Well first let me say hello to you all. As you may be able to see this is my first post. I will try to be brief explaining my situation, I have no intention of starting a mine is better than yours war.

First, I live in a metropolitan area so my miles are not just highway. I have a 2001 PSD auto that just turned 100k last week. I have had it for about 7k miles now. Great truck. Why do I have it, I am a club racer and about once/twice a month I am off towing to a race. My car+trailer weigh about 4800 and my gear around 300lbs in the bed.

I am not a novice to turbos, I have raced them, tuned them, and enjoyed them. Now, what I am a novice to is diesels and turbo diesels. So the first thing I did when I got the truck was have every possible fluid and filter replaced. Not too big of a deal to be honest. I had brakes replaced where needed and now I am comfortable with the condition of the beast.

So here comes the question: I am fully aware of the performance drawbacks of the stock air-flow. Come monday I will order a Tymar intake, that case is decided. What is not decided is the following: exhaust. What I have learned thus far through my site searches, internet pricing of options, and reading the 20 most recent pages of this forum: I do not want to ditch my muffler because I haul for hours and do not want too much unnecessary noise. I most likely want a stainless system because it snows here in the washington DC area about 5 times a year and they salt the streets to all hell (because no one can freaking drive around here). The two issues that remain are downpipe size and brand. Yeah I could call banks and pay 800+ bucks, but that is a crapload of money. I also see that our nice sponsor has a Hog Performance option for about 600. So through my reading I have learned that a 4" downpipe is better for highway, yet a 3.5" is better for initial off the line grunt. It seems that only IMCO sells a 3.5" version and they do not seem to have any online dealers for me to learn about the pricing of the product. To be clear, I have zero intention of doing anything other than intake and exhaust. I don't want chips and the headaches that have been known to come with them. As you can imagine, I have modified more cars than I care to mention and I need this truck to be a tried and true workhorse.
So I apologize for the freaking novel, but I hope someone will be nice enough to reply.
Many thanks.
Jon

 

Welcome to FTE!

I do not know about the downpipe, but if you are worried about sound when taking off the muffler, don't worry about it. In our truck, with the windows rolled up, you CANNOT hear the exhaust except in times of heavy accelaration, or if it kicks into overdrive. The only time you hear the exhaust inside the truck is from 2100-2400 RPM.
Even then the noise is not intrusive at all. Now if you have the windows rolled down it is a different story.

 

Welcome to the forum, jonmacs22!
I can appreciate where you're coming from. My truck is quite heavily modified, but I still run a muffler, because I don't want it too loud. I've spent a considerable amount of time and money trying to find the right combination of exhaust components to give me the aggressive sound I want at times, and the quiet operation I want at other times.
When you're on the phone ordering your TYMAR intake on Monday, ask Dale for his recommendations regarding a downpipe. TYMAR sells a lot more than merely intakes. Dale can hook you up with the right setup for your truck, without it costing an arm and a leg.
If you want stainless, and want a decent price, click here. This system includes a 3.5" downpipe, and everything you need.

 

Quad,


thank you so much for the info. You mention Dale as well as link that ebay store, is there a reason I should not purchase the ebay item and should instead buy an exhaust from dale? many thanks.

jon

 

Originally, I recommended Dale, because he's probably the foremost authority on Powerstrokes I'll ever meet, plus he sells the stuff that works best, plus his prices are very reasonable. He'd be the one I'd recommend to help you decide on the correct downpipe for your application.
After posting, I went over to eBay, and found the exhaust system I linked, so I edited it into my post. If you're really into saving money, that system is quite good. It includes a 3.5" downpipe, and looks as though it will install easily in your driveway in an afternoon.
I just threw out another option, at the other end of the spectrum from Banks. Good quality, without the high price. If you're calling Dale to order an intake anyway, pick his brain while you've got him on the phone.
Tell him I said "hi."

 

thanks for the clarification. I will give a call and ask.


Jon

 

Well if anyone else wants to know, Dale's response was immediate and simple, go 4 inch for the downpipe. He said that although it may take an extra .75 seconds to get off of the line with the 4 inch, the overal benefits after that brief lag are undeniable. The basic gist of his argument is that the 3.5 is more prone to increased EGT and lower overal boost.

Thanks for all of the welcomes and info.

Jon

 

I'll second what Dale told you. I just installed one of his exhuasts on Saturday, replacing the Banks Monster Exhaust. For what I paid for that exhuast, and the results ( WHOOHOO) I'm still kickin myself for wasting money on Banks. The sound of the exhaust is awesome as well. I initially planned to straight pipe, but I used the muffler due to exhaust hanger issues. I will tell you, I noticed some lag off the line, but once it gets moving, it's movin! On a slightly wet road this morning, I burned through 1, 2 and 3 shifting at about 2600 RPM each time. With my windows up, I can barely hear the exhuast, but windows down I can hear the turbo really well, but it's not obnoxious or anything. I'd definitely say it was worth the money I paid.

Terry