I Finished Installing My Headers, Cats and Cat Back......

[VEETENN]

I have a 98 GTS and just finished installing and driving my new Belanger headers,Random Tech high flow cats(3") and Corsa 3" cat back. WOW what a difference from stock! At idle the cam sound is more pronounced and tends to sound (much louder than stock) like a drag boat or high HP ski boat. Cruising at a steady speed is relatively quiet maybe more quiet than stock due to much less drone. The drone at 2500rpm is gone. When accelerating all hell breaks loose and is very loud almost like open headers. The mufflers are a straight through 3" pipe with no perforation or fiberglass or anything to restrict flow or quiet sound. There is a slight gap in the pipe (1/2") that allows the sound cancelation technology to work. Right now I love the sound, will I grow tired of the decibel level only time will tell. I have heard other GTS's with the Corsa cat back only and they didn't seem anywhere near as loud. Come to think of it maybe other header cat back systems I've heard are loud too, I'm just used to the stock sound level I guess. Again when cruising on the freeway or city streets the sound is relatively quiet and hearing conversation is not a problem. As far as quality of sound, to my ears this system sounds better than any other Viper system I've heard. And those tips are even better in person than in the pictures. I put a hundred plus miles on the car today and noticed one peculiar thing, a smell of sulfur especially after jamming the gas down. I remember back in 1975 with the first cats that people complained of sulfur smell, I hope it goes away, does anyone know anything about this? I will be heading to Apex for dyno day on the 23rd to discover the amount of increase in power.

 

[VEETENN]

Update: I now have 300 miles on this new exhaust system and loving it! I notice the high flow cats and 3" Corsa give me much cooler side sills and much less heat coming into interior, maybe now my air conditioning will have a better chance at cooling the car. The loping idle I barely heard with the stock exhaust sounds wonderful with this setup, as I said before just like a very high hp ski boat! It seems the sulfur smell I was getting before is beginning to go away.

 

[VEETENN]

JonB at The Parts Rack gave me good service and info plus no sales tax in CA. If your just putting on Corsa's its not hard and a few hours with a lift. If your putting on headers and high flow cats too then many many more hours required. One of the main reasons I chose the Belangers is each header is three pieces and therefore easier than other brands to get in. But the space is tight and bolts are hard to get to and I like to take my time to do it just right and so it takes lots of hours. Also the air conditioning pump has to be pulled away from the block to reroute the sensor wire which also takes time. Then because Corsa intended their system to mount to the stock cat they reduce the 3" pipe to 2 1/4" where it connects to the cat but I am using a 3" cat so I had to cut the reducer off have a 3" extension welded on to make up the difference between the length of the stock cat and the shorter high flow cat. I wish I had a welder (maybe I'll buy one) it would have made it much easier. As it was I had to mount the cats and Corsa's without tightening but carefully held in postion in order to precisely mark exactly where to weld the cat to the Corsa and then take system off again (not the headers) go to the welder come back install again mark exactly where to weld header pipe to cat, again take off go to welder come back and install for the last time. The marks had to be right on because the pipes were butt welded if my layout or marks had been a little off it wouldn't have fit. If I had my own welder I could have tacked it in place and made it much easier. All this back and forth took many hours. Corsa should offer an option to not have a reducer for those of us with 3" cats that would also make it easier. Also the instructions are very good but need to be closely followed.

 

[JonB]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Brad/Viper-Fan:
JonB at The Parts Rack gave me good service and info plus no sales tax in CA........... Corsa should offer an option to not have a reducer for those of us with 3" cats that would also make it easier. Also the instructions are very good but need to be closely followed. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have talked w/ Corsa, and they have agreed to provide a longer inlet and no reducer for this type of application. Sorry it was not in time to help Brad. {Belanger has always provided for custom fitment}