Unleashing The Beast

[AngelPhoenix]

Hi again!

So, I thought I was gonna be fine with my truck at stock for at least a few months but the itch to upgrade is already at a fever pitch. I American flagged-up the exterior and have a Hellwig rear sway bar (7709) on the way.

From there I'm looking at new tires, a cold air intake, and an upgraded exhaust system. That last one is obviously the most intensive mod out of the group, so I wanted to get everyone's thoughts. I'm just about settled on the Magnaflow (street series cat-back). Absolutely love the low-pitched rumble, and the fact that it's not super loud. My three questions are:

1. Do any of you have a CAI/exhaust upgrade combo and, if so, do you notice any difference at all (even a slight one) in terms of acceleration and fuel economy?
2. Did/do any of you suffer from the dreaded exhaust "drone" with Magnaflow, or whatever exhaust you have and, if so, what did you do about it?
3. My dealer, who has been great to me for years, will install aftermarket parts, but will probably charge quite a bit more for labor than local shops, and they are kind of far away from me now, and are always very busy, and don't offer loaner vehicles for upgrades (only warranty repairs). I've had bad experiences with local shops in the past, but recently moved to a new area, and am going to check one out and talk to the guys there soon. Have ya'll been able to find a reliable, trustworthy local shop? What helps you pick the one to try in the first place?

Thanks everyone!

 

[ferraiolo1]

1) neither do anything for performance or fuel economy. Mainly for looks and sound

2) depends how sensitive you are to drone noises and what type of muffler you buy

3) any shop can install these things. Shouldn’t take more than an hour and a half with a competent mechanic


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[vincentw56]

You won't notice any improvements as mentioned above. I experience zero drone with my Carven exhaust.

 

[AngelPhoenix]

I've read about needing to get a "tune" for the vehicle's systems to properly recognize the increase in airflow you get from a CAI/performance exhaust combo. Does that help make a noticeable difference? Will a local shop even be able to do that when how complex the computer systems are on these new trucks?

 

[RAM Patriot]

https://5thgenrams.com/community/threads/mopar’s-“ram-airflow”-cold-air-intake-system-for-ram-1500.11037/page-34#post-319690

 

[ferraiolo1]

I've read about needing to get a "tune" for the vehicle's systems to properly recognize the increase in airflow you get from a CAI/performance exhaust combo. Does that help make a noticeable difference? Will a local shop even be able to do that when how complex the computer systems are on these new trucks?

You won’t gain anything with those parts even with a tune, because your truck already comes with a cold air intake, and the exhaust system isn’t restrictive after the cats.

The tune itself will improve performance with or without mods.

You would have to find a local shop that can unlock the ecu, or send your ecu to Diablo, or buy a pulsar.


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[Scram1500]

You'll want a stock computer for any trips to the dealership. Computer mods are a touchy area. Also the CPU keeps a record every time it's disconnected and reconnected so that would raise a flag as well. Might want to wait until that warranty is up

 

[Derek Dredger]

I installed a Borla ATAK and an afe power momentum gt CAI on my 19 REBEL. Could feel and hear the difference. The difference is in torque. You can feel that she accelerates quicker in gear without shifting down. So if your in 8th gear doing 60mph, she will accelerate to 75mph alot easier and quicker without shifting to 6/7th. However, when flooring it/high rpm I couldn't sense any difference. MPG improved too by approx 2mpg. I installed the Borla ATAK and then 2 weeks later installed the CAI. Was noticeably louder with the CAI say by 7-10%.

 

[Derek Dredger]

No drone at all in the cabin. The Borla ATAK sounds amazing on start up/idle and acceleration. However, it is a loud exhaust and when in cruise control at highway speeds it is also loud compared to stock. It doesn't drone...its just loud. I think if you want a loud rumble at idle and some aggressive noise when acceleration but quiet at highway speeds - go with the Borla Touring or equivalent.

 

[AngelPhoenix]

No drone at all in the cabin. The Borla ATAK sounds amazing on start up/idle and acceleration. However, it is a loud exhaust and when in cruise control at highway speeds it is also loud compared to stock. It doesn't drone...its just loud. I think if you want a loud rumble at idle and some aggressive noise when acceleration but quiet at highway speeds - go with the Borla Touring or equivalent.

Yes, I looked at the Borla Touring, sounds similar to the Magna but the latter was just a little less crackly and a little more rumbly.

Did you get a tune after you installed the CAI and/or exhaust?

 

[AngelPhoenix]

You won’t gain anything with those parts even with a tune, because your truck already comes with a cold air intake, and the exhaust system isn’t restrictive after the cats.

The tune itself will improve performance with or without mods.

You would have to find a local shop that can unlock the ecu, or send your ecu to Diablo, or buy a pulsar.


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Right but like the RamAir system allows a greater volume of air and it goes straight into the engine, rather than coming in from off to the side and changing direction slightly before it hits the engine like the stock setup does, is that right?

And I thought the stock mufflers and resonators did create some airflow restriction, specifically to reduce noise. And most aftermarket systems are louder because more air is passing through, which is what provides that very slight bump in pickup and mpg…

Not trying to argue with you, I'm just surprised that even here on the forum there's still a lot of people that say it does do something, and explain what, but I'm honestly more inclined to believe it's a placebo, and just the way you drive changes slightly when you have that meaner sounding vehicle. Hard to know what to think.

