AudiOn19s Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 (edited) Given a similar design of mufflers there's prices all over the board depending on materials, name brand, etc. What I'd like to discuss is if there will realy be much of a difference in performance or is the price pretty much just dependant of brand, material and weight. Here's what I'm looking at. My exhaust project for the GT3 will likely incorporate 4 "bullet" style mufflers. I could go with 2 for less weight but I'm getting rid of the cats in doing this project and I'm awefully afraid of how loud the end result is going to be. It's not an every day driver it currently ONLY has cats on it (400 cell) and no mufflers, but I fear replacing the cats with only 2 bullet style mufflers will still be a horribly loud mess. Back to the mufflers: Starting at the bottom price wise and working up. I'd love to hear opinions on if any of these is going to be a better performer, or if the advantages are strictly in other areas. I"d pay a little more for less weight but many of the cheaper options don't list weight so I'm not sure how much I'm really giving up with them weight wise. All mufflers below are 2.5" diameter. The shorter the better for my application, anything with over a 12" body is going to be a tighter squeeze. Cherry Bomb: $34.99 - 8" body, 12" overall length - 4.05lbs http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/500/545/545-87522_3.jpg Jegs Flowpack Muffler: $39.99 - 12" body, 18" overall - No weight listed http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/500/555/555-30291_2.jpg Pypes M-80: $44.99 - 14" case length (might be pushing it on length) T304 stainless http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/900/958/958-MVR200S.jpg Dynomax Race bullet Muffler: $64.99 - 16" overall - no weight listed, 409s stainless http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/200/289/289-24246.jpg Kooks Race Series: $68.99 - 14" overall - no weight 304 stainless http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/500/579/579-R250-14.jpg Flowmaster Outlaw series: $114.99 - No dimentions, no weight 409s stainless http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/300/389/389-815425.jpg Magnaflow Performance Race Series: $129.99 - 6" body - no weight http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/600/642/642-14158.jpg so the above are the standard offerings. THEN there are the ones listed below Vibrant Aluminum Race muffler: $112.95 - 14" overall length - 1.6 lbs T6061 aluminum http://vibrantperformance.com/catalog/images/12903_WEBS.jpg Finally...in the race world Burns stainless lightweight mufflers are pretty much standard issue. These can be found on most of the grand-am prototype cars and other big road racing applications. I'm not sure if they are truely "better" though, although the ability to re-pack them etc would be nice for down the road. Burns Race Muffler: $271.00 - 12" overall length - 1.77 lbs stainless **Spendy but worth it?** http://www.burnsstainless.com/images/products/display/IMG_1968.JPG Burns 2 Stage muffler: $459 - 17" overall 3.89lbs **obviously I KNOW I'd only need 2 mufflers for my desired sound level if I went this route...but man $460 per muffler hurts** http://www.burnsstainless.com/images/products/display/2Stage.jpg Thoughts? Andy Edited October 5, 2012 by AudiOn19s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxxnitro88 Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 of all exhausts i have had my vibrant was by far the nicest sounding... they make pretty high quality mufflers too. http://vibrantperformance.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=1022_1032_1258 http://vibrantperformance.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=1022_1031_1110&products_id=38 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 If you go with a glasspack-style (non-baffled straight-flow) muffler, I can't imagine 4 of them will be that much quieter than 2. I think you'll get some decent flak from the Porsche-philes for putting a glasspack on your GT3. Also, you WILL scorch the paint off the muffler body if you engine brake while racing...with no cats, the rich exhaust popping will heat up the pack. You're better off with a higher-quality, stainless/aluminum-bodied muffler. I'm cheap, so the Dynomax, Kooks, or Vibrant appeal more to me for cost, size, and construction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 DUBBLE POAST. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AudiOn19s Posted October 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 This is the basic design we're dealing with. This is the whole exhaust after the headers, has to tuck up behind the rear bumper. As you can see there's very little room to work with, these "style" of mufflers are all I can work with in this space. http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/exhaust1.jpg http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/exhaust2.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmuckingham Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 I always have good luck with Magnaflow for quality and sound. Might also look at stainless works: http://www.stainlessworks.net/products/mufflers.