[Seltzinator]

I've had my '07 Solstice GXP for about 2 months now and I really love everything about it... except the exhaust noise. I hate getting emasculated by an idling non-SS Camaro, when I could blow his doors off.

I'm on a budget and looking to get a throatier, rumbling exhaust, but I'm on a budget and don't want to invest more than $500. Any power gains would be fine, but are not a priority.

The only thing I've done is toss in a K&N air filter. Everything else is completely stock.

I'm probably going to grab the LNF budget tune for a bit more power, but for the purposes of this thread, I want to make my exhaust, deeper, throatier and manlier. I want to turn purr into a rumbling growl.

I really don't know much about cars, and nothing about modding. I don't mind paying for an install if needed.

Here's a random video I found on YT of a great-sounding exhaust, although he's removed his cat and I don't necessarily want my engine to backfire that much...

Oh, and I'd like to keep it legal in terms of emissions and noise.

Thanks so much for helping out a Solstice noob.

 

[FieroVin]

If you shop around a bit the Magnaflow cat back can be had in that price range.

 

[The_Ghost]

I've had my '07 Solstice GXP for about 2 months now and I really love everything about it... except the exhaust noise. I hate getting emasculated by an idling non-SS Camaro, when I could blow his doors off.

I'm on a budget and looking to get a throatier, rumbling exhaust, but I'm on a budget and don't want to invest more than $500. Any power gains would be fine, but are not a priority.

The only thing I've done is toss in a K&N air filter. Everything else is completely stock.

I'm probably going to grab the LNF budget tune for a bit more power, but for the purposes of this thread, I want to make my exhaust, deeper, throatier and manlier. I want to turn purr into a rumbling growl.

I really don't know much about cars, and nothing about modding. I don't mind paying for an install if needed. Your turbo acts much like a muffler, so if you muffle it again, you won't get that throaty sound.... The Solo Performance Street Race Exhaust has no mufflers. I get really nice burbling and popping....

Here's a random video I found on YT of a great-sounding exhaust, although he's removed his cat and I don't necessarily want my engine to backfire that much...

Oh, and I'd like to keep it legal in terms of emissions and noise.

Thanks so much for helping out a Solstice noob.

There isn't much for uner $500. I have the Solo Street Race.... We had over 30 Kappas at Woodward and EVERYONE including some of the Mustang guys, loved my exhaust... Your turbo acts like a muffler already. My Solo Performance Street Race Exhaust doesn't have mufflers.... It burbs and pops just the right amount. It sound AWESOME when I get on it! If you live in Michigan, I'll meet ya somewhere so you can hear it...

 

[ChopTop]

If your OEM exhaust is in good condition you can sell it and recoup some money. Lot of us have installed the 2.0 dual exhaust onto the 2.4. Only mod 2.4 owners need to do is replace the 2.4 single exhaust valance with the 2.0 dual exhaust valance or buy one of Norms dual custom fiberglass valances.

 

[King-Oka]

Remove the CAT and punch out the guts. Put it back in. Voila - lots more growl and a few more HP. If you hate it, then go buy a SOLO CAT

 

[FieroVin]

If you shop around a bit the Magnaflow cat back can be had in that price range.

I found the eBay seller I bought my Magnaflow through. Stainless Steel Cat Back Performance Exhaust System 05 Pontiac Solstice GX 6645 | eBay

I think it's legal to post eBay links, if not mods feel free to remove it.

 

[stuck]

If you follow the advice that everyone has posted, you will get it sounding much better. But, our little engines ain't never gonna rumble. It took me a while to get over that, but with time comes acceptance. :lol:

 

[mcpigm01]

Drill a hole in the muffler.

 

[The_Ghost]

If you follow the advice that everyone has posted, you will get it sounding much better. But, our little engines ain't never gonna rumble. It took me a while to get over that, but with time comes acceptance. :lol:

Ummmm.....you can get close. You won't sound like a V8, but mine sounds nasty enough that people leave me alone.

