KaiPL
Enthusiast
Well, after thinking about it for a long time, I finally took the plunge and replaced my stock exhaust. I read everything I could, and decided on the following:
Billy Boat 5 into 1 stepped headers
3 inch Random Tech cats
Corsa Track exhaust.
I ordered all the stuff from Parts Rack, and had it shipped directly to my installer.
After a long talk with Jon B at Parts rack, I decided for the standard stainless Random Tech cats, rather than the super high flow non-ceramic cats. I didn't want the car to be too loud, and he said that these would help to quiet things down a bit.
I had the installer use clamps where possible rather than welding, as I have heard mixed reactions regarding using the Corsa Track exhaust with headers, and I wanted to be able to tweak things if necessary without having to deal with welded components.
Last night, I picked up the car. The first thing I noticed was how much stuff was eliminated by getting rid of the crossover. There's a TON of pipe and other stuff crammed under the car in the stock system. Looking at the huge pile of pipes and things they removed from my car, I gotta believe I saved at least 30 pounds by getting rid of the crossover.
We started the car up, and I have to say that my first reaction was I really loved the sound. Deep, loud, and agressive. Driving home, I played with the throttle, listening to the response through the new pipes.
From 2000 rpm and below, the in-car sound is actually quieter than it was with the stock exhaust, with no drone. Cruising on the highway in 5th, it is whisper quiet, just a faint low rumble. From 2000 to 3500 rpm, the sound ramps up from quiet to faily loud, but still not too loud. From 3500 rpm upward, however, it's pretty nuts. It's shake the ground, break glass, scare the forest animals loud, a deep deafening howl that is almost painful with the convertible top down and the windows rolled down.
Popping and crackling on decelleration and downshifting is much louder and more noticable, particularly the occasional very loud pop coming from the side pipe tips right below your ear.
The floor heat is gone, and the only heat coming into the foot well is the much reduced heat from the engine compartment. After driving for an hour, I didn't have the need to turn on the air conditioning. Usually, my feet are roasting after about 1/2 an hour, even with the top down.
Overall, I think I like it, although I'm going to wait about a week to make sure before I take it back to the shop to get the clamps replaced with proper welds. I'm also going to get the car on a dyno and see if I picked up any power in addition to the new sound. I will try to post an audio file to give folks an idea of the sound.
Kai
Billy Boat 5 into 1 stepped headers
3 inch Random Tech cats
Corsa Track exhaust.
I ordered all the stuff from Parts Rack, and had it shipped directly to my installer.
After a long talk with Jon B at Parts rack, I decided for the standard stainless Random Tech cats, rather than the super high flow non-ceramic cats. I didn't want the car to be too loud, and he said that these would help to quiet things down a bit.
I had the installer use clamps where possible rather than welding, as I have heard mixed reactions regarding using the Corsa Track exhaust with headers, and I wanted to be able to tweak things if necessary without having to deal with welded components.
Last night, I picked up the car. The first thing I noticed was how much stuff was eliminated by getting rid of the crossover. There's a TON of pipe and other stuff crammed under the car in the stock system. Looking at the huge pile of pipes and things they removed from my car, I gotta believe I saved at least 30 pounds by getting rid of the crossover.
We started the car up, and I have to say that my first reaction was I really loved the sound. Deep, loud, and agressive. Driving home, I played with the throttle, listening to the response through the new pipes.
From 2000 rpm and below, the in-car sound is actually quieter than it was with the stock exhaust, with no drone. Cruising on the highway in 5th, it is whisper quiet, just a faint low rumble. From 2000 to 3500 rpm, the sound ramps up from quiet to faily loud, but still not too loud. From 3500 rpm upward, however, it's pretty nuts. It's shake the ground, break glass, scare the forest animals loud, a deep deafening howl that is almost painful with the convertible top down and the windows rolled down.
Popping and crackling on decelleration and downshifting is much louder and more noticable, particularly the occasional very loud pop coming from the side pipe tips right below your ear.
The floor heat is gone, and the only heat coming into the foot well is the much reduced heat from the engine compartment. After driving for an hour, I didn't have the need to turn on the air conditioning. Usually, my feet are roasting after about 1/2 an hour, even with the top down.
Overall, I think I like it, although I'm going to wait about a week to make sure before I take it back to the shop to get the clamps replaced with proper welds. I'm also going to get the car on a dyno and see if I picked up any power in addition to the new sound. I will try to post an audio file to give folks an idea of the sound.
Kai
I think I'll go with the cats afterall. I'm going to call your guy in Fort Collins and see what his schedule is like. Thanks again.
