Borla Performance Industries Kit: Exhaust System Upgrade

1A/1B. Borla’s XR-1 mufflers. We chose to use two different types to get the sound we were after without hindering performance: an XR1 Sportsman and an XR1 Multi-Core.

The EEXP overland adventure-mobile is a self-contained off-road capable camper that was designed for a couple to travel around the globe. This vehicle is all about bulletproof reliability and experiencing successful single vehicle remote off-road journeys. With a little over 130,000 miles on the odometer, this 24V 5.9L Cummins-powered 2001 Ram 2500 is still young but had a rough early life as a North East truck, which meant it crossed lots of salt on winter roads, and consequently lots of rust under the vehicle. The stock OEM exhaust somehow lasted 13-plus years, but due to the rust penetrating the resonator and the shabby looks of the exhaust exit, it was time for an upgrade. We opted for a Borla Performance Industries kit with a full stainless steal exhaust system that should handle many years of hard use and reduce backpressure, therefore helping performance and efficiency but also providing a slightly more aggressive sound.

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QUIET PLEASE

The idea of this exhaust was to replace the OEM system with an upgraded look, keep the exhaust note low and retain the factory location and exit point. The looks department was easy, with shiny new stainless tubing and mufflers as well as a clean 4-inch round rolled lip and angle cut exhaust tip (Borla part#20246). Keeping the exhaust note to a minimum was important, as this vehicle does lots of highway miles as well as wilderness miles. A drone on the highway can drive you insane over time, and out in the wilderness, it is nice not to scare away all the wildlife or wake every person in camp when you role in late at night. To keep the noise down, and retain the stock exhaust routing, a stock 3-inch tube was used along with two Borla mufflers inline (Borla parts #40944 and #40575) replacing the resonator and muffler combo from the factory.

2/3. The factory installed muffler and resonator were starting to leak due to rust.

4. The crew at Best Muffler Shop started by racking the vehicle to gain access and then began to cut the old exhaust off, removing it in two large pieces.

5. Factory exhaust out and ready for the new!

JUST IN TIME FOR SEMA

The experts over at Best Muffler Shop in Las Vegas, Nevada, hammered out this job in short order, only taking about an hour and a half from start to finish. Due to the rust found on the exhaust-mounting flange to the turbo, it was decided to cut the downpipe and weld in the new system from that point. This decision was also made because if anything broke or needed to be ordered, the vehicle wouldn’t be ready for it’s time on display at the annual SEMA Show. It was also initially planned to use 304 stainless steel tubing provided by Borla, but due to time restrictions, 409 stainless steel tubing was used instead, as it could be bent smoothly and quickly on site. DW

6. Best Muffler built this kit by hand and did not use a pre-bent kit. The first piece made from the 3-inch stainless pipe was the section coming from the turbo down pipe to the mufflers.

7. The connecting pipe was then tacked into place.

8. To make installation easier, both mufflers were welded together prior to being welded in permanently.

9/10. After welding the muffler assembly to the previously installed connector pipe, the tricky part came next: bending pipe to go over the rear axle.

11. Two pieces were made in the pipe bender.

13. And the tip was temporarily installed for final positioning…

14. Once happy with the positioning, the pipes were all finish welded…

Results:

In the end, the Borla Performance Industries exhaust system came out looking and sounding great with the help of the experts at the Best Muffler Shop. When the engine is under load, the exhaust has a nice little aggressive growl to it, but the overall noise level is very close to stock. This Borla exhaust system is just another quality addition to this incredible expedition-ready Cummins-powered diesel vehicle.