I am in the process of purchasing a exhaust system on my rig and I was hoping some of the guru's here could shed some light as to the pro's & con's of each system? I know that stainless is more than aluminum but, is there any performance differences with either? or is it that stainless is more durable? Or is the aluminum going to fall apart in a few years? Once I have enough info I will be purchasing from one of the supporting vendors on this site.

And also what brand would you recommend?

All info is GREATLY Appreciatted!!:)

JLew:D

Since you're in cali, unless you get snow in your area, aluminized should be all you need...Here in the salt belt, if you don't like changeing exhaust every few years, you have to buy stainless, and a high grade of stainless at that...
Performance difference? I don't see how there could be any between the two as long as the pipe size is the same..
There are lots of brands to chose from out there..MBRP seems to be the popular choice here...As a general rule, the cheaper the system, the more Censored you'll be doing when you're trying to put it on...

I would go aluminized unless you are going to spend the money on 304ss. The 409 rusts too bad. Mine hasn't even seen a winter yet and it brown.

MBRP T-304 Stainless system.........:cool:

I just hit mine with chrome wheel cleaner and #0000 Steel Wool and it looks like the day I installed it.
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SS....do it right the first time.:ro)


LATER!

arn't the stock ones that our trucks came with aluminized?

arn't the stock ones that our trucks came with aluminized?

Not for sure on that. But my 2 cents worth is for the aluminized. Diesels do not create the corrosive gases to ruin the exhaust like it would on a gasser. The soot actually coats the inside of the exhaust system, also helping to protect it from inside corrosion. Even in the salt belt I went with aluminized. I took the money I saved and put toward the purchase of the Edge juice. I figure if 3 or 4 years down the road it goes to hell on me I can afford to do it again for the initial price of the good SS. And unless you look under your truck all the time, the shiny SS is a waste of $ in my opinion.

I would go aluminized unless you are going to spend the money on 304ss. The 409 rusts too bad. Mine hasn't even seen a winter yet and it brown.

409 ss is supposed to turn brown. It doesn't mean that the exhaust will rust threw in a few years. Once the corrosion fully covers the pipe it acts as a protectant, so don't try and removing it. Also 409 can withstand much higher temps than 304, less expansion and contraction. Yes I agree, it looks like crap, but it will last a long long time, much longer than aluminized steel, and a lot cheaper than 304 ss.

409 ss is supposed to turn brown. It doesn't mean that the exhaust will rust threw in a few years. Once the corrosion fully covers the pipe it acts as a protectant, so don't try and removing it. Also 409 can withstand much higher temps than 304, less expansion and contraction. Yes I agree, it looks like crap, but it will last a long long time, much longer than aluminized steel, and a lot cheaper than 304 ss.

400 series stainless actually has some carbon in it. The carbon causes the brown tarnish on the surface. From what I can remember the 400 series of stainless has the carbon for purposes of hardening...

arn't the stock ones that our trucks came with aluminized?

Hmmm. I am fairly sure the stock exhaust is stainless steel.

- jeff

yes it is stainless low grade.

T409 will show quite a bit of surface rust in a short time. T304 will always look good and not show any signs of rust. An aluminized system will work great for most except those who live in harsh climates where the roads are salted.

Morning,

Just an FYI, the stock systems are 409 stainless. The 409 we have thru MBRP or anyone else for that matter will last a loooog time. They just won't be "pretty" like a 304 system will be. The folks that need to consider 304 are those that want the "best" and want it to be shiny for the life of the truck, or those that live in the really harsh areas winter time wise that use lots of mag chloride and salt. A lot of olka are convinced that aluminized will last as long as 409, it won't. If placed on two trucks that followed each other for the life of the truck the 409 will outlast the aluminzied by a fairly good term. The aluminized will rust anywhere the pipe has been welded on as the coating burns off during the welding process. All aluminized system have been welded on somewhere and that allows bare 16 gauge steel to be exposed to the 1st rain or salt spray you go thru. 409 will look like it rusting but it'll hold up a long time.

