SOLO PERFORMANCE makes two EXCELLENT Exhausts for the 6.2L V8

[Xmicro_SS]

Well, I am back in NY from my trip to Canada where I had the priviage in helping SOLO PERFORMANCE design and build systems for our Camaro's.
http://www.solo-performance.com/about.asp
SOLO did a long bit of leg work to get to the point where they can get me out in a few days. They already had measurements, mandrel bent pipe, and a few configurations that they installed on other like cars. They spent many years designing a vast array of Mufflers, Resonators, x-Pipe designs, and other solutions for clients that were not happy with the larger companies offerings. So we are at this place in time.

{Just a fact about SOLO, these guys are the only Large MUFFLER ONLY SHOP left in North America. They have 4 HUSE locations and some of the best talent in the business. The guys that worked on this system were all in the business over 35 years with tons of racing, show car, and general auto experience. THEY ARE THE INSTALLER OF THE MASS PRODUCED STUFF, and they have to face the client day in and day out with crap that rattles, doesn't fit or hang right and actually robs power from unsuspecting clients.......so those clients do not go back to the manufacturer, they go to the installer!! THey have come up with their own product so they can sleep at night and give a better product for less and make customers happy.....nothing like a little face time to add the human element into merchandise sales!! }

SOLO has come up with 2 very distinct offerings for us that I personally feel will Rock the Camaro world and introduce them to a market that has no idea how good they are and how amazing their product is. SERIOUSLY!
Both systems are full stainless with mandrel bent pipes. They are both 2.5" and have polished, Double wall, 4" Tips at just the right angle. Both are made with both sides mirrored and are made for ease of install.

The SOLO axle Back system for the 2010 Camaro SS was were we started. In my other thread, I told you a bit about the Axle back system they designed. It is a stainless system that replaces the factory mufflers and gets rid of the uneven pipe bends that occur on the factory system after the center factory resonators. This system gave my SS a very Throaty Mean sound and made me happy I bought this car..........because no Camaro should be that quite! It also increased exhaust flow, and gave the car a much more open, less restricted feel. The throttle response was faster and the car seemed to come alive. It took the computer very little time to adjust to this system and continued adjusting as I drove. On the highway this system purrs. To stay 100% honest and upfront at MAX Load in 6th gear at around 200 RPM, there is just a SLIGHT hint of Drone. It is VERY Subtle, and better than most of the other systems I have heard that are louder systems. I would say this system is 85% perfect, but you have to remember we are talking Axle Back and still using the factory resonators!!

No prices are finalized yet, but this system will be VERY REASONABLE and make the average person SUPER HAPPY WITH THEIR CAMARO! I almost told them to leave this on on for me to purchase..............until I tested the MACH X.

2010 SOLO PERFORMANCE CAMARO MACH X CATBACK SYSTEM
I am not worthy!............I am not worthy!

So it was the next day that they started putting together the Mach X system for my car. I told them I wanted and X-Pipe system because I have read so much about the amazing difference with this type of system on a car like the Camaro. Well they agreed and were Happy to share one of their favorite products they have designed.......the Mach X. It is a Resonator / X-Pipe system, built into a single polished stainless box. This piece is a product of SOLO and SOLO alone, their is not another product like it on the market. it uses a special combination of Packing Material, Proper Louver design, and special formulated pipe bends within it that add up to an amazing product!!
The Mach X System is mounted from the Cats back using the factory clamps up front, with straight MIRRORED pipes. Right in the middle of the car it goes into the X Pipe / resonator. From the resonator the system has been carefully designed so that the left can mirror the right size allowing for even flow and an amazing clean look from the rear and under the car. NO MORE FACTORY FLAT SPOTS, NO MORE FACTORY UNEVEN BENDS AND PIPE KINKS. Perfection from front to rear. These mirrored pipes go back into 2 beautiful Polished 4" DOUBLE WALLED tips that work perfect for this car. This system weighs 46lbs compared to the factory 68lbs. 33% less.

