Certainly not a reason to install side exhaust or to remove it permanently if it is already installed but a nice aside...

Having side exhaust puts the entire exhaust system completely out of the way when pulling a transmission or changing a clutch (or both) or removing/replacing a driveshaft, removing a leaf spring etc. So much easier than working on a C2 with through the body exhaust. A nice side benefit to be sure.

C.J

 

what C2Scho said. almost enjoyable working under the car without the exhaust system in the way. plus i personally like the look and the sound.

 

If I had been a Corvette Engineer faced with a puny 1-78" sidepipe vs 2-1/2" undercar exhaust I would be against them too. Ask them about a 2-1/2" - 3" thru sidepipe and see what the answer would be. I suspect not many people are buying those 1-7/8" sidepipes any more.

 

Thanks for posting a link to that older thread, Duke. I missed it back then or forgot it, but appreciate the actual data versus the usual opinions.
I used to put factory side pipes on Vettes I bought, but after buying a convertible in Michigan and driving it 2,800 miles home to California I was done with them; my ears barely survived those long days of abuse.

Lou

 

As a former engineer at GM, the above is completely consistent with my experience, i.e. engineers never won.


Jack.

 

So....... after we did the Tuning for Beer session with Lars, and I asked him if he wanted to drive the car, to see how it ran, and I experienced a Lars speed shift exercise through 3rd gear, then a quick u-turn and the same thing back to the shop, with the big block roaring through the side pipes, all I can say is if the side exhaust was robbing power, it did not matter as the tires were clearly not up to the task through 1st and 2nd gear....... When there was traction, we were flat moving...... and the sound, good lord the sound....... There are though of us who seriously appreciate riding, or driving, a car that has an impact on all of our senses.......

I grew up with the car the way it is...... and that is all I know......

 

With the hooker headers & a 4 inch pipe racing baffle no back pressure & the noise of power is music to my ears. just me

 

Zora certainly won concerning the split window. Took a year though.

 

i love em

 

Wow 100 horsepower difference that’s huge what about putting headers and leaving the stock side pipes would that Help I love the look of the side pipe and the sound so I would never take them off Buy always like more power

 

[QUOTE=mikes1966;1601129877]Wow 100 horsepower difference that’s huge/QUOTE]


Don't get too bug eyed over this revelation. He's comparing headers and open exhaust vs cast manifolds and mufflers plus he is using a BB to blow through same. Anyone who has ever done any drag racing knows open headers makes a marked improvement in ET'sand speed over driving through the cast manifolds and mufflers.

That's not comparing apples to apples.

If you think about it comparing under exhausts, which has the most restriction and power loss? A 327 blowing through a factory 2 1/2" exhaust system or a 427 blowing through the same sized 2 1/2" exhaust system?

One of several reasons why a SB would blow a BB off on the street for a short distance.

The side pipes may be small diameter but they are straight through. No baffles that reverse the flow several times like under car mufflers do that could create restriction.

I've never seen a direct comparison on the drag strip or dyno that compares OEM sidepipes performance data vs OEM mufflers so I'm not sure these desk top dyno jockeys have any valid information they can back up with real world results. OEM mufflers and side pipes are no longer available so the point is mute anyway.

In my own case, when I bought my base engine 327/250 in 1972, I replaced the under car OEM factory system with OEM factory side pipes. I also went from 2" to 2 1/2" pipes. I'd like to tell you I made some kind of performance change verification but I didn't. But I do remember the car felt snappier and more responsive with the side pipes in normal driving. The base engine pukes out several thousand rpm before a SHP engine so comparing those two engines isn't relevant. It gets even worse with a BB.

 

There's a LOT more to properly functioning exhaust systems than just getting rid of the spent gasses. If that were the case, then an engine with no manifolds at all would make the most power, right? I think everyone knows that doesn't work. There's something going on inside the pipes that helps move the spent gasses out at a greater velocity than just the push it gets from the pressure escaping from the cylinder. It's the wave leaving the cyl and entering the pipe as a positive pressure and returning as a negative pressure when it comes in contact with either a large opening or a smaller opening. (like the end of a primary pipe as it enters the collector) The length of the primary pipe changes the time (in milliseconds) that negative wave returns to the exhaust port. If the primary pipe is under a negative pressure, it draws exhaust from the cylinder which helps to create a negative pressure in the cylinder for the next air/fuel charge. That's why changing the length of primary pipe length on headers changes the horsepower peak. All that proves that the wave (around 700 FPS) does all the work. Long header primaries, low RPM peak torque. Short primaries, high RPM peak torque.
Fortunately, for Corvette, the single primary pipes (the exhaust pipes with under car exh) are long enough to allow the wave to travel far enough to change sign and return as a negative while the exhaust valve is open. The first few crimps in a side exhaust pipe change the sign much too early and that kills mid range HP. The tuning would be more efficient at around 9,000 RPM.
If you don't believe any of this, ask an expert on 2 cycle engines how important absolutely correct design and dimensions are. The same is true for those engines. A 2 cycle without a proper expansion chamber will produce about 2/3 as much power as it will with a correctly designed one. If you want to learn more about exhaust flow and pressure waves, find a copy of Two Stroke Tuning by Gordon Jennings. There's a chapter devoted to designing a system that works for both two and four cycle engines.

 

This much is true.

 

[QUOTE=MikeM;1601130161]It doesn't matter which one has the most power loss. What matters is which one has the most remaining power. And my money is on the big block.

If you want minimal power loss through that 2 1/2 inch system, a five horse B&S engine ought to be optimal. But I doubt that will push you back into the seat much.

 

ok....so it would be a lot of work to change a side exhaust to a out the back exhaust. yes/no the side exhaust is louder then the back end exhaust yes/no im not woried about power, just the loudness of the car with a bb 396.

 

True. And a Corvette with sidepipes is a Chevy.

Been that way since about 1953.

 

I'd recheck the whole hundred HP difference.....doesn't seem right.

 

Well,
Loud pipes save lives.....Compared to my Harley, Corvette side pipes are quiet, And I ride my Harley all the time. Yes, at 67’ years old, I’m still obnoxious. Been riding Harley’s a lot longer than driving Corvettes. Started riding Harley’s when I was 14. Got my first Corvette at 26. Of course I’m deaf now, but what a ride...lol
Chris

 

[QUOTE=69427;1601131121]My point was the tighter the restriction the more the power gap narrows between BB and SB in "how much is left".

But I think you know that.

 

I have a feeling most people don't understand or agree with this.