Switch Back to Quiet Exhaust

[LTZ C20]

Hey all, wasn't sure if this sub-forum or performance would have been better for this post.

Here's the deal, I'm just exploring the possibility of making the truck quieter than it currently is. I love the mufflers I have, (Flowmaster Super 44 Delta Flow), but there are curtain situations that I'm getting irritated by the loud exhaust.

-Drive thru's, I have to speak loud and hope they can here me, most times I just shut the truck off.
-Having a conversation next to the truck when it's running, that is frustrating at times, leads to shutting off.
-I'm pretty sure every home in my girlfriend's court is getting tired of me leaving late at night and firing up what probably sounds to them like a monster truck.
-I feel bad when I come home late and my exhaust wakes up the people sleeping in my house or the neighbors on the other side of the pasture. Same goes for when leaving while people are sleeping.

I know it sounds like all the normal times you hear exhaust, but here's the punch line, sitting in traffic most times is never an issue. During normal acceleration it sounds pleasant and healthy. Under hard accel, it makes all kinds of joyous noise that makes you get butterflies inside like a little kid on christmas morning and sings praises to the performance gods in hot rod heaven. Those things I like about the exhaust.

So I want to make it quiet. Like one of these would have orginally sounded like (never heard that actually) or like the newer 2003 & up 6.0s and 6.2s sounds in  the trucks. Noticeable when you step on it but acceptable all other times.

Now my questions, does Flowmaster make a stock replacement muffler that has just some pretty noise under hard accel conditions. Do you guys know any mufflers that might sound good. I also looked into cutouts to be able to choose between quiet and noise maker systems,  installed just before the mufflers so I can pick either or. Or do I just replace both mufflers with quiet ones and not worry about how it sounds under heavy throttle?

In reality, it's a 3/4 ton truck, not a suped up camaro. It's used to daily drive and and tow/haul stuff. Really it was cool in high school, but now I'm kinda over it except when I'm getting into it. I'm not even 25 yrs old and at times I'm like "shut up, that's enough of that noise" and I shut it off. I must be aging faster than normal, I drink alot of coffee too lol.

Anyway, idea welcome as always. Maybe 2 stock mufflers from a curtain year will give me the sound I'm looking for? Thanks in advance.

P.s. I still like my country music loud.

[Irish_Alley]

on some cars nowadays and for a while they have a resonator before the muffler, much like a glasspack. it might be what youre looking for

[LTZ C20]

I know what you speak of, lots of vehicles also have valves which under normal driving make it sound normal, under aggressive driving the valve opens and let's exhaust flow thru another chamber in the muffler for a more aggressive sound. Camaro's and vette's have this.

[roger97338]

To quiet the exhaust noise in the cab, you'll want to put the mufflers quite far back from the engine. I think it's pretty common to have the mufflers exit near the rear axle. From there, you want a tail pipe that takes the spent exhaust gases past the vehicle's body, so that you don't get any reverberation (like if you have the tips pointed at the ground right out of the mufflers) or reflecting (like if the exhaust exited just a bit before the rear bumper, so that the exhaust gas is reflected by the 'U' shape of the bumper) of the noise back into the cab.

Make sure the exhaust hangers are actual rubber exhaust hangers, and not something like plumber's tape welded to the pipe and the frame. That would transfer vibration to the body, and you don't want to find out how many things on your pickup buzz, hum and rattle when start vibrating.

[Stewart G Griffin]

Are you running headers?

[VileZambonie]

I run headers, dual exhaust and flowmasters and it's quiet enough at idle to hear just fine. Which way does your exhaust exit, no leaks?

[fitz]

There is an 85 Monte Carlo SS in my neighborhood with an LS6/6 speed with electric exhaust cut outs.  There is big orange sticker on the rear window that reads "if its too loud, your to old".  Well, I guess I'm getting old.
  I've had my 69 camaro for over 15 years.  Back then the car had a 1970 LT1 GM replacement motor (back before they were called crate motors). The motor had a roudy Crane solid cam. With headers and Flowmasters, it made some noise.
  I realized I was getting old when one day I pulled into a custom muffler shop and asked them what they could do to quite it down a little (it was a welded system and I didn't have a welder back then).
  The shop put the car on the lift and removed the Flowmasters and installed some Dynomax turbo mufflers. 
  I don't have any decibel level readings of before and after, but it did drop down the noise level.
  Getting old ain't easy.
 

[LTZ C20]

Are you running headers?

Sí señor.

[LTZ C20]

To quiet the exhaust noise in the cab, you'll want to put the mufflers quite far back from the engine. I think it's pretty common to have the mufflers exit near the rear axle. From there, you want a tail pipe that takes the spent exhaust gases past the vehicle's body, so that you don't get any reverberation (like if you have the tips pointed at the ground right out of the mufflers) or reflecting (like if the exhaust exited just a bit before the rear bumper, so that the exhaust gas is reflected by the 'U' shape of the bumper) of the noise back into the cab.

Make sure the exhaust hangers are actual rubber exhaust hangers, and not something like plumber's tape welded to the pipe and the frame. That would transfer vibration to the body, and you don't want to find out how many things on your pickup buzz, hum and rattle when start vibrating.

The hangars are indeed rubber hangars.

[LTZ C20]

I run headers, dual exhaust and flowmasters and it's quiet enough at idle to hear just fine. Which way does your exhaust exit, no leaks?

Nope, no leaks. The exhaust exits behind the rear diff *cough cough* right behind the rear diff...... in 2 pipes, pointed straight at the ground, tips cut parallel to the street, under the rear half of the bed......

[LTZ C20]

There is an 85 Monte Carlo SS in my neighborhood with an LS6/6 speed with electric exhaust cut outs.  There is big orange sticker on the rear window that reads "if its too loud, your to old".  Well, I guess I'm getting old.
  I've had my 69 camaro for over 15 years.  Back then the car had a 1970 LT1 GM replacement motor (back before they were called crate motors). The motor had a roudy Crane solid cam. With headers and Flowmasters, it made some noise.
  I realized I was getting old when one day I pulled into a custom muffler shop and asked them what they could do to quite it down a little (it was a welded system and I didn't have a welder back then).
  The shop put the car on the lift and removed the Flowmasters and installed some Dynomax turbo mufflers. 
  I don't have any decibel level readings of before and after, but it did drop down the noise level.
  Getting old ain't easy.
 

I'm not even 25 yet.

[fitz]

I always thought if you were under 25 you could getv away with running  open headers.
Times are changing.

[timthescarrd]

Nope, no leaks. The exhaust exits behind the rear diff *cough cough* right behind the rear diff...... in 2 pipes, pointed straight at the ground, tips cut parallel to the street, under the rear half of the bed......

You're probably getting alot of sounds bouncing back up off the road, I have mine exit straight out the back under the bumper, and its loud but not where I have to yell over it.  It'd be pretty easy to cut off the turn downs and slide some new pipe on, see if that helps and only cost a few bucks in pipe and clamps

[VileZambonie]

tips cut parallel to the street, under the rear half of the bed......

Here's your problem

[VileZambonie]

This truck has a big block with 3" exhaust and it is loud but not inside the cab