My old exhaust:
1) Stock exhuast manifolds
2) modded SLP Y-pipe
3) stock w/ 18" Dynomax bullet welded in I-pipe, stock muffler deleted
4) No cats, custom built off road pipes
5) 02 seems to keep from throwing codes
6) By the butt dyno, felt like it lost a ton down low, but could feel it pull harder up top. Trapped 1.5 MPH higher w/ slower ET after exhaust.
7) Loud at idle, cruise, WOT. Cool for about a week, hated it after that. Droned in interior bad on the highway, lots of rasp.
8)No, not unless you keep your cats, and or like your car sounding like a POS.

Current set up:
1) Still stock manifolds.
2) same off road Y, w/ a flowmaster Y-collector added.
3) 3" mandrel bent piping from flowmaster Y all the way into the muffler. Flowtech cut out. Hooker Max Flow 3" Center In/Out w/ single tail pipe.
4) Still not running cats.
5) Still using 02 SIMMS until I get it tuned.
6) Regained lost low end power, still pulls smooth up top. Pulls much harder as verified by the butt dyno w/ cut out open.
7) Not too loud at idle, mellow at cruise, very little rasp - almost completely gone vs. old set up, loud at WOT, but not nearly as loud as my old set up. Louder than an SLP dual/dual, but quieter than most aftermarket cat backs.
8) Yes, but the single outlet isn't as attractive as a set of tips for some people. I fear it may be too loud w/ LT's & am switching to an SLP dual/dual muffler & tail pipes from a 345HP SLP option car. A local guy I know has ported 5.3L heads and a Comp 224/228 cam in his cat w/ LT's & an ORY, my car is louder as is. With a cam & LT's it may be too loud for me as a daily driver.

 

1) stock (kooks in near future)
2) stock
3) GMMG
4) stock
5) none
6) no dyno
7) love the sound of my exhaust with just the catback
8) anybody looking for just catback set up i would deffinently recommend GMMG

JRP- have you ever heard gmmg in person. if not and you would like to, let me know. your car sound awsome in the sound clips by the way

 

Here is a dyno run with the PPC headers & Y-pipe, Random Technology Cat Back and no cats.

PPC Dyno Run


Gordon
PPC
www.provenperformanceconcepts.com

 

well i will share what we just installed on my 99 SS:

Pacesetter uncoated LT headers
Pacesetter Y-pipe
18 in. bullet muffler
no cats
turndown right after the Y-pipe

ok, these were just finished being installed on Sunday so we haven't had much time between school finals to check out whats up... but my b/f didn't have ANY trouble getting in the drivers side header... he didn't have to undo anything to the steering column... the passenger side header took a little longer...

the Y-pipe is practically stuck onto the bottom of the car... no room there whatsoever... but that is good in ONE way for me, because my car is lowered...

well the Y-pipe bangs ALOT and we haven't had trouble to fix it, so i don't know what we will do yet... we will probably have to notch the K-member like others have said...

its not loud at idle, but i have noticed each day it gets a little louder (brand new muffler wearing in i guess) but when i CAN get on the gas a little it is definalty deep and it rumbles... but like i said, i can't get on it too much because of the banging and whatever...

ill update once we fix the problem...

the price was right though for this setup...

 

1)BBK Shorties
2)Custom 2.5 Y w/ Flowmaster Collector
3)TSP Rumbler
4)Carsound Cats 94106
5)None
6)Never dynoed
7)I love it, great sound at WOT and turns many heads. Everyone who hears my car compliments me because it is not annoying and there is no rasp at all. It's noticeably louder than stock and quite a bit deeper and definitely more throaty. Oval tips from Texas Speed look great on a T/A, but probably wouldn't on a Camaro. Make sure when having a custom Y made, that you find someone who knows what they are doing because mine still bangs the floor every once in a while (but daily nonetheless).
8)I would recommend this to anyone. You non-California guys can go with LTs, but I still think mine sounds awesome. Great catback and nice looking headers. Revs very nice at stoplights when used to shut up buzzing Hondas .

 

-Finish Line Performance (FLP)
-Custom 3" ORX from Lanes w/ Spintech Spiral Flow muffs dumped
-Only tuning is HPP3
-Dyno numbers 345/352 (full bolt ons through locked a4 - never got a baseline)
-Sound is awesome, loud, but not too loud. (About the same as Dyno mouth).
-My recomendation to someone thinking about getting this set up would be:
The headers and X fit great, and sound great, but get ready for some interior rattles from the X being dumped.


Craig

 

1) SLP L/T's
2) Lanes True Dual X-Pipe dumped before the axle
3) 12 inch bullets
4) No Cats
5) LS1 Edit Tuning after headers
6) After putting the headers on, I had a flowmaster and had cats on the car. with that set-up i dynod 322rwhp/337tq. After putting on the X-pipe and taking off the cats, i dynoed 337rwhp/350tq. So a 15rwhp gain and 13 ft lbs of torque gain with the duals.
7) it is definitly loud. there is also some dronne since its dumped before the axle. but i personally love the sound, and am very happy with the set-up overall.
8) yes i would recommend it.

 

1) Kooks S.S. 1 3/4 primaries
2) Kooks catted Y
3) GMMG catback
4) magnaflow cats
5) a/f fairly close to stock still, no tuning done yet
6) n/a
7) great fiment, sound (loud but without rasp and drone), quality, and look, no negatives so far other than the price
8) expensive, but well worth the money I spent

 

1) FLp's
2) Flp's Y pipe
3) GMMG
4) Orp
5) n/a
6) n/a
7) I love the system that I have. It sounds great at idle and awesome at WOT. The only problem is with the Flp's. Taking out the oil drain plug. It is a little work but I can still get it out without denting the header just takes a little time.
8) I would highly recommend this set up to any one out there.

 

1) what headers you have
Hooker Shorties
2) what Y pipe or X/H pipe you have
Stock
3) what catback you have
Flowmaster American Thunder
4) what cats your running
Stock
5) any tuning you did/needed
None
6) any verifiable dyno gains due to your exhaust setup.
No
7) small review (or large if you like) of your over all setup, any tips you'd like to add concerning the combination.
Hooker Shorties: Easy installation, definitely better sound, comes with cheap paper gaskets so you will need to take a trip to the dealership for good ones.
Flowmaster American Thunder Catback: Excellent sound, noticeable increase in power. Fitment sucks. Installed it, couldn't get it right, took it to a pro because I thought it ws me, he couldn't get it right. It hits over the rear axle, makes strange rattling noises (inconsistently) that can't be tracked down. Required trimming of the gas tank heat shield due to poor fitment.
8) would you recommend your setup to somebody else.
Hooker Shorties: Heck yeah, well worth the trouble.
Flowmaster American Thunder Catback: I love the sound, but Flowmaster can jam that crap right up... I think next time I will get a custom catback.

 

Set-up:
Kooks LT's and Y with Magnaflow cats
GMMG chambered cat-back


Before Kook's:
If you plan to leave the stock manifolds, there is no better cat-back on the market. It's loud, deep and mean. The GMMG has the old 69 Camaro muscle car sound to it. At start up it's loud with a good tone to it. At warm idle it quiets down a bit, but doesn't lose any sound quality. At cruise you know you have something special and at WOT it's almost deafening. The best part about crusing in an M6 with GMMG is goin about 40 or so in 3rd gear (2300-2400 rpm) and then giving it some gas. It alomst screams. Best part is that there is NO drone.

The GMMG is not cheap though. $700 for the system and $850 with the polished oval tips. (which I had to get) By far the best money I've spent on my car. After the headers go on I'll post up more observations as well as pics.

www.gmmginc.net

Okay, the Kook's are on. Here's what I think:

Sounds:

On start up the car roars to life. It almost barks when I start it. At warm idle, it's a little louder and just as deep sounding as it did before. At cold idle (around 1100 rpm) it's alot louder, as are most exhaust systems because you're running a higher RPM. Give it a little bit of gas and it'll wake you up. Under "normal" acceleration it is a bit louder, but if you accelerate the way I do...it's just plain loud.....but a good loud. I though my GMMG alone at WOT was almost deafening, now it IS deafening. At WOT it is very very loud, yet very crisp and clear. On deceleration (engine breaking) it's actually quieter because there is no gargling sound from the back-pressure, it hums now. Overall it sounds amazing, I couldn't have hoped for it to be better.