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furloaf Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 Should definitely go the cheapest route possible to put on the GT3. Just for the lulz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordell Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 I think that as the cheaper ones go they are all going to be pretty similar, less packing, cheaper materials, and not a big difference in sound. When you start spending some money they do get nicer from a quality stand point, but as for sound it's just like picking any other muffler, it'll be a little different but I doubt much so try and listen to some (if thats possible). So theres a a pretty broad minded and useless post, I figure it'll be a pretty uncertain descision until you put something on there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AudiOn19s Posted October 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 I mean...I really don't want bright red Cherry Bomb's hanging out from under the darn thing...but I would totally rock a cherry bomb sticker on the window just to piss people off if I did that. I'm running some jank-ass looking home-made muffler bypass pipes on the car with no exhaust tips on them right now. 2.25" tips hanging out those exhaust cutouts in the bumper looks stupid. I'm inherantly cheap when it comes to certain things. If I can put $40 mufflers on the car instead of $400 mufflers and get basically the same sound reduction and performance with the penalty being maybe a few lbs because one is mild steel vs stainless I'll probably do it. When it comes to mods for the track I'm more of a function over form guy. It's more than likely every year after track season is over I"ll swap out and put the whole stock exhaust back on the car. I started this thread to see if there are more downsides that I'm possibly missing...it's been probably 12 years since I shopped performance mufflers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 Burns stage 2 was the one I was referring to when we talked about it. Spendy but nice to be able to repack if needed and you know it'll handle the heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckeye1647545503 Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 Maybe look into a flowmaster hushpower I hear they make it dramatic improvement and have a nice sound. That said I'm a big fan of magnaflow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 LOL. I had a buddy with an '88 911 widebody cabriolet back when we lived in FL. He bought a $50 turndown: replaced the suitcase muff and a tangle of tubes with a 6" slash-cut that exits in the stock location. Greatest $50 ever spent in the history of auto mods. Sounded like sh!t below 2500rpms and loud as hell, but MAN did it scream at the upper end. I've seen FL4T AUT's pipes...why don't you just cut/massage those to make them look better? Especially if you might just swap back to the stock exhaust system. over the next few years only thing you'll be out is worn hardware and a few hours wrenching on a car you'll be wrenching on anyway. Look at Casey's CTS-V...straight pipes 4 lyfe! IMO of course. If you go the custom exhaust route, might as well sell the stock exhaust... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POS VETT Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q192/ZainoDetail/exhaust2.jpg Screw resonator/muffler - go open header. The collector is so close to the tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGU Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 Burns hands down I have that on my sc and its amazing and it is super light weight. My dads running the compete fabspeed race setup on his 996 and it sounds sex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Bastard Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 Don't go cherry bombs or anything similar, you would prolly burn out the fiberglass packing in a hurry if the car is frequently raced. Personally, I would go with something stainless or aluminum anyways for corrosion resistance and longevity. Beyond that, I'm no help for sound opinions. But as someone mentioned, if your tracking the car and switching the exhaust for the street anyways, open headers with some tips out the back would seriously save some weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AudiOn19s Posted October 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 Little clarification, Whatever exhaust goes on the car will be on there the whole track season...so May - November including being on there for all of my street driving during that time. Only for the limited use over the winter months will I consider putting the stock exhaust back on. Too much work otherwise. Have to have some sort of noise reducing properties I drive this thing to and from the track and to work once or twice a week. I have a sound clip of the Sr. Farkas mobile on my phone and it's hot...2.5" is where it's at for these things and fabspeed only makes 2.25"...not to mention I want to ditch the side mufflers compeletely as they are extra weight and hold heat right next to the rear tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboNova Posted October 5, 2012 Report Share Posted October 5, 2012 The vibrant stuff is real nice. I have one on the nova and the construction and welds are pretty sweet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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