i remember a recent post on this board about this subject but wanna refresh to be absolutely sure before pushing forward with exhaust work.i am planning on 2 3/4"(if it exists)piping with 2 1/2" dynomax ultra-flow ovals.if not,i'll go with 2 1/2" piping.i am absolutely sure of the sound i'm looking for.i absolutely hate the raspy,high-pitched sound of late model exhaust systems.i am just an old,opinionated dinosaur and in my opinion,the automotive manufacturers screwed up "the sound"when they started running the left and right banks into a single pipe from the exhaust manifolds and then splitting into two again before connecting with the mufflers.my stepson has a complete stainless borla system with changeable sound discs on his 2000 ss camaro with LS-1.it sounds like crap to me no matter which disc he uses...raspy and splattery.i want mine to have a low rumble at idle and low speeds and then roar when getting on the loud pedal.i was seriously considering running an x-pipe but read in a recent post thats what causes a higher pitched exhaust note(like the late model stuff).how much(rough guess) horsepower and torque would i lose by just running true duals instead of a x-pipe or h-pipe?thanks for listening.

Maybe as much as 2-3%. If you want the traditional sound, go with straight pipes ( I wouldn't waste the $ on a H pipe myself) and straight through design mufflers ( i.e., Walker, Magnaflow, Straightline mufflers)

x pipes and h pipes will get you that more modern, european sounding note, or ford 5.0 sound. You will lose some of the snort and growl that a musclecar should have. I personally don't like it and just live with having an inferior exhaust system to have the sound I like.
I'm running 3" pipes to cheap turbo mufflers and turndowns just before the rear axle on my 68 firebird with a poncho 462. Sound excellent. Nice rumble, loud but not too loud.
My cousin has a similar setup on his 72 chevelle, except with 2.5" pipes, and a 454. Sounds great. True duals is the way to go for that classic sound.

Can we apply this same logic to a stock 283 with 2 barrel carb? (in a 64 Chevelle)
I want to go to a small Holley 4 barrel with a factory style dual exhaust using 2 or 2 1/4" pipe and some variation of a turbo muffler.
Was also curious what an H pipe would do.
I DON"T want it to sound like a Mustang! :eek:

straight pipes with ultra-flows it is!i absolutely hate that mush-tang sound!it sounds like an elephant passing gas in a metal trash can under water! tongue.gif

64 Pete I maybeable to help you cuz i have a farily Stock 307 jsut basic bolt ons. im running 2in to the mufflers ( super turbos of some sort) and then dumped under the car.. Ive alwasy wanted to change it cuz i didnt think it was loud enough but ( Ive never heard the car drive by me since im the only one that drives the car) Ive been told the car sounds really good with this setup, i wish i coudl take a sound clip but i cant.

An elephant passing gas in a metal trash can under water? Very descriptive! Not too often you hear something like that :D

Headers, 2.5" and flowmasters here...ending before the rear axle with turndowns. graemlins/thumbsup.gif I LOVE the sound. Nice deep loud rumble.........It's like there is a demon under my hood, are the noted played from the bowels of hell.....or something cool like that. ;) :D Just starter her today after a little over 2 years.........great to hear. I say screw the H or X pipe and run 2.5" or larger duals with flowmasters. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

My SS454 has a straight 2.5" system (no H or X) with mandrel bent tailpipes and old,old Flowmasters (and they don't sounds like a Flowmaster either,especially w/o the H/X)...sounds just right..the classic musclecar sound..the 2.73's keep it quiet at freeway speeds too..until you put the pedal down :D

I went from 2" hooker super comps, dual 3" TT exhaust w/ 20" case hemi super turbos (try finding a quieter muffler)
That was true "muscle car sound."

I went (and I am not sure I like the sound, but I like the quiet--- the car is so quiet now its more fun to drive..) to the same setup with an x-pipe and gained a bit of power, all of it over 4000rpm.

I wish I had all the dyno pulls from my shop so I could show you guys the "with x" and "without x." Put it this way, I tossed in a solid roller with the x and the dyno graphs don't look very different. (Hyd roller to SR plus x= not impressive dyno graph). Hopefully track should be different.
Its all about the sound. If I could have true dual sound that was quiet, I'd pay $$$$ for it. But I can't find it.

I have videos but realized only the newer ones are on the site right now. I will fix this later tonight.

matt

Originally posted by bowtie455:
straight pipes with ultra-flows it is!i absolutely hate that mush-tang sound!it sounds like an elephant passing gas in a metal trash can under water! tongue.gif How do you know what that sounds like? :confused:

lotsa alcohol! graemlins/beers.gif graemlins/clonk.gif

Check out this place before you buy
http://www.pypesexhaust.com/

I ran straight pipes with 40 series flows for about 3 months last summer. Then I had an H pipe put in and it made all the difference in the world. Noticeably more pull under 2500 rpm and deeper tone. It really seemed to mellow the whole exhaust out a lot. This was with 2 1/2 inch pipe and the crossover was probably 8 inches back from the collectors and about 2 inches in diameter.

IMO if you want the classic sound of a musclecar go wit a chambered exhuast!! kinda pricey, but definitley a musclecar sound. www.gardnerexhaust.com (http://www.gardnersexhaust.com) (i think thats the site) they have sound clips from a bunch of different chevelles with chambered exhaust. music to my ears! graemlins/thumbsup.gif

sorry its www.gardnerexhaust.com (http://www.gardnerexhaust.com)
Jay

thanks guys,i'll check'em out! graemlins/waving.gif