Upgrade to 3" Exhaust question??
 

I am thinking of upgrading to a 3" exhaust.

What is the advantage of upgrading from 2 1/2 factory to a 3" exhaust from the headers back? Are you going to see Dyno numbers improve RWHP? Are you going to get a different tone/sound from the exhaust? Or are you just waisting time and $$$?

Thanks

I have stainless works 1 7/8 to a JBA 3 inch catback and I can say it is a lot more aggressive sounding that any of the other setups that I see come through my dealership. I would think you would see a little whp gain but probably nothing too dramatic to really make it worth while. The only reason I went with a 3 inch is it was on sale.

Just for reference, I have heard the kooks full systems come through and that is what my dealership puts on Camaros if customers buy the performance packages. My car sounds 100X better than that system.

I have 3" on my car and IMO makes the exhaust have a little deeper tone! Not sure about the dyno no's but should help in the upper RPM's over the 2 1/2!:thumbsup:

Thanks for the responses, My buddy owns a muffler shop and he said he would put a 3" custom exhaust installed for $200. Thought it was an awesome deal. Just wanted some input from everyone who has this mod. All I need to find now is the 4" tips for a great price. I figured it might change the tone. I'm going to have him gut the HF cats when he removes the factory pipes. I have the Texas Speed LT 1 7/8 headers already.

From a power standpoint you wont gain anything unless your over 450RWHP. The only thing you are going to change is sound below that power level. You might want to ask 3inch owners about the drone as well.

Great question!

Never thought about the drone issue.. Thanks.. Any thoughts from who has 3" exhaust on the drone issue?

I have the LG long tubes and their full 3" system and I love the power and sound and I agree on the over 450whp gains. You will need more supporting mods to see significant gains from just a 3" system. I'm at 650whp with this set up.

Muwahaha. Crazy drone. I don't mind it, but I don't take the car on long trips very often. It's not even just loud drone, you can feel it too. J-pipes are in my future. I have a hard time believing they will get rid of all of it though.

Like the first response, this JBA 3" is the most aggressive sounding system I have had the opportunity to hear. It sounds downright mean. This the the video (not my car) that I always post for people to hear the system. It's a great capture of the exhaust the way it really sounds.

I have Kooks long tubes with HFC's hooked up to Billy Boat 3" and have absolutely no drone!:chevy:

You will not see any performance benefit to 3 inch exhaust until you start getting into forced induction and flowing a lot of air. You will get a deeper tone with 3 inch exhaust though. Drone completely depends on the system. The Stainless Works Retro Chambered cat back is a 3 inch system and drone free.

Might be worth it if you have a wife! ;)

A performance exhaust is all about exhaust velocity. The faster the exhaust moves, the more efficiantly your engine breathes and makes power. And exhaust that is too large, like a 3" exhaust on a stockish Camaro will not see any gain, and may lose some power because the exhaust is not as pressurized.

Also on a side note, I have found 3" exhausts tend to have the highest chance of droning because for lack of a more technical term, the larger diameter pipe allows the exhaust sound frequencies to vibrate more.

I'll take this one. Here are the wavelengths in feet for 1 KHz and 2 KHz respectively: 1.129 & 0.56.

To create a standing wave, or constructive interference, you need to divide a full wavelength in a way that adds up as it reflects. For example a wavelength of .5 feet would be a 3" x 2 at around 2k rpm. That should be a familiar rpm range for drone sufferers. Whereas a 2.5 inch wavelength doesn't divide into overlapping waves until higher in the rpm band when the car is being driven harder anyways.

4k is 0.28 feet, so that would be another hotspot for a 3".