Fit/Looks/Quality:

I didn't do the install myself, so I don't know how easily they went in. But from what I hear, they're a piece of cake. Everything appears to fit perfectly. There is no banging on the floorboard from the y-pipe and nothing is rubbing or hitting anywhere. They tuck up surprisingly well. I measuerd clearences and only gave up about a 1/2". I was shocked to see how high the collectors and y-pipe sat. I also checked out all the welds I could see and how everything fit together. This is all top-notch workmanship. The Kook's do cost more than just about everything else, but it's worth it because of the quality of the parts, workmanship and sound. Plus they look great.

Performance:

I haven't gotten the car dynoed yet, but will do that soon.
Driving around I noticed the power immediatley. The top end power from these headers is sick. I could not believe how hard my car pulls now up above 3000 RPM. As soon as I get past about 3000 rpm the car shoots forward, I love it.

Overall:

Bottom line: I love this set-up. It sounds so mean and aggressive it's not even funny. Definitley worth every penny and I hope to get sound clips up soon.

 

1) Jet Hot Long Tubes, race style(no emissions stuff)
2) H pipe
3) True duals: Magnaflow 4x9 mufflers
4) none
5) no
6) yes
7) I like my setup, it's very quiet at idle and normal(below 3500) driving. Above that it screams, at WOT it can be heard for miles.
8) Yes.

Video clip:
http://home.wideopenwest.com/~tchess/quickrun.wmv

 

1) Pacesetter LT's
2) Pacesetter ORY
3) GMMG
4) none
5) done with Predator, not dyno so not too sure how much it was off. Not too far off at WOT but richer at idle
6) with flowmaster cat back it FELT more top end. after GMMG cat back the car was a lot faster. but no solid numbers.
7) with poly motor mounts the ypipe doesnt bang bad just under hard load on take off. sound is sick, i wouldnt do anythign else. GET IT gmmg is a lot but well worth it

 

it's cool how a thread will be dead for a while and then somebody finds it and a whole new set of responses show up!

1.) used mac headers(kept ball flange for now)
2.) used mac ory w/dual cutouts
3.) i don't remember the order of the other questions
4.) a purple horny glass pack
5.) this all replaced a "custom" patched up y pipe on stock manifolds and a '98 ss dual in single out exhaust......before i did the headers i replaced the cat back with the glasspack.....ran a 13.1 at 107......after headers and a rear swaybar i ran a 12.5 at 112.........same weather(80f/80%/30%d) i run it wide open all the time, and it's definetely too loud for most people, and stuff rattles, but it's all good to me.....entire setup cost less than 280 dollars......never tuned....

 

1) Jet-Hot LT headers

3" X-pipe (speed inc) dumped

3) ---

4) no cats

5) no tuning

6) 320 rwhp, 337 rwtq

7) A4, LT's, duals, lid, CAI. SSF3500. 1.726, 8.03, 12.62

8) Highly recommend.

 

1. Hooker ceramic mid-length super comps (race, no air/egr)

2. stainless ORY w/ 3" collector

3. Hooker Aero Chamber muffler w/ 3inch dual tips

4. no cats

5. pcm for less/hypertech

6. no dyno test to date est. 315hp-325tq

7.awesome setup that is 3" back from the ORY. flows and sounds aweosme. had a friend that has the same muffler on his ls1 and i loved it so thats what i went with.

8. definetly. 10 out of 10. installation is a breeze and you'll love the results.

