Your favorite Exhaust option for the 3.4L DOHC

[Scott205]

I have the engine pulled on my 92 Cutlass 3.4L DOHC and wondering what people have done in the past with there exhaust. I was already to get a Borla for the 95-99 Monte Carlo and bolt it in with the new 96 engine. But i see most people don't do that. I still have my original, 13 years and 156,000 miles later. What did y'all people do? I definitely want that cat replaced.

[Scott205]

Cat choices

Ok, no one seems to be talking here.. so i will ask you this way:

Option one: Borla Cat-Back (for 97-99 Monte Carlo)
or just borla mufflers (two) and a Catsound cat?
Option two: Magna Flow mufflers and a cat, custom pipe
Option three: Dynaflow Mufflers and a Carsound cat, custom
Option four: Flowmaster 40s or 50s, new cat.. custom pipe
Option five.. please list what you have or wished you would have done

[OldSkoolGP]

I use a pair of Borla Pro XS mufflers on my Grand Prix, 3.4, 5 speed, and many agree it's the best sounding 3.4 they've ever heard. It's a decent volume on the highway, and wicked mean sounding when you get on it. If you want to hear it, follow this link:

http://www.netphetamine.com/joshherrell/Camaro%20Spanking.wmv

[Scott205]

I use a pair of Borla Pro XS mufflers on my Grand Prix, 3.4, 5 speed, and many agree it's the best sounding 3.4 they've ever heard.

What are you using for a cat and the pipe connecting? Think i would be good for 4T60-E (4speed auto)

[OldSkoolGP]

No cat, straight pipe, and stock downpipe for now, we don't have sniffer checks here. Yeah, it would be fine for an auto. My buddy with an L67 swap in his 95 GTP has a pair of Borlas and they sound great as well.

[dohcfiend]

my option: gut the cat, replace the resonator with a glasspack and retain stock mufflers. it sounds good at part and mean at WOT.

[Kyles93Z34]

What would a stock 93 3.4DOHC sound like at idle with a cat back with magnaflow compared to straight pipes and or just mufflers? I have heard that magnaflows sould pretty good on them.

Kyle

[Scott205]

Cat

well, Some of us live in Emissions area in Texas.. good news.. it is coming to the rest of you in the next few years in the metros! So a high flow cat will be necessary, but ought to actually improve the numbers


I am just thinking the Monte carlo Borla cat-back is going to be a good option. I just thought it strange it was a single muffler, where the cat is now, with two pipes out that split into 4 at the exhaust is a good solid simple option and should really decrease back pressure while improving the emissions.

[3car]

Went with magnaflow high flow cat,straight pipe to mufflers
and two stainless magnaflows out back. It really barks at start
up, ( Its awesome), nice little rumble,for a six, at idle and
a pretty nice growl at WOT.



92 Z-34 FFP stuff so far

[3car]

Went with magnaflow high flow cat,straight pipe to mufflers
and two stainless magnaflows out back. It really barks at start
up, ( Its awesome), nice little rumble,for a six, at idle and
a pretty nice growl at WOT.



92 Z-34 FFP stuff so far

[Lowerd1]

Your stock exhaust is not restrictive. You can open it straight up and would probably not even gain much at all. If you want a catback the best bet is go full custom, because its cheaper. Go the exhaust shop with the mufflers and tips you want and have them run the pipe with Stainless Steel and all mandrel bends.

Since you have a 1996 Motor I would save your money you were going to spend and get headers because that will actually show a nice gain. Miltzy sells them already made.

[Scott205]

Yeah, from what i have been seeing and looking at, the two most restrictive things are the exhaust headers... I guess GM thought small was better than power.. and the catalytic converter, which i understand are poor quality, set to far from the engine and are very restrictive.

I am going to hold off on the headers until i rebuild my 92 engine.. then I want to find a 96 or 97 convertible cheap.. like with a bad engine, lol.. and take the motor out and have alot of fun and try to make 300 or so wheel horseys.

Are the coated ones alot better than the uncoated??

[SappySE107]

Actually, the stock mufflers are a restriction. I like oldskools setup but its not my favorite nor would I want it. Too loud and throaty, more like a pushrod sound IMO. I decided to ditch the fake dual crap and go for a single out 40 series flowmaster with a high flow cat and resonator. Aside from my exhaust leak now, the raspiness is very faint with the resonator in there, and it sounds like a DOHC motor all tuned up (of course, it is all tuned:P ) Very consistant and with just one muffler, there is enough flow to make it sound good. I don't care for splitting the exhaust between 2 mufflers as you break up the pulses out the back more and it makes the sound much different.

[blk92z34getrag]

I have a Magnaflow Hi-flow cat. with Magnaflow mufflers and a 10" Glasspack Resonator. Sounds really good, only a little rasp on cold start up that goes away after a few minutes.

However, the borla cat-backs are the best sounding systems I've ever heard... and I've heard a few:

a 97 Monte Carlo
a 99 GTP
a 9? SL350? (the two-door hard-top convertible 6-cylinder ones) -- best sounding exhaust I've ever heard BTW.
My friend's mom's 05 GTP Comp G
02 Grand Prix GT2 (3400)

Borla Cat-Backs are the best sounding systems... they are tuned for the application so there's no guess work involved. I wish I could afford the Monte Carlo system.

[OldSkoolGP]

There is a contrast between what my car sounds like outside of it and inside of it. From the outside, it really sounds like a lot of L67s I have heard, but when you're inside you can still hear the DOHC soundiness of it. It's an acquired taste, I know. Reason I went with two mufflers though is quite simple: Symmetry. I have two cutouts in my bumper for exhuast exit, and I like things to look balanced. That's why I shaved my antenna, and that's why I switched back to a louvered hood.