5th Gen Cummins Delete Kit: Which Full Exhaust System Fits Your Ram?

Which Exhaust Delete Fits Your Truck's Model Year and Engine?

Fits 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 Ram 2500 and 3500 with the 6.7L Cummins — all pickup cab and box lengths. Each kit is listed against exactly one bracket of model years and one engine, so matching your truck starts with the door-jamb sticker, not the search term that brought you here.

Here's the thing — "Cummins" alone doesn't order a part for you. Dodge masterfully engineered the RAM to accommodate the size and power of the Cummins turbo diesel engine, and the first Cummins-powered RAM hit the streets in 1989.^[1] That's decades of production and more than one distinct engine generation under the same badge. None of that history changes what actually decides fitment, though — that's still the door-jamb sticker, not the decade the truck was built in.

Reading the engine and model year off your own truck

Skip the year you bought the truck, and skip whatever the last owner told you. The door-jamb sticker and the VIN are what actually settle it, because a truck can change hands a few times before the number that matters gets lost along the way. Match what's stamped there against the brackets below before you look at anything else.

That sticker usually lives on the driver's doorjamb, sometimes on the door itself on an older truck. The VIN on the dash confirms it if the sticker's worn past reading — decades of sun and truck washes take a toll on that little placard.

A generation nickname doesn't order a part either. Guys talk trucks that way at the counter, but none of that vocabulary appears on an order form. The year stamped on the door is the only version of your truck's identity this catalogue actually reads.

Where each fitment bracket stops and the next one starts

It fits 2004.5, 2005, 2006, and 2007 Ram 2500 and 3500 with the 5.9L Cummins, all cab and box lengths, and does not fit 6.7L Cummins engines. Does not fit Cab & Chassis, the 5.9L Cummins, or 2019+ trucks. It fits all cab and box lengths, including HD models, but does not fit Cab & Chassis trucks or 2018-and-earlier 6.7L Cummins engines. Race Pipes from thick aluminized steel, this full-length exhaust is designed for perfect fitment on all trims of the 5.9L Ram Cummins, with no welding or fabrication required.

A one-year gap on either side of a bracket boundary is exactly where these questions come from.

Why the Nissan Titan is on this list at all

It fits all cab and box lengths on the Titan XD diesel, but it does not fit gasoline Titan models, and there's no diesel Titan after 2019. Wrong badge on the fender for a Cummins conversation? Not really — Nissan bought its diesel option from the same manufacturer as every Ram in this guide, which is exactly why the Titan XD earns a seat at this table instead of a separate article of its own. Order by engine family, not by which showroom the truck came out of, and the Titan stops looking like an outlier. Same engine family, different body-on-frame truck entirely — that's worth remembering before you assume a part built for one crosses over to the other.

None of that is complicated once you've got the year in front of you. It only gets complicated when somebody guesses instead of checking, and that's the one step nobody should skip on a part this size.

What's Actually Included When You Order?

You don't have to guess what ships when you order, since each kit states its own contents plainly, right down to the guide that walks you through installation. In the box you get the 4" aluminized steel full exhaust, the OEM-style hangers and clamps, and a step-by-step installation guide.

We get it — nobody wants to open a box and start guessing what's missing. A listing that's vague about contents is where returns start, and these listings don't leave that kind of room for guessing. Each one names its parts plainly enough that you can check the carton against the page the moment the truck goes up on stands.

What each listing states is in the box

In the box you get the P1 Race Pipes full exhaust, installation hardware, and a step-by-step guide, so there are no extra parts to source. You get the full exhaust, the hangers and clamps, and a step-by-step installation guide. What you get is the 5" stainless steel full exhaust, the OEM-style hangers and clamps, and a step-by-step installation guide. It's built from high-quality aluminized steel with OEM-style hangers and clamps, so it bolts to factory locations across all cab and box lengths — no cutting, no welding.

Same basic promise every time: the exhaust itself, what bolts it down, and paper that tells you the order to do it in. Read that list once before you order and once again when the box lands — the two should match, every time.

Why a delete tune is priced and shipped separately

Notice what's missing from that list — there's no tuner in the box. That's not a gap in the listing. It's a different product, from a different part of this business, and it gets matched to your specific truck rather than tossed in with the pipe. Bundling the two together would mean guessing at your calibration before anyone's talked to you about your actual truck, and that's a guess nobody here is willing to make. That's not a Diesel Dudes quirk — a delete tune has to match your specific engine calibration, which is a conversation, not a checkbox at checkout. Tech support is included and tickets are answered within one business day.

