LT1 Exhaust
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 196
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From: harvest al
LT1 Exhaust
Please tell what you all think of this idea. There are all sorts of after market exhaust systems available for an LT1 for $700 to $1000 or more. It appears to me that most of them simply remove the big cat in the center and then fool around with the mufflers. Why not just replace the center Cat with straight pipes and keep the stock mufflers? Mine is a 95. Sure would save some money. Anyone tried this approach?
Racer
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 432
Likes: 0
From: Lancaster CA
Re: LT1 Exhaust (sundbergjc)
after market exhaust somethimes are larger diameter, and the bends and mufflers are less restrictive than stock. thats not a bad idea for a cheap quick mod, tho. im not sure what that would do to smogability.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,143
Likes: 7
From: San Diego CA
Re: LT1 Exhaust (sundbergjc)
The big "cat" in the middle is a resonator. Stock it does a lot to reduce the resonnance you hear in passenger compartment with after market exhausts.
If you remove it and replace it with straight tubes, you'll probably end up with various RPMs that will blur your eyes.
It would be a cheap experiment. Just don't trash the stock resonators until after a good test run.
If you remove it and replace it with straight tubes, you'll probably end up with various RPMs that will blur your eyes.
It would be a cheap experiment. Just don't trash the stock resonators until after a good test run.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 196
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From: harvest al
Re: LT1 Exhaust (SSLT1KID)
after market exhaust somethimes are larger diameter, and the bends and mufflers are less restrictive than stock. thats not a bad idea for a cheap quick mod, tho. im not sure what that would do to smogability.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,143
Likes: 7
From: San Diego CA
Re: LT1 Exhaust (sundbergjc)
The cats are the large round items between the exhaust manifolds and the resonators.
Removing the resonators won't affect smog unless you have some sort of visual inspection that requires stock exhaust.
Removing the resonators won't affect smog unless you have some sort of visual inspection that requires stock exhaust.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 196
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From: harvest al
Re: LT1 Exhaust (John Row)
The cats are the large round items between the exhaust manifolds and the resonators.
Removing the resonators won't affect smog unless you have some sort of visual inspection that requires stock exhaust.
Removing the resonators won't affect smog unless you have some sort of visual inspection that requires stock exhaust.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,705
Likes: 5
From: OKC Oklahoma
Re: LT1 Exhaust (John Row)
Some of the L98s had pre-cats just prior to a single main cat.
LT1 went with dual cats for higher flow.
LT1 went with dual cats for higher flow.
L98s have 3 cats - 2 pre-cats, 1 main cat, and 2 mufflers
LT1/4s have 2 cats (in the same place as the L98s pre-cats) a center resonator (which is essentially another muffler in the same place as the L98s main cat) and 2 mufflers
L98s have a front and rear Y-pipe whereas the LT1/4 are dual from headers into the resonator and then dual again out :D
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Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,365
Likes: 3
From: Huntsville AL
Re: LT1 Exhaust (sundbergjc)
Since I've already gone through all of this myself, I'll tell you what I think you should do.
Take the car to a muffler shop and have them cut off the stock mufflers (but make sure to tell them you might reuse them), and have them weld in straight pipes in their place. Tell them to reuse the stock tips. Also, make sure they use pipe that is the same diameter as the rest of the pipe in the system (2.75"). This is a fairly cheap thing to do, around $60, and it will sound like a totally different car. Remember, you will still have two cats and a resonator in the exhaust path, so it's not as loud as one would think. And I actually had LESS resonance with this setup than I do with my Flowmasters. You could also ask the shop about putting in an H pipe before the resonator to smooth out the popping and gurgling a bit. All in all, this will be MUCH cheaper than even just buying two aftermarket mufflers, and since you are undecided, it's probably the best way to experiment.
Take the car to a muffler shop and have them cut off the stock mufflers (but make sure to tell them you might reuse them), and have them weld in straight pipes in their place. Tell them to reuse the stock tips. Also, make sure they use pipe that is the same diameter as the rest of the pipe in the system (2.75"). This is a fairly cheap thing to do, around $60, and it will sound like a totally different car. Remember, you will still have two cats and a resonator in the exhaust path, so it's not as loud as one would think. And I actually had LESS resonance with this setup than I do with my Flowmasters. You could also ask the shop about putting in an H pipe before the resonator to smooth out the popping and gurgling a bit. All in all, this will be MUCH cheaper than even just buying two aftermarket mufflers, and since you are undecided, it's probably the best way to experiment.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,705
Likes: 5
From: OKC Oklahoma
Re: LT1 Exhaust (HammerDown)
:iagree: the "muffler eliminators" are nice, but with an auto, i lost low-end torque (i.e. not as much uummph off the line) and have since replced that w/ a borla cat-back and it is like night and day. i regained my lost torque and kept the same sound as the elims, the best of both worlds and i gained a stainless steel exhaust system that should hold up for a long time, now all i need is long tube headers and an x-pipe :reddevil
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
Re: LT1 Exhaust (_freakmonkeydogboy_)
I didn't like the overall effect of the elims... they did kill low end torque, and were super boomy in the interior cabin.
