8 Best Aftermarket Exhaust Systems | Ditch The Drone

Check price on Amazon

The entry-price dual kit that delivers a proper V8 rumble for full-size truck money.

The ShopLine dual exhaust is what you buy when you want the sound of a serious truck kit without the MagnaFlow or Flowmaster badge premium. It’s a cat-back system (the longer run starting behind the catalytic converter), built around a high-performance straight-through stainless steel Flow II muffler with 2.5-inch mandrel-bent aluminized tail pipes feeding two chrome-plated tips. Aluminized pipe means carbon steel coated with aluminum for basic corrosion resistance, which is fine for warmer climates but not the pick if you drive on salted roads all winter. The 3-inch inlet connection mates to your existing exhaust, and Truck Exhaust Kits ships the whole thing with installation hardware included and no welding required.

Fitment is vehicle-specific and covers a broad range of trucks, but the fit is the honest wildcard here. Buyers report great results on some rigs and complications on others; a Ram Mega Cab driver had to add two 2-foot extension pipes picked up locally to bridge the gap — a class of issue common to universal dual kits on extra-long cabs. Sound is the consensus winner, with buyers calling it “very good exhaust” and “great sounding.” Quality draws similar praise, and the fact that all the clamps and hangers come in the box is a real plus most value kits skip. Expect an extra pair of hands to make the job easier if you’re doing this in a driveway.

If you’re comfortable with basic cutting and fitting — or willing to pay a shop for the tail end — this is the most truck-sound-per-dollar on the list. If your truck is an odd cab configuration, plan for extension pieces before you start the install, not after.

Check price on Amazon

Nissan Titan owners finally get a stainless cat-back that sounds as good as it welds.

The DNA Motoring CBE-NTT07-56L is a stainless steel cat-back system built specifically for the 2004–2015 Nissan Titan, with 3-inch ID piping and a single round tailpipe exit. It uses a bolt-on installation type with a CNC machined flange and TIG-welded joints for corrosion resistance, and DNA Motoring claims a dyno-proven gain of 15 to 25 horsepower and better low-end torque. The design uses a low-restriction muffler and tuned resonator to lower exhaust back-pressure and produce a deeper, smoother tone than the stock setup.

What buyers get for the money is striking. Owners consistently call it “unheard-of” value for a stainless exhaust, praising the weld quality and the deep throaty rumble at idle and under throttle — it quiets down nicely at highway cruise. Press the purchase button and you’ll likely be switching out the included clamps: several owners recommend replacing them with 3 x 2.5-inch and 2 x 3-inch band clamps for a tighter, leak-free fit. The tailpipe length is the most consistent gripe. It sits a little short and low, and an exhaust tip fixes the visual gap — one owner put it plainly: “the tail pipe was just a little short for me. I was able to fix that with a exhaust tip.”

Get past the clamp swap and the tip add-on and this is the fastest way to make a Titan sound like it deserves that VK56 badge — with the bonus of knowing the whole pipe run is stainless, even if the muffler exterior is galvanized.

Check price on Amazon

A genuine Flowmaster Original 40 Series chambered setup wrapped in a budget-truck kit.

Where the other ShopLine kit leans on a straight-through Flow II muffler, this version ships with a real Flowmaster Original 40 Series chambered muffler — the classic interior-baffled design that gives the 40 Series its signature sound. It’s a clamp-on cat-back kit for a broad range of full-size trucks, with 2.5-inch piping feeding 3.5 x 18-inch stainless rolled-edge tips. The muffler is the star of the box; Flowmaster’s chambered design uses internal chambers to shape the exhaust note rather than a straight pipe through a perforated core, and that’s what gives the tone its bark at idle and growl under throttle.

Because the muffler is the hero, this kit could easily land higher on this list. It’s here at fourth only because the hardware the rest of the system rides on is the weakest link — owners mention the included clamps and hangers give up their grip, with the running advice being to weld the pipes and reuse your stock hangers. Sound is second-best in class here, with buyers calling it “nice and sounds good, not too loud but still throaty” and “fit great and love the sound.” Fit is the honest variable: most trucks line up beautifully, but this is a universal dual kit, and on one owner’s rig the pipes refused to seat symmetrically even after adding extension pipe.

Treat this as a muffler-plus-pipe package you finish with real clamps or a welder, and it’s the cheapest way onto the list to run an authentic Flowmaster 40 Series under your truck.

Check price on Amazon

Ten pounds of all-welded T-304 that gives a Corolla a tone it never had a right to.

For the 2009–2013 Toyota Corolla S and XRS driver who wants a refined deep rumble rather than a coffee-can rasp, the Borla 11795 is the benchmark. It’s an axle-back system (only the muffler and tailpipe behind the rear axle), built from T-304 stainless steel with all-welded construction and a single right-rear exit with a 4.25 x 3.5-inch oval polished stainless tip. The whole thing weighs just 10 pounds — remarkably light compared to most exhaust systems on this list — and Borla backs it with a No Drone Guarantee as well as a manufacturer warranty, plus a Made In USA build.

