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How much HP to be gained by getting a Catback? (current H/C car)

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Old May 22, 2006 | 08:03 PM
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Default How much HP to be gained by getting a Catback? (current H/C car)

Hey All...

Curious as to what you think. I am putting down 430rwhp / 393 rwtq with ported LS6 heads (243's, 319cfm), 224/224 .581" 114LSA Cam, and SW longtube headers, dumping into the FACTORY Firehawk 3" Dual/Dual exhaust. (other minor mods, ie pulley, etc. not mentioned)

How much do you think I'm leaving "on the table" by keeping my factory D/D exhaust? I like the exhaust being quiet, but not if its restricting some major HP.... I don't want to go the cutout route, either.

Anyone care to wager an educated guess on what I'd gain if I swapped out the exhaust for something that breathed a bit better? (Not that the D/D isn't free-breathing, but....)


TIA!
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Old May 22, 2006 | 08:08 PM
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you might be looking at 5-10. It would be worth it to me, but I like loud *** exhaust.
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Old May 22, 2006 | 08:12 PM
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i bought an SLP Single/Dual muffler for my car after a friend of mine did a back pressure test on one and found less than 1 psi of back pressure! i would think that your factory catback is one of the freest flowing out there.just my .02
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Old May 22, 2006 | 09:21 PM
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oh, it is. i have the dual/dual system, factory of course.

when i had my 1995 3.4L firebird, i put a flowmaster american thunder 80 series catback on it. that's known as being restrictive, but i just did it for the sound. let's face it - i was never gonna get PERFORMANCE out of that car anyway, so i may as well have made it sound good. everything else made them sound like rice, flowmaster made it sound like...a V7...

well, when i'd go WOT on that car, there was like 2 seconds of throttle delay. it was like some dragonball z ****, like the car was powering up to unleash some massive attack.

you'd feel massive torque and no hp. it's like the car was pushing itself apart - massive restriction. it was funny, you'd get a little push in your seat from the backpressure making it seem like it was gonna take off like a rocket, but then the car would go nowhere

well, with the dual/dual, even though my torque is near double, i don't get thrown back in my seat any harder than i did with the 3.4L. i just take off like a bat outta hell! i don't feel any restriction at all. it's smooth, throttle response is crisp...it's like there's not even a catback on there. i love the dual/dual, and that's hard for me to say because i've ragged on the loudmouth system and SLP's ridiculous prices for years (only product i ever liked was their lid....til i heard and used the dual/dual!).

keep the dual/dual and save the $$$ for other mods. you won't see much more hp. if you're that concerned, get a cutout. it's cheap, you can be loud and you'll get...the 3hp that the muffler leaves behind.
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Old May 22, 2006 | 09:48 PM
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The SLP dual/dual is one of the best flowing catbacks.
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Old May 22, 2006 | 11:37 PM
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I think unless you go with an X-pipe set-up, the hp gain (if any) will be negligable by swapping out the exhaust.
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Old May 23, 2006 | 12:34 AM
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I'd say that unless you want a different sound, there's no reason to switch catbacks. The Dual/Dual is one of the better flowing mufflers and you probably won't pick up a ton more by switching to something else besides duals.
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Old May 23, 2006 | 07:15 PM
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Awesome, appreciate the feedback.

Looks like I'm keeping it as-is.... Besides, I LOVE the exhaust-tone with it...
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