navion Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 03SLS25 started a thread that asked about aftermarket mufflers for his '03 SLS. Somehow it morphed into radios, amps & speakers. I, like 03SLS25, am curious about others experiences with aftermarket mufflers and exhaust systems. Looking at the mufflers on an '03 SLS, I can see why there isn't a simple solution. Anybody have some experience along these lines? Good or Bad? Thanks, Britt Britt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Flowmaster 50 Series Delta Flow 1. Free flowing, uses just baffles to cancel out the noise 2. Quiet, I didn't notice any increase in sound levels inside my car however, on the outside it gives that aggressive flowmaster distinctive sound. 3. Built very tough, quality product, welded construction http://www.flowmastermufflers.com/50_delta.html I have been pleased with these Flowmasters and would highly recommend this product to anyone looking for aftermarket mufflers that sound aggressive but doesn't ruin the quiet Cadillac cabin ambiance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaghost87 Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Flowmaster 50 Series Delta Flow 1. Free flowing, uses just baffles to cancel out the noise 2. Quiet, I didn't notice any increase in sound levels inside my car however, on the outside it gives that aggressive flowmaster distinctive sound. 3. Built very tough, quality product, welded construction http://www.flowmastermufflers.com/50_delta.html I have been pleased with these Flowmasters and would highly recommend this product to anyone looking for aftermarket mufflers that sound aggressive but doesn't ruin the quiet Cadillac cabin ambiance. I just looked at the link you posted.. im wondering what tips did you use with that system? does it come with tips or you used your Old ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I used my old tips but one could certainly put on different tips. I wanted to keep my car looking stock but was looking for more power and fuel economy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaghost87 Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I used my old tips but one could certainly put on different tips. I wanted to keep my car looking stock but was looking for more power and fuel economy. I would want to keep my stock tips too.. i like the way they look. and im all about better fuel economy!! So the resonator is all you added? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I would want to keep my stock tips too.. i like the way they look. and im all about better fuel economy!! I did the job myself using clamps and some fittings. It was not a difficult nor time consuming job. Basically it consisted of cutting the old muffler off with a hack saw and fitting the new muffler on with clamps. All that I changed was the muffler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaghost87 Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I would want to keep my stock tips too.. i like the way they look. and im all about better fuel economy!! I did the job myself using clamps and some fittings. It was not a difficult nor time consuming job. Basically it consisted of cutting the old muffler off with a hack saw and fitting the new muffler on with clamps. All that I changed was the muffler. i always thought it had to be welded on. What type of clamps did you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navion Posted July 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I would want to keep my stock tips too.. i like the way they look. and im all about better fuel economy!! I did the job myself using clamps and some fittings. It was not a difficult nor time consuming job. Basically it consisted of cutting the old muffler off with a hack saw and fitting the new muffler on with clamps. All that I changed was the muffler. Well, not worthless, but pictures wold be appreciated! Do you recall the part number of the Flowmasters that you used? Thanks, Britt Britt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I used this type of clamp. I don't remember what part number I used but what you want to do is measure the inlet and outlet pipes (I think mine were 2-1/2") and buy a muffler that matches the closest. The Flowmaster was slightly shorter so I used a fitting/extension to make it work. Check the following website to find a muffler that matches the OE the closest. <a href="http://www.flowmastermufflers.com/50_delta.html" target="_blank">http://www.flowmastermufflers.com/50_delta.html</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeb Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 i saw a guy who took off his mufler and cut a section out and removed the perforated tubes and added a small deflector and welded up the muffler so it appeared stock. he said it sounded great but could not verify it did anything for performance. sounds real cheap if you have a welder. has anyone here ever cut open a stock muffler to see how they were constructed? i figure perforated tubes with divider panels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 My guess is that they're full of glass insulation. My stock mufflers felt and looked much cheaper than the Flowmasters that replaced them. It was made of thin sheet metal rather than thick welded steel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 I used Borla ProXS mufflers, part number 40357. I also use a Magnaflow MPE-94109CA catalytic converter (welding required); it's 50-state OBD II certified. I changed because I was rear-ended and the main damage was taking out my exhaust system behind the rear Y pipe. I used 1994 STS tips from a recycling yard. Everything is welded stainless steel. The muflers have a 1 million mile warranty. Thread on this situation is: http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?sho...ost&p=83936 Also, see my blog. I'm very happy with my sound. Since the Borla ProXS series are their performance line, not their general replacement line, these are straight-through mufflers (no fiberglas, perforated pipes and baffles) and not the super turbo general replacement mufflers that people think of as Borlas. The general