 

1) what headers you have
Kooks 1 3/4" LTs
2) what Y pipe or X/H pipe you have
Speed Inc. Custom True Duals
3) what catback you have
Don't have
4) what cats your running
Cats, of course I have cats LOL
5) any tuning you did/needed
Adjust A/F ratio get rid of codes for cats etc.
6) any verifiable dyno gains due to your exhaust setup.
Not directly (see sig for after, no before numbers though)
7) small review (or large if you like) of your over all setup, any tips you'd like to add concerning the combination.
I've got Magnaflow bullets on there it sounds great. Like I say in my sig, it sounds like a mean old small block chevy set up for the strip. I really like it. It looks and sounds great!
8) would you recommend your setup to somebody else.
Yes, and no. Like I said I love the way it looks and sounds but I had some major issues with the shop that I'd rather not go into.

 

1) Kooks stainless with 1.75" primaries
2) Stainless Works X and piping made into custom 3" 304SS duals DUMPED
3) Dual Edlebrock 304SS mufflers
4) None but designed to slip in Dynatech PowerCats
5) No tuning. Dyno pull reveiled an "on target" A/F ratio.
6) Went from 317hp & 340ish ft.lbs (lid & cutout) to 352hp & 365 ft.lbs (Kooks, duals, TB) Wish I would have dynoed before the duals but didn't have time and money to spend another 100-150. Went from a 13.1 (lid & cutout) to 13.0 (headers, ORY, TB) to a 12.9 (new duals). Same condition and crappy launches (2.0-2.1 60times). Got better lauching (1.8-1.9) and cut a whole half second off my time (best now is 12.4@111).
7) I love my exhaust. Instant SOTP difference, Nice Dyno gain followed by a nice track gain. Craftmanship was exceptional. All tig welds, great clearence and looks hot. Mufflers are not loud but are very deep and does not drone inside the cabin. Great choice for a stealthy, clean sounding exhaust.
8) Everyday I recommend duals to someone. Mine where expensive so I don't recommend going the stainless unless you can afford it and wil keep the car forever.

 

1) what headers you have
SLP long tubes

2) what Y pipe or X/H pipe you have
SLP catted Y

3) what catback you have
SLP LoudMouth

4) what cats your running
SLP Hi-flow

5) any tuning you did/needed
Haven't done any tuning yet... Waiting for heads or HP Tuners, whatever I get first

6) any verifiable dyno gains due to your exhaust setup.
Haven't really dyno'd yet...
BUT.... I could feel a major difference SOTP with the stock cam, and having such a free-flowing exhaust really helped the cam realize it's potential too, I think.

7) small review (or large if you like) of your over all setup, any tips you'd like to add concerning the combination.
I love everything about my exhaust except for the ground clearance and highway drone. I have a Borla XR-1 on order (should be shipping soon) to help take care of the highway drone, so I'll edit this when I get that thing on.

8) would you recommend your setup to somebody else.
Yes and no. If you love attention and everybody turning to look at you while you drive down the street and don't mind your ears ringing after a drive on the highway, yes. If not, no. It really is a love/hate exhaust. I get very few "it's ok"s...

 

1) what headers you have
Factory 2000 Manifolds

2) what Y pipe or X/H pipe you have
Factory Y-Pipe.

3) what catback you have
SLP LoudMouth (was GMMG)

4) what cats your running
Factory

5) any tuning you did/needed
Nothing as of yet.

6) any verifiable dyno gains due to your exhaust setup.
Dyno'd 303.5rwhp and 319rwtq stock. No current numbers.

7) small review (or large if you like) of your over all setup, any tips you'd like to add concerning the combination.
I ran the GMMG for three months until I went to the Loudmouth. I only went to the loudmouth because I plan on duals over the winter. IMO, the GMMG is the best catback you could buy. I do not like the sound of the LM. I honestly think I lost a little power coming from the GMMG as well. Whiether or not thats true, I don't know as the LM is supposedly one of the best flowing catbacks available. I love the GMMG sound as it's smooth, powerful, and deep. No rasp either. The fit is superb as well - it should be for the price!

8) would you recommend your setup to somebody else.
I would only recommend the LM to someone on a budget. I wouldn't recommend it if you plan on an o/r y pipe or long tubes. I would recommend the GMMG if you must run single exhaust. I'm now going with Pacesetters w/3" duals w/an X dumped w/Sweet Thunders. I'll update when I get that done....