Pontiac GTO 2004-2006 - What exhaust do you guys recommend?

I just got a 2004 GTO and i have my intake ordered already but i was wondering what exhaust i should do. Ive listened to a ton of different set ups on you tube and i know i want to go with flowmasters but should i add an X pipe? Or is that just wasted money? Also what size exhaust should i run? I was thinking 2 and a half but ive heard people saying to stay with the stock and a quarter.


Last question, should i do the exhaust out the back like the stock set up, or should i dump it after the mufflers?

Thanks

While my car is a 05. And it has headers with no cats. Into race bullets.. I was going to dump it before the axle and instead I just had all new pipe ran with tail pipes. It sounds badass..

Yeah im not sure what i want to do. I wish i had the LS2. Maybe in the future i will swap. Anyway i dont know if im going to dump it before the axle or what.

I prefer magnaflow, I love the way they sound with long tubes full 3 inch with the magnapacks.

Corsa..

I have Kooks, Kooks, Bassani on my 04 and I love it

-Will

I just got a 2004 GTO and i have my intake ordered already but i was wondering what exhaust i should do. Ive listened to a ton of different set ups on you tube and i know i want to go with flowmasters but should i add an X pipe? Or is that just wasted money? Also what size exhaust should i run? I was thinking 2 and a half but ive heard people saying to stay with the stock and a quarter.

Since you have a 2004 and want to use Flowmaster mufflers, why not just get the Flowmaster cat-back?

Id get spintech or corsa, flowmaster sounds like ass to me but thats my opinion.

i have a magnaflow catback. a little quiet a idle but i like how it sounds at WOT.

go to ls1gto.com or gtoforum.com cant remember which one but theres an exhaust database with just about every combination you can think of in the exhaust threads, but i'm running kooks lt's with off road mids and spintech catback and i wouldnt go any other way. it's an expensive combo though.. just about any header to catback system is going to sound good, some just sound more deep or more exotic than others.

The corsa exhaust and all that are way expensive. Ive always liked Flowmaster. I think im going to do a full cat back exhaust with an X pipe and Flowmaster Super 44's. I was quoted 450 out the door today which so far sounds like a good deal.

i have a magnaflow catback. a little quiet a idle but i like how it sounds at WOT.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

I love the sounds of magnaflows when you go WOT.

Very tame for driving through neighborhoods though...unless you want it to not be :)

So you think magnaflow? I listened to them on youtube and i like them. The spintech sound the best to me but for some reason im not liking the sound of the flowmaster. I guess its between the spintech and magnaflow.

What i want is a nice agressive sound at idle ( not really loud ) and when i floor it racing someone or passing i want it to be noticed. ( so pretty much i want what everyone else wants )

this is my setup, never had anything but compliments other than from the wife about it being too loud.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRwsSr0gT6g

That sounds pretty nice man. So with everyone on here using long tube headers do you think the power they add is worth the high price?

That sounds pretty nice man. So with everyone on here using long tube headers do you think the power they add is worth the high price?

Yes sir...

Yes Corsa is a high price to pay.... but look what your getting.... stainless steel exhaust, lifetime warranty.. and the BEST part... NO DRONE.. The other exhaust setup's do have it... and Flowmasters being the worst at it... We do get hit with the same tax as the Vette guys... higher prices... LT's the same way... My Kooks were $1200.... now for just a catback look in the (FS) For Sale section here and over on LS1GTO. You can save quite a bit that way... I saved $450 on my Corsa and that was before shipping. Deals are out there.... I know its hard with $$$ in hand LOL :jest:

Kyle

So you think magnaflow? I listened to them on youtube and i like them. The spintech sound the best to me but for some reason im not liking the sound of the flowmaster. I guess its between the spintech and magnaflow.

What i want is a nice agressive sound at idle ( not really loud ) and when i floor it racing someone or passing i want it to be noticed. ( so pretty much i want what everyone else wants )

I guess it depends on how obnoxious you want to be to everyone else. Long tubes are definitely going to make it louder and even louder if you go the off road mid route opposed to high flow cats. Mine's not obnoxious at an idle but has a great rumble to it and isn't really really loud until WOT, which at that point it sounds like a nascar, ridiculously loud, love it.

Little Info, Its a known fact that Flowmaster is actually more restrictive than stock. So I wouldnt go with Flowmaster unless you just going for sound. If you want raw loundness, you can go with a Corsa, Spintech, or SLP LM1..... But if your going for sound and performance I would go with Magnaflow.... My setup started out as a Magnaflow CB but at the time I just had Longtubes and the CB. I wanted something a little louder and cut out the Magnaflow mufflers and went with SLP LM1's in there place... Now that I have a cam its just way to loud and raspy, I plan on going back with the Magaflow for the sound..... If I were to suggest one for you, Magnaflow is the way to go. But if you plan on keeping her pretty much stock for now I would go with a SLP to wake up the sound a bit, Magnaflow is quiet when stock, but once you do headers ect they wake the fuck up. SLP's start off with a good sound stock, but once you start modding like headers ect... Forget about it, its too crazy. Just my .02

Corsa-sport or spintech.Both sound the same. One Is SS other is ALuminum. Both sound stock while just Driving around. Both also offer a amazing scream at WOT. Ohh !! I also forgot the POP POP POP sound they give is also a sweet

Another option is the Borla. Sounds better than the Corsa, Magnaflow, and Spintech systems, IMO.

custom exhaust is the only way in my opinion

this talk about flowmaster being restrictive is hard to believe, i dont see how much more restrictive they could be if you are still running cats, and they cant be much of a choke on a car with no cats... i havent had any troubles or loss of performance with the 10 series. :)

i agree with islow. i have seriously considered moving to the borla xr1's, they sound awesome.

