SOLO Performance V6 Cat-Back Exhaust Update

[GrimKeeper]

Originally Posted by Abygale

Thank you Grim. I can't wait to hear some videos

V6 Manual Cat back test drive done...sounds very good. 4 1/2"!!! tips being put on as we speak. Going to try and get some pics and video before I have to leave.

V6 Automatic Cat back still being tweaked (giving the guys here a real challenge). They won't give up though.

[efpardo]

thanks for the updates! It's taking the edge off the wait.

[TJ91]

Originally Posted by GrimKeeper

V6 Manual Cat back test drive done...sounds very good. 4 1/2"!!! tips being put on as we speak. Going to try and get some pics and video before I have to leave.

V6 Automatic Cat back still being tweaked (giving the guys here a real challenge). They won't give up though.

[lakers171]

was today the last day for the week the V6's show up at the shop?

[Xmicro_SS]

Originally Posted by lakers171

was today the last day for the week the V6's show up at the shop?

2 of them showed up and they are still working I believe!

[lakers171]

Originally Posted by Xmicro_SS

2 of them showed up and they are still working I believe!

oh wow its like what in canada since its 4:30 in LA so it must be 8:30 wow talk about dedicated. I like it!

[Abygale]

Any new information Grim???

[aki]

I was the automatic that showed up yesterday. The boys at solo worked all day on our cars trying everything they could. Grim's manual really turned out good. Mine sounds really good but I def have drone at 2000 RPM. I am going to drive it for awhile to see how it breaks in. Solo's products and attention to detail can't be stressed enough. Jeff took plenty of video of both cars inside and out and should post them soon (they really sounded good).

[efpardo]

aki - Did they do the Cat Back or Axle Back?

[aki]

Cat back on both cars. They axle back was very aggressive and droned on both cars. Grimms camaro was straight pipes in the back while mine had resonators (I'm sure photos and details will be posted). I didn't have a camera on me so I will leave the details to Solo.

[Abygale]

Thanks Aki. Please keep us posted on what you think after you've driven it more. Mine is an automatic too so I'm particularly interested in your results

[GrimKeeper]

Originally Posted by Abygale

Any new information Grim???

Sorry for the delay in reporting back. Yesterday was a long day at Solo...playing a little catch up last night and this morning.

I will echo some of the comments posted by AKI who was there with his V6 automatic.

To give a little context to my comments here is what my expectations/wants were going in:

- Deep sounding noticeable sound, but not loud (I may be more conservative in what I wanted than others)
- No highway drone
- No 'ricey' higher pitched sound
- Aesthetic improvement
- Quality workmanship
- Performance improvement would be a bonus

Was I optimistic that all this could be achieved given the dismal looking and sounding exhaust that comes with the V6...not really.

Sound Results:
Axel back - Tried various configurations and tweaks on an Axel back set up, but neither myself or Jeff from Solo were happy with the overall sound. At rev and through the gears it sounded very nice, but the drone in around the 2200RPM range was substantial and although improved could not be eliminated.

Cat Back - As AKI noted above the end result on the Cat Back setup for my V6 Manual was very good. The tone is suprisingly deep for a V6 and sounds great through acceleration and deceleration. I would say the highway drone is non existent and the best way I could describe the cabin sound is a steady deep hum when maintaining speed or going up hill.

Negatives (since I believe all systems will have some) - When standing still and stomping on the gas for a hard rev you do here some crackling at the upper end. This is not present when driving the car and stomping on the gas.

Outside of that my only other 'concern' and this is a personal choice is that it may be a little louder and more aggressive that I had originally expected. To address this Jeff has given me the option to come back and try adding resonators to slightly quite things down. Others I'm sure will love it and some my want it even louder. Hopefully, the videos Jeff took will give you some good audio to judge for yourself.

Overall on the sound I am very happy with the end product on my car and I am no longer embarassed by the crappy sounding exhaust.

Aesthetics: - Solo will hopefully get the pictures up soon, but all I can say is WOW what a difference. I never really appreciated how cheap and undersized the exhaust tips were for the openings that are there. Solo was able to use 4 1/2" tips on my set up and they look awesome...very happy with the look.

Performance - Can I say there is a definite improvement in performance? No. Does it feel better and quicker...yes, but am I influnced by the fact that it now sounds like it's faster, maybe. In reading other exhaust threads it appears the stock set up was pretty efficient on the V6 and those that have put the car on a Dyno before and after with various exhaust set ups have not seen more than a 5-8 HP increase at best. I would say the Solo set up could very well be in that range.

Workmanship - Again I will echo the comments from AKI, the treatment received at Solo by Jeff and the entire group of guys was first class. The V6 version proved to be extremenly challenging, especially the difference in sound between the manual and automatic. Jeff and his crew were relentless in trying to find the ideal setup. I will commend Jeff on being honest in listening to each set up and analyzing the sound. He was not trying to sell us somehting that did not sound right, he was very critical and wanted to ensure the best combination was found. His attention to detail and hands on approach was impressive. I never realized how much time and attention to detail could go into aligning the tips to ensure they looked just right.

Sorry for the long post, but I thought it would benefit others to have as much information as possible.

As a one line summary: Very happy with the sound, ecstatic with the look and I would have no hesitations recommending Solo Performance for any type of exhaust work.

Hope that help and I too can't wait for the pictures and video clips.

[Abygale]

Thank you Grim for the very detailed write-up. These guys sound great to work with!

[efpardo]

+1