First off...big thanks to SOLO Performance for the Mach XL cat-back system.
Awesome sound and easy install!
I had G-Force Motorsports install my Mach XL system yesterday morning. Comments from them were that these aftermarket kits rarely fit right straight out of the box and can be a pain to install...then they did my exhaust.
17 minutes. That's it...from the time the stock exhaust was off to the time my car was back on the ground and fired up for the first time. They were pleased with the smooth bends, perfect alignment and quick install.
This shop normally works on high power V8s so my V6 was a different sound than they are used to. The first comment out of the tech's mouth after he fired up the car for the first time...."That's unique!". I couldn't help but laugh since that was the type of sound I was going for.
As for dyno results, didn't gain anything and didn't lose anything. That's a good thing since it means that the GM design makes anything behind the cats somewhat invisible to the engine and that adding this exhaust kit didn't mess that up. I really wasn't looking for any gains with this kit, just for sound improvements and to get rid of those stupid looking cans under the rearend.
First impressions...
Initially, the exhaust sounded a bit "boomy" inside the car when I'd get on it. I wasn't quite ready for the change in sound but that's not necessarily a bad thing considering the stealth mode the stock exhaust provided. With the stock exhaust, I couldn't even hear it if I had the radio on, even at a low volume. With the Mach XL, you know it's there when you hit the go pedal but it quietly fades into the background when just cruising along in any gear. I like that. If I want to hear it, I can. If I'm just cruising along, it doesn't overpower the interior with excess sound. Nice balance. Even on my commute in this morning, the exhaust wasn't overbearing while in stop and go traffic but once the bottlenecks opened up...sweet sound!
Cold starts...Definitely louder than stock until the idle drops down from the high idle to normal.
Deceleration sounds...what can I say...it's awesome!
Overall, 100% satisfied with the Mach XL. I don't feel like I'm driving in stealth mode anymore and the sound is certainly fitting for the performance V6 that sits under the hood of a great looking exterior. It used to be that the only people who would turn to look at the car were ones that were already looking in my general direction. Now people turn to find the sound, then they see the car. Even on the drive home from work last night, I took off from a stop sign and a group of 3 guys walking on the sidewalk whipped their heads around before I was even 100 ft from them.
I'll try to get some more video to post this weekend but for now, this is what I've got up on Youtube. It was way too windy yesterday and most of the video I have was ruined by wind noise.
Dyno runs (notice that the dyno whine overwhelms the stock exhaust):
Cold starts: