS]

Compared to the Borla may be very similar, the Magnaflow may be a little quieter in the cab because the overall size of the muffler is much larger in diameter and in length.
Kenny

[Analyst]

OK, like many guys, I want to do an exhaust upgrade. But even if I had the cash, I don't know what to get. I know what I want, but the toughest part is identifying it. Thinking that maybe some of you guys have seen/heard/installed a lot of different systems and can offer some suggestions, here's my definition of the perfect exhaust:


Turbo-back
4" diameter tubing in a single-pipe-exit design
Minimum 409 grade SS (304 is OK of course, but no Aluminized)
Muffler design with open baffling: no mesh or filler
Low backpressure, but some is OK - this is for fuel-economy and towing, not racing.
Decent fitting, without tons of joints, and hardware that will last.
QUIET. Anything aftermarket with lower backpressure than stock is going to be noisier, and thus sound "cooler", but I'd like it to be understated. After all, I already get irritated when the drive-thru person asks me to turn off my STOCK noise-level truck because they can't hear me at engine idle. And I want to be able to still warm up my truck in the drive in our residential neighborhood, without irritating the neighbors or waking my kids up.
Low price. (Had to throw that in, you know, but the other items are more important. I'm just not going to get excited about spending $850 on a system, when I used to make them for OEM's and know that in volume they would cost maybe $90.)

As you can probably tell, the noise is the really tough part. How do I avoid buying something I either hate or can't tell whether I hate it? I'm in a pretty rural area, there's no diesel specialty shops around here, and the trucks I know that have upgraded... well, they generally love a race-truck sound. And they're cool - I like 'em - but their trucks just remind me what I DON'T want mine to sound like for the next 400,000 miles of driving.

[johns4dor]

Brian,

I know you said you weren't interested in aluminized, but you might want to take a look at Pinnacle Power Exhaust by Jerry Jardine anyway. Go to his FAQ section to see why he doesn't make any stainless systems. He has a no BS Lifetime Warranty on his aluminized, and his prices are good. Jerry was one of the top header manufacturers in the country during the 60's to 80's before he sold the header business and moved to Wyoming. He recently brought out a line of diesel headers for the performance guys. He knows exhaust systems.

John