The world is full of unsung heroes: the guy who gives up his taxi for the overburdened grandmother, the teacher who toils away everyday to make a difference in the lives of the next generation, and the muffler who has to hush up the clickety-clack of your engine. But, like so many aftermarket components, not all are created equal. Performance-quality mufflers, like Dodge Ram mufflers, reduce pulsations created by exhaust gases while permitting the spent gases to pass freely through the system. It's one of the few times when passing gas is not only acceptable, it's encouraged! To choose the muffler that's best for you, check out this brief rundown on how a muffler works and what you should consider when replacing or upgrading your stock part.

To contain and minimize unwanted exhaust noise, a car or pickup muffler is lined with wool, fiber mat or fiberglass, providing an insulated sound barrier. If you've ever heard a car engine running without a muffler, you know what a difference they make in terms of noise reduction. Each truck muffler contains a deceptively simple set of tubes. These tubes and chambers are finely tuned, similar to a musical instrument. They're designed specifically to reflect the sound waves produced by the engine, partially cancelling them out in the process. The chamber – known as a resonator – contains a specific volume of air that is calculated to produce a wave that cancels out a certain frequency of sound when passing through the chamber.

All this happens while avoiding excessive backpressure. This is an important consideration for those who demand high-output from their car or truck. Backpressure reduces power and performance, acting as an inadvertent brake against the engine. Because of all of the turns and holes the exhaust has to go through as it travels through the system, certain mufflers (especially stock components and some universal mufflers) produce a fairly high amount of backpressure.

Unlike these stock components that simply provide a conduit for spent gases to escape, performance exhaust systems are engineered to maximize your engine's exhaust flow, allowing the engine to breathe easier, immediately boosting power 5 - 10 percent by increasing horsepower and torque. These improvements create an overall efficiency that translates to a greater fuel economy and a noticeable savings at the pump. Plus, a performance-grade muffler produces a throaty rumble that lets everyone know you're coming. After all, if you were worried about what the neighbors thought, you'd be driving an Accord or a Prius.

In addition, an aftermarket truck muffler comes in a range of sizes and configurations to fit just about any rig on the road. And, they're typically constructed from heavy-duty materials like aluminum or stainless steel, which fight corrosion and provide a long-life of reliable performance.