Exhaust... Plz help a dumbass

**knightryda01** · 02-05-2010, 12:40 PM

Ok guys for now my car is all stock. I wanna put an exhaust on, but don't wanna break the bank if at all possible. I just want better performance and a better sound.

Now I see the Borla systems and run a cool $950 or so. From what I was reading and seen on youtube The borla xr1 muffler is pretty pimp

I also seen someone on here claim their is not much difference in the piping between stock exhaust and say a magnaflow. Does the stock exhaust have a weak flow point. Is it the y pipe?

I am debating on just putting the borla xr1 muffler on my car... Would that give me what I want or should I just get a full system?

Or if you have any better suggestions to help me get where I wanna get let me know.

**Knight** · 02-05-2010, 12:43 PM

I threw a set of l/t headers and the 3 inch full Borla stainless on mine and it made a difference. Has a great sound too! I'd say invest in l/t headers and the full exhaust if your gonna do it.

**BamBam87** · 02-05-2010, 01:37 PM

ya, if you want to see improvement in your exhaust.....you have to get headers. regarless if its LT or not, headers is like the first part to start at when it comes to exhaust. you can just get a muffler but in time your going to want to get the rest of the exhaust. i know this is just my opinion but if your going to do anything with your exhaust......do the WHOLE exhaust instead one part of the exhaust.....youll be thankful

**basballny2** · 02-05-2010, 01:40 PM

just changing the muffler wont increase hp by alot, your talking maybe 2-3 rwhp. as far as changing the exhaust youd probably experience around 5-8 rwhp. the sound is going to be different for every exhaust but the performance will be similar.

**pajeff02** · 02-05-2010, 01:46 PM

I did our system a piece at a time. Started with the Magnaflow catback and am currently adding LT's and a catted-Y. I have always been a fan of how Magnaflow sounds and I was not disappointed. Should be able to fire the car back up next week to see what the LT's and Y do for it.

**BamBam87** · 02-05-2010, 01:53 PM

ya, i can see if your budget wont fit buying an entire exhaust system at once. some people save up money till they can get the whole thing, and other people just do pieces at a time which isnt a bad thing. i mean not everyone has a money tree in the back yard

**mpfranks** · 02-05-2010, 01:58 PM

if you just want a sound upgrade, which is what most people are looking for, find a catback you like and be done. it will make a huge improvment on the sound. also its much easier and cheaper than doing a full exhaust, (especially if youre not comfortable doing the headers yourself) but if you really want to see performace increases youre gonna have to put on some lt's. and dont do like i did and do it one piece at a time. costs way more money in the long run. dont waste your money on a new y-pipe unless youre doing headers. find the headers, corresponding y-pipe and do it at once.

**BamBam87** · 02-05-2010, 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by mpfranks

if you just want a sound upgrade, which is what most people are looking for, find a catback you like and be done. it will make a huge improvment on the sound. also its much easier and cheaper than doing a full exhaust, (especially if youre not comfortable doing the headers yourself) but if you really want to see performace increases youre gonna have to put on some lt's. and dont do like i did and do it one piece at a time. costs way more money in the long run. dont waste your money on a new y-pipe unless youre doing headers. find the headers, corresponding y-pipe and do it at once.

Nice call

**Knight** · 02-05-2010, 02:02 PM

Galvanized fence post runs pretty cheap!

**knightryda01** · 02-06-2010, 07:52 AM

lol....

Ok guys so some basic questions about the long tubes.
Will I be deleting my cats? I'm not a mechanic and I just don't want issues down the road. I wanna basically get something and not have deal with consistent tweakment of it.

HOw will the Longtubes affect gas mileage and all that?

**BlackSS1** · 02-06-2010, 08:03 AM

Originally Posted by knightryda01

lol....

Ok guys so some basic questions about the long tubes.
Will I be deleting my cats? I'm not a mechanic and I just don't want issues down the road. I wanna basically get something and not have deal with consistent tweakment of it.

HOw will the Longtubes affect gas mileage and all that?

You can choose a catted Y pipe with some header brands if you wanna keep them. Most folks use a catless Y pipe.

Once you get the system on and tweaked you can leave it and just drive it... but the endless tweaking is part of the fun.

LTs free up your exhaust flow, so if you have a good tune on the car after you install them, it should improve gas mileage assuming you drive the same way. In the real world though, you will probably drive it harder and enjoy the sound/extra hp and get less mileage.

**pajeff02** · 02-06-2010, 08:23 AM

My understanding is that even with a catted-Y you delete the rear O2 senders to avoid SES issues. They simply tell the PCM if the cats are working properly and have nothing to do with your air/fuel ratio. You then need a tune to delete, or sims to fool, the PCM's rear O2 diagnostic routine.

**knightryda01** · 02-06-2010, 10:21 AM

anyone here ever work with these

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/98-99...Q5fAccessories

**basballny2** · 02-06-2010, 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by knightryda01

lol....

Ok guys so some basic questions about the long tubes.
Will I be deleting my cats? I'm not a mechanic and I just don't want issues down the road. I wanna basically get something and not have deal with consistent tweakment of it.

HOw will the Longtubes affect gas mileage and all that?

let me break it down for you, your exhaust consists of 3 "peices". 1. Starting with the headers which replaces the stock exhaust manifolds 2. The Y-pipe which contains your cats. You can replace this with either an aftermarket catted y-pipe or what people refer to as an ORY (off road y-pipe) which has no cats. 3. Your exhaust system. This can range from magnaflow-slp-flowmaster-corsa etc. So yes you can still have cats with long tubes. And as long as you drive the car the same way as before, your gas mileage will increase because there is less restriction on the flow of the air.

**pajeff02** · 02-06-2010, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by knightryda01

anyone here ever work with these

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/98-99...Q5fAccessories

It looks like the O2 bung on the passenger side header may be pointing down when installed. This is an issue with another set of e-bay headers so members have simply moved the bung to correct the problem.

**mpfranks** · 02-06-2010, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by knightryda01

lol....

Ok guys so some basic questions about the long tubes.
Will I be deleting my cats? I'm not a mechanic and I just don't want issues down the road. I wanna basically get something and not have deal with consistent tweakment of it.

HOw will the Longtubes affect gas mileage and all that?

again, if you just want a meaner sound, just get a catback. quick, simple, easy to do yourself, and affordable for just about anyone. promise youll be happy with that. if you get headers you are gonna spend alot especially if youre gonna pay to have them installed. i think book time on those are almost 8 hours labor, so roughly $700-900 just to have the headers installed, and that doesnt include the y-pipe labor or your parts. and whether you run cats or not, most people delete the rear O2's to turn off your SES light which means either a dyno, mail, or handheld tune to delete them, so thats more cash out of your pocket. also, i had to run cats because my county has e-check, but i also like the sound better and no gas smell from the ory. if youre unsure, just start with a cat back and if you want more you can always add the headers and y-pipe you want later. dont get me wrong, i love my QTP lt's, but it did them myself, and it still wasnt cheap. im def not telling you to not do the headers, just letting you know its an expense.

on a side note, i started with a GMMG catback (gmmginc.net) and absolutly loved the sound. the only reason i added the headers was for the performance gains. my car didnt need to be any louder or sound any meaner.