have 95 lt1 with LT, ORY and intake as only mods.
I want to get the borla catback. I have read up and seen all sorts of different answers. I understand that these come with plates and there is a Y right before the muffler. What plate do I run? I do care more about performance but I love the borla sound. I've read there is no difference just sound preference..next article I read the middle plate give you about 20 ft/lbs with very slight HP difference..I am asking those who have ran this setup before. Does it sound best open dumped, half open or full closed through the mufflers and what are the relative performance aspects?.. Also, full open is all passenger and full closed would be all driver side correct? So the middle plate would be a more even sound or would it not even matter?.. Thanks for the help guys

 

I remember seeing a video on YouTube of a person with a h/c lt1 trying all of the plates back to back on the dyno with little to no difference. IMO if you're gonna spend the big coin on a borla cutback I see no reason to bypass it. You might as well just run a slp loudmouth or similar and put some money in your pocket.

With the borla wide open it's extremely raspy and obnoxious, not a good loud IMO.

 

I agree with above... Borla has 3 different settings... but as he stated above... for the coin... u half bypass the muffler? Doesn't make much sense to me... maybe call me old fashioned... either delete the muffler or find a good one. Most guys run the half open on the Borla setup. I like MagnaFlow... straight through design... I have one... yet to install... and right now I have the Dynomax SS turbo muffler... good throaty sound under 40% throttle... nothing but motor sound at WOT... but performance... MagnaFlow .... sound Dynomax ... by the way u can pick up either muffler for 100 bucks or less... and a good muffler shop can fab u a good 3" long pipe and up over the axle for prolly 100 bucks or so...

 

Ive been looking at a lot of these systems and I love how nasty the borlas sound, plus everyone dogs on the dual square tips they come with and I personally really like them. I would probably try the open plate and medium sized plate and pick the one I like the most. I'm kind of looking for find one used or cheaper than the $900 but am definitely open to cheaper and better alternatives. I'm pretty much the ugly duckling around my area as no one has v8 muscle cars. I'm younger and kids my age around here seem to think its cooler buying 7 second 4cyls and making them 6 second 4 cyclinders lol so I have nothing to compare to except videos I look up on youtube. is there a website with sound clips from lt1s with exhaust clips? and comparing stock exhaust and a Catback to my setup how much different will the sound be?

 

I have a 95 z28 6 speed. Bbk shortys. An Deleted cat. Previous owner had just had a borla cat-back system put on it with the ugly borla dual square tips. Ive always HEARD great things about borla mufflers an exhaust systems an even some youtube vids make them sound pretty good...but now having one on my own car?......ehh...I think their a waste of money. their name is over rated bc all the tv show garages use them ect. Ect....Their what, $900 on jegs? it pretty much gives you the option of running straight piped or through the muffler. It comes with 4 sound plates. Solid plate, 1in plate, 1 1/2" plate, an a 2in plate. All of which I have heard nothing of it changing your performance! its just for sound.

Now when I bought my car, it sounded good. Deep, but loud roar. It didnt have that soda can crackle when the revs was coming down that I absolutely hate on a car. So I was cool with it. I got curious an took the 3 bolts out of the rear Y pipe an out drops a plate. Previous owner didnt give me any other plates, so I made some of my own with some sheet metal we had at work.





(I plan to remake them only with SS this time)

The one that came in the car was 1 1/2 " hole plate. Made out of Stainless steel (Left) So I made one with a 3/4" hole (right) one with 2" hole an one with no hole. (Witch i dont happen to have a pic of on my phone) An of course, before I made my own plates I drove around with no plate after tinkering with it that day. Sounds o...k...I guess with no plate at all...sounds like a typical 350 chevy with a throaty straight pipe sound. Bc thats pretty much what it is lol. I wasnt a fan of the no plate sound at. All! After making my plates, I tried the 2in plate! Wasnt much of a difference of sound with the 2in opposed to the 1 1/2 plate that was already in the car. So after a trip down the road an a few revs it came back out.

Then I tried the 3/4 hole plate in. (Right) as you can tell its now pretty rusty. Bc thats plate I stuck with..LOVED the sound!!! Sounded absolutely amazing. Deep, throaty, mild loud idle. An gave a pretty liud roar when I had my foot into it.

Well my curiosity has been bugging me about what it would sound like with the solid plate in..so as of today, im now running the solid plate!! ..it sounds pretty good! Alot quieter!! deeper sounds with revs an getting into it going down the road..but it dose sorta have that pop can rattle I think...but sounds almost stock at an idle. I got vids ill post on youtube tonight an leave the link here in a comment.


Me personally, im a Magnaflow guy. I just love the quiet idle deep throaty sounds on these newesh cars. But can be loud when you want them to be. my opinion flowmaster only sounds good on 80s an older cars. An just about any truck.

last but least, my final opinion, dont buy a borla cat back. Go with a 3in inlet magnaflow an 2 1/2in duel outlets with 3in rolled tips. Itll sound AMAZING. An you can do for a quarter of the cost then what just the borla system would be!!

Sorry for the book. I love talkin cars lol

 

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