Pro Chevy

I am hoping someone out there can help me. I own a 2001 Silverado 1500 Ex. Cab Z71 (5.3L). I am looking to add dual exhaust to my truck but I don't know what will give me more for my buck. I know there are some great companies out there. I am looking to increase my horsepower & gas mileage yet still get that loud rumble of a Chevy.

Mille Racer 69

well you will only get noticable imporoved hp and gas mileage with a turbocharger.
flowmaster has a pretty interesting system where the exhaust actually creates
a vacuum in the muffler in turn actually sucking the exhaust out of the engine and also
they offer many different volume levels to meet the need of all customers.
I would recommend a 30 series - a nice defined sound with a loud but not
obnixious volume level.
a 40 series is slightly quietter but still a very decent volume level with a slightly
better and more defined tone.
a 10 series is just loud but not so defined sound.

I have a 40 series I am happy with but would like a 30.

and AFA gas mileage... if the engine doesn't have to work so hard to
exert the exhaust I would suppose that would help increase fuel efficiency.
And if you get a set of headers to go with it, that would also help with power
cuz the inside of stock exhaust manifolds are kinda ridgid and rough. With
headers the exhaust will flow out more smoothly and with less resistance.
and IIWY, if you do get headers, might as well wrap some exhaust wrap around
them so as to keep the engine bay cooler, especially if you have a cold air intake.

good luck!

JK23112

I have a 2004 Silverado, also with the 5.3L V8, and I had a set of Flowmaster 50 Series mufflers instaled a year ago. They sound great, but are not excessively loud; nor do they make a "drone" that drives ya nuts on long trips.

Be sure to get TRUE dual exhausts -- one pipe coming out of each cat; rather than a two into one into two setup. You won't get any gain in fuel economy, at least from what I have seen, but you can pick up 5 or 10 extra horsepower.

Cpb200

well depending on how loud u want
my personal opinion fm sounds good but flows like crap it has been proven
spintech has a simular sound with a different baffle system for better flow
with that being said theres many options if you want a good flowing system magnaflow has straight through desines that flows great but the sound is a low rumble that you really cant here and if your like me i like to here my exhaust if u do want the straight throught design but loud glasspack are an option but are raspy and they crackle some like it some dont but theres also the dynomax bullets which are like glasspack but doesnt have the pop or crackle if you want loud like a straight pipe but a tamed sound go with the 10series or a cherry bomb extreme which are the same thing just name brand and one cost more than the othere

now for best results with a true dual setup use a x-pipe to make that vacum affect and will help with gas milage your stock cats create enough backpreasure for u to use any muffler u want the muffler doesnt need it so the better flowing the better
hope this helps

Hunt4X4

i have the flowmaster super44 dual in/out on mine and it is amazing. at low rpm it sounds like it has some gut and at high RPMs it sounds better than any other i have heard so far. My buddy next door heard mine and got himself the 50 series. his is also great it is very deep at low rpms but loses rumble and tone in higher rpms. I bough a 40 series for my brothers jeep and it is much like the 50 series. super 44 true dual is the best i can think of, though i am somewhat biased. I can not stress enough how amazing it sounds at around 4-5000 rpms, truly the best sound i have yet to hear.
On the other hand an exhaust system will not get you much gas mileage, i still get around 12 mpg which is a 2 mpg improvement. so, at that range anything helps, but in the grande scheme of things it doesn't do that much. mine is a 5.7 though, but that shouldnt change too much. Flowmaster super44 all the way.

country_09

I have 2 12" glasspacks true dualed...great rumble, no drone at all like flowmasters and they are the straight thru design so they flow great. They don't have the loud cackle. I'm guessin most people don't realize to get rid of the cackle you just drive the hell out of them when you put them on to get them nice and hot, then shove a water hose up there to cool them down, which in turn cracks them. This gets rid of the loud cackle but it takes a few times to fully get rid of them. But after readin on other sites, i got the magnaflow x-pipe to put in and that really balanced it out and dang near completely got rid of the cackle and left the deep rumble. drives much better now

Hunt4X4

country 09 is right about the drone in flowmasters, especially in the 40 series. the drone in those is almost unbearable, unless you like drone, but i dont. the 50 series has a little less, and the super 44 has hardly any drone except around 1500 rpm. so either glasspacks, like my dad had on his camaro, or super 44. glasspacks will turn heads

Starboy

I built a spicy 302 V8 w/long tube headers, H pipe, and glasspacks. Lots of other mods, but once I started pushing the rpm's the engine would crap out around 3,500rpm. I switched to 2 1/4" in and out turbo mufflers, and the exact same engine configuration would run strong right up to 5,500rpm without a hitch. I'd never run a glasspack muffler. Those turbo mufflers are something to consider, nice quiet rumble, great flow with just a bit of backpressure for evacuating the cylinders.

fz1rider

bang for the buck? leave the crossover and go with a custom 3" single back, flowmaster or the likes. 20 hp for under $300. just saying..........

1984 chev k20

for the flowmaster 44 mufflers or any for that matter, is the reason for the center to offset flow just for the way your exhaust pipes fit best under the truck?