Got my Belangers installed!

[Ooomph]

Alright y'all, I got the Belanger complete exhaust package installed and all I can say is WOW! It's hard to believe how much the headers really wake up the exhaust note, not to mention your neighbors...

I took the car to Phoenix and had the install done at Fat Albert's Motorsports and would like to give him a shameless plug. Al is one of the nicest guys I've ever met. He showed me all around his shop, explained in great detail what they were going to do and even took me over to the Belangers shop to introduce me to the Belangers and the crew that made the headers/exhaust system.

Al even dropped me off picked me up and at my hotel when I told him I was cabbing it back to get a rental for the day. Real down to earth class-act! I'd recommend him to anyone.

On to the exhaust... Simply awesome, of course I love loud exhaust though. The car is sedate at cruise in 4th under 60 up to 120 in 6th. But when you downshift into the middle of the rpm band (2.5k and up rpm) it sound like a race car. Seriously. On the drive back to Albuquerque, I would purposely drop it from 6th into 4th when passing people (usually between 80-100mph depending on traffic conditions/flow) just to see the "save me Jeebus!" look on their faces!

I agree with Kai regarding the noise level. If you do any top-down driving in anything less than 4th gear at low speed, you'll get out of the car feeling like you just got off of a plane and can't pop your ears (specifically the left ear...). It's flat-out loud, especially in the meat of the rpm band. The system I got was the Belanger Tri-Y, catted, magnaflows and no crossover. I also opted for the split-lock header bolts so I NEVER have to worry about them backing out or having exhaust leaks.

here's the headers:

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here's my mistress in Prescott National Forest:

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and another:

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Thom
Rio Rancho, NM

 

[quickysrt]

i want the same set up you have. which cats did you go with? whats the power gain on it? whats the sotp feel?

 

[Ooomph]

Actually, I have no idea whether they're metal or ceramic substrate cats. I looked into them before the install but I couldn't tell you if which variant they were. All I could see was a grey metal grill (waffle-pattern ) at the end closest to the header collector, I never thought to ask until I posted this morning. I was giddy like a school-girl when I got there and not thinking straight. Too busy taking pics of Al's race-cars!

I'll be getting dyno'd again on Thursday (my first day-off) so I'll update my with the gains. Currently, I'm at 449.4rwhp and 489rwtq corrected but I'm in the same boat as Kai_SRT as I'm also at high altitude (5500 ft.), so I'm guessing that I won't see the gains that most people see at sea-level.

I can definately feel a sotp difference, especially after the 500 mile trip home. It'll break traction shifting into third at ~ 80-85mph and pulls like a mother from 2k rpm up. Could all be in my head though simply due to the excessive exhaust volume! Maybe I think it's just pulling harder but I can tell you, it never broke traction going to third until after the header install. I'm expecting to see some apparent tq gains nonetheless...

One thing I love is that it doesn't sound ricey or fartpipe-ish at all (not to offend anyone). It has a very distinct, low rumble at idle that screams like a nascar when allowed to rev. It does have that great popping, rasping tone on decceleration (sp?) both from a neutral rev but even better from a low-gear decel (like a 2nd gear at 60mph decel to 40ish mph). 4th gear at 100mph will draw a little vibration that you'll feel through the seat, much akin to a Harley.

Just took a Vette buddy for a ride and he was amazed at the sound. He also said he'd never ridden in a car that pulled so hard. Unfortunately, he never rode in it stock so I couldn't gauge a difference form an unbiased (yeah right ) viewpoint.

Either way, I would recommend this system to anyone (but I'm not knocking any other system, I just haven't heard them). I would also recommend Fat Alberts M/S for the install, that guy is a class act.

Thom
Rio Rancho, NM

 

[Franko]

Can you please email me the price and where you purchased this system from. Also labor costs.

Thanks!

