Tired of Those Two Rusty Pipes....

[jbacker7]

Well as I'm sure you've guessed by reading the title I'm thinking about some new exhaust. I've done a lot of searching and still have some questions. Would a whole factory catback setup be the way to go? Or a brand name muffler with custom tubing? I'm thinking I like the Borla sound the best followed by the Flowmaster and SLP. I'm also kind of lost when it comes to which part has the most influence on the sound, is it the muffler or the tubing? I'm thinking its probably the muffler but I'm sure as you can tell I'm a noob and could easily be wrong. And how much could I be expecting to pay if I went the Borla muffler/ custom tubing route? Thanks a lot guys, you're a really big help!

[Gagt518]

Personally the best way to go is the Custom route. The Borola is a real nice exhaust but is to quiet for me. I know the Borola exhaust is around $800 from PFYC.com. My Flowmaster 80 Series cost me a total of around $90 from summitracing.com and then i had my local performance shop make me a 2.5" Exhaust with a Magnaflow High Flow Cat. I paid total around $400 for my Exhaust which included the Piping, Muffler, High Flow Cat, Labor. And i love the way my exhaust sounds :D

Edit: SLP Catback in now Discontinued

[Blackhawk]

It's the muffler that makes the most sound difference. Not sure which muffler Borla uses for their cat-back, but the price will most likely be higher than most other brands of mufflers. My catback cost around $400, that includes the muffler, tips, piping, bending, install, and the now-gone SLP overaxle pipe.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n134/sudden_impulse/Exhaust/th_Exhaust.jpg (http://s111.photobucket.com/albums/n134/sudden_impulse/Exhaust/?action=view&current=Exhaust.flv)

[jbacker7]

I paid total around $400 for my Exhaust which included the Piping, Muffler, High Flow Cat, Labor. And i love the way my exhaust sounds :D

So you redid everything and it only cost you $400? Is a new cat really necessary? And should I really have the resonator removed in a new muffler?I read in the Exhaust FAQ that the factory cat is fine if you just want to do a catback setup.

[Blackhawk]

The factory cat is fine but if you have over 100,000 miles then it can die at any time. When mine dies I might go a 2.5", though I'd have to re-do the front of my cat-back :(

[jbacker7]

Well my car has 124,000....... Hey I've also been thinking about doing stock GT exhaust like from a salvage yard. I'm more concerned about the dual look than the sound and the performance aspect is kind of important too. So how is the stock GT exhaust?

[sudden_impulse]

Depends on the age. Most GT exhausts are just a little louder than SE, although mine is rotting out I think, and is pretty loud, but not quite up to Cody's car, but he has an intake and more money into it. I'll post a sound clip when I get my resonator removed, that should be loud enough for me, I just like the car to keep running these days.

[jbacker7]

Alright I think I'm just gonna go the stock GT route...maybe I'll get an aftermarket muffler later down the line but for now I'm just looking for the dual look so.......say I'm going to get the exhaust off of a salvaged car, would all I need be the muffler and the 2 pipes coming out of it with the dual tips?

[matts]

yeah, just cut the muffler off (leave a little pipe on), probably has a couple exhaust hangers holding it up.


or if you know someone with a GAGT you don't care for, a sawzall and about 10 minutes and you can have a GT exhaust :evil2:

[jbacker7]

So take it off a little bit after the muffler (going from tips to engine) and just weld the exhaust back together? And I think I'll do this the same time I "swap" them rims. haha

[jbacker7]

Also, does the GT exhaust come with tips or are they the same pipes as the SE's????

[Blackhawk]

They come with stainless tips, though you may have to wetsand them down because not many people took care of them.

[jbacker7]

Bueno, what grit do I need to use because I've got up to 2000 for my headlights right now, but I made need more for that. But I think 2000 should be enough for the pipes right?

[matts]

i'd try a good metal polish first

[jbacker7]

Ok so I think this is kind of funny. Tips for the SE (2 tips) would cost about $50, reasonably priced, and a whole dual exhaust off a GT (with tips) from a salvage yard costs about $50, again reasonably priced. And really I could put this GT exhaust on myself (muffler on back).....I can weld.

[jbacker7]

Ok, now really, I'm hoping to make it to a couple salvage yards around here this weekend. Take the exhaust off a little before I get to the muffler correct (going from engine to tips). This salvage yard is pull your own parts.

[sunrunner_pei]

Be sure to leave a little pipe before the muffler when you cut it off the junked car. 4-6" should be plenty. You want some pipe left to slide over the SE pipe and to weld to. :)

[gt00]

Why not just get the whole GT exhaust from the Cat back .... :???:

[sunrunner_pei]

Well, if it's readily available, sure. But the stock exhaust is 1 piece, and will have to be cut apart in several places in order to remove it and then re-install it on another. To me the gain of the 1/8" larger pipe are hardly worth it.

[jbacker7]

And these tips are stainless steel so if I buy them with surface rust I should be able to polish them up or wetsand them to get back that silver shine. And could I put a clear coat of paint over them to keep it from happening again?

[Blackhawk]

You'd have to get some wheel or brake caliper clear, or just polish them when you wash. We use Eagle One Nevr-Dull and it shined Derek's tips up, he still has to wetsand them though. http://www.eagleone.com/pages/products/product.asp?itemid=1006&cat=5006
But yeah, wetsanding works wonders, MattM did it with his old exhaust and the results were amazing.

[jbacker7]

Alright thats sweet, think 2000 grit with a Powerball will be good? Also if I don't put this clear coat on them how often am I gonna have to polish them? Thanks

[trogdorpontiac]

my side exhaust "kit" cost me $13 at Fleet Farm

[Blackhawk]

Just polish them when you wax, it's easier to do it lightly once a week than doing some heavy polishing every other month.

[jbacker7]

That makes sense. I've been thinking, how do you think it would sound if I took and bought a stock GT muffler now with the duals and replaced that muffler with a Flowmaster later? Will it work?

[sunrunner_pei]

You'd also have to replace the GT tips when you replaced the GT muffler with the flowmaster.

[jbacker7]

Why's that???

[KhellendrosXS]

Because of the design of the flowmaster. It is considerably smaller and does not have its outlets pointing in the correct directions. When you get a flowmaster you have to have 2 90* bends to turn the outlets to the back of the car and then you weld on the tips.

If you are going that route Id ditch the GT tips anyway. They require too much maintenance, Id just pony up some extra money and get a nice set of stainless tips that arent going to start rusting every time you turn around. I have a set of Borla tips that someone cut off the Borla cat back system on my car for almsot 2 years now and they shine like mirrors with little more than a wash every other week or so during the summer.

[jbacker7]

Yea, but by the time I pay for the GT exhaust, new tips, a new muffler, buying the GT exhaust would be pointless and I don't really feel like paying 200-300 for exhaust when I could get the GT for around 50-75 and just have to polish the tips once a week.

[jbacker7]

Ok, but really now, the stock tips are stainless steel correct? So if I buy a pair that appears to be rusty it can be polished completely back to shine right?

[gt00]

Ok, but really now, the stock tips are stainless steel correct? So if I buy a pair that appears to be rusty it can be polished completely back to shine right?Yes , as long as they aren't really horrid .... ;)