D_Rock

Pics and Video added on second page...



So I got my duals put on today. I did away with the QTP ORY and Magnaflow catback. I went with 2.5" for ground clearance with Borla XR1's over the axle and the tips are Fast Toys 4 1/2" oval tips. Everything looks great, alot better ground clearance than I had with the QTP Y pipe. I only have one complaint. The guy who fabed up my exhaust did a awesome job as I have already said but he forgot to put in a x pipe. Yes You heard me right, no X pipe. My Trans am sounds like a 1978 dodge truck with straight pipes that never have the exhaust gases cross. So I drove back to the place and of course the guy already left for the day. But the guy who was there was trying to tell me that it doesnt make a difference in sound if there is a x pipe in there or not. "I would not be able to hear the sound difference" Im calling bullshit! I told him that with no crossover pipe you will not have the scavenging affect wether its a H or X pipe. He continued to tell me that my mufflers have baffles in them and that it takes them warming up to make that nice throaty sound and not the gurgling sound that it makes now. He told me to drive it around and break it in. Come monday Im going back and getting my X pipe. I guess I just needed to rant cause it seems like I always have to fight to get my car the way I want.

So what are your guys thoughts on x pipe versus pipes that have no crossover. Will the truck sound go away once i get the X put in? I sure hope so. Im very pleased with the quality of work Im just after a certain sound.

twitchtwice

iTrader: (12)

well i dont know this for sure, but i can tell you that what pipes you use will make a difference in sound, how much, i dont know. but you can tell a difference between x and h. so i would assume that you can tell a difference if there is nothing there.

btw i love my xpipe. haha im sorry i had to

blown03mustang

yea you can tell a difference in sound and youll notice a power difference as well once the crossover is added.

KurtRardin

iTrader: (11)

I bet if you ask him, he thinks he's working on a 350. I get so tired of exhaust people. I don't think I've ever met one that doesnt have an almost extreme opinion, and they have loads of stories where a customer insisted upon something only to come back later to change it to their recommendation. "you'll get terrible gas mileage if you do that..." I pretty much have to tell them to shut up and weld up what I am paying to have welded, and save their opinions for people that believe their 5.3 is a 327. They nearly loose it at the idea of 4" piping on a street car. You'll never escape a conversation with them without the phrase back pressure coming out of their mouth.

If you paid for it, then you should get what you paid for. Get some pics btw!

blown03mustang

absolutely the truth! i cant even begin to start on that subject. guy told me i was crazy when i said i wanted 3" piping for my duals, then proceeded to recomend cherry bombs or glass packs for my 350 b/c they sounded really good on his 87 chevy truck. uugh those guys **** me off

Mumbles

iTrader: (5)

You should get a sound clip or video of your exhaust as it is and then once you install the crossover x-pipe record another for comparison. And then post up and let us have a listen. I'm always game to hear some new rumble. VROOM!

ZMONSTER!

iTrader: (9)

Ive heard them with and without crossovers. I have an H pipe and my buddy's car has none. I like how his sounds better. X pipe sounds like poop to me.

D_Rock

You hit the nail on the head. Pics and sound clip to come.

Flawless02SS

iTrader: (9)

I have a local exhaust man here that is the same way. Thinks he knows every ******* thing. To show you how dumb he is he told me "There is NO way possible to run true duals on a 4th gen camaro". Thats funny right!! Whenever I use to go there he would tell you what muffler to put on the car, not even listening to what you want on your own car. I found me a new exhaust guy now. He is awesome. He ran custom duals on my truck last week and running duals on my SS this week. He does SWEET work. Ill post some pics when they are done. Im running dual cutouts with Powerstick mufflers. And yes a X crossover will make a world of difference in sound on your car. For example: My truck (96 GMC) had duals on it with no crossover pipe and turbo mufflers. It was quiet. I run 2.5" pipes with a H crossover with the same turbo mufflers andnow it sounds like it has Flowmasters back on it. Think I might have to add a bullet before the mufflers. So if that guy is telling you that a X or H wont make a difference, you tell he to shut the F^ck up!

