After long hours of research trying to decide on an exhaust that doesn't break the bank, sounds good, and isn't annoying, I've found the answer. A video by Exhaust Addicts on Youtube shows a z71 silverado with an 11 inch magnaflow muffler, dual in, dual out, and an x pipe that sounds phenomenal.

The shop I used was Cherokee Muffler Center here in Canton GA. They did an excellent job and had great customer service. I would recommend them to anyone.

On my rig, the headers and cats are all factory. They cut the two pipes before they join at the y, ran about 1ft of pipes to the x, then another few ft to the muffler placed right in front of the rear axle, and the "tips" dump where the factory exhaust did. Nice and up-out of the way. I like the look of the dual exhaust tucked away a little. The whole big flashy tips sticking out isn't my cup of tea on an h2. Keep in mind, this is a 2008. The exhaust setups for previous years are slightly different, so your mileage may vary.

The sound ended up being louder than I expected. The guy in the Silverado video also had a second set of high flow cats to quiet it down, but I didn't want to mess with that. It doesn't drone at all on the highway, and is virtually silent when cruising along in 6th gear. However when you go up a decent grade and it downshifts to 2200rpm you can definitely hear it, though it isn't annoying or irritating. Getting on it, this thing sings! I was blown away by the cleanliness of the sound and the few concise burbles it has. It sounds like Nascar! The cold starts may wake the neighbors, but as soon as it idles down, it's nice and quiet and has a low rumble, a little bit louder than factory, but much more defined if that makes sense.

I will warn. It isn't too loud, I could comfortably road trip in this all day any day, but it does get into the "wife might whine" zone. In some cases, it may make sense to move to the 14 inch muffler, though it takes away some of the character and the burbles.

Parts List:
Magnaflow Muffler(I really am not sure if mine is 3 or 2.5, but it doesn't matter since the pipes are 2.5) - https://www.magnaflow.com/products/1...-muffler-11379
Magnaflow X Pipe - https://www.magnaflow.com/products/1...t-x-pipe-10792
Magnaflow 14 inch(a little bit quieter) - https://www.magnaflow.com/products/1...-muffler-11386

Here's a video of my H2 with the exhaust.

Exhaust Addicts Video:

 

That is a great video. your rig sounds awesome. Probably a bit too loud for me, but there is not a much better sound than a good running V8.

 

I had the Magnaflow cat back installed recently as part of a full mechanical restoration. Prior to the restoration I had original pipes with Lou's Custom Exhaust muffler. Honestly, I liked the low growl of the Lou's muffler better than the Magnaflow. The Magnaflow isnt quite as throaty and a little more quiet. Neither set up drone at all and are as quiet as stock when cruising at speed.

One thing to consider with aftermarket exhaust....if you have air ride, the pipes may be too close to the air springs. I have ordered a heat shield which wraps the exhaust pipe to protect the bags from heat damage.

 

Sounds good, great video of your truck

Neal

 

100%. There is also wiring at the rear bumper that needs to be accounted for when running the pipes. Unfortunately with running two 2.5 inch pipes over the axle, clearance can be a little difficult. When I'm really working the truck and the exhaust gets super hot it expands and slightly touches the rear cross member causing a slight rattle. Ill fix it later with a thick piece of exhaust wrap.

 

I also installed the Magnaflow cat back dual exhaust. Part 16772 for the 08 H2. It fit perfectly even with the air suspension and looks great. I agree that the magna flow sounds great and just barely fits into the wife-friendly zone. No drone at all. My installer powder coated the tips black so that they did not look so flashy...