So you just picked up your brand new R/T Challenger from the local dealership. More than likely you have plans to modify it, or else what kind of Mopar owner would you be? I probably don’t even need to mention what to modify first. If you’ve ever modified a car before, you can say it with me – EXHAUST. That’s exactly what we decided to do to our 2009 Challenger. Not only does an exhaust system give you rousing acoustics that the OEM typically tucks away, it also gives you HORSEPOWER. And while the aluminized mild steel exhaust was adequate for your weekend beater, your new pride and joy demands better.

This is why Flowmaster has introduced a line of stainless steel exhausts, designed specifically for those who demand better sound and performance. Like most stock exhausts, the Challenger remains audibly tame. That was about to change. By the end of the day, we hope to unleash enough decibels from the exhaust to better complement the intake grumble under acceleration. Follow through our article and we will show you how it goes on and what it sounds like.

With the release of the late-model Challenger, Mustang, and Camaro, the muscle car market is enjoying a resurgence for the first time in over 30 years. As these respective cars hit the market, it has been a race for consumers to claim the “first on the block with mods” title almost as fast as the aftermarket can spit the parts off the assembly line. However, as anyone who has ever modified a car knows, high quality parts are key to getting the results that you’re after. That’s why we decided to sit down with Cam Benty of Flowmaster and have him tell us about their stainless steel exhaust systems. “We have been pushing stainless exhausts for the last year. The prices of stainless have been becoming more affordable,” explained Benty. “Plus, if you have a vehicle that comes factory with stainless tubing on it and put aluminized steel on it – well, that was a big discussion we had. We want these customers to feel they are getting a good quality product.”

The people at Flowmaster understand that customers are not only after increased horsepower, but most are striving for a certain sound when they modify their exhaust systems. “We target at improving performance AND sound,” states Benty. “Sound is very personal, people want a specific sound out of their vehicle and we wanted to option the resonated and non-resonated version of the same exhaust so people can choose what they want.”

The Car – 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T

The Challenger R/T is the little brother to the SRT-8, but it’s more economically feasible. Its 5.7-liter HEMI is no slouch, producing 372 horsepower and 400 lb/ft, 53 horsepower and 20 lb/ft less than the SRT-8 6.1-liter. This is the first Challenger that I have personally seen with the 6-speed manual option. It also comes with Hill Start Assist, a feature that will hold the brake while on an incline so you don’t roll back. Other options include a Mopar cold air intake and performance suspension.

“We knew there was a larger volume of 5.7 versions, so we developed those first,” says Benty. “We also had previous experience with the 5.7 kits and they were easily accessible. We are covering the 6.1-liter now, but that is a higher end, more expensive product that is almost done.”

The Exhaust – Challenger R/T Stainless Steel Exhaust – Part Number: 817461

Features:

• 409 stainless eliminates rusting and is more durable
• Stainless Steel Super 44 series mufflers
• Designed to utilize factory stainless tips to help retain an OEM look
• Clamps are zinc coated ring style
• Utilizes all factory hanger mounts/locations for a true bolt on application
• Increased interior and exterior sound level

Flowmaster’s American Thunder is designed around their Super 44 series muffler. The Super is their latest two-chamber muffler development that uses “Gen II Delta Flow” technology. “The Super 44 is the tamer brother to the Standard 40 series muffler that Flowmaster has been using for many years,” Benty tells us. “We decided to use the Super 44 mufflers because they are one of our most popular, high-end mufflers. They are very desirable and we found that people were leaving them on their daily drivers due to their sound.” This is Flowmaster’s way of saying that these mufflers will give you a delicate blend of sound and performance.

While this new Gen II Delta Flow technology will decrease the interior drone while cruising, it will still allow for a rich deep tone on the outside. A pair of tuned tailpipe resonators that bolt onto the OEM tips will further reduce that annoying highway drone. Additionally, Flowmaster claims that it will improve mileage as well as increase power and enhance throttle response.

This 409 stainless steel system uses 2.50-inch mandrel bent tubing. “We decided to do a 409 vs. a 304 stainless due to the cost and need,” Benty explained. “A lot of people want the durability of stainless, but don’t care about having a show car. The 409 is actually more durable than the 304.”

A Flowmaster Scavenger X-pipe between the piping and mufflers channels the exhaust together to equalize pressure between the two engine banks. The kit also includes matching stainless steel tailpipes that attach to the factory rectangular exhaust tips.

