Superman09

iTrader: (65)

Hello everyone. ihave borla catback right now and am not looking forward to its sound when i add LTs. I have a trans am and i dont like the look of them without exhaust tips nor would i want all the interior noise of dumped duals. I am thinking i want the sweet sound of duals and the the non drone of dumped and have the tips. Now my question is..... i want to go to an exhaust shop in town so i can get a good price and im curious what all i need to buy prior? Will the X pipe and 2 mufflers be al lthat i need? Also since im lowered quite a bit, i dont want the duals to hang any lower than the headers so what is the best way of doing this? Thanks!

LS69TA

iTrader: (30)

The X-pipe and mufflers will be all that you will need to supply. Unless you want mandrel bends, then you will have to supply those as well. Going over the axle will be quite a bit of $$ if the shop will even attempt to do it. You'll probably have to go with 2.5" pipe because you're so low, unless you want to buy some 3" oval pipe from Dr. Gas. Under the axle duals will be fairly easy to do, and if you wanted to save ground clearance you could put the mufflers after the axle and have your tips welded onto them. Which mufflers are you going to use?

black01_WS6

iTrader: (13)

you are most likely going to scrape. td on a lowered car is a no no. especially out the back.

99Hawk262

iTrader: (19)

My exhaust shop carried mandrel bends. My header flanges are the lowest point.

Superman09

iTrader: (65)

Yea thats what i want, i want the headers to be my lowest point and i think ill be fine for scraping, i dont go over hardly any speed bumps or big hills and what not. I was thinking of using some sweet thunders or what not but what kind would i need to do the mufflers at the end connected to tips like you said? I want it to be pretty loud and mean. I want people to know my car has *****, lol.

LS69TA

iTrader: (30)

The space is pretty tight as far as mounting full-size mufflers. You could use the usual Dynomax bullets, but I've also seen some Flowmaster bullet race mufflers in Summit? that would probalby sound pretty mean. I like the one chamber Flowmasters that I had on my '02, but I can't remember exactly how wide the space is behind the rear bumper to mount a muffler there. Bullet mufflers would be an easy route to go if you decided to do it that way.

Superman09

iTrader: (65)

Alright so mounting the mufflers in the back with the tips woulod be the best clearance wise? and use 2.5" pipes?

Superman09

iTrader: (65)

I would really like mine to end up looking like 99Hawk262's does. Thats looks awesome and has great clearance looks like. Just not sure what mufflers to use and where to place them. Where are yours and what did you use?

99Hawk262

iTrader: (19)

I have Sweet Thunders and they are placed on either side of the driveshaft.....up in that tunnel there. They are the 18" X 2.5" mufflers. There is plenty of room there. I could lower my car another inch or so and have no issues. And the sound...... . It sounds great. People will think you have more mods than you actually have. Very deep and rumbly. I have no drone, no rasp and WOT never gets old. It sounds similar to Hooker in tone, but way louder and meaner. You will not be disappointed. The mufflers are only 3" in outside diameter, so they tuck nicely as you saw. If you need any other info or help, PM me.

Superman09

iTrader: (65)

Awesome thanks a lot. I decided i want the exact set up you have. Only problem is will i get crap from cops about no cats from the loud sound? Is there any room down there i can weld a dummy cat over the pipe so it looks like i have cats if i get pulled over or should i not worry about it being lowered? And Can you tell me all the exact parts you took to your exhaust shop so i can achieve the same results? Thanks! And your is under the axel correct? Thanks a lot!

99Hawk262

iTrader: (19)

It is loud.....but not too loud when you are easy on her. If cops are around, just lay off the gas a little. I wouldn't worry about them too much. I got the two mufflers from Sweet Thunder's website for $110.00 shipped. I had the H-pipe made by Stan's Headers in Washington state for $50.00. The rest was done at the shop. Decide if you want an H or X-pipe and order it online. Ask around on here for best places. The H-pipe is supposedly better sounding, the X is supposed to give you more power. The difference is minor, so go with whatever you think you'll like better. H=deeper, X=racier sound. If you want mandrel bends, you can buy them from Summit or places like that. I used 2 U-shaped pieces for the front....one per side. After the mufflers is crush bent. Make sure you use flanges behind the muffler and before the axles so you can unbolt that if you need to lift the car. Otherwise, your axle will rest on your pipes and may want to mess with your hangers. Other than that, make sure you go to a place that will take their time and fit it all up there. There are worlds of room under the car if they just take their time and take a little pride in their work.

