My thoughts on exhaust for the 3.8

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

http://viper03af.50megs.com/video
try the cam vids too

[ September 25, 2004, 05:17 PM: Message edited by: viper04af ]

[v6droptop]

I have a Y-87 drop top and am afraid to change much in the sound dept as I put more miles with top down than up.
But a friend had a 95 3.4 and the exhaust he had installed sounded better than any v-6 I had ever heard. This friend isnt very knowleagable on exhausts so he just bought a dual tip install from local muffler shop.
He has since traded it in on a 97 droptop and we never found out what it was.
I got the tips off the 95 as it was rearended and rear pipes were bent.They were replaced with the same ones but again no paperwork told us of the type.
We even crawled under the car to see if any part#s were on the mufflers but nothing.
This was a catback system with dual mufflers and tips.
Any ideas whose system it was and if it will sound the same on my 3.8

[99v6cam]

Originally posted by viper04af:
http://viper03af.50megs.com/video
try the cam vids too

That thing gotta VTEC?
[img]tongue.gif[/img]

[PewterBird]

The sound of the exhuast is more than just the muffler. Im not talking about engine mods.

You must consider the size, shape of bends, and length of pipe, and types of tips.

Some may say "tips don't change the sound" But a 18 inch long 3 inch wide tip will sound different than a 6in wide 3 inch long tip.

Also High flow cats make a difference.

Don't think your gonna throw on any muffler and have a nice sounding system.

[Camarorulz]

Well of course tips will make a difference when you're talking about the difference between 18" tips and 3" tips, but a lot of people claim that different tip shapes change the sound of the exhaust note and its just not true. An oval-shaped tip will not sound different from a round tip. That's all I ever claim when I say something like "tips don't change sound."

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

Originally posted by 99v6cam:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by viper04af:
http://viper03af.50megs.com/video
try the cam vids too

That thing gotta VTEC?
[img]tongue.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]sure does, wanna play [img]graemlins/naughty.gif[/img]

but for real i don't think it sounds bad the cam and low c/r REALLY depend up the sound

[Fredless]

That sounds really good Viper, even those revs.

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

Originally posted by Fredless:
That sounds really good Viper, even those revs.

THANKS [img]smile.gif[/img]
those revs are to ~6800 RPM my car is biult for 7200 but its was set at 6800 for breaking in the motor.

[93camaro_zzz]

Car looks damn good viper. ;)

[Lionel'z Camaro]

Originally posted by Camarorulz:
DISCLAIMER: I am not claiming and never will claim that any V6 will have the exhaust note of a V8.

Well, after two wonderful years with my Flowmaster 80 muffler installed I have some thoughts on exhaust choices for the 3800, with one main point to consider.

First, YES your car will sound raspy and terrible up top when you first get your exhaust system installed. This is unavoidable on a stock car. It will be loud and deep down low, and raspy up top. I don't care what brand you buy. Some sound more mellow, others are louder and raspier, but the overall exhaust note is still the same.

Second: Under a load, my car ALWAYS sounded pretty good with the muffler. I don't know whose car ever sounded bad under a load, but this myth that it will sound raspy under load is BS.

As I said, I've been using the same muffler for two years. I've heard of people getting exhaust systems, switching around when they don't like what they hear, constantly switching setups and never being happy with the result. Here is my advice to those people:

Let your muffler and your ENTIRE exhaust system break in. Over the period I've had Flowmaster I made one change, that was the piping (2.5") THAT DAY I noticed after driving it around that it increasingly became louder and deeper. Mileage does make a difference.

I will be the first to admit that under a neutral rev when I first had my muffler installed, it sounded like a ricey piece of trash. However, over a period of time the sound has progressively improved. When my car is warm now I can actually rev it up to 4 or 5k and it doesn't have that metallic raspy sound that is so common. I'm not saying it sounds like a V8 (remember my disclaimer?) However, it does sound a helluva lot better than a 3.8 Mustang I heard that has TRUE DUALS.

I have one advantage over some brands with my Flowmaster: that is that Flowmaster is an actual MUFFLER, not a resonator. This means that my Flowmaster muffler affects the exhaust note a lot more that an SLP Loudmouth would. I seriously doubt you would see as much of an improvement with a Loudmouth as I have with my Flowmaster for this exact reason. If you want horsepower, go with a resonator. If you want sound, get a nice muffler.

Bottom line: My exhaust system sounds good now because I didn't switch around when I wasn't completely satisfied with the results. I let the muffler and pipes burn in and the result is a nice sounding exhaust system. It still sounds like a six, but it sounds like a MEAN six. [img]smile.gif[/img]

This is true. I didn't like my flowmaster muffler when I first got it because it didn't seem to sound right. It did sound like I just added some junk to it, but now it's good and people with v8's always askin me if mine is a real super sport! So give it time and you'll hear a difference.

[emjlr3]

just a quick question, does the resonator make is sound better or worse, louder or softer...or what??

cuz my american thunder came with muffler and resonator..

[emjlr3]

just a quick question, does the resonator make is sound better or worse, louder or softer...or what??

cuz my american thunder came with muffler and resonator..

but yes mine has deff got better over time, the sound has got deep and more rumbly, and the high flow cat did help...cant wait for headers too, then it will be beast

[Loochy88]

i theres a reason they put that resonator on there, there was an article posted on it not long ago. i want to say that it was to give it more rumble but i cant remember if that was it or not. try a search.

[Camarorulz]

The only way I can describe the sound that came out of my Flowmaster at 4k rpm when I first had it installed is a bunch of bb's rattling around in a coffee can, it sounded HORRIBLE.

[DARK SDE '02]

Add a extra bullet into your catback and you'd be surprised that most or even all of the rasp goes away. I have a Hooker Aerochamber muffler AND a Borla XR-1 bullet and my exhaust is consistantly deep and throaty throughout the RPM range, no rasp, no pops, no annoying interior resonance.

Hooker makes sweet stuff, more people should give them a try, it's not much more expensive than Flowmaster.