Differences in C5 OEM exhausts
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 837
Likes: 2
From: Derry NH
Differences in C5 OEM exhausts
Guys, after spinning out at my last HPDE, I dragged my H-pipe across the corner's rumble strip. Although it didn't puncture, it is 'altered' quite a bit.
Anyway, I will eventually replace it but was wondering if I could go with a newer pipe (car is a 99 with 30k miles, would like to have another with comparable or fewer miles on the cats, I'm **** sometimes). While thinking about this I recall reading about the Z06 exhaust manifolds being lighter. Is this true? I doubt there would be any change in flow, but if I swapped an 01-04 exhaust (already have the Tis) would I gain any weight savings? My 99 manifolds are flat out heavy, and I already sold my headers and choose to not go back. I understand that I would need a new AIR pipe, did that with my headers already in the past.
P.S. - I have no desire to use pup-cats, am I correct when I say on the 2000-2001 had pup cats???
Anyway, I will eventually replace it but was wondering if I could go with a newer pipe (car is a 99 with 30k miles, would like to have another with comparable or fewer miles on the cats, I'm **** sometimes). While thinking about this I recall reading about the Z06 exhaust manifolds being lighter. Is this true? I doubt there would be any change in flow, but if I swapped an 01-04 exhaust (already have the Tis) would I gain any weight savings? My 99 manifolds are flat out heavy, and I already sold my headers and choose to not go back. I understand that I would need a new AIR pipe, did that with my headers already in the past.
P.S. - I have no desire to use pup-cats, am I correct when I say on the 2000-2001 had pup cats???
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 837
Likes: 2
From: Derry NH
I didn't stump you guys, did I 
I spent a while searching and all I found was some posts about 97-99 being double walled and 01-04 are not. But they may be diff material? Search really wasn't my friend.
Anyway, when did people start charging big $$$ for H-pipes? I remember a few years ago people struggled to give away stock H-pipes... My tuner has a stack in his dumpster!
I spent a while searching and all I found was some posts about 97-99 being double walled and 01-04 are not. But they may be diff material? Search really wasn't my friend.
Anyway, when did people start charging big $$$ for H-pipes? I remember a few years ago people struggled to give away stock H-pipes... My tuner has a stack in his dumpster!
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,876
Likes: 0
From: Edmond OK
You could probably get a complete Z06 exhaust (front to back) for $6-700 or so, maybe less. It would be an improvement, and it seems like I saw something saying the LS6 manifolds were redesigned from the LS1. Not sure, though. 2001 does have pup cats.
All that said, why not upgrade to some longtube headers?
All that said, why not upgrade to some longtube headers?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 8,629
Likes: 16
From: York PA
I didn't stump you guys, did I
I spent a while searching and all I found was some posts about 97-99 being double walled and 01-04 are not. But they may be diff material? Search really wasn't my friend.
Anyway, when did people start charging big $$$ for H-pipes? I remember a few years ago people struggled to give away stock H-pipes... My tuner has a stack in his dumpster!
I spent a while searching and all I found was some posts about 97-99 being double walled and 01-04 are not. But they may be diff material? Search really wasn't my friend.
Anyway, when did people start charging big $$$ for H-pipes? I remember a few years ago people struggled to give away stock H-pipes... My tuner has a stack in his dumpster!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 837
Likes: 2
From: Derry NH
You could probably get a complete Z06 exhaust (front to back) for $6-700 or so, maybe less. It would be an improvement, and it seems like I saw something saying the LS6 manifolds were redesigned from the LS1. Not sure, though. 2001 does have pup cats.
All that said, why not upgrade to some longtube headers?
All that said, why not upgrade to some longtube headers?
I already had longtubes and I did not like them... Numbers were good but I care about more than numbers. I used LG's for a year.
Anyway, the exhaust on the Z06 is the same as the later C5's, same part numbers. If that would cost me $6-700 I won't even bother. I will try to find an h-pipe that hasn't been dragged across the corner strips at a track eventually that isn't $300...
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,058
Likes: 9,820
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
I believe GM changed the exhaust manifolds in 2001 from stainless steel to cast iron. 97-00 had the double wall stainless ones. Supposedly the newer manifolds provided better exhaust flow and were lighter?? That was part of the 5 HP increase on the LS1 engine.
Bill
Bill
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 7,788
Likes: 6
From: Winchester TN
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'11
Hi Casem1 -
I was going to suggest the same thing that fdxpilot did - you can get a nice take-off system from LG - when I was there they told me they let them pile up and then someone comes and takes the pile away.
best regards -
mqqn