I'm a newbie with the S2k but from what I've gathered, there is no real evidence that the aftermarket exhaust's add any power. Some report around 8 hp but I haven't seen any dyno's to back it up. I think it's safe to say any improvement would be minor.

So assuming that the only benefit is sound and less weight, is there anything negative about running down to my local custom muffler shop and getting a single magnaflow put on instead of going with one of the aftermarket companies? I've had numerous exhaust's done on my past trucks and I'm guessing it would be less than $200 for a single magnaflow and the necessary piping from the cat back.

Also, how big a deal is it to have mandrel bent pipes instead of the traditional way?