Hi, I'm new to the site and to the vette world as well. I just bought an 01 coupe and am wanting to do something with the exhaust. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with removing the stock mufflers and basically running straights from the cats back. Any info of how this would sound/perform compared to something like a Borla Stinger or B&B Bullet system? Thanks!

 

check " you tube " a lot of clips on this..

 

There are a couple different exhaust systems for sale that are basically just straight pipes.

I think the cheapest one is the Borla XR-1 pipes.

http://www.mamotorworks.com/corvette...1-36-9446.html

As you can see its really just a straight pipe with no muffler or anything.

They sound great to me, but are "raw" sounding which puts some people off, and be warned that they are very loud all the time. The loud "drone" of these types of pipes on the highway also put people off. I personally like a loud exhaust, but to each their own.

Here's a sound clip I found:



A lot of the clips you'll find on youtube of loud exahusts have cars with longtube headers, no cats, and a large cam. These will make the car sound very different. If your car is stock, then it will sound like the clip above.

 

removing the mufflers will indeed make the car Loud. If you want poor quality performance and drone in the cabin , that is the way to go ... other than that quality exhaust notes are a personal preference. What I like you might never like so why ask anyone. Everyone has an opinion.
Many will hide behind their choice of exhaust systems because they spent " Their " money on it. Many buy a new exhaust system and are blinded by the placebo effect.
For me, I bought the Corsa Indy pace car system. I bought it 12 years ago. its guaranteed for life, and it sound as perfect today as it did 12 years ago. I could remove this system today and sell it for 600 or 700 dollars and buy something else. I could throw it in the trash because it doesn't owe me anything. I could buy any system I want , but there is nothing out there that impresses me more than what I already have.
There are many loud and obnoxious systems you could buy. There is a science behind designing a muffler system. Muffler systems offer great idle, or great wide open throttle , or great cruise speed with no drone.
there is no system out there that offers all three, you can have two of the three, because everything is a compromise. Many younger people will go for a system that is loud and obnoxious and a re willing to give up the great cruise without drone. Systems like Loud mouths etc. You really have to sit in a car and "feel" the exhaust tone at idle, at WOT and at cruise speed 1500 to 2000 rpm at consistent highway speeds.
Corsa Indy pace car gives up a real throaty idle but gives you great WOT tone and perfect cruise tone without any hint of drone.

 

i had to make a 5hr drive with the mufflers off one time. sounded just like the Borla straight pipes, but when i took the rear fascia off to fish the muffler mounting bolt back out of the crossbar, i noticed the styrofoam directly behind the open pipes had started to melt. just something else to think about.

 

Loud isn't bad BUT,,, the DRONE that you will experience will be HORRIBLE! I used SPACERS between the muffler-pipe and the mid pipe just to see what it would be like..

The exhaust tone is GUTTURAL and RAW. Lots of popping and more drone when cruising than you will ever care to admit.

I drove mine that way for 6 months and I was done with it at that point. Forget about holding conversations in the car. You will have to SHOUT!

If you have an automatic, its even worse cause you cant even shift around the bad drone spot (1200-2800 RPMs) Right where you cruise down the highway.

For those who have early C5 without fuel tank shielding, be careful with the spacer mod. It exits right at the fuel tank.

 

I just sold a set of Ti's to a member, installed here for him. He had headers, off road pipes and those borla straight pipes, he had the wear ear muffs from Denver to my place, 5 hr ride.

The sound was deafening, real deal race car loud. Once the Ti's were on she stink to high heaven and barely ran it was so rich.

I like loud, have B&B bullits thru stock manifolds and straight pipes, not to bad IMO, but yeah still loud blocks away.

But this guys set up was brutal.

 

I started a car on fire that way once. Not a Corvette, and it was turbocharged, so the exhaust was hotter, but I don't take any chances with hot exhaust anymore. Once that styrofoam starts burning, it is really hard to put out.

 

I did this for 6 months on a friend's recommendation. DO NOT DO IT LOL the drone is bad but the car sounds bad ***. The performance didn't seem affected at all. The major thing with this is when you remove the catback, the exhaust hits your leafspring. I was told it wasn't a direct path and not to worry. My spring cracked on the way to willow springs. I have the stinger catback now and love it. My lesson, have something there

 

I have the borla straight pipes, and they don't resonate cruising on the hwy in 6th at all. My friend had a local shop weld straight pipes with resonators and it sounds like complete *** compared to my car. It's like a motorboat sound at all rpm's.

 

When I bought my '03 coupe, it had straight tailpipes. Pretty noisy and a drone.I still have them but they are off the car.I'll give you a good deal, if you are interested.send me an email.

 

I run the Borlas during the summer track season on my daily driver. They are not that loud unless you really lay in to it and most of my neighbors are OK with them. Now at the track - :