Token

Rule of thumb for all the teenagers wanting to put an exhaust on their car. This simple answer could help probably half of the questions asked daily on the Exhaust forum... "Which is louder?" etc. If you want loud, cut off your cat or run open headers. If you want it to sound like a functional exhaust, as it should, then buy a nice exhaust.

Some recommendations I have include the Hooker Super Comp Catback with Hooker 2055 headers, tied in with a 3" universal cat. It's very sensible for daily driving, yet the deep rumble is sure to be heard without sounding like a truck. Make sure you have no exhaust leaks, and don't re-use header gaskets. While there are several great brands of popular catbacks, you have no reason to get the blue light special from K-Mart exhaust system.

Things not to do include gutting your cat. While it may be louder, you're going to get that raspy popping noise that sounds a lot like an exhaust leak. If you don't want to run a catalytic converter, replace it with a straight pipe. But catalytic technologies have come very far since our cars were manufactured, and flow a lot better than stock, there's almost no reason not to use a cat these days.

You should also avoid using coathangers to mount your exhaust. No, it does not provide a good seal. Someone may have told you that punching holes in your muffler will make it louder too. Yeah, they're right, but it greatly reduces the life of the muffler, due to corrosion. Also, you don't understand the harmonics of the muffler to be putting holes in random places.

Also, just because you're loud doesn't mean you're making more power. Flowmaster makes some of the loudest popular mufflers out there, yet fail in comparison to less expensive systems in the flow test. You want your exhaust to get the air out as fast as possible, with the least amount of restrictions as possible. I'm not badmouthing Flowmaster, but for the money I'd rather buy something "better."

One of my good friends, in fact a member of this forum, has an 87 IROC and the muffler rusted off. He just never got around to replacing it, and insisted that it sounded good. Well I know when I temporarily had no muffler on my LO3 that it sounded pretty terrible. Yes, it was loud, but no it didn't sound good. Get a muffler folks. They're $50 or less and don't even require welding.

This was more of a rant. Today in class this kid pulled his truck in, but it had glasspacks and no cat. I just wanted to tell him everything I just said, but I'd rather not get in an argument with him about it. He's hopeless. But I hope some of the other members on this forum can comment on this thread, without it getting locked, to prevent other people from having to argue with these people

blue_tacos

agreed that some people are retards with exhaust but I love loud sounding exhaust. I love my straight headers
On a side note, how much hp do you think I'm making

327 Large Journal(I'm using a 350 Block with a 327 crank) bored 60 over
Edelbrock Performer Cam
Edelbrock Performer Intake
Edlebrock Performer RPM Heads
MSD 6A Ignition
Windage Tray
Oil Valley Baffle Pan
Hooker Super Competition LT Headers
Aluminum Radiator
Electric Fan
Electric Fuel Pump
Holley Double Pumper with a Proform Main Body, flows 750+ according to Proform
Full Roller Rockers with a 1.6 Ratio
10.5:1 Compression

I love driving by Mustangs and pinning the gas, scares the **** out of them

edit: I have true dual Flowmaster Super 40 that I haven't put on yet. I'm still taking it off my 82 Berlinetta and am gunna put it on my Iroc.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Classic example of louder being worser - Cherry Bombs...

blue_tacos

You always seem to know what your talking about, how much power do you think I'm making?

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Better to keep this thread on-topic, and ask that question in a new thread on the Tech/General Engine forum.

blue_tacos

DAM.N you...........shaking hand

85z28guy

I could not agree more. But one thing I can say is a ran with a gutted cat for a bit, now straight piped, and when gutted I noticed no rasp or anything. I put the straight pipe and it did sound betterr, but not to the average smoe.

f355bird

iTrader: (2)

Gotta love the oldschool purple hornies

xlwhellraiser

iTrader: (1)

I cut a hole in my 3 inch pipe before the muffler, Its a pretty dang big cut (more like a square off the pipe). However it sounds a lot better and I did notice a bit of gain in performance, especially low end power. (I do have headers by the way).

Cali Z

Yeah I know what you mean about loud exhausts, they get annoying after awhile. I'm only 17, but I guess I had enough sense to purchase a quiet dynomax 2.5 exhuast, though no one else thinks it was a good ideas as it's not loud. I wonder how well it flows compared to a flowmaster though?

