 Even after being reinstalled...  Even after being reinstalled only a month before, the pipes required penetrating spray and a rubber mallet to coax them to separate. If you are working on your exhaust for the first time, the factory system might require even more effort. We found that several joints were unnecessarily tack welded together, apart from being clamped down. |
 With the first half of this...  With the first half of this system from the factory and the rest a single-pipe kit previously installed, we were able to knock out 9.60s on an eighth-mile track. We were hoping to shave about two-tenths off our time with the new dual-pipe side-exit setup. |
We initially removed the exhaust system to measure out where we felt the cuts would have to be made and visualize what changes, if any, would need to be made. The answer was none. Cuts on both pipes at equal distance from the aft transmission crossmember were made with a saws-all. With the factory pipes shortened, both pieces slid into place, an extended pipe that crossed from the driver side to the right and a straight pipe on the passenger side, which needed to be shortened slightly. The muffler mated perfectly in place. Bassani included a hanger bracket that mounted to the rear transmission mount, which allowed for the unused rear exhaust hanger rubber to be relocated forward.
The factory Y-pipe flows from the cats back to the muffler, meeting both pipes together tightly, restricting the flow by almost half the inner diameter of the pipes, costing imperative flow numbers, which means lost horsepower. Bassani's system has no such restrictions, allowing optimal flow by tunneling the exhaust through separate pipes into a performance muffler and out their own respective outlet. The exhaust note reminded us of the familiar "baarrap!" made by '50s hot rods and early musclecars-a sweet sound from a 50-state-smog-legal pickup truck. The aesthetics of the system are designed to resemble the SVT Lightning truck, an aft-cat forward exit dual system. Made with heat resistant stainless steel, Bassani has mastered the art of reserved noise levels until the throttle demands otherwise. The side-system offers little more than a deep gurgle when waiting at the light or at cruising speeds, but when the pedal is mashed to the floor, the pipes let out a roar like side-pipes, singing pure '60s muscle to the ears.
Hoping to see a significant gain in our track times, we took it to our local strip, the Lakeland Motorsports Park. On a Thursday evening we filled our tank halfway up with the good stuff and reset our computer to the Superchips 93-octane setting. Easing down the throttle so not to break the tires loose, our near-totally stock Ram ran a 9.57 at 78 mph. Doing our conversion equation, that comes out to a 15.02. Close, but still not a 14-second quarter-mile. Maybe next time.
 The crossover pipe is bent...  The crossover pipe is bent by Bassani on a test vehicle before the kit goes out into production. All the bends are angled to allow ample room for the exhaust to clear the transmission and driveshaft. We slid everything into place loosely to allow us the freedom of adjustment. |  After making several adjustments,...  After making several adjustments, we made our initial marks. We had to remember to allow a few inches to permit the flared ends of the pipe to slide over our factory pipe aft of the catalytic converters. We didn't have to relocate any of the O2 sensors. |  With new saw blades and safety...  With new saw blades and safety goggles, we were ready to cut. Since we're cutting stainless, we made sure to purchase the appropriate blades. Dull or incorrect blades will cost you excess time and usually produce poor or uneven cuts. |