arrangement of the Northstar exhaust system is a front Y closely followed by the cat, the pipe back to a rear Y, and fanning out through mufflers to a final Y on each side and tips. It's inherently not too noisy, even with straight pipes instead of mufflers or even the cat. It's quiet enough that my wife likes it, even on the highway, and my Bose system is just as listenable as it ever was. On the other hand, I get comments like "Now, *that's* a Cadillac!" and just last week I got a condescending smirk from a lady dismounting from her brand new Mercedes sport-ute so I waited until she was out of her car and quietly started my 1997 ETC -- and watched her hubris evaporate to reveal deep self-loathing. Kids in tricked-out rice burners get their faces all bent out of shape just riding behind or beside my car. Pull it down in 2nd gear at 40 mph and everybody stands back, or looks around for the Lambo. -- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data -- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadillacETC1997 Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 CORSA period The Twins 1997 ETC & 2003 STS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catmendo Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 Dang it, now thanks to Jims_97_ETC, I am getting seriously interested here ... and, I am the guy, that just had his catalytic converter stolen and I am looking at eliminating the the cat. conv. totally ... which is kind of where I am now, because I had to put flex pipe and 4 of those clamps that were shown in a earlier post ... and guys, if you use those kind of clamps for quick muffler patches, then keep in mind that they should only be temporary fixes, because I can promise you, they will leak and the down side is, your possible death from CO2 poisoning ... IMHO, you must have all muffler joints wielded ... I would welcome anyone here, to crawl under my fat cat and feel the joints, in my patch work while my moror is running and tell me it doesn't leak or, if you tighten the clamps some more, you can seal your exhaust system ... It leaks, and clamps like those will never fix it ... keep the input coming here guys ... I may well be the next guy here to do something like this ... as/in tricking out my exhaust system ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 A quick survey of Corsica muffler reveals that line to be similar to Borla XS series -- performance oriented, with performance limited by the catalytic converter, not the muffler. I find my Magniflow 94109 cat, available from Summit and others, to be a cat that provides OEM performance and 50-state OBD II certification. -- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data -- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 Speaking of aftermarket mufflers, yesterday my Eldo suddenly got loud as though a muffler popped a hole. I need to fix the exhaust and I'm thinking about buying the OEM/GM Intermediate Pipe (from cadylitic converter back) with mufflers (about $400). I think the pipe is not bad but since it comes with OEM the mufflers I figured I might as well go for it. The alternative would be to buy two Walker mufflers but I'm not impressed with Walker. Would anyone happen to have experience with Walker recently or a recommendation concerning aftermarket stock-like mufflers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 Speaking of aftermarket mufflers, yesterday my Eldo suddenly got loud as though a muffler popped a hole. I need to fix the exhaust and I'm thinking about buying the OEM/GM Intermediate Pipe (from cadylitic converter back) with mufflers (about $400). I think the pipe is not bad but since it comes with OEM the mufflers I figured I might as well go for it. The alternative would be to buy two Walker mufflers but I'm not impressed with Walker. Would anyone happen to have experience with Walker recently or a recommendation concerning aftermarket stock-like mufflers? I'm not familiar with the other mufflers but I do know that Flowmasters (Model 50 Deltaflow) mufflers I installed look stock and are much better quality than OEM. I was also looking for something that would not increase cabin noise and for something I could install myself using clamps. From their website, there is a variety of mufflers so I chose the one that was closest to the OEM muffler I replaced. http://www.flowmastermufflers.com/50_delta.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 The OEM system is stainless steel, but the mufflers are just rolled-seam. The mufflers you see mentioned here are mostly welded seam, which is less likely to have problems in the future. Unless you have a real salt issue where you drive, you probably don't need the rest of the system, just the mufflers. The stock mufflers come with the tips, and the right one comes with the rear Y pipe, so they are most of the $400 cost of a whole new cat-back system. If your tips can be cleaned up and you don't have any damage to the rest, I would suggest that you consider aftermarket stainless steel mufflers that you select to your taste in sound (or silence). -- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data -- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 Be sure to buy new muffler bearings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 I decided to conduct a more detailed inspection of my exhaust system and found that it's in pretty bad shape. The rear hanger which secures the pipe at the "Y" is missing. Also, the mufflers must be rusting from the inside because I can easily shake the pipe it attaches to the mufflers. After comparing the OEM muffler system on my silver Eldorado (which I gave to someone I know), it's obvious that the cherry Eldo's mufflers are not stock. The stock mufflers are sleeker and more elongated. The cherry Eldo's mufflers are fatter and a bit shorter in length. I've decided to replace the Intermediate Pipe (which comes with the right side muffler) with OEM/GM. Then I'll buy the left side OEM muffler as well along with all the necessary hardware--I like the quite sound of OEM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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