GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hey guys....On my Vibe GT, I have the Chrome add on exhaust tip (4"??). If I were to install a high performance muffler, would I be defeating the purpose by continuing to use this tip (I really like the way it looks)? I would hate to install a new muffler but restrict it with my current tip. For the exhaust system on the Vibe GT, which brand of muffler would you guys suggest? I would be looking for something that would actually increase my HP and sound sweet as a bonus. I wouldn't really care if it were too loud. A nice throaty growl would be cool though .Jim

I'm running a flowmaster 50 series. The 60 series, though, is specifically made for 4 bangers. You can use stock tip with chrome on this because it will be welded where old muffler used to be. Magnaflow also has universal straigh-through muffler that can be welded in place of old. The only problem with these options is it's not a "cat-back system. Although, a lot of the exhuast systems out are not yielding much gain at all.here's a thread where I posted the sound clips of my exhaust with intake: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=2314

I knew the Flowmaster 60 series was made for high reving 4 cylinders but isn't the in/out pipe diameters about a 1/2" smaller than the exhaust system on the Vibe GT (2" vs 2 1/2")?Jim

You should be able to get it in different sizes. Any muffler shop can flange the pipe to fit if that is the case.Check www.summitracing.com or www.jegs.com. A lot of exhaust shops carry or can order the 60 series in different sizes. I was just too impatient to wait, so I went for the 50. i'll probably change over to the 60 sometime...I had a Magnaflow on my sunfire. It got quite load after awhile. It burnt out...added a glasspack and fixed it.

the magnaflow fits 2.25" in and 2.25" out thats what i got put on mine, i wish i had a sound clip, doesnt sound too ricey or farty got a nice low tone through 3500rpm the whole cost was about $90 usd installed. From what ive read in magazines and heard through my gearhead roommates who talk nothing other than cars, our exhaust from the factory is pretty beefy for a 4-banger. There is really no need to go bigger than the 2.25" piping from the cat back. In a V8 you can go bigger because they have low-end torque and dont really need the back pressure. In our cars we have no low-end torque and when you go much bigger than the 2.25" you are actually decreasing backpressure and lowering the torque that is not there. just look for a straight through muffler that is basically a glasspack, you'll get a nice sound and you will get better flow performance.thats just my 2 cents.yogi

I just got back from the shop myself. I went to get an estimate on having the flowmaster 60 series installled. When he told me 125 bucks and I'll remove the resignator as well I said go for it!. Took all of 25 minutes and he used the stock pipes and kept the chrome tip. Well worth the money. I agree with the tone as well, not to ricey or loud at 3000-4000rpm

Nice going! I'm gonna go for the 60 this summer, hopefully.

I had a 60 series on order, but plans fell through. I will definately be putting one on by this summer, though. I wondered about removing the resonator. I bet doing that makes it sound even better. Maybe I'll ask them to do that when I get mine. Pep Boys can order Flowmaster mufflers and they make a 60 series in the proper diameter inlet and outlet. The only problem was that the 60 series doesn't come in the stock offsets for the inlet and outlet, so you kinda have to rig up something between the muffler and the tip to extend the pipe out far enough. No sweat for a muffler shop to do that, but if you are doing it yourself, you will need a short pipe extension and a few more cuts and welds to do the job. That's why cat-back and axle-back systems are so nice. It's just like plug and play.As for gaining HP with an exhaust system on our Vibes, you aren't going to get much as was well explained earlier. If you want to get a relatively cheap, real, noticable HP gain, get a CAI. No welding involved either. I did a rough analysis on this once before. On the GT, I think Injen's CAI was adding 12 HP at the wheels for around $200. Thats about $16.66 per HP. An exhaust system designed for performance gains can cost over $400 and will only give you about 3-4 HP. That costs you about $100-$133 per HP you gain. None of this is including labor because laber rates can vary widly for these mods. But this should be a no-brainer. If you put on an exhaust, do it for the sound difference. If you want to pick up a noticable amount of HP, get the CAI. Of course, you would optimally want both, but dollar for dollar, the CAI is the way to gain performance.

quote:If I were to install a high performance muffler, would I be defeating the purpose by continuing to use this tip (I really like the way it looks)? I would hate to install a new muffler but restrict it with my current tip.You won't restrict exhaust flow with the 4" tip. The exhaust pipes are 2 1/4 inches both before and after the muffler. The pipe flanges out just before where the tip is welded on. So it will be going from 2 1/4" to 4". No restriction problems. The only way that would cause a problem is if the pipe coming out of the muffler to the tip was larger than 4" diameter. If that were the case, I would have to ask why you would want such a large diameter pipe coming our of the muffler in the first place.

removing the resonator chamber just gave it a crisper sound. I've had it on for two days now and the best comparrison I've heard is to a Ducati super bike. Even my wife who drives the car daily to work loves it.

Does the resonator serve any actual function in terms of exhaust or is it just for tone on the exhaust?Jim

the resonator is there from the factory to give it a litte more of a performance sound. i left mine in, didnt want to buffer the cost by having more stuff cut and weldedyogi