i'm getting ready to order a new exhaust but want to clarify one question that i still have. I've read the tech sections in this forum and another and this question was not addressed.

I have an LT4.

I'm planning to get the B&B TriFlo. (Yes, i've heard them and the resonance is not an issue with me. I want the rumble and i love the sound.)

My question is this..... the B&B's are 3inch and most of the other selections are 2.5inch. Is a 3inch exhaust system going to effect my HP or torque? And if so, good or bad?

While i love the sound of the 3inch B&B's, I don't want to install something that is going to lower my HP or torque.

(I thought that i saw somewhere that B&B has a 2.5inch version. ????)

Thanks for any info.

 

I bigger catback will affect HP more, and lower some off-the-line torque

I would expect 5-10hp from a new catback, maybe more since youre gettin 3" and your torque peak might be moved to a higher rpm.

You may not even notice it.

 

I had 3" put on with my elims and didnt notice anything. That was before I put converter on too. With the converter I have no worry with torque anymore :D :seeya

 

B&B has dyno test data on LT4 with their 3 inch system comparing before & after. It used to be on their website & they mailed me a copy. The 3 inch system used to make the most hp & torque of any of the LT4 cat-back systems. Wish I could remember the car mag comparison test, but B&B made the most power, torque, & decibels!! I would note this was before the corsa systems came out.

Think real hard about resonance!!! You will never again listen to music on the highway or drive without earplugs!!!!

I added an H-pipe which I think mellowed it a little, but it didn 't eliminate the resonance. Who knows if it (the H-pipe)really made any more power. I understand that B&B has an h-pipe or x-pipe option which is not shown in their catalog. I would suggest you call B&B and talk to them.

Resonance will be a problem if you ever drive on highway with the windows closed!!!

Have you ever been a corvette with the B&B???

I do love how my system looks & sounds at the local cruisins!

 

i usually don't put too much stock into mfg's claims, it seems like anything "corvette" has a HP claim. Anymore i'm more concerned that i don't loose hp and torque. If i do something that actually increases it then i just concider it a bonus. I'm more into corvette shows than in racing. Of course, I still enjoy an occasional stop light drag race with a Rustang or ricer. I just want my car to sound as tough as it looks.

I drive my car to work everyday, about a 30 minute in town driving, about half of it on a 50 mph stretch. About the only time that i'm on the interstate is if i'm going to an out of town vet show or get together. Also, unless it's raining i usually have the windows down or also the top off.

No, i haven't been in a vet yet with B&B's, just heard them from the outside and fell in love with the sound.

Calling B&B sounds like a good idea.

Another thing that I was wondering if i could do if needed was to get some of that cloth header/exhaust system wrap. They advertise it as a heat shield type product, but it seems to me that it would help muffle some of the sound. I thought that if i wrapped the pipes between the cats and the center muffler as well as wrapping the center muffler since it's directly below the cabin of the car that this would help reduce some of that cabin noise. As well as acting as a heat shield. What do you think ? Am i onto something, or am i just dreaming ?

I've also read that after some miles and time that the system will quiet down some as far as cabin noise. True ???

 

B&B initially told me it would quiet down with time, but 20k+ miles later the "resonance" is uneffected. When the windows are down it helps a lot. Also my 4.10 gears helped, but I still need to get up to about 80mph in 6th gear for it to really get out of resonance & quiet down. I don't think the header wrap would be very effective, I had considered that but never actually tried it. Several people on the forum report they eliminated resonance by plugging one outlet on each muffler. I also suspect that B&B came out with the 2.5" system as their solution to the resonance problem.
If you recognize the resonance problem & can live with it depending on you style of driving it is a great exhaust system. You might be ok with top & windows down.

 

That's odd. The Vette Mag article I'm thinking about said the Power Effects made the most power when compared to the Borla, Triflow's and a few others. :confused: I was just reading the article again last week. I save my mags and read them over and over sometimes. :lol:

Mute point though since he only cares about waxing his car for shows and not trying to squeeze every ounce of hp and torq out of the added parts.
I would not worry about having a torq or hp loss in your case. You may lose a very small amount of torq at the lower rpm's but not enough to worry about. Wrapping teh exhaust really won't help from what was explained to me. The resonance is really coming from the rear part of the body and not the pipes. You would be better off installing some dyna mat material on the inside rear deck to kill the resonance.



[Modified by ConeKLR, 9:47 AM 8/29/2002]

 

Maybe it's not the system getting quieter, it's just the drivers are loosing thier hearing. Maybe a little help would be to add some padding under the interior carpet.

Although, i think i've already lost most of my hearing back in my teens listening to loud rock and roll.