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I want to upgrade the stock exhaust on my 2004. I realize that a cat-back exhaust isn't going to do much power-wise, really just wanting some more growl without drone or rattling the neighbors windows in the morning. I also dislike the quad-oval tips of the OE system. Oh, and I am on a budget. So, as I see it, my choices include:
A Chinese cat-back from Amazon of Flea-bay
A titanium Z-06 take off.
???
What does the Z06 system sound like as compared to stock? There is a guy locally who has a system for sale that I can pick up. Don't want to go to the effort for little gain.
go for the Z06 take off. They sound good and last a long time unless it is beat to crap now. You say you don't want to go to the effort for little gain, yet say all you are looking for is some sound improvement. Define "gain"? The less you spend the better if all you are chasing is sound. Some knock crap from China is probably gonna sound like poop, roll the dice or buy something like the Z06 that sounds good from the get, assuming it is in good shape anyway.
Then save up and get a decent cam and a tune, that will really improve the sound.
2025 C2 of the Year ('64-'66) Finalist - Unmodified
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St. Jude Donor '25
Go for the Z06 titanium catbacks. They look good, have a quiet tone until you open it up, have zero drone, and you'll lose about 30 pounds from the stock exhaust.
My C5 is a Z06 so I already have the factory titanium exhaust, and that is my vote.
Generally speaking you should be able to sell the titanium exhaust for close to what you paid in case you don't prefer it. I suppose there is a labor cost to consider if you aren't doing the work yourself, though.
Should you want more noise from them you can always consider the bypass mod later on. They sound legit good at wot and still allow you to talk to your passenger when cruising.
Titanium’s are our friend. Titanium lasts forever, they are relatively cheap, and they sound great.
When I bought my car it had what sounded like straight through exhaust; e.g., ear splitting.
Replaced those with Flowmasters. Quieter, but still drone.
Finally, I found a set of titanium’s for $250. Great tone, quiet cruising at 68 db, very little drone, but still rowdy when you let the hammer down. Then I installed 16” Vibrant resonators and that removed any remaining crumbs of drone. I recently added long tubes with high flow cats and it is throatier but not any louder at cruising speed. It is louder at WOT.
$250 is a bargain, but I scoured the inter-webs looking for the right set. Had to drive 200 miles to get them, but that’s part of the hobby. Look hard enough and you’ll find some. Oh, and they WILL fit in the back of a coupe!
Im in the same boat. As for exhaust, thinking of going with an x pipe mated to a z06 axleback.
Then, eventually go with long tubes and tune.
(already have the vararam cai)
Exhausting Choices
