No..HP....gains. You do get big gains in noise and attention! 
Cat back, HP increase or not?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,184
Likes: 78
From: Corpus Christi Texas
Cat back, HP increase or not?
I've been reading through a lot of threads and I'm getting the idea that the different cat back systems are purely cosmetic and accustical.
Is there any that increase horsepower and no drawbacks to them out there?
Is there any that increase horsepower and no drawbacks to them out there?
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 57,408
Likes: 164
From: queensbury ny
catback
minimal gain w/just a cat back.more for looks and sound,no matter what the sellers claim!for gains that mean anything,you'll need intake and a tune as well.BUT THEY SURE DO LOOK GOOD AND SOUND NICE! 
Tech Contributor
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Colorado Springs, CO
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11
Im the last person to jump on the Z06 band wagon but its exhaust which opens fully at 3500 and is 3" should prove to be the best bet in performance mods as far as exhaust. Lets just hope GM doesn't charge as silly a price as other 1400 dollar rip-off manufactures for 2 mufflers, tips, and 2 pipes.
CF Community Team
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From: Cape Cod, Mass.
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A recent article in Vette magazine did a before and after Dyno of an otherwise completely stock C-6 after installing B&B Bullets and gained 10 HP and 22 Ft lbs of torque at the rear wheels with no other mods. They were skeptical, as I am, before the test. But the numbers don't lie. The torque gains were real low in the RPM band, around 2200 RPM. I put the Bullets on my car and it does feel a little torquier. It feels even faster after reading that article!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2005
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From: Northern NYs Adirondack Mountains,http://www.visitsacandaga.com.
Originally Posted by jessem
minimal gain w/just a cat back.more for looks and sound,no matter what the sellers claim!for gains that mean anything,you'll need intake and a tune as well.BUT THEY SURE DO LOOK GOOD AND SOUND NICE!
Put on My Corsa sports 5 weeks after I got Vette. Now it looks and sounds much better. Power, I noticed no difference.
Had same results with my C5. I did notice a power increase after I put on my air intake in C5. Of course that could have been the total result of exhaust system and air intake working together.
Still checking out the C6 air intake systems, who knows what next driving season will bring.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 151
Likes: 1
From: Green Bay WI
Between the air intake (Halltech Stinger), exhaust (Corsa Sports) and tune (Halltech LS2 edit) I gained 35 rear wheel horsepower. I don't know how much is attributable to each individually, but if you can do all three the car "opens up" and becomes a different animal.
The math doesn't quite add up... as people say they gain 20-25hp from a tune, 12-15 from an intake and 10 from exhaust. I don't have 45-50 additional horsepower.... but still have been very pleased!
The math doesn't quite add up... as people say they gain 20-25hp from a tune, 12-15 from an intake and 10 from exhaust. I don't have 45-50 additional horsepower.... but still have been very pleased!
Last edited by mikejofgb; Oct 13, 2005 at 10:59 AM.
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Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2001
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From: Short Hills, NJ
Originally Posted by RyanC6
I gained like 10+ rwhp with my XR-1's for my C5. They had no mufflers. I would assume the BB Bullets would yield similar.
Of course the sound and appearance gains of a good cat back are real.
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: It's warm in Fla!
CI 6-7-8-9-10-12 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '11
And this discussion brings it back to a question I posed last week and never got an answer on that I can find. What is the difference (in HP or torque) between a cat back system and just adding an "X" pipe and magnaflow mufflers? I'm not talking headers, and I'm not asking for opinions on the sound qualities of magnaflows. Thanks, Kevin
