Gash05

Hi, I really want to get a dual exhaust setup on my car but I want it to have an X-pipe as well so I can get the good sound and performance of a no-cat setup. I looked at the picture of the Magnaflow system and it has a Y-pipe so I was wondering if I could buy the kit and buy a separate X-pipe to be put on. Would that work? If so, what brand of X-pipe would you recommend using with a Magnaflow kit?

Thanks in advance,
Gary

Fazm

You would probably be better off and cheaper by just getting a custom setup with an x-pipe and throw on your mufflers of choice. Because with the ypipe setup you would have to buy some extra pipe, and custom work to get the xpipe to fit in.

MSP

Buy a Magnaflow XPIPE, and you will be all good.. The XPIPE goes on after the cats, so you will still be legal, and it will sound awsome.. I say go for it!

rygenstormlocke

I have the kit you are looking into. It all depends on where you live? In my area, most of the shops charge a lot for custom jobs. I could not find a shop that would do a maganflow xpipe with mufflers for under $700. So i went with the kit and will be adding a xpipe shortly.

However, most people on here have managed a magnaflow xpipe custom kit with flowmaster 40's for around $350. This is a good setup and $200 cheaper than the route I had to take.

By the way, if you do go with this kit, it is not difficult to convert it to a xpipe setup. My shop confirmed they can convert it for about $100 bucks labor and custom piping.

Good luck.

Gearhead

My muffler guy experimented with both the X-pipe, and the H-pipe. He claims the H-pipe sounds more muscle car like. Without any crossover at all, the exhaust is too poppy.
With my Cats in-place and Dual 2.25" x 14" Magnaflows with H-pipe, it sounds about as close to a classic muscle car sound as you are going to get with a V6.

Gash05

ok so if I get the Magnaflow kit put on I can still have them put an X-pipe in? Does it matter which brand or what? For instance, would it be easier for them to convert it if the X-pipe was from Magnaflow or would it matter?

yur1279

all that really matters is that the pipes are the same size. I'm going with the GT take off rout. Basically got the mufflers for $40, a drivers side pipe for under $100 and the Xpipe off ebay for less then $100, and then hopeing to fidn a shop to install everything without charging an arm and a leg since its pretty straight forward.

Gash05

I'm not picking at you but I have always wondered this, are the GT take-offs louder then an aftermarket v6 dual system or what? It seems like you would get more of a v8 sound since they originally came from a v8 but I don't want to assume anything. I suppose it would be cheaper to get the X-Pipe and GT Take-offs and just tell the shop to use custom piping. I heard a clip of a v6 with take-offs and an x-pipe and it sounded nasty (just how I want mine to sound hehe).

Also what kind of gains are seen with the GT take-offs compared to the Magnaflow? Which is greater?

Zodiac

Im just gonna break this down as best I can and hope it clears things up plus I just feel the need to do it right now whee adderall haha

I havent seen any side by side dynos on the different exhaust systems right now. There has been much much speculation about them and their performance gains, but no condusive dyno research to give exact numbers, gains, a good comparison.

The GT Takeoffs are quiet compared to the other exhaust systems. True, they come off the v8 but also consider if they provided the best sound why would any GT owner ever change his exhaust for anything but peformance? I believe almost everyone in changing exhaust has to hope for tone and sound rather than performance. The MACs have a 4" tip and sound completely ricey to me. Horrible imo. If you proved to me this very minute that they gave you an automatic 15rwhp power gain, I still wouldnt buy them. I dont want my car to sound like a riced up civic. Ill sacrafice the difference in hp which may be 5-6 compared to every other brand for the sound.

The GT takeoffs give a much deeper done than the v6 exhaust does. They do not, however, have the wide open growl or volume that flowmasters provide. To me, this is more the classic v8 sound. The takeoffs are just too quiet for me to say its the classic v8 sound.

As with midpipes, and this debate has raged on for EVER now on the boards, please dont let me reopen it haha. I have never seen condusive dyno tests to say an Xpipe makes better power than an Hpipe. What I can say, however, is this. Generally speaking from experience the Xpipe will flow air better and be more condusive to 1/4 mile runs. The Xpipe tends to move power towards the upper rpms. The Hpipe traditionally produces a more classic v8 sound, and will generally produce more power low in the band compared to up high. As Fazm just pointed out to me, the gains from the Xpipe under a heavily modded situation up high will most likely outweigh the gains from the Hpipe down low. I have to agree. My philosophy as always been, "Make power up high, compensate with gears down low."

You can mix and match exhaust systems till you're blue in the face. All you need are headers, pipes, midpipe, and mufflers... doesnt matter the brand. Of course different combinations are going to produce different performance and sounds, but as before thats still up in the air at this point.

Hope this helps and I got everything right.

ManEHawke

Good post.
I love your philosophy phrase

MSP

I sure wish I could get a sound clip of your car.. I'm dyin to hear an H-PIPE.. Most claim its sounds better than the XPIPE.. I wouldnt know personally how the HPIPE sounds.. So if your kind enough, could ya?

MSP

Make sure you get a MagnaFlow XPIPE.. If you allow a Bassani to be installed on your car, I will not try and defend the sound of your car.. Your on your own..

Zodiac

I swear to God MSP, Im going to give you my phone number and go crank my car for you one day.

rygenstormlocke

I'd be very curious to hear how your ride sounds as well. What kind of H pipe did you get?

Gearhead

Randy's Muffler in Marysville, WA did the work. He torches out the opening between the parallel pipes near to the engine and cats, then welds in a pipe.
I'll have to record a *.wav file of the sound.

MSP

Sweet! I'll be waiting.. Most guys here know how much effort I put into this early on, and in that effort, never tried out an H-PIPE..

I will stand behind an XPIPE, but am open to the possibility that an HPIPE may sound better.. Knowing the exhaust system on my car as well as I do, I tend to believe that an H-PIPE would be alittle deeper sounding because of the design.. Where my XPIPE flows through easier, than an HPIPE would, I can see how this extra time the exhaust has to build up inside the HPIPE would give off alittle deeper tone..


If your sound clip can convince me, I'll get her done!!!

rygenstormlocke

I'm curious too, my understanding is a H pipe combines pules from the left bank to the right and gives it a deeper bark with increased low tq performance.

There is a awesome article on this in this months MMFF.

Lincv8

I did the complete Magna duel system, too intense and ricey sounding, so I added the H pipe and it helped a little, but still too ricey. I don't know what my next move is. Talked to Flowmaster rep at Goodguys show this weekend and maybe thats the route to go. Dump the magnaflows and put on Flowmasters. My exhaust shop guy loves me. I'm putting his kid thru college.

rygenstormlocke

Hmmm, my magnaflows don't sound ricey, and I thought an H pipe would help a lot. Maybe its how it sounds to me, inside the car I can't tell as much. I'll have someone rev it outside the car for me again.

Thomas S

Your exhaust sounds better than any that I've heard so far. It sounds so good that I'm thinking of doing the same thing. And I have a single Magnaflow now.