Im looking at adding a true duel exhaust system to my 2006 dakota ST extended cab with a 3.7. Looking at maybe just straight piping it, I would like to improve the horsepower and maybe some fuel economy if possible. Just a couple questions...
How hard is it to straight pipe these? Maybe adding a few bends will make installation easier?

How much about will it cost me? I would plan on doing it myself so disregard labor costs.

And finally, is adding true duels a good idea to get a good sound and better performance? Or would a Flowmaster CAT back duel system work nearly as well?

 

In all honesty, regarding horsepower, you most likely will not see any gains that you can actually feel. If you added a CAI and Headers (if they even make them for a V-6) you might tell a difference, but the cost overall wouldn't be worth it.

I have a 4.7 V-8 and wanted to get "True Duals", realizing that even after adding a tuner...it wouldn't be worth it unless I had a CAI and Headers (plus H.O. cams); and the cost in the end would be close to if not over $1,000 more, I ended up just going with a single in-dual out set up using Magnaflow. I already had a single side-exit Magnaflow. There wasn't much of a gain in horsepower going with the dual out (which I didn't expect anyway), but there was DEF a difference in sound from a single to a double, which is really what I was going for. In the future, if I end up coming across a used CAI and set of Headers at a good price and I have a little extra greens to throw around I might get them, but as far as doing "True Duals" at all...ever...I can honestly only justify doing it IF I already have done the first two mods and then by luck came across the mufflers I needed and did the exhaust work myself (since I already have a welder and will probably get a pipe bender in the next year.

I'm sorry to say, but there really isn't much at all you can do with the V-6 to make it faster (short of swapping it for a V-8) and would at best be able to only enjoy a custom sound system for your tunes and an aftermarket exhaust (to at least make it sound like a V-8)

 

With a V6, you won't need a cross-over, so that makes life simpler. Just leave your cats where they are and add pipes all the way to the back. If you don't bend them, they,ll most likely be hanging pretty low and will be visible - not everyone likes the look of a rusty pipe showing under their vehicle. If you do bend the pipes, you'll need to find a shop that has a tube bender that has dies to give you a smooth bend. Around here many shops use a bender that gives the pipes a "crinkled" bend and each of these crinkles causes turbulence, giving you more obstruction to the exhaust flow. Straight pipes will sound good unless you drive long distances, then the roar can get to you - the good news is that you won't need to spend much on a sound system. You won't notice much power gain, although it will sound more powerful.

If you decide to do it yourself and to use bent pipes, you probably won't save much cash from buying a pre-bent cat-back system.

 

Don't do it. The gains are not worth the cost and it will sound terrible. As stated several times in your other thread, nothing you can do will really get you a gain in MPG or HP out of your V6.

 

no to straight pipe(youll lose some low or high end torque i forget which), if you really want an exhaust for nice sound you'll want to at least get a more free flowing muffler and remove resonators. so that and a nice intake will do you fine.