Headers before axle back?

[moocow2024]

Autoanything is running a deal right now and I can get JBA stainless steel headers for $322.96. I have been trying to decide between getting the corsa cat back, or just going with the MRT 2.0 axle back systems, but currently have neither. The only mod that is on my car as of yet is the Injen longtube CAI.

Here is the question.
Do I:
1.) save up and go for exhaust first.
2.) Throw the typical order of things to the side and grab JBA headers now.

Also, in your opinions, is the corsa exhaust worth the x-pipe with resonators that it comes with? Or are the stock resonators sufficient?

I have listened to many video's posted by scrming of his setup and like it very much but have had trouble finding many vid's of the corsa setup with headers. Thoughts?

[Cyber Gray]

It seems that you are looking for performance, and if I get you right then you should go for a full Cat back since it will give you more HP than the shorties.

Im not into Corsa or MRT... Im into the real stuff Magna Flow and you shall feel the difference for sure.

[VR Baron]

Originally Posted by Cyber Gray

It seems that you are looking for performance, and if I get you right then you should go for a full Cat back since it will give you more HP than the shorties.

Im not into Corsa or MRT... Im into the real stuff Magna Flow and you shall feel the difference for sure.

How is the catback as far as seat of the pants feel and drone? I ask since I have the mufflers and resonated x pipe but felt the slightly larger pipes made no real difference at this power level and catbacks look only to be good for 5-6 hp in the real world anyway. On drone I think I got some back with the shorties as It was just fine with all else I have on it + 91 octane gas.

[CamaroFreako]

DO NOT BUY THE JBA HEADERS if u dont want to get a tune , or u will end up with engine light check !!!

i will repeat, DO NOT BUY JBA HEADERS!!!!!!!!!!

unless have no problem getting a tune

[MichaelH]

if u want performance get LT headers instead of shorties and it sounds really nice to

[PoorMansCamaro]

I have videos in the sticky up top. Not the best video. They were taken with my iPhone.

[Cyber Gray]

Originally Posted by blackbee

How is the catback as far as seat of the pants feel and drone? I ask since I have the mufflers and resonated x pipe but felt the slightly larger pipes made no real difference at this power level and catbacks look only to be good for 5-6 hp in the real world anyway. On drone I think I got some back with the shorties as It was just fine with all else I have on it + 91 octane gas.

Magna Flow dyno shows 11hp+ for the Catback, and I contacted Borla too and they confirmed from 12-15 hp+ increase on their Catback.

From my experience with MF Catback, you can feel the difference above the stock for sure despite the fact that I didnt dyno my car yet.

Drone is nill, but I faced some problems with the bolts coming losse at the start. I disappeared but after several adjustments.

[VR Baron]

Originally Posted by Cyber Gray

Magna Flow dyno shows 11hp+ for the Catback, and I contacted Borla too and they confirmed from 12-15 hp+ increase on their Catback.

From my experience with MF Catback, you can feel the difference above the stock for sure despite the fact that I didnt dyno my car yet.

Drone is nill, but I faced some problems with the bolts coming losse at the start. I disappeared but after several adjustments.

Thanks for the feedback. I didn't notice much if any but I did only a custom axelback at my muffler shop I go to. We did the 14" mufflers and 12" tips he had and did our own system. He felt with this motor that the 2-1/2" pipes wouldn't do much, 1-2 hp but lose on the bottom end, which I wasn't going to do.And I did it when the engine was still new and then added an Airaid v1 so any gains were not noticed at the time, or lost with the airaid as that thing was worse then stock in my testing. I added the resoanted x pipe, as their catback has later to get rid of drone, which it did, but i think the airaid v2 and headers added some of it back after sll were seasoned in with some miles on them. Oh well it is what it is.
I always wondered about the claimed hp by Magnaflow and others as it is always 2x what we see on the dyno. We seem to get only 4 with mufflers and maybe 1-2 more with bigger pipes/x pipe and similar in torque or a little more when members test. I know on the LS1 they said 18 hp when all anyone ever got was 8-10. Thing is they really test the systems in all conditions and give an average, probably better then you or I with our three pulls we get to do. Main thing is you noticed the difference and it takes more then 5-6 hp for that. Maybe I should add the bigger pipes, might help more then people think.

[moocow2024]

Originally Posted by MichaelH

if u want performance get LT headers instead of shorties and it sounds really nice to

I have heard that in terms of sound that the shorties are superior to the LT. I am looking for performance, but, I also understand that I own a v6 and value sound over squeezing every ounce of performance out of my car. It is my daily driver so I'm not ever looking to move to forced induction. The shorties seem like a good option for what I want to do.

Are there any shorties that provide decent gains but don't cause a CEL? I thought I remember reading that scrming didn't get a CEL with his JBA's?

[CamaroDreams07]

Originally Posted by Cyber Gray

Magna Flow dyno shows 11hp+ for the Catback, and I contacted Borla too and they confirmed from 12-15 hp+ increase on their Catback.

From my experience with MF Catback, you can feel the difference above the stock for sure despite the fact that I didnt dyno my car yet.

Drone is nill, but I faced some problems with the bolts coming losse at the start. I disappeared but after several adjustments.

Those are MANUFACTURER dynos. Not real-world unbiased dynos. You're more likely to see 5-8hp gains.

Exhaust systems (axle- or cat-back) aren't much in the way of power adders. But I do like that the cat-backs increase the width all the way down. I think it makes it smoother than going from 2.5 headers down to 2.25 and back to 2.5 for the axle back, but that's just my idea.

[CamaroDreams07]

Originally Posted by moocow2024

I have heard that in terms of sound that the shorties are superior to the LT. I am looking for performance, but, I also understand that I own a v6 and value sound over squeezing every ounce of performance out of my car. It is my daily driver so I'm not ever looking to move to forced induction. The shorties seem like a good option for what I want to do.

Are there any shorties that provide decent gains but don't cause a CEL? I thought I remember reading that scrming didn't get a CEL with his JBA's?

Doug Thorleys. Do not throw CELs, look and sound amazing. I'd say top of the shorty game, but I'm biased Contact Ivan @ southwest speed.

[Ivan @ Southwest Speed]

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

Doug Thorleys. Do not throw CELs, look and sound amazing. I'd say top of the shorty game, but I'm biased Contact Ivan @ southwest speed.

Thank you!!

For the money, the value is unsurpassed in the DT Shorties. In all the sets we've sold, only one ever triggered a CEL and that ended up being from a faulty weld that, when corrected, remedied the entire situation.

We appreciate the awesome word of mouth from our customers....means the world to me!

Thank you all!
Ivan & Christa

[VR Baron]

Originally Posted by CamaroDreams07

Those are MANUFACTURER dynos. Not real-world unbiased dynos. You're more likely to see 5-8hp gains.

Exhaust systems (axle- or cat-back) aren't much in the way of power adders. But I do like that the cat-backs increase the width all the way down. I think it makes it smoother than going from 2.5 headers down to 2.25 and back to 2.5 for the axle back, but that's just my idea.

I have 2.5" all the way through the x pipe so intermediate pipe change would be easy, ss pipes or aluminized at my muffler shop. just not much in gains even Magnaflow said this but they don't know how much either, never tested.

[CamaroDreams07]

Originally Posted by blackbee

I have 2.5" all the way through the x pipe so intermediate pipe change would be easy, ss pipes or aluminized at my muffler shop. just not much in gains even Magnaflow said this but they don't know how much either, never tested.

Yeah who knows. Like I said, there's not much there from exhaust on this particular car. But tthere are considerable weight savings.