Diameter of factory exhaust on 98 GTS

[Darth Menace]

Hey there I was wonering what the diameter of the catback system is on a 98 GTS. After reading about the magnaflow 16992 for the GTS i see the exhaust is 3 inch diameter, but i was thinking to save money would it make sense to buy two Magnaflow glass packs and put them on the factory exhaust? Im guessing the factory exhaust is 2.5 inch vs the 3 inch magnaflow catback but I honestly dont know if the HP gain would be worth the extra cash. The magnaflow glass packs can be bought for a fraction of the magnaflow catback system. any experience on what im talking about?

 

[Darth Menace]

anybody? Bueller?

 

[Jack B]

I believe you are right 2.5 inches.

 

[REDSLED]

If you really want to be cheap just replace the rear muffler with straight pipes. A cat-back for a Viper is not that expensive. Less than 1K. You can see the gain on a dyno, but not in the SOTP. The best mod you can feel for the money is rear gears. Going from stock 3.07 to 3.54 makes a huge differnce in the SOTP department. I have dyno sheets for every mod I've done and most are not worth all the money and hype. Good luck.

 

[Darth Menace]

ya thats what I was thinking too.. I was thinking magnaflow glass pack or straight pipes. I am thinking as far as the magnaflow catback ($1000'ish) vs two Magnaflow glass packs ($70), the HP gain isnt worth that extra coin. Would straight pipes make my ears bleed?

 

[REDSLED]

Straight pipes IMO are too loud, plus the fumes can get bad. even on my GTS race car I run Borla race mufflers. Still loud, but it is a race car. You could always do High flow cats and rear muffler delete, or even remove the resonators to give a more raspy sound. Check some of the tuners to see if they have any used cat backs laying around. Good luck. Any more questions just PM me.

 

[DrumrBoy]

Rear muffler delete is loud but not earplugs loud. Its also probably the easiest thing to test....no side sill removal, you can clamp them first just to listen and then weld......

There are a bunch of threads on cat, resonator, muffler delete (all combos) but not all have recordings of the sound so you can only get a feel for it through descriptions - but it'd be worth the time to read that stuff.

FWIW I have cat and muffler delete and like the loud. I don't drive it if I'm hung over, it'd be abrasive.

 

[Darth Menace]

Rear muffler delete is loud but not earplugs loud. Its also probably the easiest thing to test....no side sill removal, you can clamp them first just to listen and then weld......

There are a bunch of threads on cat, resonator, muffler delete (all combos) but not all have recordings of the sound so you can only get a feel for it through descriptions - but it'd be worth the time to read that stuff.

FWIW I have cat and muffler delete and like the loud. I don't drive it if I'm hung over, it'd be abrasive.

ya i did go through some of those threads. the only thing is they are talking about borla ($1500) vs corsa ($1500), and i am talking about magnaflow catback ($1000) va magnaflow glass pack ($70) vs straight pipes ($10)

honestly i would rather pay some money instead of go straight pipes/cat deletes and have a stinky car. my muswtang had punched cats and it was miserable driving it.

my thing was meaning is the HP gain for the magnaflow catback kit worth is vs a smaller stock exhaust and magnaflow mufflers (that come in the kit). I doubt sound would be that much of a difference between the two

 

[Darth Menace]

Can anyone clarify some stuff for me. Keep in mind I'm somewhat new to the viper world and sorry if I sound dumb. Anyways, I looked at the rear muffler and I see that its two pipes into one muffler and then out to two tips. Do I buy two mufflers (I'm guessing glass packs) and bolt one onto each input and have a tip coming off each one? Also, you guys say rear muffler, but how many mufflers are there and where are they? And is there a way I can truly clarify the diameter of stock 98 gts exhaust?

 

[vancouver-gts]

I did what you're asking about. Removed the OEM crossflow single muffler and replaced it with two Magnaflows. They're are 2.5 in and out and you can have the OEM tips welded on.These Magnaflows are 0 restrictions [ you see through it] with built in baffles. It takes a few hundred miles for the lavarock or what ever is in to settle and make a nice rumble.

Picture of OEM single muffler

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[vancouver-gts]

Hope the picture shows up

 

[vancouver-gts]

delete post

 

[Darth Menace]

Nice...what aftermarket exhaust did you use? Did it give a much better rumble or not really? Are there more mufflers on the viper or just that siamese one at the back?

 

[vancouver-gts]

There're two cats and two resonators.My exhaust is all stock except the Magnaflows in back.It has a much better sound now [ deeper] yet not too loud inside.
It sounds better in person but here's anyway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J6MBMMFdi0

 

[Darth Menace]

Sorry, I didn't fully read your post before I replied. Those magnaflows are likely the same ones I'm looking at.

So there are two resonators, two cats, and the one muffler. Do people often mess around with the rsonators or no?

 

[vancouver-gts]

I'm sure, removing the resonators would yield more decibels if that's what you're after!

 

[Darth Menace]

Ya, maybe too many decibals. And I don't want anything that would make my drive less enjoyable like stinky from removing cats.

 

[Darth Menace]

another thing that bugs me is the fact that the tips are stainless and not chrome. Thinking of replacing them with chrome ones if i can find a cheaper subsitute, but they look to be odd shaped with the bend down so I doubt i can find a generic weld on tip

 

[Darth Menace]

has anyone come across a cheap set of aftermarket chrome tips that work on the viper? the bend they have really makes it next to impossible to find a set.

