'Dump' exhaust....

1997 Chevrolet C1500
5.0L V8
2WD, Extended Cab

Just acquired this vehicle (been in the family about 7 yrs) and it has about 146,000 miles on it and it's still completely stock.
I was looking to put some exhaust that sounds pretty nice. Some of my friends have 'dump' exhaust on their small V8 trucks and they sound pretty good (i.e. not too loud/obnoxious, but a nice rumble).
I talked to a buddy of mine and he said he would hook me up with a Flowmaster muffler with two dump pipes for about $130 or Borla w/ two dump pipes for $170 (all installed).
How much does a system like that usually run for?
What are the gains (besides the nicer sound) that I would get from such a system?
Does anyone recommend it or have anything to say about it?

Also, I was gonna buy the $50 K&N replacement air filter for the truck because K&N worked on my other vehicle so well. Does anyone have any thoughts on that? I would like to buy the whole FIPK kit but price is so high....what does it do to gas mileage?

Any and all help/response is appreciated :)

The prices you listed are pretty good. For the extra 40 bucks I'd get the Borla though. I'm a big fan of "Flowmaster sound" but Borla parts last forever. Horsepower, torque, and fuel economy should improve some, since it's frees up your exhaust flow. The only problem is that downpipes let the exhaust collect under the truck, so don't sit in it for too long with the engine on at idle.

The prices you listed are pretty good. For the extra 40 bucks I'd get the Borla though. I'm a big fan of "Flowmaster sound" but Borla parts last forever. Horsepower, torque, and fuel economy should improve some, since it's frees up your exhaust flow. The only problem is that downpipes let the exhaust collect under the truck, so don't sit in it for too long with the engine on at idle.


Thanks for the response....
I was leaning toward the Borla anyway, but which one sounds better and why do you recommend the Borla? Just because it lasts longer? Are there many distinct differences between the two?
Yeah, I don't idle my car a lot, so I won't have to worry about that.

Thanks again!

Get the Borla for sure. You're definately getting a deal. Back in 2000 when I put Borla with dumps on mine, it was $200 installed and that was the cheapest deal I found. The muffler still looks practically new today.

Get the Borla for sure. You're definately getting a deal. Back in 2000 when I put Borla with dumps on mine, it was $200 installed and that was the cheapest deal I found. The muffler still looks practically new today.


Thanks for your response...Yeah, it seems like I am getting a good deal I guess. My buddy said that the normal price is $135 for dual-dumped Flowmasters and $169 for dual-dumped Borla.
Why do you say 'get the Borla for sure'? Is Borla hands-down better than Flowmaster as far as quality? What about sound? Do they sound very different from one another?

IMO Flowmaster's have the best sound available but the Borla is good too and will last a lot longer than than the flows. Also I would get two pipes running out the side in front of the rear tire instead of having it dumped.

Why do you say 'get the Borla for sure'? Is Borla hands-down better than Flowmaster as far as quality? What about sound? Do they sound very different from one another?
Borla is made from stainless steel. I personally prefer the sound of Borla to Flowmaster. Borla has more of a deeper drone, whereas Flows have more of a popping.

Borla is all premium grade stainless steel, where other stuff like FlowMaster is aluminized. They both sound good in my opinion but your dollar will go further with Borla. It costs more at first but lasts way longer.

Borla is all premium grade stainless steel, where other stuff like FlowMaster is aluminized. They both sound good in my opinion but your dollar will go further with Borla. It costs more at first but lasts way longer.


I just went and got the Flow dumps yesterday morning...I've been driving around for two days loving it! Man, the sound is great and I feel like a little kid pressing the accelerator just to hear the sound. Of course I don't know what Borla dumps would sound like, but I am very happy with the Flow sound and I like it a whole lot. (I don't identify with the 'popping' sound previously mentioned).
Also, even if the Flows don't have a lifetime warranty, I got them from a friend for a very cheap price ~$100 installed so I can afford to come back in a few years I guess.
Thanks to all who contributed!

Good choice, dude! Borlas always sound "constipated" to me.

On my '90 Suburban 383 I run Edelbrock headers, a custom y-pipe, high-flow cat, 3" aluminized pipe, a Gibson straight-through muffler, more 3" pipe, then a 3" to 4" cone adapter, a 90 degree bend of 4" stainless steel tubing and finally a 5" OD polished stainless tip behind the rear wheel.

Spent 40 minutes on my back polishing the stainless pipe to match the tip.

Sounds awesome, the only possible downside is the 5" tip makes my 15"x8" steel rims look a little small. I plan to powdercoat them gloss black so they blend with the shiny blackwall tires.

What is a "dump" exhaust. does that mean basically no tail pipe?

What is a "dump" exhaust. does that mean basically no tail pipe?


It means that you cut off your stock muffler+tailpipe where the truck bed begins and install a new, usually better-sounding muffler (ex. Flowmaster). On the exit chambers (or chamber) you put small turn-down pipes and the exhaust is 'dumped' under the truck bed. The exhaust sound resonates under the bed and is heard in the passenger compartment. I also like the 'clean' look of no visible exhaust and a clean looking back end of the truck.

I own a 1990 3/4 ton GMC and I have a 40 series flowmaster exhaust, which I love, it is "cosmetic duals" meaning one pipe into the muffler, and then straight pipes out the back. The sound is awesome, but you still have a bunch of interior noise. I was going to dump the 40 series muffler straight up, but then i was told the noise would get worse. A friend of mine, who happens to own an exhaust shop, is going to put on a magnaflow performance xl muffler, single in, single out dumped. he said that the quality in flowmaster has dropped, he's seen blown interior shields and shotty work on the inside. Magnaflow has less interior noise and they are stainless steel. I would definitely go Borla over Flowmaster.