I'm old school and weld everything, but I've been welding since my pop put me to work in his awning & canopy shop when I was eleven. I know people who have cat back kits they put on themselves in the driveway with nothing welded and they are perfectly satisfied with it...

 

If you have a quad, the stock resonator was after the muffler. The Quad cabs only have 1 resonator, the rear one. Personally, I don't think it's going to help you that much. It sounds to me that you should go back to the muffler shop and have them put your original exhaust back on there. You're going to hear an aftermarket exhaust in the cab no matter what kind you put on. Only the stock mufflers are made to cancel as much noise as possible. Aftermarket mufflers are made to give a deeper and louder tone, no matter what brand. That's normally what people are looking for when they change their exhausts..

 

+1 Since you think magnaflow is too loud you might want to stick with stock. Magnaflow is very quiet compared to most other aftermarket mufflers, but it does roar when you go WOT whichI love. I had a magnaflow catback on my LS1 maro and it was the same deal...

 

I would definitely say to get on ebay and spend $120 for sound deadening (FatMat) and lay that 100sqft. Not only will it help with your muffler, but all outside noises such as loud tires

 

If it's an option, putting the stock exhaust system back on would not be a bad choice, performance wise. One important design aspect on the modern Hemi engine was the importance of breathing throughout the intake/exhaust system. Although some considerations were made to the intake, chiefly with the baffling that had to be installed to deaden the sound of the EGR valve, the exhaust is relatively free flowing. I've seen the data and some aftermarket mufflers (such as my Flowmaser 50HD) actually flow WORSEthan stock!
If this was a performance upgrade and not a sound upgrade, even though the magnaflow does offer some gains over stock, it's not enough to matter or put up with if the exhaust tone is not desirable to you...

 

HammerZ71
What difference are we talking about performance wise, stock vs. Magna Flow?

 

Magnaflows are one of the better flowing exhausts on the market,there is no doubt about it, and even so, they claim about a 12HP gain over stock, I've not seen any independant dyno's on them but if their claims are on par with the average exaggerations I've seen on most products, then actual gains are probably in the 5-8 HP range which would equate to about 3 to 5 HP getting to the rear wheels. Again, if the exhaust note is what you want, then the small gains would be just an added plus, but not enough to have to deal with an exhaust sound that you don't like at all.
By comparison, you could add a relatively inexpensive CAI (compared to the cost of the Magnaflow exhaust + labor) and have better gains with a product that costs under $300that you could add in your driveway in 30 minutes or spend an hour to replace your stock cooling fan with an e-fan for under $300 and maybe two hours labor in the driveway and come away with 15-20 HP at the rear wheels.
I'm not saying for one minute that a nice exhaust system is not worth having, I'm just saying that if the sound isthat bad to youthen the small gains probably are not worth the headache they will give you...

 

when i did the cat back on my mustangs the first 2 weeks it was loud but i guess the mufflers got broken in and it got a bit quieter after, then i added my off road midpipe cause ilike a loud exhaust

 

Does anyone have a Vibrant Ultra Quiet or Aero AR30 on their trucks? If so I would love to hear your feedback on the difference they made before tomorrow. Tomorrow I need to buy something (or go back to stock which I really don't want to do) and these look like my 2 best choices.

 

i'm no fan of magnaflow for normal driving. anything under 2200rpm (give or take) and it damn near makes your ears bleed. as far as it being quieter than other mufflers...you won't convince me of it. the MF sounds good when you're foot is buried..but everyday driving isn't pleasant.
i'd say ditch the muffler and go w/ a different brand...i want to.