Hope this explains it, if you have any questions or need a system call us and we will be glad to help you.

Mark @ DPPI

I was trying to figure this out yesterday. Now I read this and I am confussed.
I am up in WA, no salt, little snow here and there. (couple times a year) Lots of rain. What should I get?
I was thinking the alum. ones, I'd rather spend the extra money on other stuff for the truck.
Everyone seems to be so worried about the look of it... am I missing something? I have not picked up my '05 crew yet (tonight!!!) but I was pretty sure they still put the exhaust under it. ):h
Is there that much of it that can be seen? I plan to put a 6 inch lift on it too.
Is the rain up here going to be a concern?
I am just trying to figure out what NEEDS to be spent $$$ on, there are so many toys for these trucks. I can't afford to buy the "best" of everything, if the only thing the "best" has to offer is shiney under my truck. If that is the case, I'd rather spend that money on other mods. :ro)

So, does MBRP seem to be the best brand, seems people like them here. What about Banks, Gibson, Thorley/Jardine, etc, etc? I always thought Banks was the Censored when it came to diesels, not true? Does not seem that people say anything about the Banks system on here.
There needs to be a FAQ on exhausts here! ):h

If you are concerned about looks, dont get the 409 as it WILL show surface rust and not look very good at all especially since more of it is exposed due to a 6" lift. If you plan on keeping the truck awhile, go with the 304.

Depends how long you expect the system to last. I just did an install on a 2005 LLY. The install was one of my aluminized systems that was originally installed on the customer's 2001 Wisconsin road salt truck. There were a few spots where it showed minor rusting which I cleaned up on a wire wheel quickly and then sprayed with cold galvanizing compound. System should be good for at least 5 more years...

I worked in a custom exhaust shop a few of my early years. Not absolutely positive on this but I'm pretty sure aluminized tubing is not coated, I think you maybe thinking of galvanized pipe. What your seeing that is rusting at the welds is mostly the material the weld itself is made of. Probably some kind of mild steel.

SS will no doubt last longer but alum should last a while as well, especially on a diesel.

aquaelvis,

If you could care less what it looks like in 3-5 years save the money and get the aluminized, where you live it last at least that long. The MBRP allows you the option to bolt on easily and still have the stock 4 bolt flange to add the cat test pipe or not depending on your needs and desires. We have sold them since the 1st one was built and the install is the best and the design is the easiest for a owner to install etc.

DMAX wanted in TX,

The aluminized systems are a mill coated product, the tubing is mild steel with an aluminized corrosion coating added after welding the flat sheet into a tube.

Mark @ DPPI

I stand corrected. :D

Mark do the alumi MBRP systems not have the hangers welded to the pipe like the SS systems? Is this an issue or are they still good hangers?

409 ss is supposed to turn brown. It doesn't mean that the exhaust will rust threw in a few years. Once the corrosion fully covers the pipe it acts as a protectant, so don't try and removing it. Also 409 can withstand much higher temps than 304, less expansion and contraction. Yes I agree, it looks like crap, but it will last a long long time, much longer than aluminized steel, and a lot cheaper than 304 ss.

Thanks lover. I knew that a long time ago. I appreciate the reminder.

Ed

DMAX wanted- Yes, the hangers are welded to the pipes. You will not have an issue with them.

DMAX wanted in TX,

Yes the hanges are welded where ever possible on all MBRP systems. The aluminized coating doesn't present any problems when welding the hangers to the pipes at all. Sold a zillion of them and never had a problem with a Duramax system.

Mark @ DPPI

One other benefit of stainless is the weight. Pretty much any stainless system will be lighter due to the thinner wall thickness of the muffler and pipes.

Stainless lasts longer defintely costs more which is obvious. If you like noise don't buy the Banks monster, to quite for me and very disapponted:mad: