I've got an 2002 8.1 Sierra P/U. I put the quietest Flowmaster (Rustmaster) and it rumbles at low speeds, but surprisingly not towing at highway speed. But, it looks like a rusty piece of cr-p, hanging under the truck.
And Captnjack, not sure what you mean by (excess oil consumption), my 8.1 has used some oil since new (100k, now). I've read on the GM and truck forums about people who went to full synthetic oil and stopped or reduced the consumption. Apparently the 8.1 is vaporizing the dino oil, and most, if not all, do it.