What Should You Expect During Installation?

What actually happens once the old system comes off the truck is worth knowing before you start the job, especially the first time around. OEM-style hangers and clamps lock it in the same way the factory exhaust did, so the fit is clean and rattle-free with no welding.

What bolts to the factory locations without cutting or welding

That's one variable off the table before you've even broken out a wrench — the mounting points are already exactly where the truck expects them. OEM-style hangers and clamps lock it in cleanly, so there's no welding and no fabrication. A clamp that lines up with a hole that's already there beats a clamp you're drilling yourself, every single time. That's the easy half of the job: the hardware bolts up the way hardware is supposed to, no surprises, nothing you have to improvise halfway through. Rust and road grime are the wildcard on any truck that's spent a few winters outside, and they add time to a job that otherwise goes exactly as planned. Budget for stubborn fasteners even when the parts themselves need nothing extra.

Why the delete tune is a separate call, not an assumption

You'll need a compatible delete tune to keep DPF-related check engine codes from setting, so call (888) 830-2588 and we'll pair the right tuner to your 2019-2024 Ram. That call-first approach isn't unique to the newest bracket — a pipe alone doesn't finish the job. Order the pipe on its own and you've bought half a solution — the truck won't know the difference until the check engine light does.

A lot of guys assume the exhaust is the whole project. Here's the thing — without the matching calibration, the truck still thinks the filter is sitting right where the factory left it, and it will let you know about that. Skipping that call is like showing up to a fight with only half your gear — the pipe is ready, but the truck's computer never got the memo.

How Does a Cummins Diesel Actually Work?

In diesel engines, internal combustion results in expansion of high-temperature, high-pressure gases, which in turn move pistons, transforming chemical energy into mechanical energy.^[3] Cummins engines have been an option in RAM pickups since 1989.^[1] Nearly 70% of all Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty pickup owners choose the Cummins Turbo Diesel as their powertrain of choice.^[2]

Where the Cummins-Ram partnership started

That single fact is the reason a fitment guide for this platform runs more than one bracket deep — the badge on the fender has outlasted more than one distinct version of the engine underneath it. Nearly four decades is a long production run by any measure, and a long production run is exactly what splits one badge into more than one parts bracket. The lesson carries past this platform, too — badges are marketing, and engine codes are the actual truth on any truck with a few decades on the model name. Chrysler initially launched the RAM in 1981.^[1] In 2019, we celebrated a 30-year partnership with RAM truck that started with the Cummins 5.9L Turbo Diesel in model year 1989.^[4]

How the engine turns fuel into motion

Rudolf Diesel built his first well-known prototype of the high-compression engine in 1897.^[3] A gasoline engine needs a spark to trigger that same reaction. A diesel just needs the compression to get hot enough on its own, which is the whole difference between the two ignition systems. That's why you'll never see a spark plug on a parts list for any kit in this lineup — there isn't one to replace.

Why this platform remains the default choice

The latest generation Cummins 6.7L Turbo Diesel is a heavy-duty pickup engine that delivers the power, towing performance, quietness, cold-weather reliability, and serviceability that truck owners depend on every day.^[5] The 2021 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel brings to the table even more horsepower and torque while maintaining the diesel’s historic durability and efficiency.^[4] From our 5.9-liter, 160-horsepower beginnings to the 6.7-liter, 400-horsepower engines available in today’s RAM pickups, Cummins and RAM lead the way in innovation, power and durability.^[1]

That's not a niche enthusiast pick. That's the majority choice, generation after generation. That kind of popularity is exactly why this platform ends up needing more than one kit instead of one.

Why Does Pulling the DPF Change How the Truck Runs?

What changes under the hood comes down to what's physically removed and what replaces it. Turbochargers are crucial for enhancing the performance of both on-highway and off-highway engines by increasing power, improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions.^[6] Variable Geometry Turbochargers (VGT) work by varying the exhaust passage area before the exhaust gas entry into the turbine wheel.^[6]

What the factory DPF was built to do

Within the 6.7-liter Dodge Ram Heavy Duty exhaust system, reducing particulate matter is achieved through a self-cleaning Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF).^[7] In a common rail setup, diesel fuel is stored in a high-pressure rail that supplies fuel to each injector independently, and none of that precision fuel delivery has anything to do with the filter bolted on behind it.

