Catback! I just can't decide! Please help!
Catback! I just can't decide! Please help! I really want to get a catback for my 02 z28. I hate how quiet and "normal" it sounds bone stock. I just can't decide which one! I have bounced all over the place, from LMII, to GMMG(used), to Hooker, back to LMII, to Borla(used) to Magnaflow and now I am just incapable of deciding.
The most important thing to me is the quality. Stainless steel is not a requirement in my eyes, but I want a quality system that will last and install well.
After that, budget and volume are my biggest concerns. I can't afford to drop big $$ on a cat-back, I need something in a reasonable price range...I guess under $500 or so. Additionally, I don't want my car waking up my 2 year old son everytime I start it (his bedroom is next to the garage). But I do want it to sound aggressive and mean under spirited driving, have a decent idle and reasonable cruising volume so that I have a conversation in the car with no irritation. And screaming at WOT would be nice too. I just want it to sound good and classy without being annoying or too loud.
I have listened to dozens of clips at ls1sounds.com and I have searched like crazy here. I just want more opinions and feedback.
I'm not interested in a cut-out or having anything fabbed up. That's not my style. I just want to buy a bolt up catback, jack it up one Sunday after noon and swap it out.
Opinions please! Thanks!
The most important thing to me is the quality. Stainless steel is not a requirement in my eyes, but I want a quality system that will last and install well.
After that, budget and volume are my biggest concerns. I can't afford to drop big $$ on a cat-back, I need something in a reasonable price range...I guess under $500 or so. Additionally, I don't want my car waking up my 2 year old son everytime I start it (his bedroom is next to the garage). But I do want it to sound aggressive and mean under spirited driving, have a decent idle and reasonable cruising volume so that I have a conversation in the car with no irritation. And screaming at WOT would be nice too. I just want it to sound good and classy without being annoying or too loud.
I have listened to dozens of clips at ls1sounds.com and I have searched like crazy here. I just want more opinions and feedback.
I'm not interested in a cut-out or having anything fabbed up. That's not my style. I just want to buy a bolt up catback, jack it up one Sunday after noon and swap it out.
Opinions please! Thanks!
Last edited by BlueSuperGoat; Oct 12, 2010 at 05:51 PM.
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
After market exhaust Hi I have the Borla system on my 99 Ws6. I like the option of changing the back pressure with different restictor plates. You can run without a plate or quit down with the differnt size plates. I like the system. Hope this helps.
Magnaflow or Hooker if you want quiet at idle, good tone driving around town and somewhat loud at WOT with stock manifolds and cats.
LM2 would also sound really good if you don't plan on headers anytime soon. It'll be louder than Hooker or Magnaflow, plus you get more tip options at a reasonable price.
If it were me and I was just going with a catback, I'd get LM1. It sounds AWESOME with stock manifolds and cats.
I love my borlamouth and prefer it over my brothers GMMG...deeper and less rasp.
LM2 would also sound really good if you don't plan on headers anytime soon. It'll be louder than Hooker or Magnaflow, plus you get more tip options at a reasonable price.
If it were me and I was just going with a catback, I'd get LM1. It sounds AWESOME with stock manifolds and cats.
I love my borlamouth and prefer it over my brothers GMMG...deeper and less rasp.
Magnaflow or Hooker if you want quiet at idle, good tone driving around town and somewhat loud at WOT with stock manifolds and cats.
LM2 would also sound really good if you don't plan on headers anytime soon. It'll be louder than Hooker or Magnaflow, plus you get more tip options at a reasonable price.
If it were me and I was just going with a catback, I'd get LM1. It sounds AWESOME with stock manifolds and cats.
LM2 would also sound really good if you don't plan on headers anytime soon. It'll be louder than Hooker or Magnaflow, plus you get more tip options at a reasonable price.
If it were me and I was just going with a catback, I'd get LM1. It sounds AWESOME with stock manifolds and cats.
12 Second Club
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 209
Likes: 0
From: Havertown, PA
imo..borla blows..literally..i had it and i hated it...i went to the LM1 and i love it..i on stock manifolds but when i change all that im doin LTs and hi flo catted Y..kills rasp and doesnt make as loud as a free flo would sound..and i think it was like 500 or 600 bucks
imo..borla blows..literally..i had it and i hated it...i went to the LM1 and i love it..i on stock manifolds but when i change all that im doin LTs and hi flo catted Y..kills rasp and doesnt make as loud as a free flo would sound..and i think it was like 500 or 600 bucks
Other than that, I love the sound of borla. I have a XR1 muffler in place of my LM2 muffler and I LOVE the way it sounds. Nice a deep while cruising, LOUD at WOT. I don't plan on changing exhaust unless I come up with a way to fit XR1 mufflers onto a true dual system and run it out the rear on my car.
Trending Topics
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo Borla tps on the 4th gen catback are hideous. I think just the catback sounds awesome. Yeah the design of the adj. System is kinda odd, but they also make a non-adj system.
TECH Addict
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,354
Likes: 2
I vote hooker with long tubes. It sounds stock at idle, and nice when you are just driving around but once you floor it gets loud as hell. No rasp, deep tone, sounds mean as fck. You could get the aerochamber muffler and still have enough for LT's if your on a budget.
Seems like the hooker, magnaflow or maybe LM2 is the way to go...
Hooker - not stainless steel, but good price and I like the tips. Think it sounds great.
Magnaflow - probably my favorite sounding of the 3. But I HATE the tips, too big, too long and hang too low. And I can't see spending the extra $150+ to go to the quad tips, and not sure it would help much anyway. I Like that it is stainless and a reasonable price.
LM2 - Stainless, good price, like the tips, like the sound, just concerned it will be too loud, even with stock manifolds, y-pipe & cats. I just wish all the sound clips could give me a better reference for volume and not just tone.
Hooker - not stainless steel, but good price and I like the tips. Think it sounds great.
Magnaflow - probably my favorite sounding of the 3. But I HATE the tips, too big, too long and hang too low. And I can't see spending the extra $150+ to go to the quad tips, and not sure it would help much anyway. I Like that it is stainless and a reasonable price.
LM2 - Stainless, good price, like the tips, like the sound, just concerned it will be too loud, even with stock manifolds, y-pipe & cats. I just wish all the sound clips could give me a better reference for volume and not just tone.
TECH Addict
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,354
Likes: 2
Seems like the hooker, magnaflow or maybe LM2 is the way to go...
Hooker - not stainless steel, but good price and I like the tips. Think it sounds great.
Magnaflow - probably my favorite sounding of the 3. But I HATE the tips, too big, too long and hang too low. And I can't see spending the extra $150+ to go to the quad tips, and not sure it would help much anyway. I Like that it is stainless and a reasonable price.
LM2 - Stainless, good price, like the tips, like the sound, just concerned it will be too loud, even with stock manifolds, y-pipe & cats. I just wish all the sound clips could give me a better reference for volume and not just tone.
Hooker - not stainless steel, but good price and I like the tips. Think it sounds great.
Magnaflow - probably my favorite sounding of the 3. But I HATE the tips, too big, too long and hang too low. And I can't see spending the extra $150+ to go to the quad tips, and not sure it would help much anyway. I Like that it is stainless and a reasonable price.
LM2 - Stainless, good price, like the tips, like the sound, just concerned it will be too loud, even with stock manifolds, y-pipe & cats. I just wish all the sound clips could give me a better reference for volume and not just tone.
On The Tree
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
From: Midlothian, TX
I have an adjustable Borla with a muffler delete.. I bought it that way. It's no obnoxiously loud at idle imo. But it's drone on the highway going up hill at 75mph. Once I get LT's I'll probably get some type of muffler.
I have LTs, ORY, and a Hooker catback. It is quiet driving around town and cruising at highway speeds so having conversations is not a problem. During WOT and acceleration, it has a nice tone and just sounds sick in my opinion.
Stainless Gibson. At $467 with free shipping its right in your price range. It's on the quiet side at idle but sounds awesome at WOT.
http://www.lmperformance.com/16645/1.html
Mine doesn't have the stock tips anymore (I have corsa clones) and I ended up buying stainless steel bandclamps for the whole thing.
http://www.lmperformance.com/16645/1.html
Mine doesn't have the stock tips anymore (I have corsa clones) and I ended up buying stainless steel bandclamps for the whole thing.
Last edited by Shockwave179; Oct 13, 2010 at 01:38 PM.
if your keeping stock exhaust manifolds and cats, get the SLP LM1. It is PERFECT imo.
If you plan on doing long tubes and no cats down the road, get something like the magnaflow cat back.
If you plan on doing long tubes and no cats down the road, get something like the magnaflow cat back.
I have no immediate, or even semi-immediate (2 years + at least) to do long tubes. But even when/if I do long tubes, I will be keeping cats. Did the no cats thing on my 04 GTO and hated the sound and smell.
But I still just want a good solid muscle car sound and tone without too much volume unless I'm at WOT.
I like the Gibson, I like the LM2, I like the Hooker. I've pretty much eliminated the Magnaflow simply because the tips and tips location are ugly in my opinion.
My 2 year old son's bedroom literally is up against where the back end of my car is in the garage. Changing the parking situation is not an option. I really don't want to wake him up everytime I start the car. That is a huge factor in my decision.
Thanks for everyone's opinions! Keep it coming!
But I still just want a good solid muscle car sound and tone without too much volume unless I'm at WOT.
I like the Gibson, I like the LM2, I like the Hooker. I've pretty much eliminated the Magnaflow simply because the tips and tips location are ugly in my opinion.
My 2 year old son's bedroom literally is up against where the back end of my car is in the garage. Changing the parking situation is not an option. I really don't want to wake him up everytime I start the car. That is a huge factor in my decision.
Thanks for everyone's opinions! Keep it coming!