[ggeorgie]

I am sold on the Volant CAI Gen3, now which dual exhaust system will sound good and work better with the Volant? here are my choices: Borla, Gibson, or Flowmasters.

 

[carter6]

which exhaust??

I pondered that question for a long time and finally went with borla and could not have been happier. I love the look and the sound it is perfect not to loud but just right. I got mine from the rev shop.com and talk to Gene. He will go to Borla himself and pick up the order and not order it and wait for it to get to him and then send it to you. Paid 790bucks that included shipping from Cali. and I live in Florida. Give me a buzz if any more questions. :goteam: Armada

 

[scr38]

Which system to use depends on what your desires are. If you want the best performance get the single. Many people have found that the single, like the Gibson, make more low end power. We have seen this on the dyno and on road acceleration tests.
If you like the dual look then go with it.

 

[ggeorgie]

Which system to use depends on what your desires are. If you want the best performance get the single. Many people have found that the single, like the Gibson, make more low end power. We have seen this on the dyno and on road acceleration tests.
If you like the dual look then go with it.

SCR, I know that you have the Gibson SS, but how much difference in performance between the two we are talking about?, although I like the dual look, I am not going racing or Hauling more than 7500lb.

 

[scr38]

SCR, I know that you have the Gibson SS, but how much difference in performance between the two we are talking about?, although I like the dual look, I am not going racing or Hauling more than 7500lb.

Gibson makes three cat back systems- The Dual Sport, where the two pipes exit side by side where the stock exhaust does; the Swept Single with one 3" pipe exiting at the same location as the stock, and the Extreme Duals, where one pipe exits in the normal place and the other crosses over to the driver's side. The Single produces 5 to 10 more horsepower than the others do, with the gain in the 1,800 to 3,000 RPM range, where we drive most of the time. The other two make their HP gains at a much higher RPM, where it isn't much use to most drivers. All three systems are the same back to the muffler. The difference in the mufflers is the single has one outlet and the duals two. Of course the tail pipes are different on all three models.
I don't like the Extreme Dual setup because the left pipe crosses over between the diff and the spare tire. This can cause heating of both the diff and spare. This pipe also comes close to the air compressor for the rear auto leveling, causing heating. These problems, plus reduced performance gains ruled out the Extreme Duals for me. I like the looks of the Dual Sport, but it also makes less power than the Single, and, like the Extreme Duals, there are two tail pipes going thru the same space over the rear supension. They take up more space, so end up being closer to items which could lead to heat damage.
Since my purpose in changing the exhaust system was for power increase and fuel savings (and still sound good) the Single was the clear choice.
The Single produces a 15-20 HP gain; the other two produce 10-15 HP gain. But as I said in earlier posts, to gain the maximum from both a exhaust system and a CAI you need both installed.
I hope this can help you decide which system to get. I think the Single is the best, for all the reasons I listed above, but you will have to decide what is best for you.

 

[ggeorgie]

Thanks SCR, this helps me a lot decide which way to go. :urock:

 

[ggeorgie]

a couple more things, what is the difference between the Gibson S/S and the regular single, and the stainless steel or the aluminized steel

 

[scr38]

You can get the Gibson systems in Stainless steel (SS) or in alumized steel, which is a thin aluminum coating over regular carbon steel. The SS cost roughly $75.00 more than the Alumized. Your driving conditions determine which you need to buy. If you live in damp conditions, like me on the Gulf Coast, or in an area where roads are salted in the winter, or you make a lot of short trips and you plan to keep your vehicle for several years then the SS will be the best. It will stand up well to these adverse conditions.
On the other hand, if you live in a dry climate with no road salting, don't make a lot of short trips and are going to keep your vehicle for only 3-4 years the alumized will be fine.

 

[GasDoc]

Why is single exhaust better than dual

Dear SCR:

You sound very knowledgeable but I still don't understand why a single exhaust as in the borla would be better than the dual exhaust borla. Both have the same muffler except one has 2 pipes vs one. Is the critical backpressure before the muffler or after it in the borla system? Seems to me that the critical backpressure is before the muffller. Also has someone made a dyno comparison of single vs dual exhaust. I am planning to order the borla but was leaning towards the look of dual exhausts but I may change my mind based on your response.

Thanks,

 

[scr38]

Dear SCR:

You sound very knowledgeable but I still don't understand why a single exhaust as in the borla would be better than the dual exhaust borla. Both have the same muffler except one has 2 pipes vs one. Is the critical backpressure before the muffler or after it in the borla system? Seems to me that the critical backpressure is before the muffller. Also has someone made a dyno comparison of single vs dual exhaust. I am planning to order the borla but was leaning towards the look of dual exhausts but I may change my mind based on your response.

Thanks,

First, my comments about the single vs dual systems were about the Gibson, not the Borla. I don't think Borla offers a single for the Armada.
The horse power differences between the two Gibson systems came from Gibson's web site. Also if you search here and at ClubTitan you will find posts by several that experienced some low end torque loss with dual systems.
At ClubTitan the highest HP gain from a catback system that I have seen (measured on a dyno) was from a Gibson single.
The entire exhaust system is involved in the backpressure. We have to consider the resonance of the systemas well as standing waves in the system. It seems that the Gibson single has got everything right.
We aren't talking about a lot of power difference here. You may not be able to feel the difference. I went with the single because it provided the best HP gains, and I don't like having the left dual pipe so close to the diff, spare and air compressor(as I mentioned in my post above).
The combination of the Volant, Airaid TBS and Gibson has worked well for me. They have provided performance gains that give me a 0-60 time of 6.106 sec. and a 1/4 mile time of 14.69 at 94.2 MPH.
So the decision is yours to make. I know the Borla is a quality system that sounds good. But the Gibson is also a good system that sounds good, and my SS Single system cost over $125.00 less than the Borla.

 

[GasDoc]

Dear SCR,

Thanks for your input and clarification. Again, your knowledge base is impressive. I am impressed with your 0-60mph run. How did you time that run? Based on your comments I will go with the Volant CAI and probably a borla exhaust.

 

[scr38]

Dear SCR,

I am impressed with your 0-60mph run. How did you time that run?

I have the G-Tech Pro SS and also use my laptop with OBD2 cable and software. I have found the G-Tech to be very accurate on times, but it may be a little generous on the speeds. My 1/4 speeds are proably about 2 MPH less than what the G-Tech displays. The OBD gives very accurate speeds, but it's update rate is too slow to get accurate timing at the exact end of the 1/4.