Disappointed in first mods! Carven exhaust and RC 6" lights.

[Steve Brucher]

So I have 400 miles on my new Ram and decided to do the first mods to my truck. I purchased the Rough Country 6" LED lights for the grille and they are a monster waste of time and money. The hardware and brackets that are supplied are garbage as are the instructions which are just plain wrong in a couple of spots. On top of that the lighting is extremely weak and, no exaggeration, It would take hours to adjust these once they are installed. I would say they are just for looks but because they brackets don't fit flush with the grille they look like cheap aftermarket add-ons and not the OEM quality nor look that they advertise. On to my second mod which was the Carven exhaust. The fit and finish is top notch, however, they are LOUD. In fact, out of the dozens of vehicles I have put exhaust systems on these are the loudest I have ever had. I bought these specifically because everyone said they couldn't hear them at cruising speeds. They are less noisy at cruising speeds but still a dull roar. What I was really disappointed with was the sound during ECO mode. The pitch changes as would be expected but there is an odd resonance as you give it a little gas and it isn't quite out of ECO mode such as on a slight incline. It reminded me of putting the rear window down on a quad cab where your eardrums hurt. I will give them a few days but I will likely be taking them back off. I am really bummed about this stuff. I did alot of research on the exhaust and expected more. While I can't in any way shape of form recommend the RC lights, the fit and finish and ease of installation were great on the Carven exhaust but I would caution those who want an exhaust system to really spend the time and actually ride in a truck that has the Carven's on it.

 

[Steve Brucher]

I'm new to the site. Can one of the moderators move this to the modifications section?

 

[Nails]

On a positive note. Thank you for sharing your experience, even though disappointed sorry to hear. It does help the rest of the community though

 

[PorBoy]

I have the Rough Country 6” Led lights and found that yes the instructions were a little tedious which I emailed them about. My expectations were lower the yours as far as light output expectations. As far as the feel and fitment of the brackets, yes they are not spot on. With all of that being said, I still am happy with my purchase and as soon as I swap that cheesy switch theysend with it, I’ll be good.

As far as Carven, I could only go off the videos and those made it seem too good to be true, so I opted to pass and have since landed on Magnaflow aftermy (2) other Borla installs. Good luck OP getting what you are looking for, and thank you for your posting.

 

[Shanesrt8]

What Carven muffler did you go with?

 

[Joeyp]

Cat Back or just the muffler....All aftermarket exhaust have that horrible noise when ECO kicks in...drive your truck using the gear limiter and MDS wont come on

 

[Steve Brucher]

So after a week with the Carven exhaust I can only say that it is "exhausting" to drive. I really dislike how others, especially the manufacturer, glosses over the droning and the cabin resonance this system creates. The ECO mode noise is just plain ridiculous. The transition from ECO mode to all 8 cylinders actually hurts my ears at certain RPM's when you are just giving it enough throttle to crest a small incline but not enough to transition out of it. I liken this to a teenager with an out of tune sportbike running a straight pipe. The other issue is the Auto Stop. It is extremely annoying to hear it rev back up every time you take your foot off the brake which it did about a dozen times today in traffic. In order to live with this on a daily basis I would have to disable both the MDS and the Auto stop but it would still be loud as hell in the cabin. I read nothing but good things about the Carven exhaust and would not have purchased it if I had known this. The only time this system sounds good is climbing through the RPM's and even then it is extremely loud so it's coming back off my truck this morning!

 

[Steve Brucher]

What Carven muffler did you go with?

They no longer have two options. It is only the Comp system now.

 

[ksn240]

Not sure who would have said the Carven exhaust isn't loud at ANY speed. I have the Carven exhaust and love it, but I wanted loud and it is. That being said I don't have etorque and always disable my MDS so I don't catch that much drone. You do hear it very noticeably when in MDS or kicking out of it. I would think you would like something like the Magnaflow or Borla. The bad thing is that exhaust tastes vary person to person and what may not be loud to some, may be obnoxiously loud to another.

 

[Shanesrt8]

They no longer have two options. It is only the Comp system now.

ah thats right. my kit was one of the preorder ones so i have the Progressive muffler.

 

[Troop2865]

There have been a few others who have sold their after market system here on the forum and returned to stock. If you kept your factory system, that should be fairly easy. One member got rid of his factory system so he found another member to trade their stock system for his after market one.

If dissatisfied with the Rough Country lights, have you called them to ask for a refund? Maybe they will refund your money or allow you to tase for the light bar.

Either way, good luck and thanks for posting your thoughts on these products.

