PowerLabs

I'm running stock Z06 exhaust on my C6 with Kooks 1 3/4" headers and a full 3" catted X-pipe. This is my 3rd exhaust on the car.
I had stock and it was too quiet.
Got GHLs and they droned like crazy.
Got Corsas and they were heavy and didn't sound very good.

I really like the way the Z06 exhaust sounds with the butterflies open (mine are open all the time) but it is too quiet. I wish it was about that loud with them closed and then sounded like an aftermarket exhaust when they opened. Unfortunately I am no longer willing to try aftermarket exhausts because they all drone terribly and I drive far too great distances (over 1000 miles on a good weekend) to deal with that.
I've heard of people modding the stock exhaust and I imagine that has got to make it louder, but do these modded exhausts drone?

04_Z06_CE

take the cats off...

50 4Ever

Waaaay less drone from what I hear. I'm getting it done next week....

See this thread

slp223x

i did the muffler mod in the faq I am really happy with how it turned out.

jerseydrew

first i must say how can you possibly say the ghl's drone like crazy? they are barely louder then stock. but anyway you seem to be a good candidate for electric cutouts.

PowerLabs

*EVERYONE* who has ridden in my car complained about the drone. I had an older gentleman who cupped his ears when I had to accelerate up a hill in 6th gear at 1700RPMs. At that RPM range the drone is so loud you would have a hard time talking on the phone. Barely louder than stock? Have you ever heard GHLs? I could set off car alarms with mine just by driving by; I didn't even have to blip the throttle.

Thought about cutouts but I heard they are loud but don't sound very good, and they leak... I am considering modding the stock mufflers for now.

jerseydrew

i have ghl's on my car and i cannot fathom the description you have. although i do not make a habit out of lugging the car in the wrong gear, i have purposely tried it to hear the "drone" everyone complains of and i did not think it was any more then stock with the flaps open.

PowerLabs

Maybe you just don't drive enough for it to bother you? Mine is a daily driver; 24,000 miles in under 5 months and two trips across the country (Tampa - L.A. via Texas and L.A. - NJ via Chicago and Detroit) plus a 70mile daily commute and I was about ready to give the GHLs away.
Back when I was joyriding around and had a 1 mile commute when I didn't feel like biking to school I ran a full 3" catless mufflerless exhaust on my Subaru STI and didn't care that it was stupid loud
I've always owned loud modified cars and the GHL on my C6 is the first exhaust I've ever had that bothered me enough for me to feel compelled to do something about it. That drone is completely inacceptable.

jerseydrew

maybe it has to do with headers. i will report back once my headers and cam are in. but i don't think distance has too much to do with it. i have not been cross country but i have driven a full day in the car including traffic and it has not bothered me in the least... and since you live in jersey i will stand behind what i say, let me know if you want and i will take you out for a ride so we can compare. i can (if i want) lug my car down to 1600 rpms and hold a conversation at a normal tone of voice.

jerseydrew

you know what i just went to your profile and you have a c6 not a z06. the c6 ones are known to be loud almost the same as the borla so i can agree with you on it now!! the z06 cans are very tame. and since this is the z06 section i just assumed you had a z...

PowerLabs

Its a C6 but the exhaust I have right now is a stock Z06 exhaust. I actually went out and bought a full 3" catted X-Pipe from Kooks so I could get it to fit.
Is it possible that the GHL for the Z06 is much quieter than the GHL for the C6? Now you got me very curious. Is there any way we could meet some time and I could listen to your car? I work in the New Brunswick area; how far are you from here?

BTW: The sound my car made at idle and low RPM did not change at all when I added the 1 3/4" Kooks with the catted X-pipe. It did get louder in the higher RPM range but that is not where the drone occurs. A lot of people claim headers cause or worsen drone but that has not been my experienced; the car droned a lot with the GHL both before and after headers.

jerseydrew

the z06 system is totally different then that of the regular c6 system. i am about a half hour or so from new brunswick and am more then willing to meet up. i am by no means trying to sell you into GHL but it shocked me to hear that since mine is sooooo tame.


as a matter of fact my buddies ridicule me for paying money to have almost the same sound as when i had the fuse pulled. it is deeper and i think it will wake up once the headers go on and it wont be as raspy as the stock sys with headers since the tone is deeper.

8mywal8

In percentage how much louder is the car w/ no cats? I have headers, cam, and stock exaust modded.

PowerLabs

Most cars I've heard catless weren't just much louder, they were also loud in a raspy, metallic way... In my opinion it is not worth it, specially when you consider that it is a $10,000 mandatory fine and that it smells HORRIBLE around the car when it is running.

PowerLabs

I definitely want to hear your car then... PM me if you'll be around New Brunswick any time in the near future, otherwise I can just drive up one of these days.

fedaricko01

For those with a cam, headers, etc and the stock Z06 exhaust modded, do you have any drone at highway speeds with the valves closed?