[email protected]

 

[japon]

Yeah email me install costs and Belanger costs
thanks
joe

 

[quickysrt]

thanks for the info....this is the exact setup i want. lets see what the dyno is

 

[SRTJOE]

Yeah email me install costs and Belanger costs
thanks
joe

Can you e-mail me also [email protected]

Thanks

 

[Ooomph]

gents, you'll have to call JonB at PartsRack for the price (he can't advertise the price, so I can't either).

As for the install, it was a $1200 flat-rate from Fat Alberts M/S in Phoenix. I paid extra for the Split-Lok header bolts (I think in the $100-$125 range). Plus taxes on the install & bolts. Total there came in the ~$1300 range (<$1400).

Albert's shop is awesome and his Viper knowledge is second only to his hospitality. I highly recommend him.

I did save money on not having to have the header/exhaust package shipped as I drove to Phoenix for the install and the Belangers still had possession of the package. The Belanger shop is about a quarter-mile from Fat Alberts and Albert had the package onsite when I arrived. I was going to Phoenix that w/e on business anyway so it all worked out for me.

As for the install price, keep in mind that the entire side-sills and fins have to be removed as well as the underbody-pan. It actually takes longer to remove install the panels than it did for Al's shop to replace the headers. They did find several body panel screws missing from my car, some not even drilled or tapped. Al's shop repaired all of the discrepancies with factory OEM screws. His quality of work was exceptional.

 

[ARMORGOD]

Yeah email me install costs and Belanger costs
thanks
joe

Just so y'all have some more info to base your decisions on - I also have the belanger header and exhaust system. My vipertech quoted 450 to do the exhaust and headers and it ended up being in the 600-700 range to do it and the gear swap (3.07 to 3.55s). Hope that helps. I concur with oomph: the system sounds so much better than stock. In fact, I just got done tracking the car this last Sunday, and my SRT sounded more like a race car than most of the SCCA prepped cars at the event!!! The only one that I thought sounded better on the track was a '96 GTS track car.

If someone can tell me how/where to host a video (mpeg) I'll shoot a couple of short ones, so you guys can hear exactly how the exhaust sounds.

 

[SilverSnake]

Is there a big temp. difference in the passenger compartment?

Thanks,

Robert

 

[ARMORGOD]

Is there a big temp. difference in the passenger compartment?

Thanks,

Robert

I never drove the car with the stock exhaust, so I don't know how hot a stock car gets from the cats. But with mine, there is no cabin heat that comes from the foot well or other parts of the cabin. The only time I feel the heat is when the top is down and the heat waves spill over/around the windshield. But even then, it isn't bad at all. So, I think it's safe to say that the aftermarket exhaust COMPLETELY cures the heat in the cabin (passenger side included). I asked my girlfriend specifically about heat on that side and she had NO complaints.

 

[SilverSnake]

ARMORGOD, Thats good news, Anybody else go from a stock exhaust to a headder based system and feel a difference in regard to the heat? I live in Phoenix and this car feels like a microwave at times.

Robert

 

[Franko]

If someone can tell me how/where to host a video (mpeg) I'll shoot a couple of short ones, so you guys can hear exactly how the exhaust sounds.

YES please post a video if you can!! I'm trying to figure out what full system i'm going to go with.

Thanks!

Frank

 

[cstegall]

Robert...

I went from stock to Belanger and the heat drop was significant. Of course, you have a tendency to feel the difference when getting in and out...but I have noticed a drop in cabin heat as well.
You will be happy with the difference.

CStegall

 

[Ooomph]

I'll put it this way, after an hour of city driving I got out of the car and laid both hands on the drivers side sill for several seconds. No hotter than holding a cup of hot coffee or a bowl of soup. It wasn't like the "temperature of the sun" that it used to be... Cabin temps have diminished significantly.

 

[SilverSnake]

Well i think i know what my next mod will be. Thanks for info guys!!



Robert

 

[KaiPL]

ARMORGOD, Thats good news, Anybody else go from a stock exhaust to a headder based system and feel a difference in regard to the heat? I live in Phoenix and this car feels like a microwave at times.

Robert

I have headers and eliminated the cross over. The cabin heat went way way down. Not only that, the side sills don't get very hot any more.