Newbie to exhaust world, read stickies but require advice.

[bezerker03]

Hello all,

I'd recently posted in the firebird section and I realized this is arguably the better place to ask these questions. Please bare with me and if I need to "Search harder" please just tell me to stfu and search harder, but some of the stuff is going above my head in the exhaust world.

I'm looking to do exhaust work to my car in piecemeal. A little bit here a little bit there. I'm looking to go with the SLP loudmouth I muffler (well, resonator as they call it). I know all about the raspyness etc with headers etc. I live in a state (ny) that requires cats, so that will help with the rasp a bit, but overall I've heard and seen them and like the tone.

Now my question is as follows: I have a few options on how to do this. I can buy a whole SLP catback with the tips I want and everything for 420 (though I was told to shop around and try to get a better deal... Ok no biggy.) However, I can get the loudmouth 1 itself for 77 bucks with a 3" in and out. I'm assuming then I could take this to a muffler shop and have them fit it on the stock exhaust pipes. I 've read that the stock Y is very restrictive, but in the long run I plan on changing that likely. Is getting the full catback kit THAT much worth it over just having the lm 1 put on the stock exhaust? If so will it be much work to get the catback kit onto the system after the cats? For now I'm using stock cat's until I can save up for high flows. (required in NYS). If it's not really that huge of a difference, I can put that money towards cats or headers.

Next up is a question regarding headers/ORY. I'm reading shorties are a waste, but many long tubes hang down way too low. The standard is pacesetter LT' from what im seeing with an ORY. I'll need cats and such so this is possible still to put them on right with high flow cats? I live in an area with some (not many) speed bumps, but they are unavoidable (curse you 1 ways)... should I be terribly worried? Also in regards to the rear O2. I understand that you need to get this tuned out since with long tubes your wire doesnt reach? Does this still pass NY emissions with it tuned out? Or do I not need to tune them out (I understand simulators are a waste of time.)

I've never done a full exhaust before... The most I've done is gutted the cat on my old 3rd gen Camaro, so I'm pretty new to this. I'm assuming that if I do the catback now (or just the muffler), when I get headers and the ORY I can just take it to an exhaust shop and they'll make it work?

Or am I oversimplifying this.

Thanks in advance, confused and stock, Bez.

[02SS35th]

Not 100% sure on this, but I believe the piping goes from 3" into a 2.5" towards the catback. I think that is the reason you can't just throw on a loudmouth muffler on the stock setup. A catted Y-pipe setup with longtube headers and a loudmouth I sounds incredible. I just switched to it myself yesterday and that dreaded drone/rasp everyone hates with the Loudmouth I with headers and an ORY is completely gone.

You can get a catted Y-pipe along with Pacesetter LT's from Texas-Speed.com for a very good price. Muffler shops can also add high flow cats to an ORY as well with some cutting close to the collector's on the headers. Although, the cats issue can be a tricky one depending on your state. Some people refuse to do work that involve moving cats.

In regards to the 02 sensors, there is a simulator you can get for a few extra bucks, or you can get them tuned out, which is probably the easiest.

For the exhaust, I brought the Loudmouth I system from SLP to them and the only piece they used is the curved one that goes over the rear axle. The rest they customized the stainless steel pipes from there because I had the CME setup originally so they had to bend the pipes for my large SLP 4" dual tips to come out the center. Headers can be a touchy issue with muffler shops. I know the exhaust shop I go to won't touch headers, but they will do any other work.

Best advice I can give you, go with the Pacesetter LT's (Coated) with the TSP Catted Y-Pipe combo and let the exhaust shop work the rest of the Loudmouth system from the I-pipe back. That will probably get you the best bang for your buck, unless you want stainless steel headers from ARH which will last you the longest, but you certainly pay for it.

[KMdef9]

IMO, no SLP exhaust. Unless you want loud and obnoxious 24-7, especially with an ORY.

I'd go magnaflow or corsa.

Concerning the longtubes, are you lowered? If not, I believe your concerns will be minimal with clearance with a y-pipe set up.

[Mike0202]

IMO, no SLP exhaust. Unless you want loud and obnoxious 24-7, especially with an ORY.

I'd go magnaflow or corsa.

Concerning the longtubes, are you lowered? If not, I believe your concerns will be minimal with clearance with a y-pipe set up.

They are fine if you can lay off the loud pedal for a while haha. Glad I got a 6 speed.

[KMdef9]

lay off the loud pedal for a while haha.

I don't have this ability, lol.

[SMWS6TA]

OP, you will get many different opinions on this subject.

Here's a link that can give a sample on what it will sound like.

http://www.ls1sounds.com/magnaflow.htm


I have Pacesetter (No Egr) Ceramic Coatted LTs, with a Texas Speed & Performance ORY and Magnaflow Muffler. At idle sounds quiet, little louder then stock but quiet compare to others, at about 3k rpm it opens up has a nice rumble, at 4500 and up it roars like a mofo and lets everyone know you got something under the hood.

Most opinions on here are
Best - Jet Coated
Better - Ceramic Coated - only because it keeps engine bay temps down better then SS
Good - Stainless Steel - (looks pretty)
Worse - Painted - these ALWAYS burn the paint off and then you get rust monsters.

Shorties, Mids, Lt's
Shorties and Mids are for Communist states like Cali and NY that enfore smog laws. For the most gains in HP LTs are without a doubt the ones to get.

Brands - Hook, Borla, Pacesetter, even Ebay headers (the guys that have them say they are really great for the price) are all better then SLP.

Only 2 good things come from SLP - Airlid and Line Lock kits. Even then some here will debate that.


Doing headers are one of the easiest things I've done so far on my car. You can do them in your garage. There are some stickies that show you how. Only time you really need a muffler shop is if you want SS tubing from the ORY all the way to the muffler. They will need to bend the tubing. If you have no welding experience or no equipment then this again is where they will be needed.