How backpressure works against the turbo

The Holset VGT™ from Cummins Turbo Technologies pioneered Variable Geometry (VG) technology for the commercial vehicle market in 1998.^[6] Put a clogging filter behind that turbine wheel and you're fighting the same restriction the VGT was already built to manage. Think of it like a garden hose with someone's boot on it — the water's still moving, just not the way it wants to.

What owners are told to expect once it's gone

Without that backpressure your Cummins breathes freely, EGTs drop under heavy loads, and fuel economy improves noticeably. Without that restriction your Cummins pulls cleaner, runs cooler under load, and stops burning fuel on filter maintenance. The 5.9L Cummins is one of the most capable diesel engines ever put in a pickup, but the factory emissions hardware adds restriction, forces the engine to work harder under load, and builds heat where you don't want it. The 5.0L Cummins is a capable engine, and the DPF is one of the main things standing between it and its best performance.

Different engine, different bracket, same argument every time.

What Changes Between the 4-Inch and 5-Inch Systems?

Material and price are where the two designs actually pull apart from each other. The stainless construction is built to outlast aluminized options in road salt and rough weather too. The Titan delete pipe is listed at $899.00. The 5.9L exhaust system for 2004.5-2007 trucks runs $679.00 to $749.00.

Diameter and material are the two things actually changing here, and both of them are decisions the fitment bracket already made for you — nobody's picking a pipe size the way you'd pick a paint color.

Where the 4-inch aluminized systems are used

Thick aluminized steel handles heat cycling and road exposure for the long haul, and it's built to fit all cab and box lengths. It's the same material choice behind the Ram-fitment pipes in this lineup, old bracket or new. It's a proven, workmanlike choice for this kind of job — nothing exotic, nothing that needs special handling on install day.

Why the Titan pipe runs 5-inch stainless instead

Bigger pipe, tougher metal, higher price tag — on the Titan XD, all three show up together. That's the trade the higher price buys you here — tougher material for the harshest climate this lineup ships to. Stainless doesn't come cheap, and this is the one bracket in the lineup where the material justifies the jump.

Which Cummins Delete Kit Should You Buy?

Choosing the right kit comes down to two facts on your own truck: the model year and the engine stamped on the block. Match those two details to the bracket that covers them, and the right kit is the only one worth ordering.

Matching your bracket before you compare price

The Ram Heavy Duty is the most powerful, most capable pickup in the segment with a towing capacity of 35,100 pounds and a payload capacity of 7,680 pounds.^[9] Ram was the first to achieve the 1,000 lb.-ft. of torque milestone with the Cummins I-6 Turbo Diesel, now rated at a best-in-class 1,075 lb.-ft. of torque.^[8] The 2019 model year introduced HD pickup buyers to 1000 lb-ft of torque for the first time ever.^[2] Most of the brackets in this guide live inside that Heavy Duty line; one belongs to a completely different truck wearing a completely different badge.

Which one is yours? Run your year and your engine code against the table above before you read another word about diameter or material. None of that changes which bracket is yours — it only tells you what kind of truck this platform is built around before you go looking at your own driveway.

What the whole lineup has in common

Whichever bracket is yours, the job is the same: pull the factory DPF, run a straight pipe in its place, and let the tune handle the rest. Bang for your buck comes down to matching the right bracket the first time, not shopping for extras after the fact. Get the bracket right and everything downstream — the tune, the install, the fit — falls into place the way it's supposed to.

Which bracket does your Ram — or your Titan — actually sit in? That's the only question that decides which link below is yours to click, and from here it's just a matter of finding your own truck in the list.

4" Exhaust System | Ram 5.9L Cummins | 2004.5-2007

If your truck is a 2004-2007 Ram 2500 or 3500 with the 5.9L Cummins, this is the kit built for your bracket.

4" Full Exhaust System | Ram 6.7L Cummins 2013-2018

If your truck is a 2013-2018 Ram 2500 or 3500 with the 6.7L Cummins, this is the kit built for your bracket.

4" Full Exhaust System | Ram 6.7L Cummins 2019-2024

If your truck is a 2019-2024 Ram 2500 or 3500 with the 6.7L Cummins, this is the kit built for your bracket.

5" Downpipe-back Full Exhaust Delete | Nissan Titan 5.0 Cummins | 2016-2019

If your truck is a 2016-2019 Nissan Titan XD with the 5.0L Cummins, this is the kit built for that platform.