Best of all, this stainless steel kit is covered by Flowmaster’s 10-year limited warranty.

Black painted resonators look stealth under the car and also provide an additional reduction in drone.

Removing the Stock Exhaust off the Challenger

The first step in installing our Flowmaster exhaust was to get the Challenger up on the lift. We know that the typical do-it-yourselfer doesn’t have a lift at home, but you can still do this install on jack stands in your driveway. Remember, it also helps to have an additional stand to help support the removal and installation of the exhaust. After the car is on stands and cooled down, spray some silicone on the rubber exhaust hangers to aid with removal.

The driver’s side exhaust comes out first by removing these bolts and all hangers.

The first items to be removed are the chrome tips from the factory exhaust. Since they are reused, you’ll want to do this to decrease the likelihood of scratching them while removing the exhaust. The stock exhaust is two-piece in design, so remove the two driver-side bolts directly behind the driver’s side resonator. Next, remove the hanger that sits next to the flange. It should come off more easily with penetrated silicone spray. Work down the driver’s side exhaust, there will be two more hangers to remove for this section to drop out.

The two T-bolt clamps that connect the cat-back to the downpipes.

Working to the second (much larger) passenger side piece, start by removing the two T-bolt clamps that connect between the catalytic converters and cat-back resonators. Now it’s time to start removing the exhaust hangers, moving from front to back. After removing the first exhaust hanger on the passenger side, place a spare jack under that pipe. You can even use a second jack under the driver’s side for additional support. Continue along the path of hangers until you come to the muffler, which will then drop out the remaining exhaust pieces.

The stock exhaust sitting upside down. You can see all of the hanger locations in this picture.

Installing the Flowmaster Stainless Steel Cat-Back

The Flowmaster kit comes in much more manageable pieces that should keep you from needing support from a jack stand again. The only prep work that we did before installing the exhaust was putting anti-seize on all of the exhaust clamp bolts. This serves as headache insurance down the road if the exhaust ever needs to come back off.

The factory down pipes slide into the Flowmaster X-pipe

We started at the front of the car with installation of the Flowmaster Scavenger X-pipe. To make the installation go more easily, fit the entire exhaust on before tightening any of the clamps, and only snug them to hold them in place. Place the clamps onto the X-pipe before sliding it over the OEM down pipes from the cats. There are no hangers that connect to the X-pipe.

Mike checks the clearance to the factory heat shields to make sure they do not rub. Note the directional stamp on the front side of the mufflers.

The next step was installing the stainless steel Super 44 mufflers. Note the placement and flow direction of the mufflers before installing. Snug (don’t tighten) the clamps from the X-pipe to the mufflers to hold them while installing the rest of the exhaust.

The tail sections include blacked out resonators. Then reinstall the factory tips

Tighten down all of the clamps once the exhaust is fitted properly.

Install the tailpipes separately by slipping the ends over the mufflers first. This is the only section on the Flowmaster kit that has exhaust hangers, three on each side, and this might be a good time to re-grease the hangers for a smoother installation. Once both tailpipes are on, install the exhaust tips on the end of the resonators. Now this is where you want to line up the exhaust, checking for proper orientation and to make sure there are no rubbing issues. Once all the final massaging is done, tighten down all the clamps to seal the deal.

All Done – Our Driving Impressions

With the Challenger off the lift, we fired the 5.7-liter to be greeted by a healthier sounding idle. Revving made the exhaust belch deeper, lower frequency tones. We noticed a slight burning smell from the exhaust. That was simply the machine oil burning off the pipes. Mike took the car out for a test drive and noted that the exhaust was around 15-20% louder than stock.

Keep in mind that this exhaust also comes in a non-resonated version for those that want more noise, but for us, it was just enough. Screaming down the boulevard we noticed a slight “seat of the pants” increase in power, but more that that we noticed the lack of rasp under high RPM blasts. Within an hour we were able to pleasantly increase the tone of the Challenger enough that we didn’t have to yell in order to carry on a conversation while driving down the road.

Wrapped up and Satisfied

Who wants a stock sounding Hemi? We sure don’t. Yanking off the stock exhaust system off our R/T took no time at all. We were able to complement our car with a durable 409S Flowmaster stainless steel cat-back. The installation with a cinch, thanks to Flowmaster’s direct-fit system, which even retains the stock muffler tips. Now we can cruise around town in stock-appearing fashion without the worries of cops checking us out!

Check out the video to really hear what it sounds like!