Does anyone know if there is an inexpensive way to make a 05 magnum RT sound better. I wanted to see if there was a way to get a little more rumble out of the exhaust since it is kind of quiet.

 

The cheapest way would be to remove the big suitcase muffler in the middle and put in straight pipes. This will make your car sound mean, BUT it will also make the MDS drone pretty bad.

Another thing that you could do is to buy a 2in/2out muffler to replace the suitcase. Something from Magnaflow or Flowmaster. This will help out with the MDS drone.

No matter what you do though, you are going to have the MDS drone when it kicks in. I have a full magnaflow system and mine is still annoying as hell. I just drive in autostick mode and that saves the sound.

 

Can you elaborate on this MDS drone sound please? Is this something I would have heard with stock exhaust?

 

You wouldn't even notice it with the stock exhaust, and quite frankly, the 'brylcreem mod' will make you search for another alternative in short order.

"Drone" happens usually between 1800 and 2200 rpm and doesn't need MDS to kick in to be there. It gets way worse with MDS in action though.

The ultimate sounds seem to come from Zoomers or Corsas and come with serious price tags, unless you catch a deal. I <heart> my Zoomers and never listen to the stereo at all hardly because the pipes sound so nice.

I had a set of magnaflow 'small block' mufflers (NOT their catback) in place of the suitcase and that sounded freaking nice too. If going the least expensive route, I'd straight pipe the center, leave the resonators and see how you like that. Then, it's not all that much to throw a pair of mufflers in place of the straight pipes if that's the route you want to go.

Mike

 

If it will save anyone else time. I spent almost a month looking into exhaust choices for my Magnum R/T. After much deliberation I went with the Magnaflow catback system. Throughout ALL of the forums and web sights I looked into, a lot of the catback system and custom customers had complaints about drone.
Let's start by saying this: You're looking for an exhaust system because you want your car to be louder, right? There is a down side to making your car louder. That is not only will it be louder outside, but also inside the vehicle. One can only wonder why the engineers at Chrysler/Dodge made the hemi powered cars so quiet. Well the answer is simple. Letting the hemi breathe comes with annoying side effects.
That being said, everyone is different. What sounds great to me will bother the hell out of someone else. I personally like the sound of a V8 running along near 2000 rpm during which yes there is drone (harmonic resonance). Well if you're into cruising in the range of 55-70 mph and you live somewhere flat, guess what? That's right the same engineers who made your hemi queit also made it fuel efficient by putting MDS on it. So when you're out for your 55-70 mph cruise the MDS kicks on and the drone of your awesome hemi V8 suddenly turns into an awesome hemi V4. This I believe is the "drone" or "buzzing" that so many people have complained about.
If you're cheap like me and hate giving your hard earned money to the big oil companies. Having an aftermarket exhaust system lets you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the MDS is on. Now when I drive on the highway I deliberately try to keep the MDS on. Is the sound somewhat annoying? Yes. There's something to be said about an almighty Magnum that sounds like a four cylinder import (only much more bad assed). Does my new driving style save gas? Yes, my gas milage is the best it's ever been. Are you wondering if this irritating four banger noise can be avoided? Yes again, simply by leaving the trans in fourth gear the MDS wont come on (I can only speak on behalf of the '05 they may have changed this).
Now comes the answer you may have been waiting for. How does it sound when you unleash the beast? Short answer, like a hemi should!
Let's sum up. How much time do you spend pounding the **** out of your car versus how much time do you spend cruising down the highway? If you want your car to sound like an R/T then be ready to deal with it under all driving conditions. Weigh your options carefully.

 

One of my best friends bought an '05 new, I've ridden in/driven the car many hundreds of miles...he went with an expensive after-market system at first, and then just removed the whole damn thing cat-back and went with straight pipes, and like Hostler said it just sounds bad-***. The Boston Accousic does an awesome job of covering up the 'drone', and reminds you that its doing its job saving fuel...one one trip going south on highway 93 through eastern Nevada we got 28 mpg! And when you get on it, it sounds like a Hemi should. I finally got my own ('05 RT) low miles bone stock...gonna get the suitcase muffler cut-off and let it roar....

 

$70 to get the suitcase removed and straight pipes welded in about 3-4 years ago. It sounds almost as nice as a $1000 exhaust system. For me, almost is well worth $930.