I will probably end up doing this stuff anyway, the looks and sound is pretty much worth it to me. Just wanted to hear other's experiences so I can get my expectations in order. I appreciate all the info. Sounds like a tune is not worth doing regardless, unless I get a supercharger or something.

 

[ferraiolo1]

If those things really improved mpg and performance, don’t you think they would come that way from the factory to increase the numbers?


That said I do have a cat back, and a S&b intake, only for looks and sounds. Made no difference in the trucks performance or efficiency.


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[djevox]

Right but like the RamAir system allows a greater volume of air and it goes straight into the engine, rather than coming in from off to the side and changing direction slightly before it hits the engine like the stock setup does, is that right?

And I thought the stock mufflers and resonators did create some airflow restriction, specifically to reduce noise. And most aftermarket systems are louder because more air is passing through, which is what provides that very slight bump in pickup and mpg…

Not trying to argue with you, I'm just surprised that even here on the forum there's still a lot of people that say it does do something, and explain what, but I'm honestly more inclined to believe it's a placebo, and just the way you drive changes slightly when you have that meaner sounding vehicle. Hard to know what to think.

I will probably end up doing this stuff anyway, the looks and sound is pretty much worth it to me. Just wanted to hear other's experiences so I can get my expectations in order. I appreciate all the info. Sounds like a tune is not worth doing regardless, unless I get a supercharger or something.

Forced induction will always give the best hp/dollar. I feel like the rest of the stuff is unnecessary until you hit the limits of flow and need to upgrade, so you’re adding stuff like exhaust and intake pretty much for sound and because you just want to.

 

[AngelPhoenix]

Forced induction will always give the best hp/dollar. I feel like the rest of the stuff is unnecessary until you hit the limits of flow and need to upgrade, so you’re adding stuff like exhaust and intake pretty much for sound and because you just want to.

What's "forced induction"?

 

[AngelPhoenix]

If those things really improved mpg and performance, don’t you think they would come that way from the factory to increase the numbers?


That said I do have a cat back, and a S&b intake, only for looks and sounds. Made no difference in the trucks performance or efficiency.


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Not if it cost them too much more money in proportion to how much more they could charge for the truck with those parts added.

But I get what you're saying. If there is a difference, it's not even enough that Ram could report it/use it for marketing.

 

[Otisporkchop]

Have all the modes you want with zero improvements in HP it does sound great though no drone at all. If you have any mechanical experience at all you should be able to do your modes yourself without voiding your warranty. I don’t trust anyone to work on my truck, the only time I will farm it out if I know it’s outside of my wheelhouse. As far as tires go you would obviously have to take it to a shop unless you have a tire wheel combo mounted and shipped to your house. Bigger tires equal less MPG’s.

 

[MValdez]

Hi again!

So, I thought I was gonna be fine with my truck at stock for at least a few months but the itch to upgrade is already at a fever pitch. I American flagged-up the exterior and have a Hellwig rear sway bar (7709) on the way.

From there I'm looking at new tires, a cold air intake, and an upgraded exhaust system. That last one is obviously the most intensive mod out of the group, so I wanted to get everyone's thoughts. I'm just about settled on the Magnaflow (street series cat-back). Absolutely love the low-pitched rumble, and the fact that it's not super loud. My three questions are:

1. Do any of you have a CAI/exhaust upgrade combo and, if so, do you notice any difference at all (even a slight one) in terms of acceleration and fuel economy?
2. Did/do any of you suffer from the dreaded exhaust "drone" with Magnaflow, or whatever exhaust you have and, if so, what did you do about it?
3. My dealer, who has been great to me for years, will install aftermarket parts, but will probably charge quite a bit more for labor than local shops, and they are kind of far away from me now, and are always very busy, and don't offer loaner vehicles for upgrades (only warranty repairs). I've had bad experiences with local shops in the past, but recently moved to a new area, and am going to check one out and talk to the guys there soon. Have ya'll been able to find a reliable, trustworthy local shop? What helps you pick the one to try in the first place?

Thanks everyone!

Having the standard 5.7 hemi I can tell you after installing CAI/Exhaust I immediately noticed a loss in acceleration from stock. I installed the MAgnaflow catback exhaust then the AFE stage 2 CAI a month after at which point the loss of power was prominent. I decided to keep both on as I liked the way they made my truck sound. Gas mileage stayed the same. I still to this day have not noticed the "drone" ppl claim to come from the Magnaflow. I installed both exhaust and CAI myself without any issues. Pretty straight forward

 

[AngelPhoenix]

Having the standard 5.7 hemi I can tell you after installing CAI/Exhaust I immediately noticed a loss in acceleration from stock. I installed the MAgnaflow catback exhaust then the AFE stage 2 CAI a month after at which point the loss of power was prominent. I decided to keep both on as I liked the way they made my truck sound. Gas mileage stayed the same. I still to this day have not noticed the "drone" ppl claim to come from the Magnaflow. I installed both exhaust and CAI myself without any issues. Pretty straight forward

Why would you lose power? This the thing where people say you need a tune for the computer to properly recognize the parts?

 

[Scram1500]

Why would you lose power? This the thing where people say you need a tune for the computer to properly recognize the parts?

The gains made by an intake and exhaust are usually at the upper end of the rpm range but at the loss of low end torque

 

[jmt8706]

What's "forced induction"?

Adding a supercharger or turbo's.