It seems we here at Mopar Muscle have a learning disability. You might recall this '05 Dodge Ram 1500 from last month's "Pandora's Box" article. Struggling with the obstinate 5.7L Hemi for months, we thought we had finally landed ourselves a pretty stout combination: a factory looking Ram 1500 that acted like its older sibling-the SRT-10 Viper truck. Well, maybe not that fast, but we're getting there. Only the minutest of changes were made: a cold air box, a throttle-body spacer, short-tube headers, a 50-state-legal single-tube exhaust, and a Superchips programmer. We were able to click off eighth-mile times comparable to the new R/T Charger. With our best time a 9.64 at 77 mph (a 15.11 on the quarter-mile), we felt the Hemi still had a little more in it. With our Ram shaving off more and more time at the track, we thought only the slightest nudge would push us over into the 14-second threshold.
We had several "hot button" issues with the current performance of our Ram. First was the super-restrictive factory exhaust leading from the catalytic converters to the single outlet tube Bassani muffler. Second was weight-the truck comes from Auburn Hills, Michigan, weighing in at nearly 5,100-pounds. Third was traction-the truck was still smoking its single factory rubber down the strip, an issue that will be tackled later.
Bassani Xhaust was right on target again, offering us their side-exit, dual-pipe system. This time around, the kit was a true bolt-in system with only a few minutes of cutting needed with the saws-all. The kit came with several mandrel-bent pieces-four lengths in total-each with a flared end, the low-restriction muffler, and dual 90-degree tailpipes with polished tips. Metal clamps were all that was needed to cinch down the flared ends that slid over the piping, making it leak-free.
The job took less than three hours with the use of a car lift. for those of you without access to such a handy shop tool, working on your back will slow down the process a little.
 We removed the O2 sensors...  We removed the O2 sensors to protect them from the metal shavings coming from the cuts made to the pipe with the saws-all. When reinstalling the sensors, we pretwist (not too tightly) the wires counterclockwise so when they are screwed back in, the wires are not tangled. |  We initially unbolted the...  We initially unbolted the entire system to do our measuring and marking. If you have access to a lift, this isn't necessary; you can simply mock-up the Bassani system underneath with little trouble. We loosely installed the system to allow us "wiggle room" in our primary measurements. |  You can see how truly restrictive...  You can see how truly restrictive the factory Y-pipe is. The stock 21/2-inch pipes are reduced to less than 11/4 inches where the two pipes are crimped together. The disadvantage is plain to see. Dual pipes make perfect sense compared to the previous system. |