With hours of labor to get it perfect, we got on the road with this system and it was obvious we had a winner, as we hoped we would. The car had amazing increase in Power and Torque to the point were I had to re-learn how to shift smooth, it just wanted to fly. It has an exotic Muscle, Hi-End Exhaust note that is not too loud or too quite....IT IS PERFECT. It growls like the head lion of the pack, confident, solid and powerful. The car was just the way it should have been from the factory. Sitting still it has that deep purr that a well built engine should be giving off. From idle to REDLINE it roars like a NASCAR mated with a Ferrari....Exotic Power we called it. The X-Pipe felt like 30 - 40 HP gain to the Butt Dyno, butt I would expect on a real dyno probably about 20HP. The X really helped the flow. Coming down off of the throttle gives you just enough burble to realize how good that flow really is......music to my ears.

And for a quick surprise added to the mix. When I left for Canada to go to SOLO, I was getting average 17.9 miles to the Gallon with a good mix of local and highway (Mostly Highway). I had 750 miles on the ODO when I left and I already did my first Oil Change (Mobil 1 at dealer). The morning I left I traveled 450 miles and the average miles per gallon went to 18.1. SO being that I went 1 and 1/2 times my total milage I figure this is about what I was getting with my style of driving (Heavy foot and love to leave the Tach around 2500). So I left Canada this morning packing the Mach X. When I checked my average fuel consumption after all the testing my average was up to 18.9............how can that be I was slamming the pedal to the floor the whole time????? So I continued on my Journey home. When I got close to my house (430 miles later) I was up to an average of 23.2 Miles per gallon.........I still cannot believe it. Trust me I was not driving lightly, I was too busy playing with my new sound! Crazy, but true. I cannot wait to see if others have that same thing happen, but that is all I did to the car, so it must be. THe car is supposed to get up to 24 babying it on the highway only. Well if I am averaging 23.2 driving it hard with a mix, I am a happy man!! Another interesting note: When a stainless system heats up and wears in it bronzes. Well the factory system had almost 1000 miles on it and it stopped bronzing all the way up front before the factory resonators, the Solo Mach X after 50 miles bronzed all the way back to a foot from the tips. Shows how well it flows!!

CAMARO MACH X Cat Back System works with the 6.2 liter V8's and has been test fit only on the 6 speed manual to date. Their may need to be a slight adjustment to the pipe bends for the auto we are not sure yet, but they are working on getting one now, to check.

Well that is the story, Keep your eye out here for user GoingSolo(Steve) and myself to be posting info here with final detail of when and how much. I talked to the owner of SOLO and he said, way cheaper and better than the competition and he is a man of his word who installs and deals with that competition on a daily basis.

Here are some cool preliminary pics. More pics, video, and sound clips to come!!




NOTE FOR LT and LS OWNERS: There are systems in development right now for the V6...........coming REALLY SOON and at a price you cannot refuse!!

[1badSS/RS]

Those look awsome. Would love to hear them.

[Xmicro_SS]

Originally Posted by 1badSS/RS

Those look awsome. Would love to hear them.

Clips coming soon!! I brought it by the GM dealer up in Canada and their exact words..........."Sounds like a freakin' Z06". They also said, this is how it should have come from the factory. I have to agree with that one.

Keep your eyes peeled. This system will be much less than the competition and better quality. They are all being hand jigged and assembled. When you weld stainless it has a tendency to "Drift" out of position. With the mass produced units, there is a "tolerance" which is VERY wide. These guys are extremely picky. All pipes are done with a computerized mandrel bender, so the left and the right are an exact mirror for perfectly even flow!! The tips are double walled so they do not melt the fascia( I saw that happened to one member).

I cannot say enough about the quality of these systems!

[Xmicro_SS]

Please feel free to comment or ask any questions. I tried covering everything I could think of, but if you guys have any further questions please ask. SOLO would like some real world Feedback about what you guys like and don't. WHat you guys are looking for in an exhaust that nobody else is offering.


Thanks for looking, I hope I do not seem too over enthusiastic, I just got a lot more than I expected. I expected to settle somewhere, but I feel like I got my Cake (power and great sound) and I can eat it too (NO DRONE).

[GOINGSOLO2]

Can you tell Paul is excited?? HA HA

We will have both the Axle-Back and Mach X kits jigged and ready for production in approximately 2 weeks. If you are near the Buffalo, NY or Canadian store, our muffler shops can install it for you (Zorro Muffler in Canada and Mufflerman in Buffalo). We will be uploading some videos soon.

