stevens707
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2022
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 3
This is a resource (aka very long post) for those wanting to do a bolt-on muffler swap on the 5th Gen 5.7L with more customization compared to the B2 Fabrication or Mufflex kits (both of which seem to be quality kits if that is what you want). But if you are a DIY guy like me, I spent a lot of time researching how to obtain the ideal sound that I wanted and measuring a lot under the truck to be able to slightly undercut the off-the-shelf kits. And lastly for reference, I have a 2022 5.7L Big Horn with eTorque.
Based on many threads on this forum, other Ram forums, and YouTube videos/comments, I was confident that an 18 or 22 inch straight-through muffler was what I wanted based on interior noise and the overall sound level/profile. I wanted a muffler swap instead of a cat-back because I knew I wanted to keep the stock rear resonators/tips (since the truck has shiny brand, new pipes with <2000 miles), and for it to be bolt-on because there are no good shops nearby that I trusted to make clean welds using stainless wire.
This left the Mufflex 18 inch kit, which seems to be popular; however, I’ve experienced Magnaflow breaking in/getting louder over time and I planned to keep this setup for the life of the truck. This is also consistent with comments stating the 18 inch Magnaflow can get as loud as a newer 14 inch over time.
I really wanted Borla due to the relatively higher grade of stainless steel vs. Magnaflow and the rumor that they break down less over time (I think Borla sounds only slightly better than Magnaflow, but I’ve never heard them side-by-side in person). As I mentioned above, I wanted a direct-fit/bolt-on option so I made one myself with Borla that I hope will be helpful for others, even if for planning for other muffler swaps. [And Mufflex/B2 Fabrication if you are reading….why not work up a direct-fit Borla ProXS welded to an extension pipe + hanger like you do for the 14 inch Magnaflow? Or better yet, chop your “muffler delete” pipe with a flange + hanger mount for DIYers to add a ~14 inch muffler of choice?]
Ignoring the rounded edges and the volume the exhaust path displaces, a 5x8x18” Magnaflow muffler volume = 720 in^3
My Borla alternative combo has a volume of 4x9.5x14” ProXS (532 in^3) + 5x10” Borla (2.5” radius) resonator (196 in^3) = 728 in^3
Therefore, a 14 inch Borla ProXS behind a 10 inch Borla/Vibrant resonator should be comparable to the 18 inch Magnaflow as far as sound output. Taking motivation from a guy on YouTube (big thanks to Tino Lopez for starting me down this path) that combined a ProXS with a Vibrant resonator (slightly larger in diameter than the Borla resonator I used), I ordered everything needed from Summit Racing (attached order list). Kip Harris on YouTube also had this done, but I’m not sure if they had welded in or bolted on themselves. They are the only two in addition to me that I have seen with this setup. I linked those videos at the bottom. Tino Lopez stated that a ~15 inch extra pipe was needed but I was able to get away with a 12 inch stainless pipe that was already notched and that I didn’t have to cut. You will lap the flared end (notched cut) over the stock pipe with a clamp before it Y’s out the back. I also used a notched muffler and resonator to better crimp on the stock 3 inch pipe. In all joints outlined below, Permatex copper was used to help seal the joints in case you get a little kink at the edges when doing the final tightening. I used a socket wrench for everything and be prepared to exert a lot of force to get everything snug.
I’d recommend installing from front to back to ensure everything adds up before making the final cut on the stock pipe near the Y pipe. First, bolt in the front resonator, snug down, and then cut out the stock muffler (the closest you can to the muffler body, see attached pic). Do yourself a favor and use a wrench to remove the two hanger bolts above the hanger instead of trying to pry the muffler out of the rubber mounts (and to avoid buying that specific tool). You can twist those off after removing the muffler with hangers still attached and then re-install the hanger mounts to the frame. Next, loosely bolt up the muffler and extension pipe. In addition, loosely attach the new hanger to help hold things up in place before you tighten all clamps down and to take some weight off the middle hanger (the one with the ground wire).
*Important* don’t fully insert the purchased 12 inch extension or the stock pipe with flange in front of the muffler all the way into the Borla muffler inlet/outlet or you will not have quite enough meat on the extension pipe to lap over the stock pipe near the Y. There is still at least 2 inches of the muffler inlet/outlet covering the stock/extension pipe so this is fine. This is why it’s important to get everything bolted up loosely to be sure you don’t cinch down the clamps on the inlet/outlet of the muffler and then realize you don’t have quite enough to lap over the stock pipe after the extension.
