Pros and cons

[firebird19_99]

Wat r the pros and cons of keeping the 2 1/4" piping...i had a straight pipe put in a year ago and am going to put in a dynomax superturbo muffler 2 1/2" in/out in this friday by a shop. The problem is that they dnt have 2 1/2" piping so he said i cn keep the 2 1/4" piping and he cn use an adapter to get it to all fit and get the muffler in bt was wondering wat if any would b the pros and cons tone,sound and if it would affect performance? I had bad experiences wit other local shops so this is the only place i wld go and its cheaper cz college life aint cheap so $ is alwaysa issue

[venom3300]

Re: Pros and cons

pros- possibly less rasp, stock pipe will last a long tim

cons- little/no performance gain, not as loud, tone not as deep as it could be

i had a flowmaster put on with stock piping... learn from my mistakes, spend the money once and right... dont get an exhaust set up bc thats all you can afford, just wait and get what you really want.

thats why im going with borla cat-back next time

[vr4gasm]

Re: Pros and cons

just get 3" pipe

[firebird19_99]

Re: Pros and cons

dnt know wat the pipe is called between the catylitic converter and the muffler (intermediate pipe) thinking about ordering a 3" so they can put in and ditch the 2 1/4". Is this one it? if not cn someone help me with what im looking for.

http://www.eautoworks.com/product-Dy...C-Firebird.htm

[venom3300]

Re: Pros and cons

dnt know wat the pipe is called between the catylitic converter and the muffler (intermediate pipe) thinking about ordering a 3" so they can put in and ditch the 2 1/4". Is this one it? if not cn someone help me with what im looking for.

http://www.eautoworks.com/product-Dy...C-Firebird.htm

you will also need a 3" over axle pipe

[whitdog54]

Re: Pros and cons

just get 3" pipe

agreed...all the fastest 3.8s have at least 3"

[Mark42]

Re: Pros and cons

Unless you have some serious engine mods, the 3" pipe will buy you NOTHING in performance, and RUST OUT FASTER due to extra condensation caused by oversized pipe for the flow.

To even come close to being able to use the potential of a 3" pipe, a set of headers, and Y pipe/low restriction cat are needed.

Instead, save your money and get a full cat back stainless system in 2.5" pipe that won't rust out, and has a proven dyno test to show an honest 7 hp gain at about 5000 rpm like this one from Magnaflow.



Otherwise, if you just want a cool sound, change the muffler and leave as much of the stock system in place.

I may be new to this forum, but I've been building hot rods for many years. One thing I learned is don't waste money on big pipes if you don't have big HP.

[BallerMaro13]

Re: Pros and cons

holy triple post, batman

[BallerMaro13]

Re: Pros and cons

and Mark42, the 2.5 vs. 3" exhaust is a huge can of worms to open around here man---i agree 3" can be overkill if you dont plan to build to take advantage of it, but that doesn't mean it will rust quicker, it's about the material---i have headers and a full stainless steel borla 3" exhaust, it looks pristine and will last indefinitely.

[enzia35]

Re: Pros and cons

He wanted to get the point across.
I'm running 2.5" right now. Hopefully it'll be enough for a cam WAY down the road.

[Mark42]

Re: Pros and cons

and Mark42, the 2.5 vs. 3" exhaust is a huge can of worms to open around here man---i agree 3" can be overkill if you dont plan to build to take advantage of it, but that doesn't mean it will rust quicker, it's about the material---i have headers and a full stainless steel borla 3" exhaust, it looks pristine and will last indefinitely.

Your are right about the 3" not rusting if stainless, but one side affect of an overly large pipe is that water pools in the pipe from exhaust condensation. The exhaust velocity is often not enough to keep the pipes clear and (more often) the muffler clear of water. That's why mufflers rust out first, then the pipes. (always a good idea to drill drain holes in new mufflers with a 1/8" bit). And I think the original post was about "aluminized" pipes, a far cry from stainless. So forgive me if I am mistaken.

The 3800 in our fbodies is rated about 200hp. It would really take about 275-300 for the 3" to really be a benefit. So for the average guy making mods to his intake and exhaust, 3" is a waste of money.

BTW, (and probably many here are already aware of this, but it bears mentioning) a 2.5" pipe is a BIG difference over a 2.25" pipe. The difference in AREA of the pipe is whats important. Area = PI x R(squared) so a 2.25" pipe has an area of 3.97 square inches. A 2.5" pipe has an area of 4.90 square inches. The 2.5" pipe is about 25% larger than the 2.25" pipe, or you can say it flows 25% more exhaust than the stock system.

So the question is are the mods the owner is making going to result in greater than 25% more exhaust? If not, then the standard aftermarket exhaust with 2.5" pipe is a great improvement over the factory 2.25" pipe, not to mention the after market exhaust has mandrel bends to boot.

[heavychevy383]

Re: Pros and cons

hey guys-gotta ? for both of u(mark42 & ballermaro13) u both seem very knowledgable bout exhaust systems-my 98 came w/ stainless magnaflow system like one in the pic u put up, w/ a hiflow cat(engine is stock-planning a mild cam in future) ? is this; i am desparetly trying to research/ask around/figure out how in the heck to get rid of the honda-ish fart pipe sound above 3k rpms?!? was told could be the large'by'huge dual cannon tips hangin out the back? also told all the magnaflow brand stuff does this? & was told all the v6s sound this way, no matterwhat u do to them? -what do u guys(or anybody else that wants to chime in)think? thanks

[Fondle]

Re: Pros and cons

all camaro 3800 motors have that weird rasp, different muffler help eliminate it, borla and dynomax are common options, the high flow cat you have will also help with it, a set of headers will really help!

[heavychevy383]

Re: Pros and cons

well-im on the right track then-thanks dude-any suggestions as far as headers goes? runnin ceramic coated w/ copper gaskets & stage8 locking bolts on my 71chevy-anybody make stuff like that for the 3.8? (ive obviously been spoiled for years now w/ an old school chev-as far as parts availibility-stuff for these are hard to find-like the whisper lid-made of "unubtanium"-lol-but dang, these cars are sooo much more fun to drive!)

[Fondle]

Re: Pros and cons

there are a few companies that make ceramic coated headers, i would use felpro gaskets with some rtv, and a set of locking header bolts

most people here run pacesetter mid tubes, but i there a few with rk sport headers, and also somewhere i saw a company just came out with longtubes, they are kinda pricey, but are very nice