I am definitely going to upgrade my 2wd 2004 Silverado 1500 LS to a dual exhaust system in the coming months. There's nothing wrong with the stock system, of course, but I have a neighbor with an '06 who has Flowmasters. A friend of mine has an '02 with duals....but I am not sure of the brand. I would like my truck to sound better (but not excessively loud) and possibly get a little bit more mileage from a gallon of fuel.

Any particular brand of pipe or muffler? How about a certain shop that is competent enough to do a good job on custom duals? Meineke? Midas? Tuffy? Goodyear? Will any of them do it? The dealership supposedly won't do aftermarket exhaust systems - at least from what I hear. Do I have to go to a 'no name' privately-owned shop to get work like this done? How much should I expect to spend? I have heard three hundred to five hundred dollars is the going rate - from most people with whom I have spoken.

Has anyone here noticed an improvement in fuel economy after getting duals put on a truck? I know that a cat-back dual exhaust system might also give another 5 to 15 horsepower, but the truck is plenty strong already. The 5.3L seems more than capable enough to keep the truck moving down the road.


77,000 miles and still going strong!

"Do the RIGHT thing. Stay out of the LEFT lane unless you are passing another vehicle."

 

Hello JK, There are many options you can use, the one I am waiting for is a Magnaflow cat-back, but where my truck is a 09 they don't make them as of yet. I have been told by MF in a couple of months, cost 600.00-700.00 depending where you by it from. I like MF because its S/S material and bolt-on and life-time warranty, told easy to install. On my old truck I had flowmaster installed through a muffler shop local to me, sounded great but only lasted 4 years then had to replace, about 300.00 each time, flowmaster not made of S/S, but did get to reuse S/S tips. I thinking MF has a set-up for your truck for 400.00- 500.00 easily. Call MF get right Model # and shop around, if you don't want to install your-self some garage will probably do for 70.00- 90.00. MagnaFlow and Flowmaster usually top picks, shop around plenty to pick from. Good luck

 

are you looking to put true duals on or duals from the muffler back. my sister had a magnaflow system on her tahoe.. single in dual out. and it rumbled. i have flowmaster on my truck and it lets people know you're there. imo i'd pick flowmaster over magnaflow merely because flowmaster seems louder to me. my system was i believe 440 with parts and labor. that was for 40 series flowmaster muffler, pipe, and stainless steel magnaflow 4" rolled edge tips.

 

Thanks for the replies!

I am assuming this truck has one catalytic converter - and I intend to have dual pipes going back from there. Some Fords (such as the Mustang) have two catalytic converters, so you can do "true duals" with them - but I am not certain about the Chevy. I guess I will go look at it next time I venture outsdie.

As for the brand, I suspect Flowmasters might be good - even if they're a bit loud. I'll have to get some price quotes on two or three types, though, and make a decision from there.

I appreciate the feedback and would like to have some more of it if anyone else wants to chime in. This "Ford guy" is really liking this Chevy truck, and I hope it continues to provide reliable service for me.

BUMPER STICKER: "If it's too loud; you're too old."

 

i like your bumper sticker lol. also... i believe your truck should have two cats. one for each side of the motor. if you do true duals. headers would probably make it sound better over stock manifolds.