[GOINGSOLO2]

I just had a chance to drive in Paul's car and let me say, WOW! There is ZERO drone at any RPM. We were in 6th gear at 800RPM and not one ounce of drone. We were able to have a conversation with ease, and it sounds mean as hell under load. We are in the process of getting some video material together. It is perfect...I don't think it could have been made any better...there is a noticeable increase in power, no dead spot in 6th gear, no drone, sounds like a muscle car should, and the prices we are discussing will make you all very happy.

Here are a few more pictures that I took from today. Notice that the tips are angles to follow the lines of the rear fascia. Also, notice how perfect the alignment of the tips are, using the stock rubber hangers. The engineering inside our Mach X enclosure is top of the line and took a long time to finalize. This is what lead to the perfect blend of sound, power, and economic.

[Xmicro_SS]

Originally Posted by GOINGSOLO2

I just had a chance to drive in Paul's car and let me say, WOW! There is ZERO drone at any RPM. We were in 6th gear at 800RPM and not one ounce of drone. We were able to have a conversation with ease, and it sounds mean as hell under load. We are in the process of getting some video material together. It is perfect...I don't think it could have been made any better...there is a noticeable increase in power, no dead spot in 6th gear, no drone, sounds like a muscle car should, and the prices we are discussing will make you all very happy.

Here are a few more pictures that I took from today. Notice that the tips are angles to follow the lines of the rear fascia. Also, notice how perfect the alignment of the tips are, using the stock rubber hangers. The engineering inside our Mach X enclosure is top of the line and took a long time to finalize. This is what lead to the perfect blend of sound, power, and economic.

Thanks Steve, great ride today. The system is settling in very nice. My fuel average is still up at the 22-23MPG mark even with all the local driving. Got a few thumbs up on the highway and when I went into the CVS, a guy came up and said, what did you do under the hood, my friend has a Gen5 Camaro and it doesn't sound like that. Well I gave that guy a Camaro 5 card and a talk about SOLO. I have a feeling you will be getting another PM!! You guys Rock!

[SSmoked]

nice looking system. btw how big are those tips? they look huge in those pictures

[SGOS252382]

Originally Posted by SSmoked

nice looking system. btw how big are those tips? they look huge in those pictures

My guess is they're 4.5''.
The look very similar in size and style to the GMPP exhaust tips.

[GOINGSOLO2]

You guys are correct. The tips are 4.5" T-304 polished stainless steel. They have an inner beveled edge. The stock tips do not have that bevel. The inner bevel makes the tip look finished and have body to it.

The Mach-X muffler is a true X design on the internals. It creates a low pressure system in the X part of the kit and sucks the exhaust through. It is heavily packed with ceramic fiber and stainless steel wool. It is unique because that packing is in 4 separate chambers, rather than one chamber. With 4 chambers, the packing won't move around changing the sound over the years. Internal support plates make the muffler really strong, and create the four chambers. It is dual 2.5" in and dual 2.5" out. The pipes are all mandrel bent 2.5 inch with no flat spots having to be incorporated, as GM did to get around some floor pan issues. They are made of T-409 stainless steel. The Mach-X kit is a complete mirror image. GM found it very difficult to make their dual exhaust a mirror image system. The rear differential made it difficult to create this mirror image. Our kit was painstakingly designed as a mirror image system.

We will have pricing within the week.

[Scott@Bjorn3D]

Do they have anything for the L99? I would love to get the GM resonators out of there.

[Xmicro_SS]

Originally Posted by Scott@Bjorn3D

Do they have anything for the L99? I would love to get the GM resonators out of there.

Hey Scott, I believe they are looking for a local guy with the L99 to install in case there are any fit issues by the tranny. It would be a slight tweak if anything.


VIDEO CLIPS REAL SOON.......ALMOST THERE!!

[edog]

Do they need a car?

[Xmicro_SS]

Originally Posted by edog

Do they need a car?

I think they are looking for someone local, they are up in Hamilton Ontario Canada. That was an 8 hour trip from Westchester NY. But if you want to take that long of a ride, let Steve (GOINGSOLO2) or even me know and I will ask them.