What owners describe is a nice low rumbling growl that only gets loud when you’re on the throttle, above roughly 4,000 RPM. Several note the tone is more distinctive than MagnaFlow or Flowmaster alternatives. Installation is often under an hour with the right hand tools, though the rubber hangers can be tight — WD-40 helps. Because the components are so light, one person can handle the job on ramps with a breaker bar. Owners also mention that pairing it with a K&N or TRD cold-air intake works well and that a fresh set of exhaust bolts is a smart buy since the stock muffler nuts tend to be welded.

The caveat to know: this is not a quiet-car modification. At highway speeds over 65 mph you’ll hear the drone, and it’s the wrong pick for someone who wants the family sedan to stay sedan-quiet. For a Corolla S or XRS that wants to feel more alive, though, this is the system to run.

Check price on Amazon

A dual rear-exit FlowFX kit that gives a Silverado or Sierra 1500 the deep sound it lacked.

Built for 2014–2019 classic-body Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 Crew and Double Cabs with the 4.3L or 5.3L engine, the Flowmaster 717787 runs 2.5-inch stainless steel mandrel-bent tubing through a FlowFX straight-through performance muffler to dual 4-inch black ceramic coated tips. It ships with all clamps, hangers, and necessary hardware, and Flowmaster rates the sound as moderate/aggressive — deeper and more present than a stock exhaust but not racecar loud. It also carries a lifetime limited warranty.

The install story is where this kit divides buyers. Get past removing the old system and it lines up neatly — one owner called it “fitment lined up well with my factory steps.” Getting the old system off is the real job: the factory exhaust often has to be cut in half, the frame may need drilling for a new hanger, and the front clamp is likely rusted enough to need cutting. Experienced DIYers do it in a driveway; less experienced owners wisely hand it to a shop. Among kits that owners describe as straightforward, the tone at idle and cruise is the consistent praise — “louder than stock but not so loud to annoy the neighbors” is the recurring sentiment.

The one thing to watch is the black ceramic coating on the tips, which does not tolerate harsh road salt and long-term exposure well enough to satisfy some owners. If you park outside through a hard winter, budget periodic touch-up on the tips. Otherwise this is a strong premium pick for a classic-body Silverado or Sierra 1500 owner who wants real presence without the volume of a full race kit.

Check price on Amazon

The 3-inch Tundra kit that sets off car alarms and doesn’t apologize for it.

Fit a 2009–2021 Toyota Tundra with the 4.6L, 4.7L, or 5.7L and this Flowmaster Outlaw turns it into the loudest truck on the street. It runs 3-inch mandrel-bent stainless steel tubing through a Super 10 aggressive performance muffler to dual 4-inch black ceramic coated stainless steel tips. The side-exit configuration clears the factory spare tire and is designed with towing in mind — routing the exhaust out the side keeps it clear of your trailer hitch and hitch-mounted accessories. Uses factory hanger locations and includes all necessary hardware, backed by a lifetime limited warranty.

Sound is what this setup is made for, and customers note everything you’d expect from a Super 10: a deep growl at idle, a proper roar under throttle, and enough volume that it sets off car alarms when it rolls through a neighborhood. Owners describe the startup note as amazing, the tone as mean and rasp-free, and the power feel as noticeably improved. What it does not do is stay quiet — several note the aggressiveness borders on too much depending on how you use the truck, and a consistent 6-hour drive at highway speed could leave you tired of the noise. It’s also light on refinement at cruise, which is a real trade-off for a work truck.

Install is a two-and-a-half to three-hour job on the ground with no lift needed; ramps help, and one owner found the driver-side pipe needed to be twisted and spot-welded into position. Side exits give you flexibility on where the pipes end up, which is a real benefit when towing. If your Tundra is a daily driver that occasionally hauls, this is aggressive enough to feel special without being unusable — and it’s the loud pick on this list for owners who want that.

Check price on Amazon

The loud Ram 1500 kit that somehow keeps its cab silent at cruising speed.

Every Ram 1500 owner who wants a loud exhaust eventually finds the Borla 140753BC. It fits 2019–2023 Ram 1500 V8s (including eTorque, excluding Classic) with dual split rear exits and single 5-inch round black chrome tips on each side. The build is Borla’s T-304 stainless steel with all-welded construction and a bolt-on install, and it carries the brand’s No Drone Guarantee plus a manufacturer warranty and a Made In USA build. This is a cat-back system at 52.9 pounds — heavier than the ShopLine kits and considerably more metal on the ground than the MagnaFlow and Borla axle-backs.

Roughly the size of what owners experience is a deep growl that sounds like a beast waking up outside the truck while staying quiet inside the cab — one owner summed it up as “so quite in the cab. No droning at all but outside the truck it sounds like a beast growling.” Installation on 2023 models runs straightforward with ramps, no second person needed, and the fit lines up with the factory hanger locations. The ATAK muffler deletes the factory resonator and runs at full volume, so startup and acceleration have serious bark while cruising stays comfortable.

The two things to know: instruction pictures are small and dark (a YouTube video covers what the paper doesn’t), and the passenger-side tailpipe on some trucks sits slightly off-center despite adjustment attempts — a cosmetic quirk rather than a performance issue. For the Ram owner who wants the volume of a race kit with the cab comfort of a luxury sedan, this is as good as it gets.