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

i have a 310ci sbc with a mild cam, longtube headers, true duals with an h-pipe and summit racing chambered mufflers(flowmaster rip-offs) and honestly, while it's much louder than any of the stock cars or mildly built mutangs and whatnot, it's very tolerable at highway speeds(with the windows up, you can barely hear it) and next to most of the cars at the track, you can't even hear the car. you can feel it though, it's got solid motor mounts.

IROCThe5.7L

Nothing wrong with loud in my opinion. For me, there is a good and bad loud. Good loud being "loud", while still retaining some kind of tone. Bad loud = sounding like this "kjfkhg487545yhdfugfhfjgfgfg".


I hope everyone understands what i'm saying

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

well, mine says "juggityjuggityjuggityjuggityigotacamjuggityjuggityjuggityjuggityigottacam"

/\/3\/\/l8l3

I want some cutouts so I can reep hell on the town and when I get pulled over click them over and say "What are you talking about officer?"

buzz12586

I have the Hooker Cat Back system and I will soon be adding the Hooker 2055's and a 3" cat. I hope it makes it a little louder than right now, but I love the sound of those Hookers!

f355bird

iTrader: (2)

My car is fairly quiet with my standards. I have the hooker 2055's,3 inch magnaflow cat, and the hooker supercomp catback. It has a good tone but its not all that loud. Ive heard flowmaster catbacks with stock manifolds that were louder. But if u want sound quality hooker all the way.

sellmanb

Lets try not to make this another Flowmaster vs Hooker thread.
My biggest gripe is with people whom get loud exhaust, and think that just because it's loud, that means that they need to drive it fast ALL THE TIME!

I have been nearly hit several times in the last couple weeks just walking through the parking lot of grocery stores because of some dumb teenager with loud exhausts of various sorts, who are doing probably 35 in a 10mph grocery parking lot.


I can enjoy a loud car, open headers sound GREAT, bliss-like actually. But once you put the rest of the exhaust on, and just take the muffler off, it just sounds like crap... or like "*^T (WE&FRVLEWRHWE)&RT($^*RITYU" like stated above

Marc 85Z28

iTrader: (3)

Well put!

And I disagree to point with the original poster. I'll agree with his statements when pertaining to a stock or near stock engine. Weak engines sound terrible with no exhaust. However, if you've got a built engine pushing a little more air, increased compression, longer duration cam, etc, by all means let it scream

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

I usually keep my posts on ThirdGen based on facts,..... but in this case it seems as if it's a very opinionated discussion.

" LOUD IS GOOD BUT FAST IS BETTER !!! "

My Camaros are VERY loud,.... and VERY fast.

The Berlinetta is running Hooker Headers, Custom Y, NO cat, 3" mandrel pipes and flowmaster muffler with 3" tips. The Engine is a 355 with a "quite" gear drive and it sounds like nothing else in the state.

The Z28 ( a 95 LT1 ) has factory Manifolds & Y-pipe with a gutted Cat and a race ready cut-out dump after the cat. The rest of the exhaust is a 3" mandrel pipe with flowmaster muffler and Z28 tips. ( not that it matters when the dump is open ! )

I LIKE IT LOUD..... and don't care that sometimes it "pops" while decelerating. ( The Z sounds like a frigin' helicopter ! ) They don't sound like an exhaust leak by any stretch of the imagination and the roar lets everyone know that I'm getting closer; & FAST !!! BUT -----> There is a big difference from what I'm driving to a more-or-less stock V8 with a couple holes drilled in the muffler.

I LIKE SEEING A COPS FACE when I start (either) car after getting a ticket !! That look of "holy *hit" always appears !!! Exhaust dumps are great for adding a personality to any exhaust,.... but I understand that they actually reduce backpressure and rob you of a little torque as a result. ( maybe I'm wrong )

Again - This is just M/O & this fact remains the same......

" LOUD IS GOOD BUT FAST IS BETTER !!! "

P.S. I've gotten less tickets as a result of my Loud exhaust systems over the years then I have gotten as a result of installing a roll cage in my Z. Just about every cop that sees the cage pulls me over.

zNucleaRz

sorry to stray a little off topic why do you get pulled over for a roll cage?

Now to go back on topic I like pissing my neighbors off my car is loud and I wake them all the time . My car may not be fast but it sounds good but it is loud I get complements all the time for my exhuast.

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

Your guess is as good as mine,....... Intimidated maybe ?!?! They want to take a closer look maybe ?!?!?

I've heard;

" I'm sure your set up for the quarter mile, but..."

" This isn't a drag strip,..... "

" your not at the Speedway,...."

