Straight Pipe Or Flowmaster Muffler?

[00blackzx3]

ok guys i have a catback setup. 2.5 on my SL running straight no cats, into a flowmaster 50 series muffler and out into dual setup. I seem to be experiencing a horrible backpressure problem. Now my question is the flowmaster muffler. Is the flow on that thing THAT horrible creating too much backpressure or is it something else? Also, if i take the muffler out and at just a straight Y pipe in place so id have a complete STRAIGHT PIPE setup, would that restore my low end power (creating less BP)? Also, if i have straight pipes will my car be to loud for my prefernce and sound like ass? I JUST WANT MY LOW END POWER BACK!!!!!

[Igovert500]

If you want your low-end torque back, you should have stuck with a stock cat-back. I don't know about the exact parts you mentioned, but generally, if you get an aftermarket catback, you are sacrificing a bit of low-end torque for high-end hp. That's just the way it is.

[Zeiss]

yeah, right now i have just the stock exhaust but i want the y pipe so i can have two tips on each side like the TT cars. But they dont sell a kit for doing that do they? And i dont really want to spend 800 on the borla system, im not sure how much that would help anyways. Sorry about hijacking your thread but every exhaust place i go to says i need to buy a kit like the borla one. But for that price i could get the long headers :P

[Wischmaster]

I could sell ya mine.

[Zeiss]

i need to buy someones Vr4 exhaust :P

[00blackzx3]

how much and would u be willing to trade ?

[Linebckr49]

Originally Posted by 00blackzx3

Is the flow on that thing THAT horrible creating too much backpressure or is it something else?

if you have too much backpressure, then you would have great low end power. low end power is lost when you upgrade your exhaust system so that if flows more freely. the more free flow of the exhaust creates less backpressure, resulting in a loss of low-end power in exchange for an increase in top-end power. As Igovert said, that's just how it is.

Originally Posted by 00blackzx3

Also, if i take the muffler out and aDD just a straight Y pipe in place so id have a complete STRAIGHT PIPE setup, would that restore my low end power (creating less BP)?

a complete straight pipe setup would decrease your backpressure even more.

Originally Posted by 00blackzx3

Also, if i have straight pipes will my car be to loud for my prefernce and sound like ass? I JUST WANT MY LOW END POWER BACK!!!!!

to get your low-end power back you should stick with the stock cat, as Igovert mentioned. if you have straight pipes, your car will be VERY loud. but that also depends on whether or not you eliminated the resonator. generally, straight pipes will make your car much louder. If you stick with the stock exhaust and add the 3SX long headers, then that would make your exhaust probably as loud as one would want it.

[Wischmaster]

Originally Posted by 00blackzx3

how much and would u be willing to trade ?

Hrmm... I just want a single exhaust really.

[00blackzx3]

well how much would u want for it? and what exactly is it...

[Wischmaster]

Haven't decided on a price... or even if I could sell it or not. (might be trading vehicles with someone) but it is 2.5in pipe from the cat that runs to a Y-pipe and two Tanabe mufflers on the ends.

[2old]

I am a little bit sick of people saying backpressure gives you torque... it's not the backpressure that gives you torque it's the exhaust velocity. When the exhaust valve opens the pressure pushes the exhaust out. The faster the air is moving the longer it takes to slow down which causes a low pressure space behind it (You can probably google exhaust scavenging).
When the engine in at low rpm the exhaust valve is open longer with allows the exhaust to slow down changing the pressure due to velocity to change back to static pressure which increases the amount of exhaust that gets trapped in the combustion chamber.
Smaller pipes allow for faster exhaust velocities which is why it gives you more torque down low.
If you wanted to balance high end hp with low end torque you should be looking at long headers (I think 3SX now sells them).
FYI: the peak low pressure or scavenging effect can be respresented as a wave form so the optimum header length changes as the rpm changes which is why engineers are trying to come up with a good way to vary exhaust header lengths.