Last summer, I installed Corsa's after nearly failing with eliminators with resonator tips!!!!!!!!
The Corsa's ROCK. I also got torque back!
There is more to exhaust design than just getting them out of the engine... it's something of a black art. I know the concept, I just don't know how they arrive at it.
Last summer, I installed Corsa's after nearly failing with eliminators with resonator tips!!!!!!!!
The Corsa's ROCK. I also got torque back!
There is more to exhaust design than just getting them out of the engine... it's something of a black art. I know the concept, I just don't know how they arrive at it.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
From: West TX
Re: LT1 Exhaust (bogus)
I know this is kindda off the question posted, but does any one have any input on how Corsa's sound with no cats and long tube headers? I have the power pulse on my LT4 and I'm about to purchase headers and wonder how the Corsa's sound with them. Is it louder? How bout the resonance?
Racer
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 415
Likes: 0
From: Joppa Md
Re: LT1 Exhaust (sundbergjc)
On the 95 doesn't the center resonator have two separate pipes through it since it's suppose to be true duals? I remember someone was going to gut it thinking it was a cat and found out it was two pipes.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=197777 :thumbs:
[Modified by sumoboy, 5:09 PM 6/27/2003]
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=197777 :thumbs:
[Modified by sumoboy, 5:09 PM 6/27/2003]
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,143
Likes: 7
From: San Diego CA
Re: LT1 Exhaust (sumoboy)
On my 94 it was 2 perforated pipes inside the outer shell. The pipes were straight through with some indents along the way.
The PE had similar construction only without the indents.
The PE had similar construction only without the indents.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,596
Likes: 19
From: Portland Oregon
Re: LT1 Exhaust (John Row)
The stock 95 uses a center resonator and two mufflers at the rear. The GM resonator is a true 2.75" dual core resonator that is of decent design. Sometime ago when I first installe a Borla system it consisted of 2.5" pipe and the center resonator was a 2.5" as well, the factory tubing was 2.75". Other than it had restrictive mufflers the best bet is to just replace the rear mufflers with some 2.75" inlet Magnaflows. I think now Borla has a 2.75" system so the cheap way to go is to just replace the rears with a set of high flow mufflers.
Unless you are like me with a 396 LT4 and a blower a 2.75" straight through system would be more than adequate. I am running a new B&B 3" system with an H pipe as their resonator necked down to 2.5" in their internal resonator core. It also has an internal H pipe built into to it.
Unless you are like me with a 396 LT4 and a blower a 2.75" straight through system would be more than adequate. I am running a new B&B 3" system with an H pipe as their resonator necked down to 2.5" in their internal resonator core. It also has an internal H pipe built into to it.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,324
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From: sussex nj
Re: LT1 Exhaust (sundbergjc)
my texas exhaust kind of does what you are talking about the 1 resonator in the middle gets junked and a new muffler gos there and you do away with the rears sounds great and the quality is the best and i got 4 or 5 tenths from this alone in the 1/4 
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 972
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From: Springdale AR
Re: LT1 Exhaust (sundbergjc)
Why not just replace the center Cat with straight pipes and keep the stock mufflers? Mine is a 95. Sure would save some money. Anyone tried this approach?
I did run it for a month or 2 with just the resonator replaced with 2 straight pipes and the stock mufflers. I think the gain was very minimal, it did seem to have a little more in the upper rpm range. It actually felt like a bigger gain was acheived when I replaced the stock mufflers with the dynomax's. But I think if I had to do over again, I would have replace the mufflers with Magnaflo's instead of the dynomax's. I think I got the gain in flow I wanted with the Dynomax's, but they are not near loud enough for me. It's barely louder than stock.
I think for an exhaust system on a "budget" it's the way to go.
But I think if you have got the money, one of the SS cat-back systems is the way to go. To many good reviews on this forum to ignore it. Just my .02
