H Pile Exhaust

I posed the question on the H-Pipe to the Corsa engineers, here is their answer:

Probably smoother tone overall. Less noticeable pulsing alternating from side to side. Maybe slightly quieter overall. Uncertain of the benefit/affect near the drone area. I would think it would help, but I do not know how much it would specifically affect the amplitude/shape of the SPL plot. Problem is that the chassis may not allow for it, or would require something that hangs excessively low to make the connection. It would be very long as well, which would be something different that we do not normally deal with.



There is a small opening in the very back of the muffler cavity past the tip cutout that may or may not allow for some kind of pipe routing or connection, but we would have to find a way to take it back upstream in front of the outlet (see attached). I do not think an H pipe at this point would affect the muffler function since it would be downstream of the RSC. It would likely have some benefit or effect on the systemic resonance though which could potentially compliment the muffler function. I have no idea if the chassis would even allow for it in the middle, and we would likely have to use a small diameter pipe to make it work.

Someone with a Gen 4 may want to chime in, but, didn't the early Gen 4 cars have an H-Pipe? I thought I read an H-Pipe delete picked up HP. My Balenger exhausts on the Gen 2 have a small diameter H-Pipe in the rear close to the diff. Personally, i think a Gen 2 with Balenger headers and Balenger exhausts is about the best sounding Viper ever made.

Here are some pics of my stock Gen III exhaust while I had it on the alignment rack. There is ample room for two 2.5" pipes on the Gen IIIs. I am not sure how much the cabin "tub" changed between Gen V and Gen III/IV. Again, your belly pan may not have that cut out. It's there to cool the exhaust, but most importantly, its there go around the drive shaft. Without this cut out, connecting a pipe between the two exhaust banks may be a challenge since interference with the drive shaft is likely.


I intentionally drove in 5th gear slowly across the rpm range between 1500-2500, and there is zero drone in that range. This was done on my heads/cam GenIII, no cats, and OEM Gen III exhaust.

Why the two pipes?

Jack B said:

Why the two pipes?

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Stock Gen 3 exhaust : Left header pipe connecting to Right side muffler and Right header pipe connecting to Left muffler. Longer pipe tubing moving the Drone zone away from streetable rpm range. Ex : Every exhaust system has a specific rpm zone where drone happens, lenght and dia. of tubing has an effect on where the drone happens, but if it's moved out to below 1,000 or above 7000 + rpm, nobody will notice on a Viper.

My 08 gen4 didn't that've an H pipe when I swapped the exhaust. My gen3 had the crossover of course, it was behind the muffs, not an H really, more of a design to length the 'tail pipe' section.

I agree also, my gen2 I did a full Belanger setup and it sounded awesome, not just for a viper but for any car.

SilveRT8 said:

Stock Gen 3 exhaust : Left header pipe connecting to Right side muffler and Right header pipe connecting to Left muffler.

Click to expand...

That would mean the crossover was in the front. I thought it was in the Rear, After the components...

Left Header --> Left Precat --> Left Cat --> Left Muffler --> Routed across to RIGHT side Exit.



Either way, Its not an H-pipe like Jack is thinking.... Is just a pipe crossing over to the other side to increase it overall length which effects the pitch&tone of the exhaust note.

Dom426h said:

That would mean the crossover was in the front. I thought it was in the Rear, After the components...

Left Header --> Left Precat --> Left Cat --> Left Muffler --> Routed across to RIGHT side Exit.



Either way, Its not an H-pipe like Jack is thinking.... Is just a pipe crossing over to the other side to increase it overall length which effects the pitch&tone of the exhaust note.

Click to expand...

Exact, Sorry I had a Gen4 and only knew the gen3 was crossing over somewhere.

Jack B said:

didn't the early Gen 4 cars have an H-Pipe? I thought I read an H-Pipe delete picked up HP.

Click to expand...

I dont think so.

Gen1 - Side
Gen1.5 - Rear
Gen2 - Rear
Gen3 - Side (with crossover to exit on opposite side)
Gen4 - Side
Gen5 - Side

Jack B said:

My Balenger exhausts on the Gen 2 have a small diameter H-Pipe in the rear close to the diff. Personally, i think a Gen 2 with Balenger headers and Balenger exhausts is about the best sounding Viper ever made.

Click to expand...

Put the Same mufflers in the sidesills & rear of a Gen2 and just before the rear mufflers try; an H-pipe / X-pipe / and separate pipes, and i do not think you notice much difference. The majority of the sound is in the headers, mufflers, and diameter of pipe.

What we refer to as drone is actually resonance. That is a magnification/multiplication of the normal sound output. Resonance exists at multiples of the fundamentel which in the Gen 5 appears to peak at 2400. Given a rear exhaust system most manufacturers can detune that resonant point, the short side pipe exhaust on the viper makes it difficult.

Dom426h said:

I dont think so.

Gen1 - Side
Gen1.5 - Rear
Gen2 - Rear
Gen3 - Side (with crossover to exit on opposite side)
Gen4 - Side
Gen5 - Side



Put the Same mufflers in the sidesills & rear of a Gen2 and just before the rear mufflers try; an H-pipe / X-pipe / and separate pipes, and i do not think you notice much difference. The majority of the sound is in the headers, mufflers, and diameter of pipe.

Click to expand...

Jack B said:

Why the two pipes?

Click to expand...

The intent with my picture was to show that if the Gen III can fit two 2.5" pipes, then you likely have real estate necessary to accommodate a single pipe connecting that connects both "J" sections .

The problems associated with trying to route a rear exit on the Gen3-5 cars is all of the additional bends and routing close to heat sensitive components. I know that Belanger was contracted to try and make this work on the Gen4 chassis when Devin Motor cars was trying to build cars using this chassis. No matter what he tried there was at least a 25-30hp loss because of the complexity of the routing so without frame and tunnel modifications I don't see this ever happening.

not to mention the 25-30 lb weight gain..or more...

Wish SRT would just go back to the Gen 2 style rear exit exhaust. My B/W sounded awesome with Ballanger headers and exhaust. Side exhaust just can never really sound right with the V10. And it is louder right next to your ear in not a good way.

That crossover costs hp.

345s-bspinnin said:

The intent with my picture was to show that if the Gen III can fit two 2.5" pipes, then you likely have real estate necessary to accohmm ammodate a single pipe connecting that connects both "J" sections .

Click to expand...

Jack B said:

That crossover costs hp.

Click to expand...

So do you want to eliminate the drone or not? You know its all a compromise. The crossover does have a couple of 45deg bends instead of a just one 90deg, but the loss is virtually insignificant. I have seen a stock OEM Gen III gain only 6whp between the OEM exhaust and Corsa catback (back to back dyno). The bottle neck is certainly not with extra pipe length or OEM muffler. Some of our most respected vendors have proven that the gains are marginal (click me).

Find a PhD student to do the proper acoustic or pressure wave calculations for you, or find the right amount of pipe length and reflections (h pipe, x pipe, etc) that cancel out this drone at your cruising rpm. Its going to take more pipe than fits in the side sills, cost a few hp, and add some weight. You will find your drives much more enjoyable. If race car, then just forget the muffler all together. Just bolt on a 2.5" aluminum pipe all the way out. It may sound unpleasant, but you will loose 40lbs and gain a few ponies.