How many of us can afford Borla?

Does anyone know what the part number for the Corsa mufflers that fit my 04 GTO are? Im going to check on the price of just the mufflers are.

for those with 04's, and have a custom setup what are you running. im looking at 04's and want dual(side by side like stock) 3in with a one flowmaster 40 muffer and a x pipe. im wondering if this is a good idea?

Link to Exhaust Videos (http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115630)... It is over at LS1GTO.com

Im thinking of maybe dumping the exhaust right before the axle. What do you guys think? I cant really find any videos of people doing it so i hope it sounds good.

Actually, I'd leave the exhaust alone. Put that money towards a set of long tube headers. I'm still on the factory system (cat-back).

I just got my exhaust done today. I did a cat back exhaust. Right after the main cats from the manifolds i did 2and a half inch exhaust into an X pipe then into Flowmaster super 44's and kept the same exit out the back. It sounds awesome and really improved the power out put. Im happy with it.

as long as ur happy thats cool, but im doing a custom exhaust LT'S to a custom x to my spintech super pro streets dumped at the rear end all 3inch piping

Your doing dual 3 inch?

Your doing dual 3 inch?

yezzer I am

hell i have a corsa sport cat back that i am lookin to sell off my 04.....500$ and u pay for shipping and it is urs! the are about a 1000$ brand new and are imo the best catback out there.....no DRONE ftw

if anyone is going for that special sound they want then whatever they do with their money is fine. if it's performance there is so much more to an exhaust than that. dual 3" pipes on a LS1 or 2 for instance will cause exhaust gases to slow down too much unless it's at the extreme end of RPM and thus the car will actually be slower than a more "restricted" set of pipes. bigger pipes at the same RPM equals slower gas velocity

^^^But but, bigger is always better...

^^^But but, bigger is always better...

unfortunately that's the conventional "wisdom"

on my 05 a4 i hollowed the cats and have turndowns after the resignater it sounds pretty good with out breaking the wallet. Definatly ran a lil better

if anyone is going for that special sound they want then whatever they do with their money is fine. if it's performance there is so much more to an exhaust than that. dual 3" pipes on a LS1 or 2 for instance will cause exhaust gases to slow down too much unless it's at the extreme end of RPM and thus the car will actually be slower than a more "restricted" set of pipes. bigger pipes at the same RPM equals slower gas velocity

So should I go with 2.5inch???
My friend had 3 inch with the same setup im doing and same cam, it was a beast.
The header collecter is 3inch so why would it hurt to be 3inch all the way?

So should I go with 2.5inch???
My friend had 3 inch with the same setup im doing and same cam, it was a beast.
The header collecter is 3inch so why would it hurt to be 3inch all the way?

It depends on what kind of setup you're going for.. If your gonna do heads/cam or even nitrous or anything with big power, 3" is probably the route your going to want to take. The power gains are going to be very slight from the 2.5" to the 3" but the guy above you is right about the 3" pipes, unless you have a lot of power behind it to support the flow so it doesnt potentially hurt your performance up until the higher rpms. Some one correct me if I'm wrong here but that's what I've always heard about the 2.5" opposed to the 3" because I considered 3" all around on mine as well until i did some research.

It depends on what kind of setup you're going for.. If your gonna do heads/cam or even nitrous or anything with big power, 3" is probably the route your going to want to take. The power gains are going to be very slight from the 2.5" to the 3" but the guy above you is right about the 3" pipes, unless you have a lot of power behind it to support the flow so it doesnt potentially hurt your performance up until the higher rpms. Some one correct me if I'm wrong here but that's what I've always heard about the 2.5" opposed to the 3" because I considered 3" all around on mine as well until i did some research.

well I am doing h/c/i/n2o so I guess I'll go with 3

stainless works longtubes, x pipe, loudmouth 2's, on a h/c/i 04.
just do it, you wont regret it.

haha well I already have everything except the piping of course but it's all getting installed this coming weekend :D
I cant wait it's gonna be awesome, just hope I dont get pulled over with open headers on the way the exhaust shop lol

my buddy has an 04 gto m/t he has the full slp exhaust and headers it sounds mean but my sss with pacsetter headers no cats and the 2 single chamber mufflers still sounds better jk 3" tubing for me

my buddy has an 04 gto m/t he has the full slp exhaust and headers it sounds mean but my sss with pacsetter headers no cats and the 2 single chamber mufflers still sounds better jk 3" tubing for me

sweet yea I cant wait the headers go on this friday and then sat morning going to have the exhaust made...

You can't buy just the muffler's that come on the Corsa cat-back. They are not the same muffler as the one's they sell individually. You can only get them if you go directly to Corsa and sweet talk them. And when you do get approved to buy them they are $335 EACH... I know from personal experience... Flowmasters have a nick name in the LSX community as "chokemasters"... A few buddies of mine gained between 10-15 whp when they switched from the chambered flowmaster muffler to a non chambered mufflered...(They actually went with Dynomax Bullets) and they were putting down close to 500hp at the wheels...

im picking up an 04 goat with corsa on it and LT's, and ms3. Its a little louder than I like, but its nice and clean sounding. It like a more refined borla on an f body

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH7SzfXEdms