You will want to angle the muffler a bit (top towards the driveshaft) until you get the tips aligned. Be careful to ensure that the Y pipe section is aligned left/right so the tips end up extending at the same distance out of the bumper (this was more tedious/sensitive that I expected). And yes…the offset/offset on the 9.5 inch wide muffler is closer to the stock muffler orientation than the center/offset you see in forums. Maybe a center/offset orientation would work on a 5x11 inch Magnaflow? For welding jobs, it doesn’t have to be as perfectly aligned like it does for clamping since the pipes have to be squared up for clamping. I think that’s enough background on the install, reply below if you have any specific questions.
Results: My first impressions were, “Okay, good, see that’s not bad at all” speaking to the overall volume as my wife stands by waiting to see how obnoxious it sounded. That was followed by “Wow, it is so deep!” It’s always fun hearing how a new exhaust setup sounds, especially on a hemi. And if you couldn’t tell already I’m a nerd so I did a break down between stock and ~50 miles after installing the new Borla setup (see attached graphs). You will see the cold start-up/idle and warm idle/revs are on average 5 decibels louder than stock, which is more obvious than you are imagining (remember 10 decibels is 10x louder). For context, you can clearly hear the truck start up inside the garage (lots more bass) and my wife can hear me come up the driveway now (even light on the gas).
Most importantly, there is no drone cruising (on a flat road) because I intentionally tested at 50/60/70/80 mph (I have the 3.21 rear ratio). However, I am not going to lie, there is surprisingly more resonance inside the cab under load/acceleration between 1400-2200 rpm (at least compared to stock). But overall, it sounds amazing. It’s VERY deep at idle, clean and “performance sounding” at medium-heavy acceleration, but is practically stock-sounding cruising on highway. Though it’s much more rumbly than stock, I bet many folks wouldn’t even ask or notice that it was an aftermarket setup because every other truck sounds obnoxiously loud (at least around here) with muffler deletes. I’d recommend if you want a little tamer sound than a 14 inch Magnaflow/Borla muffler swap and like the sound in the links below, or other 18 inch Magnaflow swap videos (which should be comparable, see above).
The sound is very comparable to these videos on YouTube:
Based on many threads on this forum, other Ram forums, and YouTube videos/comments, I was confident that an 18 or 22 inch straight-through muffler was what I wanted based on interior noise and the overall sound level/profile. I wanted a muffler swap instead of a cat-back because I knew I wanted to keep the stock rear resonators/tips (since the truck has shiny brand, new pipes with <2000 miles), and for it to be bolt-on because there are no good shops nearby that I trusted to make clean welds using stainless wire.
This left the Mufflex 18 inch kit, which seems to be popular; however, I’ve experienced Magnaflow breaking in/getting louder over time and I planned to keep this setup for the life of the truck. This is also consistent with comments stating the 18 inch Magnaflow can get as loud as a newer 14 inch over time.
I really wanted Borla due to the relatively higher grade of stainless steel vs. Magnaflow and the rumor that they break down less over time (I think Borla sounds only slightly better than Magnaflow, but I’ve never heard them side-by-side in person). As I mentioned above, I wanted a direct-fit/bolt-on option so I made one myself with Borla that I hope will be helpful for others, even if for planning for other muffler swaps. [And Mufflex/B2 Fabrication if you are reading….why not work up a direct-fit Borla ProXS welded to an extension pipe + hanger like you do for the 14 inch Magnaflow? Or better yet, chop your “muffler delete” pipe with a flange + hanger mount for DIYers to add a ~14 inch muffler of choice?]