D_Rock

LOL, not my style but you made me laugh with that. I just dont get it with exhaust guys. I have had this problem at many other places on other vehicles that I have had. I guess when they teach you how to bend pipe they put a huge chip on your shoulder when your not looking. Hopefully tomorrow I will have the exhaust that I want.

black00ssFL

iTrader: (24)

Stories of horrible exhaust shops aside....it sounds you went from a nice flowing exhaust to something crappy in design. I'm guessing this shop doesn't have a mandrel bender, so each and every bend is now causing turbulence and restricted flow. That setup you had was really nice, QTP uses the Flowmaster merge. Even if you get an x-pipe, chances are it will be a universal one that still has the exhaust gases slamming into each other. I would of kept what you had...but that's just my opinion.

D_Rock

Well thank you for your input as well black00ssFL. However I am not you and I did not want what I had. Im well aware that QTP uses the flowmaster merge thats why I purchased it. I am after a certain sound and it can only be achieved by going to duals. Your guess is wrong with the mandrel bender. All bends on my exhaust are Mandrel bent. How could you say that without seeing the exhaust?
He was suppose to fab up up a x pipe. I think the biggest problem boils down to communication and not being able to talk to the actual guy who did the work. Im thinking that there was never a mention of putting a x-pipe in the exhaust to the actual guy who was doing the work and when I picked the car up and noticed that there wasnt a x-pipe , then thats when they tried to pass off that there isnt a difference in sound.

D_Rock

This is what I had in mind. Its a ZR1 xpipe from stainless works.

LS1HIGHLIFE

iTrader: (8)

that x-pipe looks perfect for our cars....

98blackbirdta

iTrader: (7)

the exhaust i took my car told me i needed a crossover pipe other wise i would lose power and i told him i wanted 3in and he tolled me if i planned to go over 400 hp other wise it wouldnt really help me that much, but if i was in it for the sound thats cool too. he is a cool guy that hears you out and then gives you some other ideas he goes threw the whole process with you, not just i want a 3in x pipe im sorry sir your car is to low or i dont think you should do it or not adding the cross over pipe and pretending to know what he is talking about

D_Rock

Thats cool, I wish I could meet someone that did exhaust that was like that. As I have said before every exhaust guy I have ever met does what they want and not what Im paying them for.

R.E.double.D.

You just gotta go back up there and get what you paid for

KurtRardin

iTrader: (11)

I've never seen a shop that had a mandrel bender, but I have been to a shop that had a ton of pre-fabbed mandrel bends at their disposal in a small warehouse. Childs Performance Exhaust in Montgomery, AL. They didn't have a single comment on my exhaust idea (4" flowmaster merge on my PaceSetter Y), except for "okay" and a thumbs up. I kinda knew what I was going to get when I saw like five heavily modded drag cars, one was a procharged mustang with the intercooler where the passenger seat used to be, and there were tube chassis projects tucked away here and there.

Much different then the shop that has a Z71 up on the lift getting their in-house flowmaster exhaust, and the belief that crush bent pipes are perfect for high performance applications.

Can't wait to see the pictures. Where are the mufflers located?

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

wow, this makes me glad im my own exhaust man. i will admit, i scrapped my hooker cat-back for duals once i heard a camm'd car with them. i also have heard a camm'd car with duals and no merge and it does have a different tone, some may like it, others may not but you cant deny it is different with or without a merge.

D_Rock

This is Vegas they have everything here man. I have seen several shops that have mandrel benders.

Pics are coming as soon as my x-Pipe gets put in which will be tommorrow.

These pics are not of my car but of ls1tech member Kev98Ta
The mufflers are tucked up at the bumper. Just like his. I actually printed pics of Kev98Ta exhaust and said I want it just like this. I guess he couldnt see the X in there.




Only difference in mine and Kev98Ta's exhaust is the tips and the fact he has a crossover x pipe. I listened to the audio clip of his Trans am and was sold on the borla's.