Reving engine for sound - YouTube

Engine rev - YouTube

Cold Start:

20120930_115742.mp4 - YouTube

 

[boboborino]

There is also this

http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/f59/flowmaster-muffler-77090/

Amazon.com: Flowmaster 842583 80 Series Muffler 409S - 2.50 Offset IN / 2.50 Dual OUT - Aggressive Sound: Automotive



then get a shop to throw it all together

Bert

 

[Seltzinator]

If your OEM exhaust is in good condition you can sell it and recoup some money. Lot of us have installed the 2.0 dual exhaust onto the 2.4. Only mod 2.4 owners need to do is replace the 2.4 single exhaust valance with the 2.0 dual exhaust valance or buy one of Norms dual custom fiberglass valances.

I have the GXP 2.0, so I presume it came with the 2.0 exhaust system.

I found the eBay seller I bought my Magnaflow through. Stainless Steel Cat Back Performance Exhaust System 05 Pontiac Solstice GX 6645 | eBay

I think it's legal to post eBay links, if not mods feel free to remove it.

What brand is that? Also, can I replace the catback myself with just hand tools (knowing I'm no expert, but can use a wrench) or will I need a shop to get things apart, weld or replace brackets, etc.?

Ummmm.....you can get close. You won't sound like a V8, but mine sounds nasty enough that people leave me alone.

Reving engine for sound - YouTube

Engine rev - YouTube

Cold Start:

20120930_115742.mp4 - YouTube

Now we're talking. That is epic! Does it pass inspection? What is the exact exhaust that you use?

There is also this

http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/f59/flowmaster-muffler-77090/

Amazon.com: Flowmaster 842583 80 Series Muffler 409S - 2.50 Offset IN / 2.50 Dual OUT - Aggressive Sound: Automotive



then get a shop to throw it all together

Bert

So that Flowmaster bears little resemblance to the factory exhaust. Would that be a lot of custom piping etc. or am I missing something?

 

[TX08manualGXP]

I never heard of punching the guts out of the stock cat. has anyone else done that?

That no name cat back system on ebay sounds like a great deal? do you know if it's comparable to the solo mach shorty or what?

I listened to sound clips and thought the solo race was a bit too loud for my current taste and was saving up for the mach shorty. but that 494 ebay is sounding good right about now but I'd like to actually hear one first.

 

[Seltzinator]

I never heard of punching the guts out of the stock cat. has anyone else done that?

That no name cat back system on ebay sounds like a great deal? do you know if it's comparable to the solo mach shorty or what?

I listened to sound clips and thought the solo race was a bit too loud for my current taste and was saving up for the mach shorty. but that 494 ebay is sounding good right about now but I'd like to actually hear one first.

I agree with you about the Solo Exhaust being a too loud, even though it sounds amazing. I'd like to be able to have a conversation at cruising speed.

Maybe The_Ghost can chime in more about how loud it is at cruising speed? I take my girl for rides a lot and she would not be impressed that my new exhaust now makes conversation impossible.

I called the guy in that eBay listing. He apparently can't put the manufacturer in his ebay listing, but said its a Magnaflow and you just put a 1 in front of the part number he has, so 16645, which is the MF exhaust for the GXP. List price is $669 and he's selling for $494.

I then did some digging and found it even cheaper on this site. Performance Peddler You can "name your own price" and I put in $450. It gave me a code to get it for $459 w/ free shipping. I went all the way through the checkout process (short of submitting the payment) and it didn't try to ambush me with any fees or tricks.

I suspect that MF won't let retailers post prices lower than MSRP, so they have to resort tricks like these guys. Either not listing the manufacturer or not listing the lowest price. I'm new to this whole game, so maybe I'm just missing something, but neither of these places seem to be ripoff artists.

So, I then did some more Googling and found videos of the MF exhaust in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ0Xh_B7Ocs
Its much tamer than the Solo exhaust, which you would expect, but still sounds good.

Here's one with the Mach Shorty exhaust:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuDzl9dERbM
This sounds really amazing as well, but I'd have concerns about the sound at cruising speed for sure.

For the money, I don't know if you could beat the MagnaFlow. I think Ghost and anyone else with aftermarket exhaust who could weigh in would be a big help to us. I don't want my Kappa sounding sickly anymore!

