STS Scott Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 After reading everything in the archives about all the aftermarket mufflers that are available, I am trying to draw some conclusions about this "muffler business". Firstly, what amount of cash will I be out for the purchase of the DynoMax, Corsa, or Borla systems? Secondly, how do these compare in terms of noise out-put? I am looking for more growl, but want to retain the nice quiet-cruising-without-a racket. Many of you guys have added these exhaust systems to your cars, so what do you think of them? Thanks for the feed back! " ...'took my Cobra down t' the track, hitched to the back o' my Cadillac..." - Jan & Dean, 'hey little cobra' Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfoo Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 Corsa, be prepared for close to $1000.. same with borla, but it's a complete system. MOst people on here seem happy with simply cutting the mufflers out and replacing them with dynomaxes or something like that for about $30 each plus the cost to have the shop cut old out and install new probaly $25 each.. Flowmasters are good too. Mufflers with 1 chamber are loud, 2 is still loud, 3 is good.. I have CORSA with a very high flow cat converter and it's LOUD Like, you can feel it in your seat loud. Idling it's pretty quiet but you can definitely tell. Going down highway it's about as loud as a 90's corvette (low rumble). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fallen99angel Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 definitely go for a full system, I also have the corsa catback system, and yeah youll hear it when you step on it, but at cruise speed, no problem. I think the corsa system looks real good, also give the engine the sound it deserves as well. I hate to see cars just with the tips or mufflers, that are gigantic, especially when its dual tips and it turns out its a fake dualtips. regards henrik Sweden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 Scott, unfortuantely, there's not a mass-produced exhaust system made for the 1997 and earlier cars. You'll have to splice in mufflers or have the whole thing custom-done. I wouldn't even touch anything forward of the y-pipe, because it's all stainless and mandrel bent...very high quality hardware. If you want to replace the mufflers, that'd be fine, just coat them with some muffler paint from POR-15 before you have them welded on to prevent rust. Myself...I'm going with a pair of Edelbrock RPM series mufflers if my OE system ever does fall off. It still looks like new, though, so I can't justify replacing it yet. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIMDTS Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Hi jadcock I hear you about the exhaust sys. OEM ones are not cheap the muffler are about $500 each and the complete sys with cat back is just over $1500 for the parts I just went thought getting a new exhaust sys with cat back. Looking at the system I would want to have the me=ufflers welded on but they come with clamp on for replacement oem mufflers. I wanted a 1 peice sys no clamping on the mufflers for me.. Cheers Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprucegoose Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Yup, Jim is right, I priced the OEM mufflers and dual tips just for grins for my 93 Eldo... They were $310 each! With what I paid for the car in mind, I opted for the cheaper aftermarket mufflers. I went with the Dynomax super turbos and bought some aftermarket stainless tips and the whole project cost me about $175. I am very happy with them, but my wife says they are a little too loud for her liking... If I could have fit the 20" street model under there instead of the 14" sport model, I'm betting it would be a nice balance of sound/performance. I mostly use the car myself for daily driver to/from work so I enjoy the mellow rumble at cruise and raspy roar at WOT. Jason is right, a nice coat of POR-15 or 20 will keep them looking nice for years, and I always drill an 1/8" weep hole in the lowest end of the mufflers to let the condensation drain out as well. Good luck! '09 Cadillac CTS-4 3.6 direct injection, 128 K mi. '15 Chevy Tahoe LTZ, 5.3i V8, 125 K mi '70 Firebird Formula 400, Bored+.04, RAIII heads, M21 4spd., in-process restoration! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIMDTS Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Hi Sprucegoose The oem are rich in price for exhaust sys.I mat put some por-15 or 20 on my sys. It looks great now but I'm sure not for long it really looks good when you walk up to the car from the rear and you see those mufflers shine..I would like to keep them that way if possible..Dynomax makes some nice mufflers and systems..If I had to pay out of pocket I not sure which way I would go for a exhaust sys..I just hate to clamp on a muffler I have bottomed out on a couple car which had clamp on mufflers and that's where they pull apart and you have a muffler hanging which can be good it makes for less damage to the system but the welds are only as good as the welder who does the job.. I have had some custom exhaust system in the past and they were sub standard weld jobs.On one I had to redo it myself Lucky I can have acess to the proper eguiptment at work on the weekends..But it can be hard to do it makes for hard feelings due to not everyone can do this I Just pull my car in a aircraft maintaince hanger and have fun..It is sort of like the have and have nots so I don't abuse the privilage very much..Even the plant manager gets ticked off when I do this type stuff I just tell him hey you have to do what you have to do get the job done rite.I just laugh and tell him call the CEO I don't give a Sh--So working for a company a long time has some perks..from time to time..I'm good at my job so it has some perks.. Cheers Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K2K Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 I have Dynomax superturbos with Camaro Z28 tips on stock exhaust