Replacing exhaust--cat back or downpipe too?

[TexasExcursion]

I'm thinking of replacing my exhaust. Do Excursions (6.0) have a 3" downpipe? Is it worth replacing it or better to just go the cat-back route?

I'm after better performance, not a louder exhaust. Any brands good at NOT increasing the sound inside the truck?

 

[PSD POWER007]

MBRP turbo back is the only way to go IMO. Still very quiet inside and very throaty outside. Mark Craig @ Diesel Performance Parts is where I got mine from. You will be hard to beat his price. He's a vendor here. Send him a PM.

 

[JohnBoyToo]

The full turbo back will give you better flow and lower egt's than the stock downpipe - on the 03's the downpipe looks like a crushed can !!!

I frist tried just a muffler delete, but it was too loud on long trips... so I then got a ALuminized full turbo back for our 03 Ex.... little deeper tone outside and LOTS of turbo whine outside... sounded great...

would suggest you leave your Cat in place though... at first I didn't have the cat in place and without it the turbo was too loud for even me - and don't ask what my neighbors thought of it when I hit the remote start and it went into high idle @ 6 in the morning

You will feel a boost in performance and if you have gauges you will see a large drop in egts'...

good luck !

 

[jvencius]

I'm thinking of replacing my exhaust. Do Excursions (6.0) have a 3" downpipe? Is it worth replacing it or better to just go the cat-back route?

I'm after better performance, not a louder exhaust. Any brands good at NOT increasing the sound inside the truck?

Swapping the exhaust w/o changing the downpipe as well is like trying to fart through a straw--it can be done, but it's awfully restrictive. Hell, when I pulled my downpipe, it was probably the most restrictive part of the whole exhaust system and I've got a 2002, not the godawfully-smashed 94-97 downpipe.

 

[powerboatr]

I have a MBRp on my 6.0
left the cat on and she still purrs very nice and throaty out back.

 

[TexasExcursion]

Thanks for everybody's input. Mark at DPPI hooked me up with a price that beat everybody elses by $100. I got the aluminized turbo back system with a tip.

Any tricks to make the install easier (besides the part about working on a COLD exhaust...)??

 

[jvencius]

Any tricks to make the install easier (besides the part about working on a COLD exhaust...)??

Hints for an exhaust install:

1) soak the beejeezus out of the hangers with a penetrating oil--that'll make the hangers easier to get out of the rubber frame-mounted hangers

2) If you don't plan on keeping any parts of the stock exhaust, Sawzall the hell out of it since small pieces are easier to deal with than great big chunks of old nasty exhaust pipe.

 

[HCAbowman]

Cant help on the down pipe, but I have the Gibson cat back on my V-10, its the single in and dual out with turn downs, sounds nice and keeps the exhaust off the trailer or whatever your towing!

 

[02EX_PSD]

If you can find a friend with a lift that will sure beat trying to install the exhaust on your back in the driveway! If you are keeping the stock exhaust for whatever reason, you can snake it out in larger pieces by working on a lift. We only had to make one cut just after the downpipe. Hope that helps.

 

[JohnBoyToo]

TE, where ya located ?
I have a local Muffler shop near Mansfield, Tx that did the turbo back install on my 03 for $45 IIRC...

WELL worth the money.... just for the downpipe itself !!!!

If'n you insist on doing it yourself... get under the truck with a sawzall and reach up as HIGH as you can to cut the stock downpipe so it can be extracted...