I am planning the exhaust system on my 91 LS1 Camaro. It will have a large cam with long tube headers followed by electric cutout(s). I want the exhaust cutout(s) to be as loud as possible when open.


This brings me to my dilemma .

I have a couple of different options to go with. I am hoping you exhaust gurus can chime in and give me some input.

Option 1.

Quite simple, cutouts right after headers with turn down pipes.


Option 2
Have the cutout where the stock location for the Cat is. Then move the cat to the I pipe.

This picture isn't a good representation, therefore lets use the explanation I just gave.


Option 3
Have the cutouts right after the headers, with a pipe that is routed toward the door/rocker area. Maybe Oval pipe for clearance.



Option 4.
Same as above, just with turn down pipes.


-lol, hopefully no one noticed my dyslexic moment I had while making the above CAD drawings, if you understand this statement, you noticed.


I will most likely run a tubular K member, so that should free up some room. But let me know if you think there is no way with the stock K member.

So what do you guys think? Please only comment if you have exhaust experience, or have ran/heard a similar setup to what I have above.

Thanks!

 

I dont really see the point, but the closer to the exhaust port the louder it will be. I think you'll find that once you're under the car you wont have much room left. I dont really see how you're going to get the driver's side exhaust over to the location of the stock cat either. There's a transmission in the way. I also dont think you're going to have room for a cutout at the collectors either... there's frame and ground clearance issues there.

If I were you, I'd get a special crossmember that allows you to run the Y-pipe into the driveshaft tunnel and put the cutout somewhere between the rear axle and your Y-merge.

I've had an actual muffler at the spot Im talking about, and it was stupid loud.

 

IMHO making the cutout exit in front of the rear tires, as far back as possible, would suit you better. For a while my exhaust consisted simply of the long tube headers....and a pair of turn downs on the collectors. (basically your option 1 and 2). Was it loud? oh yes. ridiculously loud. But now I have true duals that dump before the rear axle and it is much more enjoyable, plus having them open at the collector/right after releases a lot of heat, and can cause issues on the other side of the floor pans (...such as melted rubber under the carpet, etc)


p.s. props for the google sketchup designs!!

 

Thanks for the input!
The purpose of it being as loud as possible is simply for the fun factor. I have a magnaflow cat back that is very quiet. So it would be pretty cool to open the exhust up as much as possible.


Infernal Vortex, I know it is VERY tight underneath the car. I am going to get it on a lift soon to see what I can work with. Thanks for the video! By any chance do you have a picture of your setup? I am trying to envision what you're talking about.






RedLeader289
Can you elaborate on enjoyable? Is it because it was quieter? Or was it because it sounded better due to the tone of the exhaust?

I did consider heat. I would plan on placing some heat shields above the exhaust. Also my interior will be dynomatted. I doubt the dynomat will help keep the floor boards cooler, however I'm sure it wont hurt.

 

To be honest, the sounds didn't change...hardly at all (which I've always found hilarious). You can read about my engine in my Vb garage, but currently I have true dual 2.5" pipes and welded Thrush turbo mufflers that dump just before the rear axle. Essentially all this has done is put the "boom" behind where my body sits, it also dissipates the heat better. So in a long answer to your question, it wasn't so much the tone, or the overall volume of the car that changed, but in the front seats it was quieter, with the windows up a conversation could be had (with raised voices) as opposed to having to scream at my passenger, haha.

 

Honestly, I'm not really sure how 1, 3 and 4 are all that different. They'll all be close to the same volume, but you'll hear it differently, the turn downs under the car will resonate the most inside, the pipes out the side of the rockers will probably be the loudest on that side of the car but that's just from where things are placed.

Assuming that things are tuned correctly for each setup, cutting a cutout into the collector will hurt power as it will disrupt scavenging. The only way 2 will make less power than the others is if your y sucks.

I'd also be pretty surprised if you had room to do 1, 3 or 4 under the car.

I suspect that 3 and 4 will sound pretty shitty at the side of the car

_the best way_ for power (that's all that really matters, right?) is to have a length of tube after the collector with an x or h in it (even though H is old school, and X is what everyone wants now there are situations that an H will make more power) and then the cutouts after that. That crossover is important enough that on one of my f-bodies I had headers into dual 2.5" high flow cats, flowmaster Y and then out open pipes out the back and I was able to show faster times at the track (and smoother sounding exhaust) by adding a crossover to the pipes between the collectors and the converters.

 

i replaced my cat with a cutout a while ago. it was the easiest place to put it, all i had to do was add some length to both sides of the cutout pipe so make up for the room the cat took. but with cutouts, i wouldnt recommend lowering the car at all, ive gone through 3 so far from hitting bumps that were slightly too high (they were grading the highway once, hit a manhole cover that time). its a fun gadget and im not gonna take mine off, but beware to have next to no ground clearance anymore lol. thats just my opinion.

 

put it under the passenger rear seat like most do for clearance. mine is loud as sin when open. honestly, i'm probably going to go with a single 3.5" or 4" and delete the cutout because the electric cutout has developed a leak.

do you have emissions testing? you mentioned running a cat.

 

And yea Buggy D , I noticed right away , course , your Cad looks so good it's not any kind of distraction to getting your idea across

 

i found that mine would start leaking when they got bent slightly and wouldnt close properly. mine also just started rattling screws out lol now i have to find replacement ones lol

 

 

On my 2010 I had them right after the area where the cats would have been, long tube headers, no cats, out the cutouts... It was crazy loud.

Like everyone said, get them as close to the front as you can that will still allow clearance.

They are fun but I only opened mine once and a while. Fun to scare children at car shows.

On the 89 I think I am going to put one where the cat used to be. That will be loud enough'