LT195Vette

i had my resonator removed on my vette a few days ago , i had straight pipe put in place of the resonator. it definately gave it a louder sound (which i think sounds good)but i lost a very noticeable amount of low end torque, has anyone else experienced this? is there anthing that can be done to get the torque back besides having the resonator put back on , if not im probably going to see if they can put the resonator back on

DrDyno

If memory serves, the resonator opens the two head pipes to a common area. Installing an H-Pipe or X-Pipe will probably return your torque and even out the exhaust pulses.

I'm running an Allen Stainless dual exhaust and installing an H-Pipe just aft of the transmission made a considerable difference in my LT1.

92ragtop

A difference in the SOTP feel, or the exhaust sound? Resonator on my 92 was removed before I got the car, so I'm curious.

OP: certainly don't put the resonator back in.....unless the new louder sound bothers you.

LT195Vette

With the resonator removed it's a huge difference in the torque , it's not just a little it's very noticeable, the exhaust sound is much better i think , being louder doesn't bother me at all , i hate to think I have to give up a noticeable amount of torque for a better sound , at this point I regret having it removed

bob arrowsmith

I had magnaflow s on the back but to much drone, so I put the stock flufometers on installed an h pipe and removed the reso s much better sound and no drone and I did not notice any difference in torque,,

LT195Vette

I have MagnaFlows on back have had them on for about 6 months liked the sound it gave me , i had a bit of drone but it didn't seem to bad , do u think if I put an x pipe or h pipe on i would get my torque back? cause I can't deal with this loss of torque

AgentEran

I had an X pipe installed and I noticed an improvement in performance vs the resonator..

I def vote for the X pipe.. plus its a cheap mod.

Mishawaka

Mine was removed before I bought it and has straight pipe. Seems to have enough power to me but that may be since I have 3.45 gears. Mine DOES have a pop to it on deceleration that is kinda annoying. I thought it was an exhaust leak but none found. Maybe I should put an X or H in.

AgentEran

I have an X pipe and muffler delete pipes.. I LOVE the pop on deceleration.. LOVE.

Mishawaka

Yeah but mine almost sounds like a backfire at times. It's pretty loud at times.

LT195Vette

Mine has the pop a bit also, doesn't bother me, kinda like it, i just don't like the torque I'm missing , before I had the resonator taken off from.a dead stop it would smoke the tires for blocks, just awesome torque, won't do even half of that now

LANDSHARK1

I have a '95 LT-1 six speed with Flowmasters...about two years ago, I removed the resonator and had it replaced with two pieces of straight pipe. Sincerely didn't notice any loss of torque or power at all.

Did you disconnect the battery temporarily afterwards so that the computer could re-learn with the new exhaust mod?

Half the power sounds extreme. This is the first I have heard of this happening after a resonator removal. Was any other work done at the time or since then? My guess is that something failed or changed right around the time of your exhaust mod.

Did they do any other welding or work other than the resonator removal at the time?

When was the car last tuned? Also spark plug wires, spark plugs, cap and rotor, and heaven forbid...opti, although not likely. No codes or check engine lights, right?

LT195Vette

no other work was done to it at the time , they cut off the resonator and welded on 2 straight pipes, i know its hard for me to believe but its true the car always had plenty of torque now it doesnt, i havent disconnected the battery , would that help any? i had magnaflows put on about 6 months ago , there was no problem with that , ive had no signs of any problems with the car before the resonator removal, i dont see any signs of anything else wrong with it but loss of torque which i noticed on the way home after the resonator was taken off. the car only has 29,000 miles on it , if you can think of anything please let me know

LANDSHARK1

Yes, I would definitely disconnect the battery for a bit and then reconnect and drive the car so that it can re-learn with the new exhaust. You should always do that after a mod for maximum benefit.

Still wondering if the workers somehow disturbed something when they worked on it or when they put it up on a lift.

Could be a result of the resonator being gone, but I doubt it. Could also be a pure coincidence that something went out or wore out around the same time, especially since you were likely driving it harder to see the new power after the mod (like any good Corvette guy would).

DrDyno

It sounded "smoother and ran "smoother." As a result, it felt as though it accelerated better. Did it actually? I honestly can't say. SOTP Dyno results seem to be directly related to how much money one spends!

If the OP has experienced a significant loss in power, there may be something else at work here.

LT195Vette

I don't know what to think about it , i'll disconnect the battery tomorrow , i don't really know if that will do anything , all i know is that there was a very noticeable change after the resonator was taken off , would less back pressure cause a loss of torque? if it's not the resonator then what would cause a loss of torque?

92ragtop

It would have nothing to do with the resonator, but check to see if the throttle body plate is opening fully. If not, there is a cable adjustment you can do.

LANDSHARK1

I know that traditionally, open header loses some low end compared with a full exhaust, but that is an extreme example. Resonator removal alone shouldn't make that much difference.

I never cut open my old resonator so don't know the inside, but if Dr.Dyno is correct, then inside the resonator there is an open common area that the two pipes open up to which would act as a sort of makeshift H pipe. If so, torque could theoretically be affected, but the difference should be neglible.

Other factors come into play as well. In theory, if your car is an automatic with a 2:59 or similar rearend ratio, it could be more noticeable than a six speed stick with a factory 3:45 ratio where the driver could subconsciously rev it up higher and compensate without realizing it if the difference is very small. From what you have observed, the difference is like night and day though. As such, someone with a stick might be even more in tune with sluggishness or lack of torque if it is that bad so back to square one.

I know it is a long shot, but check your air cleaner/housing and see if you sucked up a stray, random plastic bag somewhere that somehow is choking the engine off from air. If it is not, then one less variable...as ways, a process of elimination to arrive at a solution.

Polo Vert

I pulled the resonator from my 94 auto and outside of being slightly louder noticed no difference.

Tom400CFI

completely!



Absolutely NOT. Back pressure, does not increase tq. It decreases it. Your SOTP meter is busted (like everyone's is), or something else has gone wrong w/your car.

Put it on a dyno and see what is really going on.