All that and more while I'm sitting there thinking; " Buddy, Your writing me up for doing 50 in a 40 zone on a state highway with no cars/houses/people around for miles and the only thing alive around here is the horses I just passed ???! Give me a break !! "



I've averaged 1 ticket a year since I was 17,.....I'm 33 now. In the 2 yeas since the cage has been installed I've gotten 6 tickets. ALL IN THE Z (except one in my Blazer ! ) None of the tickets were for more than 10MPH over the limit.

Back on topic;

I live in a rural area and my neighbors are pretty far apart. Most are cool about the noise - but they have all said something at one time or another. If I lived back in the 'Burbs again I'm sure my cars would be vandalized by aggravated residents !!

REALPOWER

Mufflex 4" was too quiet and restrictive for me. (don't wanna hear "my buddy runs 8's on a mufflex")
Now I can only fit 2210's and 3" single chambers under this beast. As soon as I get the fuel system plumbed I'll tell ya how she sounds.

REALPOWER

alcohol induced DP

sleeeper91

yes slploud mouth i love it! on my 91 well i do have a ls1 but still it sounds the best

sellmanb

You DO know that the general rule of thumb is no more than 5 over, not 10, right?

One ticket a year since you were 17? Most people grow up between 17 and 33...

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

I don't want to grow up,..... I'm a Toys-R-Us Kid !!!!!

speedingpenguin

iTrader: (1)

LOLOL^^^

Anyhow, about the exhaust....
I like loud, but I prefer deep and "Distinguished" over just plain LOUD.
My friend had an 86 IROC (305 carb) and got an American Thunder cat-back from an IROC in the junkyard for like 50 bucks, and yeah it was pretty damn loud, but i dunno.....it was just like "BRMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM" at idle......
Cant wait to hear what my engine sounds like.....i know I wont have that drone problem......edelbrock 5002 cam :-)
I'm thinking about Spintech or Dynomax Ultra-flo as far as a muffler now......
I've heard the hooker on another firebird and although it sounds awsome, i do like a louder idle....
Meh :-)

83 Crossfire TA

iTrader: (2)

That depends on the area and the car. Around here in MD, Montgomery county cops _really_ have nothing better to do but harass people… well, more accurately, pulling sports cars over is revenue and gives the impression of being tough on crime without doing any real work. I’m about his age and pretty much in the same boat, but for 6 years after I moved out to the next county I didn’t get any tickets. Last fall I started working every day in Montgomery county + re registered my ’97 WS6 and got my first ticket in 3 days (in a speed trap where they just stopped traffic and selected a couple of cars, no one was actually moving, they had traffic backed up…), the second one a couple of weeks later (got a 39 in a 30 which was actually written right in front of a 40mph speed limit sign, the cop was actually _standing_ at the side of the road in front of the 40mph sign flagging people down and writing them tickets, you do the math)



OOOHhhhhhh! OOOHhhhhh! AAahhhhhhh….
(I couldn’t resist)

urbanhunter44

iTrader: (3)

That was possibly one of the most r*dneck things I've ever read.

Rofl.

I wanted loud exhaust, so I paid to have a whole system custom fabbed for my T/A. I love the loud exhaust, and that when you nail it, EVERYONE looks. Plus the fact it's a flashy car....

Nyarlathotep

I couldn't agree more, I used to live in Montgomery county and my dad drives there, everyday, and he averages about a ticket a year, from MD state troopers. BTW, he drives a Monte Carlo SS..so I agree with the sports car thing as well.

On the main topic,

Another vote for the " LOUD IS GOOD BUT FAST IS BETTER !!! " Of course, loud done properly

Personally I think this rant works best for me with kids who have "bumble bee" and "coffee can" exhaust. I think theres a distinction between the rumbling roar of a cammed v8 and a small four banger that sounds more like an air compressor. It's not like they're making any power with that stupidly huge exhaust.

This can sum it up, I saw it in someone's sig...forgot who.

"My wheel bolts require more torque than your honda makes."

83 Crossfire TA

iTrader: (2)

Ricers are proof that children need good roll models…

Where do you live? I’m out on the laurel/Burtonsville line and work in Rockville…

Nyarlathotep

I live in Front Royal, in northern VA, and my dad works in Rockville/Silver Spring ..

Know of any decent mechanics in this general vicinity? most of the ones around here get kiddies who pretend to know what theyre talking about, right out of high school, who also drive cars that i described above.

Hoping to get somebody to help me do MINOR body work (dents in hood). Body work is a PITA (at least for me)