Today I installed my Granatelli cat-back system. A couple issues and fixes which may save any future buyers some headaches:

ISSUE: Put the right (pass) side in first and everything went well until it came time to really tighten the included clamps. As they’re tightened, the metric nuts move inside the curl of the bracket and my socket wouldn't stay on them.
FIX:Went to Lowes (Home Depot doesn’t stock them ) and bought 6 STAINLESS STEEL 10 mm metric flat washers and six 3/8” STAINLESS STEEL split lock-washers. The 3/8” splits are just a bit too small so put them in your bench vice and open them up (just a bit) with a screwdriver and hammer so they’ll fit over the bolts on the included clamps. Using both the flat washer and lock-washer now allows your socket to remain fully engaged on the nut/clamp until it is completely tight.
FIX: Before you put the “new” clamps assemblies onto the pipes, put them in your bench vise and tighten them down the WHOLE WAY to set the center curved spacer over the knurl on the bolt. This way you’re not trying to force this piece down onto the knurl while tightening the bracket assembly on the car where clearances etc. are tight. This center spacer has a flat side and a curved side. Make sure the curved side is going to be against the pipe.


ISSUE: Once I had the right (pass) side on and completely tightened I started on the left (driver) side. BTW, I used my DREMEL with a quick-change metal blade to cut off the stock system. It ate about 6 blades but was really quite easy. Tomorrow the trash man will be the proud owner of a 2001, C5 exhaust system. Anyway, back to the left side. I did this one exactly the same way and sequence I used on the right side – BUT – when I got everything aligned as closely and tightly as I could, the left side tip stuck out nearly 1 ½” further than the left side.
FIX: This one really wore me out – it took the better part of 2 hours. I loosened all 3 clamps on the right side and tried to get that one to “stick out the back” further and gained about ½”. By fiddle farting around for with the left side I moved it in-board about ½” so they now look pretty good. Not perfect but “OK” .

My wife looked at them and said, as usual,

“You’re way too **** about this sh**it. They look fine. Nobody will every notice the difference unless you point it out to them, which you probably will, being the **** retentive a-hole you are.” She’s cute like that.

Tomorrow I'll post some pics. I'm too darn tired right now to do it.

Wasn't too tired to take one quick burn run though. The sound is great and you can't beat the price.

 

can't wait to see it. I'm thinking about that system for mine also

 

Can't add pics. I don't have clearance to add attachments. Only Senior Members can do that. I'd be happy to email pics to anyone interested. Send me a PM with your email address or email me at borkg2006@embarqmail.com.

 

Hopefully your issues & fixes will get back to Granatelli and they will make some impovements in their product.

 

Love that quote

 

all you have to do is upload pictures to a photobucket account and then click on the insert image in the reply box then the pics will show up on here. if ya send them to my email I'll put them up for ya. mvvette69@yahoo.com

 

People continue to think that Granatelli is producing this product. They are not. We just call it a granatelli exhaust because that is where we first saw them. The same system is also sold on ebay. They could possibly bring any issues up with the manufacturer in china, but they do not produce the item.

 

I think everyone that's bought this system is aware that
NXT STEP PERFORMANCE on that popular auction site.

 

They are actually called the stainless steel exhaust system lol. I still just call them granatellis. They are a complete knock off of the borla stingers for half the price with nicer tips and pretty much identical sound.

 

Here are the pics George. Finally got them uploaded.

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looks good!

You might want to adjust the left side a bit, it is kind of high compared to the right

 

This is actually borkg2006 car, I just posted the pictures for him since he wasn't sure how to do it. I am really thinking of getting this same exhaust for mine though.

 

Im Really Surprised At How Far Below The Facia The Muffler And Pipe Assemblies Hang. Isnt There A Way To Tuck Them Farther Up Behind The Facia Near The Vents?

 

Thanks for the very timely post! The UPS man just left my Granatelli's on my door step. As to mufflers hanging too low, if they can't be adjusted upward, I think I'll paint them with a flat black engine paint.



Drive on!

 

The problem with the Granatellis by most accounts is that it's very difficult if even possible to get them even. One side will hang lower or stick out further than the other etc. etc.. You can clearly see that the right side is positioned totally different than the left side in the pictures MVette97 posted. They also tend to stick out very far, much farther than the stock exhaust.

I Love the sound and the tips look pretty nice, especially for the cost, but I just don't want something that looks like it's mounted with duct tape and bailing wire on such an expensive car if you get my meaning. Definitely not trying to bag on anyone's exhaust, as long as the owner likes them that's all that matters.

Like every other aftermarket exhaust, just seems that there's always SOMETHING wrong with it, whether it's the tips, or the sound, or the quality, or the drone, or combinations of these. Seems like it's impossible to find the perfect exhaust, but maybe that's just me...

 

Mine line up pretty close to perfectly. They also do not stick out far at all, not anywhere near as far as the B&B bullets. No drone, loud when you get on it, quiet when you dont, and has nice tips to boot. To me it is the perfect exhaust lol. All it takes is some time and things will line up the way they should.

 

I saw a post a while back where some guy put a board (not sure what size) across the back in between the pipes and the car to line up the tips and then with that in there, he tightened them down. kept them lined up great while he tightened the clamps.

 

loosen the clamps, place a 1x2 all the way across the tops of the tips and another 1x2 across the bottoms of the tips, apply apply a couple of clamps to hold the pipes level then tighten all the pipe clamps, that should get you even tips, it worked on mine.

 

I just put my Granatellis on last night. I like the sound but I guess I was expecting something a little bit more aggressive. (I use to my son's Dodge SRT4 who has a cut out valve installed and I can hear him coming 3 block away!) I originally thought about cutting the old pipes off but glad that I didn't. It really wasn't that big of a deal getting the car up high enough to get the stock system off. I drove the front wheels up on ramps then went cautiously lifting the back end. When the rear wheels were up to the same level of the front wheels on the ramps, I put concrete blocks under them. I then loosen all the bolds on the old system and dropped the sway bar before lifting the rear end high enough to get the old system off. This way I didn't have to get under the car when it was high off the ground. The tips weren't hard to line up but I've noticed that the left side (driver) muffler and pipes hand lower than the right side. From Myvette97's pics it looks like he has the same problem. Any one have a fix for this? I suspect that it may be more than loosing the clamp and trying to adjust the muffler and pipes upward. I spend some time last night on this but couldn't get the left side pipes and muffler to move upward.