Ignoring the rounded edges and the volume the exhaust path displaces, a 5x8x18” Magnaflow muffler volume = 720 in^3
My Borla alternative combo has a volume of 4x9.5x14” ProXS (532 in^3) + 5x10” Borla (2.5” radius) resonator (196 in^3) = 728 in^3
Therefore, a 14 inch Borla ProXS behind a 10 inch Borla/Vibrant resonator should be comparable to the 18 inch Magnaflow as far as sound output. Taking motivation from a guy on YouTube (big thanks to Tino Lopez for starting me down this path) that combined a ProXS with a Vibrant resonator (slightly larger in diameter than the Borla resonator I used), I ordered everything needed from Summit Racing (attached order list). Kip Harris on YouTube also had this done, but I’m not sure if they had welded in or bolted on themselves. They are the only two in addition to me that I have seen with this setup. I linked those videos at the bottom. Tino Lopez stated that a ~15 inch extra pipe was needed but I was able to get away with a 12 inch stainless pipe that was already notched and that I didn’t have to cut. You will lap the flared end (notched cut) over the stock pipe with a clamp before it Y’s out the back. I also used a notched muffler and resonator to better crimp on the stock 3 inch pipe. In all joints outlined below, Permatex copper was used to help seal the joints in case you get a little kink at the edges when doing the final tightening. I used a socket wrench for everything and be prepared to exert a lot of force to get everything snug.
I’d recommend installing from front to back to ensure everything adds up before making the final cut on the stock pipe near the Y pipe. First, bolt in the front resonator, snug down, and then cut out the stock muffler (the closest you can to the muffler body, see attached pic). Do yourself a favor and use a wrench to remove the two hanger bolts above the hanger instead of trying to pry the muffler out of the rubber mounts (and to avoid buying that specific tool). You can twist those off after removing the muffler with hangers still attached and then re-install the hanger mounts to the frame. Next, loosely bolt up the muffler and extension pipe. In addition, loosely attach the new hanger to help hold things up in place before you tighten all clamps down and to take some weight off the middle hanger (the one with the ground wire).
*Important* don’t fully insert the purchased 12 inch extension or the stock pipe with flange in front of the muffler all the way into the Borla muffler inlet/outlet or you will not have quite enough meat on the extension pipe to lap over the stock pipe near the Y. There is still at least 2 inches of the muffler inlet/outlet covering the stock/extension pipe so this is fine. This is why it’s important to get everything bolted up loosely to be sure you don’t cinch down the clamps on the inlet/outlet of the muffler and then realize you don’t have quite enough to lap over the stock pipe after the extension.
You will want to angle the muffler a bit (top towards the driveshaft) until you get the tips aligned. Be careful to ensure that the Y pipe section is aligned left/right so the tips end up extending at the same distance out of the bumper (this was more tedious/sensitive that I expected). And yes…the offset/offset on the 9.5 inch wide muffler is closer to the stock muffler orientation than the center/offset you see in forums. Maybe a center/offset orientation would work on a 5x11 inch Magnaflow? For welding jobs, it doesn’t have to be as perfectly aligned like it does for clamping since the pipes have to be squared up for clamping. I think that’s enough background on the install, reply below if you have any specific questions.
Results: My first impressions were, “Okay, good, see that’s not bad at all” speaking to the overall volume as my wife stands by waiting to see how obnoxious it sounded. That was followed by “Wow, it is so deep!” It’s always fun hearing how a new exhaust setup sounds, especially on a hemi. And if you couldn’t tell already I’m a nerd so I did a break down between stock and ~50 miles after installing the new Borla setup (see attached graphs). You will see the cold start-up/idle and warm idle/revs are on average 5 decibels louder than stock, which is more obvious than you are imagining (remember 10 decibels is 10x louder). For context, you can clearly hear the truck start up inside the garage (lots more bass) and my wife can hear me come up the driveway now (even light on the gas).
Most importantly, there is no drone cruising (on a flat road) because I intentionally tested at 50/60/70/80 mph (I have the 3.21 rear ratio). However, I am not going to lie, there is surprisingly more resonance inside the cab under load/acceleration between 1400-2200 rpm (at least compared to stock). But overall, it sounds amazing. It’s VERY deep at idle, clean and “performance sounding” at medium-heavy acceleration, but is practically stock-sounding cruising on highway. Though it’s much more rumbly than stock, I bet many folks wouldn’t even ask or notice that it was an aftermarket setup because every other truck sounds obnoxiously loud (at least around here) with muffler deletes. I’d recommend if you want a little tamer sound than a 14 inch Magnaflow/Borla muffler swap and like the sound in the links below, or other 18 inch Magnaflow swap videos (which should be comparable, see above).
The sound is very comparable to these videos on YouTube:
