why is my exhaust setup so quiet?
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why is my exhaust setup so quiet? So I currently have 1-7/8" x 3" ARH long tubes, 3" ARH Y-pipe (with cats), and a 3" Borla cat back on my '99 WS6 aaaaaaand it seems way too quiet. It doesn't even get remotely loud until i get up around 3500rpms. Something I've wondered is if they just need time to get broken in and settle. I put them on back in December (the cat back has been on for a couple years now) but I'm in the military and the car sits in storage most of the time since I'm always deployed so it really doesn't get driven much at all these days. I have the biggest restrictor plate on the cat back that it comes with but I'm guessing its the muffler causing it to be so quiet? When I put the headers on it barely changed the sound at all. It's an s-type muffler according to Borla but I'm wondering if I get a different muffler if it'll get louder or if its something besides the muffler and will just be a waste of money to swap that out...OR I've considered switching the whole exhaust setup to KOOKS LT Headers and true duals...I've heard the way that sounds with a cam (which is my next step) and its music to my ears. Any thoughts on what I could do to make the setup I have now louder?
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How do you like the true duals? Is it worth the money? The main reason I'm considering true duals (besides the sound) is because I'm planning on leaving California in the next few years and I won't have to worry about emissions at that point. I just keep getting caught up on the price to switch out what I've got now...
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From: Mississippi
Sucks to be in Cali if you a gearhead!!
I love my kooks exhaust I get bet so many complements on how the car sounds. It's loud and you'll get everyone attention easily. I paid 1200 shipped for my exhaust from a sponsor here.. right phone call at the right time you can get a deal. 1200 bucks sound like all of money but a kooks/arh Y pipe costs 350 bucks then you'll have to buy a cat back which can cost up towards a grand so actually I came out cheaper. It's a win win situation.
I love my kooks exhaust I get bet so many complements on how the car sounds. It's loud and you'll get everyone attention easily. I paid 1200 shipped for my exhaust from a sponsor here.. right phone call at the right time you can get a deal. 1200 bucks sound like all of money but a kooks/arh Y pipe costs 350 bucks then you'll have to buy a cat back which can cost up towards a grand so actually I came out cheaper. It's a win win situation.
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That doesn't sound too bad at all! I'm sure I could sell the y-pipe and cat back and at least get a little money back for them too. I've got more money than I'd care to think about invested in my setup right now and its just not what I thought it would be when I was planning it all out. I've got some more thinking to do on whether I want to do things differently or just keep modifying what I've got now. Thanks for the info!
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I'm not in the states right now otherwise I would make a quick video to show what I'm talking about. When the car idles its barely louder than before I put the headers on and when you're sitting in the car you wouldn't even notice it until you hit the gas and get it up around 3500rpm.
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i just put a borla exhaust on my car. i have an 02 ss with a decent size cam hooker super comp long tube and ory. i was trying to quiet the car down a little. car had a true dual system that went under the rear axle into2 chamber flowmasters. it sounded great but i thouhgt it was a bit loud. well turns out, when i was done putting the borla exhaust on, the car is louder than before????? wtf? i bought the borla used and the kid told me it had the middle sized restricter plate in there. yeah, im not so sure about that lol... i just ordered the restrictor plates from borla. it sounds good but way to loud. so im gonna say either put the least restricive plate(biggest hole) in there and if that doesnt do it ,it must be the cats making the car quiet.
What blownbayou said (electric cutout) I have kooks headers to kooks Ory to borla. Instead of the plate or no plate for that matter I installed a 3" QTP electric cutout. It sounds very loud with cutout open, when I close it its very silent.
Before you go out to buy a cutout though why don't you just remove the plate and run it without one? If it's still not loud enough then the cutout is waste of money for you.
My main reason for the cut out was that when I do install the cam if I need it to be quite I have the flexibility of just closing the cutout. For me personally being loud 100% of the time doesn't work (neighbors are going to start throwing eggs at me when I start the car up at 4am :/
Before you go out to buy a cutout though why don't you just remove the plate and run it without one? If it's still not loud enough then the cutout is waste of money for you.
My main reason for the cut out was that when I do install the cam if I need it to be quite I have the flexibility of just closing the cutout. For me personally being loud 100% of the time doesn't work (neighbors are going to start throwing eggs at me when I start the car up at 4am :/
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I'll have to check out cutouts. Guess I just didn't think the cats would make THAT much of a difference in the sound. I'm not so sure removing the plate on the borla will make a difference since I've already got the biggest one (biggest one meaning the one with the biggest hole/least restrictive) so its basically like its not even there already. Oh well, I've got some things to look up now. Appreciate all the input!
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I would but I'm deployed right now and the car is in storage. Like I said in earlier comments, its barely louder with the headers and y-pipe than it was with just the borla. A friend of mine who owns a high performance shop helped me put them on and when we first started it up he even said it didn't sound as loud as he thinks it should. It just seems odd to me because I hear other people's cars and I watch videos of other people's cars with similar setups and they all sound way louder than mine.