 

[TX08manualGXP]

keep in mind that the solo has several versions:
Race - no muffler
Mach shorty - loudest muffler
mach - quietest ( probably what you are looking for )

I do think there are several guys out there with the magnaflow that like theirs. I haven't found a sound clip to compare though. I want the mach shorty or something close. maybe the magnaflow is just that. hopefully someone will confirm. solo has the mach shorty for $850 plus shipping and I do not think it's worth it. 500 sounds more like it to me. I have a couple welders so if I can get my hands on that magnaflow kit, I think I'll be good to go.

 

[The_Ghost]

I agree with you about the Solo Exhaust being a too loud, even though it sounds amazing. I'd like to be able to have a conversation at cruising speed.

Maybe The_Ghost can chime in more about how loud it is at cruising speed? I take my girl for rides a lot and she would not be impressed that my new exhaust now makes conversation impossible.

I called the guy in that eBay listing. He apparently can't put the manufacturer in his ebay listing, but said its a Magnaflow and you just put a 1 in front of the part number he has, so 16645, which is the MF exhaust for the GXP. List price is $669 and he's selling for $494.

I then did some digging and found it even cheaper on this site. Performance Peddler You can "name your own price" and I put in $450. It gave me a code to get it for $459 w/ free shipping. I went all the way through the checkout process (short of submitting the payment) and it didn't try to ambush me with any fees or tricks.

I suspect that MF won't let retailers post prices lower than MSRP, so they have to resort tricks like these guys. Either not listing the manufacturer or not listing the lowest price. I'm new to this whole game, so maybe I'm just missing something, but neither of these places seem to be ripoff artists.

So, I then did some more Googling and found videos of the MF exhaust in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ0Xh_B7Ocs
Its much tamer than the Solo exhaust, which you would expect, but still sounds good.

Here's one with the Mach Shorty exhaust:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuDzl9dERbM
This sounds really amazing as well, but I'd have concerns about the sound at cruising speed for sure.

For the money, I don't know if you could beat the MagnaFlow. I think Ghost and anyone else with aftermarket exhaust who could weigh in would be a big help to us. I don't want my Kappa sounding sickly anymore!

My Solo exhaust is fine. It’s not excessively loud. You can have a conversation at speed, no issue. Unless your both pushing 300lbs and going up hill…hahahahahaa… My car only really gets loud when you’re accelerating moderately (or more) from a stop. If you drive your car in colder weather, your neighbors might not like you in the morning when you first start it at 6am like I do…LOL….but once the engine idles itself down, the car is fine. I will post more video tonight of inside at speed…and sitting at idle. Really, it is very bearable….

 

[TX08manualGXP]

That would be awesome ghost. I'd like to hear it going down the road at about 5500 too. maybe a drive by as well.

 

[TX08manualGXP]

Ya know, I was just looking at the solo and one of the things I like is that the solo kit is more of a true dual than the others. about half way back it splits into 2 and you have 2 inlets in the muffler. I think you'll get much better flow that way. I'm just gonna bite the bullet and go with the mach shorty I think. I'd still like to know about knocking the guts out of the stock cat though. would that make the stock exhaust louder? would the mod throw a code and if so, I wonder if a spark plug anti fouler would work?? I have a buddy with a dart SRT and he has a catless with one and says it works fine.

 

[Seltzinator]

I don't know why a spark plug non-fouler would have any effect on your exhaust throwing a code.

When I ask for advice, I tend to ignore people who talk about jabbing holes or ripping out the guts of components. The cat is there so that the car produces emissions within the legal limit. There's o2 sensors and stuff back there and I would be very concerned that something would throw a code or that the car would not pass inspection.

 

[PubliusE]

Ya know, I was just looking at the solo and one of the things I like is that the solo kit is more of a true dual than the others. about half way back it splits into 2 and you have 2 inlets in the muffler. I think you'll get much better flow that way..

I wanted more of the "true dual" exhaust and the only company that had one at the time was RPI. This is my RPI GT Exhaust which I do not believe you can get anymore. I have received a lot of complements about its sound.

 

[Seltzinator]

I wanted more of the "true dual" exhaust and the only company that had one at the time was RPI. This is my RPI GT Exhaust which I do not believe you can get anymore. I have received a lot of complements about its sound.

That's a beaut! Thanks for sharing.