Brand New Exhaust System...Sounds terrible!!

Kit Sullivan

Registered User
I put 2" cat-less down tubes on my 90 SC, and a complete 'Flowmaster' cat-back system.
It consists of a resonator with a dual 2" inlets, and a 2.5" outlet, a 2.5" mid-pipe, and a 2" rear dual split pipe going into Delta-Flow 40-series mufflers.

The whole thing mounted up perfectly and seems well made.

After firing it up, it sounds crappy! Sounds like a 'ricer' Honda or Cavalier with a fart-can exhaust on it.
I hate it!

Anybody have any input on this?
 
Hmmm, maybe Flowmaster has changed their mufflers from when I had my system (about 8 years ago), but I didn't think it sounded bad and definitely not ricey. It was pretty loud though. Anyway, you could always try adding some hi-flow cats. They aren't nearly as restrictive as the stock cats and will definitely change the sound.
 
The exhaust was one area I worked and reworked to sound right. I started with 21/4" down tubes into dual in and 3" out. 3" center section spliting to two 21/2" pipes with turbo mufflers. It sounded so tiney and droned so bad I felt like selling the car. I ended up selling the turbo mufflers and got two 21/2" stock mufflers from Carquest. I figured 21/2' stock mufflers would flow better than 2" stockers. I have never had any problems with exhaust after that and it sounds good

Ken
 
I had flowmaster 40s without the resonator with dynomax cats and it did sound ricey like that. With cats and resonator, there was no ricey sound, just drone. I now have magnaflow cats and resonator (Victor would be disappointed how I haven't kept them nice and shiney) and the stock mufflers. I'm happy with it. It sounds good, it's not ricey and there is no drone.
 
Ditch the Flowmasters and go with Dynamax or Magnaflow mufflers. Both of these sound good on our cars. Flowmasters are better for v-8 cars but not so good for ours.
 
I have the same system. It sounded a lot nicer before I deleted the cats. I would just get some high flow cats to quiet it down.
 
On my 92 SC I have no cats, flowmaster resonator and flowmaster mufflers. I think it sounds bad ~~~ and nothing at all like rice. When I rev it up it's loud, not V8, but not 4 cyl raspy either.

I've heard a few SC/XR7's without resonator, and that sounds like a wet fart. Horrible ricer sound.
 
Since he just got the exhaust under the car, I think he should try cats, before changing out the whole exhaust again.
 
It will mellow out after the insides get all "sooted up"..

I had the kit on my car with no cats and it sounded bad ~~~. I have a video clip, I'll have to dig it up.

I have since made my own true dual exhaust with a magnaflow resonator, magnflow cats, and magnaflow rear mufflers, woth Kooks mid tube headers up front. Sounds very smooth.

Jeramie
 
i can't speak for these cars, however i put a borla on a VW and all things considered.....it sounded pretty darn good. About 50,000,000 times better than the thrush glasspack that was on there.
 
I have headers (shorties) Magnaflow resonator (2.5 in 3.0" out) 3.0" centerpipe split into 2.5"'s going to 17" Borlas. No rice no real drone either but a bit loud for my tastes. Not ricer though...some think I have a V-8.
 
I noticed that the headers seem to really effect exhaust sound with these cars. Ive had various stages of exhausts with headers and without and almost always the headers made my car less drone prone regardless of muffler/cat/resonator combo..

Currently I have Kooks headers, a Flowmaster resonator with two dyno max muddlers and cats and you cant even barely hear the thing.

My other car with Kiisk headers, high flow cats magnaflow resonator and dynomax mufflers was just as quiet..

The SC I sold Miller with high flow cats a magnaflow resonator and dynomax bullets is loud as all heck....But then again those are dynomax bullets(stock manifolds)

Various otehr SC's Ive owned before and after headers seemed to sound better after headers

I agree with trying out the cats...They shouldnt hurt performance and tend to make a nice difference sound wise on our cars
 
Dual exhaust will definitely sound different than dual-single-dual systems (like the stock one). If you want to copy the v8 sound, you might try duals. As for the exhaust on your car, Kit, the problem probably lies with the lack of cats and / or the resonator. 40-series mufflers are pretty loud by nature, so I think they were designing it to be louder than stock with the stock cats and resonator. You can see if it mellows out, but you may have to make some changes to the front part of the system to suit your tastes.
 
I dont know about the mufflers....I think a resonator helps, I have tried stock pipe, no muffs or resonator..RICE!! no res. and muffs..RICE!! stock cats a magnaflow resonator, and no muffs...NICE.. and a turn down on the outlet of resonator..super deep droney .. but nice... for my exhaust I still have to put on the mid-pipe and ypipe 2.5 split in back ..No muffs only tips, I think it sounds good, just have to weld it on permanatly, i think thats what im gona run
 
With your system your mufflers are side inlet and its hard to find anything to replace it. It will get better as I have 3 cars with that same system but all had cats and you only got a drone at some speeds but loud all the same. What you could do is swap out the resonator for a muffler. Try a muffler shop and see if they can order you something.
 
ummm, Im not sure..but I know the magnaflow resonator is a straight-thru design...a muffler turned backwards or whatever, a flowmaster, would have baffles, better for sound?? maybe...But I look at flow/performance gains also...but thats me :)
 
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