I currently have Borla Mufflers welded in on my exhaust system. Would I gain much going with a true cat back system? I like the sound Borla's have but I dont care to put out the big bucks for a cat back system from them.
In Borla, you are mainly paying for their name. Yeah the exhaust sounds awesome so you do get what you pay for I guess. I am thinking an actual catback system will give you a little gain on the top end due to the larger diameter of the pipes. If you like the sound of the Borla mufflers, look into getting a shop to make you a custom setup if you dont want to spend too much money on a catback system.
No, you will not see any noticable performance improvement. A catback will likely offer mandrel bends and larger pipes, both of which are less retrictive. But the big restriction are the stock mufflers, which you already had replaced. Depending on where you live, having a stainless steel catback may be advantagous from a longevity point of view. Also, the larger pipes could be utilized if eventually adding a blower, and also re-doing the headers and mid-pipe.
I currently have Borla Mufflers welded in on my exhaust system. Would I gain much going with a true cat back system? I like the sound Borla's have but I dont care to put out the big bucks for a cat back system from them.
I'm not sure how much of a gain you'll get, but you will get some. With our year the exhaust blows. When you install the new cat back and pull out the old one (sawzall) you'll see all the flat spots in the pipe not to mention the smaller pipe. With a good mandrel bent cat back the gases flow alot smoother and faster than they do with the factory set up. I highly recomend replacing the entire cat back.
Thanks for the replies. I might stop by the local muffler shop and see how much they would charge to swap out the pipes with a larger diameter pipe keeping the Borla’s, I think that will be cheaper than buying the Borla cat back system at $600+.
You're exhaust will be a lot louder, and the car will rev much easier. I had flows originally welded in, and now I would never do anything but a true catback. You will feel it a little bit. I would do it. How sweet does your Borla sound by the way?
Take the money you would spend on a new catback and get an x-pipe. I have Borlas welded in with a magnaflow catted x and have recieved numerous compliments. Its quiet at idle and screams at WOT. The combo is so SMOOTH sounding.
You're exhaust will be a lot louder, and the car will rev much easier. I had flows originally welded in, and now I would never do anything but a true catback. You will feel it a little bit. I would do it. How sweet does your Borla sound by the way?
Take the money you would spend on a new catback and get an x-pipe. I have Borlas welded in with a magnaflow catted x and have recieved numerous compliments. Its quiet at idle and screams at WOT. The combo is so SMOOTH sounding.
Catbacks are better than just dropping in mufflers for the following reasons:
1 - Works much better with future exhaust mods.
2 - Looks better as your not welding
3 - Lasts longer (assuming your going with stainless)
4 - Cheaper to install.
The only downside is cost. I actually ordered flows for my car. They were about $75 each. I was told to expect to pay about $80 to have them installed. That's a total of $230. I ended up cancelling the order and got a C&L Loudmouth for $340 and did it myself. No regrets.