 

[PorBoy]

I’m one of the ones who swapped my aftermarket exhaust ( Borla ) with a forum memeber for their stock one. My wife & daughters didn’t agree with the sounds and they outnumber me 3 to 1 lol...

 

[Troop2865]

My wife tells me she has two votes.

 

[PorBoy]

Heck my wife tells me what vote I’ll be making when it comes to modding my vehicles lol. Although as stated she did go out and buy me a catback Magnaflow paired with 5” black tips. I’m just lazy and haven’t taken it to the shop for the install.

 

[geotex1]

... that exhaust tastes vary person to person and what may not be loud to some, may be obnoxiously loud to another.

Amen! Was in Houston this week for a conference. Plenty of new RAMs running around! I got to experience a Carven system on a 2019, and no way I'd ever run one! I'm an old gearhead and I like deep and mellow with throat on acceleration. What I'm very certain is that the Carven is not that nor could ever be for me!

Sorry you've had an expensive learning. You should be able to recoup most of the exhaust cost with a private sale. RC does have a 90 day return period, but I know you had to hack up the grille, which might be noticeable. I was looking at their brackets, and I decided a no go because there is no frontal adjustment capability. The grilles are all molded, so why not cast or 3D print much better fitting bezels with set screw adjustments? Might be too much stretch for a suspension company.

 

[Jmaloneydo]

Go with the Magnaflow Cat Back Exhaust, I got the one with the black tips as well to match my truck and the sound is awesome. Much deeper rumble than stock, not loud while cruising, and with the windows up and the radio to about 14 I don't even hear it. It's loud when you get on it but not when your just cruising, I couldn't be happier. And I'm a 42 year old guy with a wife and 3 kids too and they all actually love it and say it sounds better than stock!

 

[Joeyp]

Go with the Magnaflow Cat Back Exhaust, I got the one with the black tips as well to match my truck and the sound is awesome. Much deeper rumble than stock, not loud while cruising, and with the windows up and the radio to about 14 I don't even hear it. It's loud when you get on it but not when your just cruising, I couldn't be happier. And I'm a 42 year old guy with a wife and 3 kids too and they all actually love it and say it sounds better than stock!

Its a Hemi...Let it ROAR!

 

[Jrex]

I did not want the full time ear cracking load exhaust. So I went this.

https://www.lmperformance.com/10415...reamer-aggressor-qtec-electronic-cutouts.html

Comes with FOB. Just click the button, open the valve and its like you have straight pipe loud exhaust to screw around and have fun with. Click the button again, its back to quiet stock exhaust.

Its a slick setup.

 

[ksn240]

Amen! Was in Houston this week for a conference. Plenty of new RAMs running around! I got to experience a Carven system on a 2019, and no way I'd ever run one! I'm an old gearhead and I like deep and mellow with throat on acceleration. What I'm very certain is that the Carven is not that nor could ever be for me!

Sorry you've had an expensive learning. You should be able to recoup most of the exhaust cost with a private sale. RC does have a 90 day return period, but I know you had to hack up the grille, which might be noticeable. I was looking at their brackets, and I decided a no go because there is no frontal adjustment capability. The grilles are all molded, so why not cast or 3D print much better fitting bezels with set screw adjustments? Might be too much stretch for a suspension company.

Haha yeah they aren't for everyone. My wife and kids actually like it though. My wife knew what she was getting into when she married me and knows I go all out with my vehicles. The kids love the sound and will always try to imitate it lol. Still though, both kids easily fall asleep in the back seat without any trouble. I also listen to my music fairly loud when its just me so a lot of times that drowns out the exhaust.

I will say I was worried about it being too loud as I am up at 3:30 in the morning, but none of my neighbors have said a word about it.

 

[Jrex]

Haha yeah they aren't for everyone. My wife and kids actually like it though. My wife knew what she was getting into when she married me and knows I go all out with my vehicles. The kids love the sound and will always try to imitate it lol. Still though, both kids easily fall asleep in the back seat without any trouble. I also listen to my music fairly loud when its just me so a lot of times that drowns out the exhaust.

I will say I was worried about it being too loud as I am up at 3:30 in the morning, but none of my neighbors have said a word about it.

I have 2 dodge cars both with Belanger Headers, no cats, one 2 little mufflers and they are extremely loud. Even though the neighbors have not said anything, its been my experience they all complain about it to the rest of neighbors in back stabbing way and would not dare say anything to your face or wife. You will eventually find out thru the grapevine back door, their bitching about it and dont approve.

I say the hell with them and too bad, deal with it. I just didnt want the rock rumble and roll in my daily driver all the time.

Has anyone put a hellcat crate motor in a 2019 Ram yet?