Superman09

iTrader: (65)

Ok so i should get 2 sweet thunder 18x2.5" mufflers, and H pipe or X pipe, is there any clearance issues one gives over the other? If not wheres a good place to get either one? And ill find out if our C&C muffler has mandrel bends, if not ill buy some before i take it there. For mandrel bends i need 2 Us for front and thats all? And use a crushed bend after mufflers? And i need how many flanges? And they go behind mufflers and before axel, so i need 4? This is what ill take tothem if they do not carry any of it and i should get 2.5" piping and approx how much would you estimate they charge to do the rest considering a good job? Ill use my borla tips, thanks!

99Hawk262

iTrader: (19)

I think the X might give you issues with the Torque arm, I'm not sure though. Either should fit fine. I went with the H because of sound. Flowmaster sells an H-pipe kit that is decent and so does Summit. I don't know who else carries them....anyone else want to chime in? I went crush bent behind the mufflers because of finances. If you got the money, go mandrel all the way. You may see some slightly better horsepower, but not that much. I welded flanges to my header collectors for ease of removal if I ever need to take them off. So 8 flanges total for me. Four 3" and four 2.5" flanges. I mounted my mufflers about 12" in front of the rear axle. Use the flanges directly behind the mufflers and that way your last 3-4 feet of exhaust will drop down by simply unbolting them and the axle can fall all the way down with no issues. I left about 6 inches of clearance between the axle and the pipes. Check out the pic.

Superman09

iTrader: (65)

Ok thanks a lot for all your help man! Hopefully mine wil lcome out as clean as your did!

99Hawk262

iTrader: (19)

Let us know and get some pics!

lgobraves

iTrader: (14)

Try the sweet thunders and you could use some Jet hot cats to tone it down a little if you think its too loud and dont like the smell. They fit inside a 3in pipe.

Superman09

iTrader: (65)

Ok, well do you think it would be a lot easier to just order the TSP duals with sweet thunders and bolt that up and drive it to the exhaust shop to add onto it for out the back? What all would i need for this and what are some good tips for getting almsot as good of clearance with the TSP duals as my borla now?

TheBlurLS1

iTrader: (8)

TSP duals are 3", a 2.5" system is what you need. Dr. Gas X is what i would go with. The only real benifit of an H pipe system is the size. You can make the crossover wherever you want it, and you can even make it 2" since its just like an equilizer.

Check magnaflow.com for some sweet looking tips. After you find some, search the part number and the word magnaflow on ebay and you can get them half price.

You will probably be able to sell that borla and pay for alot of, if not all of, the work you need done.

Ebay also has some nice cats in 2.5" configuration. Search carsound cats and you'll see. I think it would refine the sound alot, make you legal, and keep your neighbors happier.

99Hawk262

iTrader: (19)

It would be cheaper to have a custom setup made than ordering the TSP system and then adding to it. And there are more benefits to the H-pipe than size. There was a dyno comparison floating around here on a Mustang that showed the H-pipe producing more power under the curve and the X-pipe producing higher peak horsepower. And some would tell you that there is no sound difference. However, a local guy has TSP duals with Sweet Thunder and an X-pipe and there is a distinct sound difference. Mine is deeper and has more bark. His is racier and smoother. I personally like the bark myself. I don't know if the different sizing has anything to do with this or not. The dyno comparison was done by a reputable magazine, but I don't remember which one. I am not lobbying for the H-pipe, simply stating that there are certainly more benefits than size. With that said, the vast majority use the X-pipe. That's the biggest reason I went with the H.....I wanted a different setup and sound. And that's exactly what I got.

Superman09

iTrader: (65)

Well i am just going to use my borla tips since i love them and already have them. Im just trying to find an easier way to get this done rather than having it all fabbed up? Approx how much more would i pay if i bought TSP duals and added onto them under the axel over all fabbed up? Will there be any difference in clearance or no? Thanks!