piping, and I think it sounds great, I'd recommend them to the end of the earth. Next time, however, I'm going to go with bigger exhaust piping and possible a solenoid system to turn the mufflers on and off essentially, so I can have a nice roar when I need it, and a nice quite interior when carrying guests. So, if you were me, then essentially you'd want a system that would be a bit louder than the current one, but you're not any of us, so it all depends on what you think If you find a nice muffler shop (nice as in good workers who are flexible), then I recommend starting with just a pair of Dynos or another performance muffler system, then, if you think it's a bit quiet for your liking, go back in and just get some bigger tubage put in and discuss your options. An aftermarket high-performance complete system (which is going to be as hard to find as it is to afford) is going to sound and look great, but expensive. I prefer the Corsa complete aftermarket system, and I'm not sure what the exact reason (if not just the fitting of the pipes) that it doesn't work on 97 and models below. If you're willing to spend a bunch of money to order a 98ish+ system and then a bit more to have it customized to your vehicle, then go ahead, otherwise, you have many options. If you have a nice shop, then start small and go bigger, it's easier then getting complete new piping and mufflers then deciding it's too small. CaddyInfo has a nice thing about exhaust here: http://www.caddyinfo.com/stsmuffler.htm It won't be custom fitted to your specific model, but it gives you a nice idea of custom ideas. This is nice, also: http://www.caddyinfo.com/nsmodsummary.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lacseville Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 magnaflows for me. they sound just just like the dynomax, except a little quieter. the magnaflows weight about twice as much as dynomax, so that probably means something??? Retain your cat, or have them put a resonator (glasspack) where your cat was. That'll keep it quiet in the cab, and flow great. Resonator, magnaflow with dual outs, 2.5" pipe, about $275. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 The '98+ cars have a significantly different exhaust routing I understand. They're on completely different chassis (98+ on G and 97- on E/K). Again, I submit that the factory piping, if still in good condition, is going to serve you just as well as any other exhaust, even aftermarket "high performance" pipes because the OE stuff is mandrel bent and of a big diameter (about 2.75" on mine). It's the mufflers themselves that are the restriction. If you can replace the mufflers, you'll have 98% of the benefits of an aftermarket system, at 1/3 the price. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfoo Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 I thought 97- was old chassis and 98+ is K chassis (my service manual says K platform) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 I thought 97- was old chassis and 98+ is K chassis (my service manual says K platform) Well, technically, the 97- was on the E/K platform, and the 98+ cars were based on the Olds Aurora chassis, the G platform. But I think Cadillac kept the K designation, since the Seville has traditionally been on the K platform. The Eldorado stayed on the E platform. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprucegoose Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 I mat put some por-15 or 20 on my sys. It looks great now but I'm sure not for long it really looks good when you walk up to the car from the rear and you see those mufflers shine..I would like to keep them that way if possible.. I just hate to clamp on a muffler I have bottomed out on a couple car which had clamp on mufflers and that's where they pull apart. On one I had to redo it myself Lucky I can have acess to the proper eguiptment at work on the weekends.. 1) Thats true, mine look fantastic and I have gotten a few compliments on the looks of them because of it. They are especially visible on the Eldorado I believe. 2) I agree, welding if it is done right is best. The location and whole assembly can have an affect on this decision too. I elected to clamp the mufflers on mine as they are up high enough, and they don't show the clamp at all. This way I can swap them out easy if I change my mind... 3) I do a lot of stuff like this at work after hrs. too, and I know what you mean. I am working on the program to drill the array or holes in my rotors, and I know I will get some funny looks when I set them up on the CNC mill! '09 Cadillac CTS-4 3.6 direct injection, 128 K mi. '15 Chevy Tahoe LTZ, 5.3i V8, 125 K mi '70 Firebird Formula 400, Bored+.04, RAIII heads, M21 4spd., in-process restoration! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJPut Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Where can I get an inexpensive high flow cat for my 93 STS. I figure I will do the cat and the mufflers all at once, just drop the whole system out. Also, I smells funny in the car and it appears something is smoking where the cat hooks onto the exhaust manifold. Also, will the 20" Dyno SuperTurboXT's fit on my car? I read that a couple of people had to use the 14", but I'm not sure if that was specific to the ETC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K2K Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Any performance hotrod/exhaust shop will have good high flow cats, at reasonable prices. 20" Mufflers will fit with a little adjustment, if I remember. There was some site a guy sent me that had SuperTurbos for like $35... I can't remember what it was... Anyone know who has the white STS with rectangular tips? He had very good sites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJPut Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 Summit racing has them at a reasonable price, I think they are $35. If the 20"'s fit, I will go with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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