 

[Voodoo Rob]

My car is all stock 97 GTS and I bought the rear muffler delete from Partsrack. It has 2 4" stainless tips welded on and fitment couldn't be easier. Sound level is on par with my 2001 Suburban with 8.1 V8 and cat back 4". A nice muscle tone without being overbearing or beating you up while driving. For all the work trying to fab tips or cutting off the stock pea shooters and fitting so they are straight, I felt that the money was well spent and the delete looks the part without being home fabbed.

 

[Dom426h]

I thought that the pipe from the sidsill muffler back was like 2-1/4". Not 2.5"
Thats 2.5" into the sidesill muffler, then 2.25" out. Could anyone verify?

Darth,
Are you ever planning on doing headers? If yes, dont do Anything untill you first do that as everything would need to be switched to 3"


Some general rear muffler delete pics for reference:

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Here is a DIY without the jog bend for the tips. This is possible if you get the right angle and dont use a large tip.

 

[Darth Menace]

I actually went through some of the exhaust clip threads, but I couldnt find one of factory exhaust but with straight pipes. Does anybody here happen to have one?

 

[Dom426h]

Call it RearMufflerDelete.

Saying StraightPipes might confuse some people as it typically means the entire system.

Quit thinking about it and do it already! I have read countless threads of people pleased with the rear muffler delete and not one person wasnt satisfied unless they wanted More sound volume and a significant power bump which can only be achieved with stuff like headers/hiflowcats/full3"system.

 

[Drmcar]

So DOM how loud is your system? I went thru state inspection for my registration in 2008 and 2 young women got all upset about noise.Checked the decibels. Went thru in 2010 and young fellow only said nice car, nice car!!

Garth

 

[Camfab]

I thought that the pipe from the sidsill muffler back was like 2-1/4". Not 2.5"
Thats 2.5" into the sidesill muffler, then 2.25" out. Could anyone verify?

Darth,
Are you ever planning on doing headers? If yes, dont do Anything untill you first do that as everything would need to be switched to 3"


Some general rear muffler delete pics for reference:

You must be registered for see images

Here is a DIY without the jog bend for the tips. This is possible if you get the right angle and dont use a large tip.

Wow I never thought I'd see such a ghetto exhaust on a Viper! Someone took off the beautiful factory stainless system for that!

 

[Dom426h]

Camfab,
yea people dont realize that factory uses quality SS pipe (i think usually something around 409 grade)

I learned my lesson the hard way when i purchased my 1st vehicle (2004 Dakota) and ripped the stock exhaust off to have a shop put in a flowmaster muffler and nice tip with side exit. It sounded great for about 3 years... Untill it rusted through at two places and the tail pipe evantually fell off the muffler leaving my exit as a rust hole in the back of the muffler. Why did it rust through? Because both the muffler and piping were made of aluminized steel which is a cheap mild steel coated in aluminum for protection. Any place that the aluminum wears off(including all welded points) begin to rust through upon contact with moisture. It sounded like crap untill i replaced it with a Quality Magnaflow catback unit made out of 409SS. This will last the life of the vehicle.

Many people cant get there head around why Viper specific exhaust systems are so expensive. One of the reasons is that most of them are made of 304SS. This is a High quality SS that is far more expensive than the cheap aluminumizedsteel that most muffler/exhaust shops use.

To put things in perspective here is a quick pricecheck:
Aluminized Steel: 4' of 3"diam pipe = $16.95
409 StainlessSteel: 5' of 3"diam pipe = $89.95
304 StainlessSteel: 5' of 3"diam pipe = $132.95
source:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-640030/
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BOR-30330/
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PTE-H7717/

If i was someone who wanted to do a Viper exhaust on the cheap i would locate a shop that has 409SS in stock. I would have them cut out the stock rear muffler and replace it with 409SS pipes and weld on some nice tips that i picked out and orded myself off a website like summit.com for example: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-690052/ The next question would be; How will the tips line up and look at exit... I dont know. But if you use the same size piping as stock it is possible that they could cut out that exit bend/jog to use in your custom system.

Figure, 100 for the piping, 50 for the tips, and 75-150 for an hour or two of labor, and you would have a decent system for $225-300

Next i would replace the stock cats with highflows. I think that this combo would be the most cost effective way to get alittle more power and sound. Sure your leaving about 30hp on the table without doing headers&full3"back but that combo is expensive and not nessesary for most people.

Darth Menace, i hope that my above info will help you out if you havnt hacked your system up yet

 

[Dom426h]

DRMcar,
The first time i took my Viper through DE inspecion it took 3 more tries before i passed the sound(db) level check. I started at >10db over the limit. Now i have a simple method of quieting the exhaust that insures i am +/- 1 db of the limit which is good enough to pass. First i shove several bunches of steel wool up both pipes, then I have 2"-2.5" reducers with screen over them that i slide far enough up into my exits out of site and have a hole drilled in the bottom so that a can run a setscrew in to hold everything up there. When i get home i pull the screws, Rev her up and watch everything fly out the back then throw it all in a box to use in another two years when im due for inspection again.

 

[Darth Menace]

Hmmm...decisions decisions. I know I don't want to go straight pipes...I looked it up in the alberta vehicle equipment regulations and we need mufflers or some sort. I don't want any tickets.

The thing aboout just cutting out the old mufflers and adding the magnaflow glasspacks is that its a $100 job to tide me by until decide its a fine time too drop a larger amount of cash on a catback

 

[vancouver-gts]

Just do the ss Magnaflow mufflers and have the OEM tips welded on like I did.Simple enough and gives you that sound improvement without failing the dB test.Since the mufflers are easy for the inspection guys to check that's why I didn't go straight pipes.Never got hassled when taking the car to aircare.

 

[azvipermike]

were did you get the magnaflow mufflers?