also, '10 camaros will gain 50 HP in the higher end with Kooks headers.
I think the difference too is in the cars we drive and I’m definitely out of my league more than usual when it comes to this discussion.
50HP? I don’t know about that. Maybe with headers in conjunction with a new set of LS9 heads. But for just adding a pair of headers 50 HP is an astronomical gain.
HRM did a test with LS9 heads (good guess), and saw 49 ish (+/- 2) HP from about 5,800+ the best manifolds chevy has.
the point I want made is that exhaust modifications do work.
Your car will need back pressure to run correctly, which is one thing the muff provides. I repl orig with IMCO performance muffler. The white guy muffler shop guys were nervous little Marys and didn’t know if a perfomance muffler would work. So, I stopped in to see the chicanos. In 45 minutes I had an IMCO performance muffler and a chrome tip and a sound like a 50’s HR. After a couple weeks I installed a damper into the muffler to modify the sound. Now the car has a nice low inoffensive but strong sounding rumble at idle and growls (and not like the lawn mower engines of the rice rockets) on hard acceleration. ALSO, tremendous increase in throttle response was actually what I was looking for, and I got it! Been running this way for three years now and the chicks really like the car and the sound. Guys too. 2AYQ, straight pipes make any car sound cheap and flimsy, IMLO. Go with a good performance muffler (IMCO, FLOWMASTER, THRUSH) to get increased response and great sound. Also, make sure muffler is WELDED to the exhuast pipe and tip, if you get one, is welded on, too. AND, replace standard air filter with K&N, or, Fram Air Hog. These changes will make your car run and sound so much better, you’ll be glad you did them. Have fun!
Forget straight pipes and glass packs. Go with a good turbo muffler.
Ford spent a fortune developing and designing your exhaust system. NOTHING you can do will make ANY measurable difference except in noise, which is your main objective, right? You need a girlfriend, not a loud car…
Ford ,and most other manufacturers, also have to keep the bean counters happy, there’s a reason why not all cars come from the factory with stainless steel or aluminum, mandrel-bent exhaust systems. In this specific case the gains in going to an aftermarket exhaust system will be small. From what I’ve read on the subject, on the S197 GT’s going to an X-pipe along with aftermarket mufflers will net about a 5 HP gain, there’s not much bang for the buck there.
So, what? We’re not talking about redoing engines, here. Inexpensive ways to gain small amounts of horsepower to add to the aggregate is all a lot of people are looking for. And those small gains do make a difference worth shooting for.
Dialing 911 for a loud exhaust? Really? I don’t think that such a situation constitutes an emergency, I would wager that your local police would rather you call the non-emergency local number. I’m not saying you don’t have grounds for a complaint. But dialing 911 for a noise complaint isn’t on the same order of magnitude as say a shooting, a robbery, or a serious accident.
A few companies make straight pipes/muffler deletes for the S197. SLP LM, Pypes muffler deletes, Pype bombs and boomtubes are just a few. As long as you keep the stock cats and stock headers, muffler deletes such as the SLP LM sound good. Also performance will not suffer with these. If you take you cats off or get an off road midpipe then you will suffer low end tq loss.
“Just curious on peoples opinion”
In my opinion I hate noise above what is needed. Would you like it if you lived next to me and I left my A/C run 24 hours a day close to your bedroom window?Many companies like Flowmaster and Borla make nice, stainless steel axle pipe/muffler kits for your car. Mustangs sound great with Flowmasters on them. They have a nice rumble without being deafening or overly resonant at highway speeds. Plus, the kits come with nice looking stainless tips. They’re fairly affordable and very easy to install, and will give you a nice sound without being offensive. You could probably install them yourself if you have some basic hand tools and the willingness to try it.
Gentlemen, this thread is from February. It’s a bit “long in the tooth” to be keeping it alive.
I wasn’t aware there was a death panel for old threads 
So, you want to shoot the guy for having a loud exhaust, just so you can call 911?! Even Paulie thinks that is a little extreme, and Paulie doesn’t mind breaking some heads once in a while.