exhaust pipe diameter

Justin SE IOWA · Feb 10, 2011

I have 2 1/2 inch true duals with headers on my ole chevy with a 350. I want a deeper rumble without making it any louder if that makes sence. I know I dont want glass packs but Im thinking 3 inch will make it deeper. Is that correct? Opinions wanted. Thanks

Bob · Feb 10, 2011

Just do what all the ignorant kids do and put some "fart cans" at the end of the tailpipes!

Justin SE IOWA · Feb 10, 2011

LOL its NOT a rice burner!

GordoSD · Feb 10, 2011

Noise at the end of the tailpipe is a function of what is between that and the exhaust ports. Duh? You could have 4 inch pipes off Hedman headers, but if you had a couple of mid 60's Caddy mufflers plus the reasonators it would be like a n EZ Go electric golf cart.
Unless you are 12 to 1 comp, 7500 rpm you don;t need the pipe, all you need to do is experiment with mufflers. I'd start with some of the performance Mopar stuff from the late 60's. I bought a 383 Cuda in 68 and it had that low rumble that at low rpm my girlfriend could hear it idling up the street 4 blocks away. But at anything over 2000 rpm it was like everything else.
Of course it came stock with those big chrome cans!

S.Crum · Feb 10, 2011

You can go to 3" OD exhausts to get a lower tone rumble. But don't be surprised to see your low end and mid range torque disappear. Larger exhausts especially on a normally aspirated gas engine cost dearly in flow velocity and thus volumetric efficency of the engine. This is especially true with higher lift and longer duration camshafts. Exhaust scavenging in a normally aspirated engine is a big consideration.

36 Coupe · Feb 10, 2011

He could put in a big sound system and play tapes of loud exhausts.I got tired of loud pipes fast, they were cop magnets.When some freak runs by with loud pipes I wonder why he thinks I want to listen to his noise.

fixerupper · Feb 10, 2011

I got a fixit ticket for having a straight pipe on a Chevette. I don"t think a 350 would be any quieter. Different engines have different tones. The length of a straight run in a pipe plays a part in it too. Probably the best deep tone would come from a pipe that goes straight from the headers to the rear bumper without any bends or curves but that"s not gonna happen legaly.

A certain deep pitch does travel a long ways. My son"s truck has a single exhaust on a 350 HP N14 Cummins and I can hear him idleing around a quarter mile away, but when he"s reved it"s real quiet. Jim

showcrop · Feb 10, 2011

I can remember "chambered" exhausts from muscle cars of the early '70s. I think they were about 3 inch diam. with short restrictions every 2 feet or so where the pipe squeezed down to about 2 inch. The result was a pleasing deep rumble. I just googled chambered exhaust, and they are still being manufactured. Just what you are looking for!

Mike in Mn. · Feb 10, 2011

what are you running for mufflers?? Stay with the two and a half pipes and install a set of turbo mufflers, they are low restriction and will rumble at low rpm and go away at highway speed. Get into NAPA's catalog and pick a set out.

Rob Hartman · Feb 10, 2011

Thrush makes a kickazz turbo type muffler, welded steel case, deep throaty sound. I have headman long tube headers, 2 1/4" and these on my 92 S-10 4x4 and it sounds like a V8 when it idles. It's a 4.3 V6 and it runs very well.

Fordfarmer · Feb 10, 2011

Keep your 2 1/2" and get a pair of DynoMax super
turbo mufflers. Nice low RPM rumble, but not loud or
annoying, actually pretty quiet at highway RPM's.

bc · Feb 10, 2011

We used to take glass packs and pour some gas in them and burn them out a little. After drinking a couple six packs, your head will resonate right along with the pipes.

Faster346 · Feb 10, 2011

2.5" pipe is fine for your mild 350sbc. Get rid of whatever mufflers you have now, and put some 2.5" Flowmaster 40 series mufflers on it. They have a good deep sound, but aren't too extremely loud. Here's a video of 40 series flowmasters on my Cobra, welded into the stock 2.25" exhaust. Definatly noticeable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAipzORAkH0

36 Coupe · Feb 11, 2011

Girls think that fellows with loud pipes are jerks.Ask them.

Nebraska Cowman · Feb 11, 2011

Yeah, larger pipe will make a deeper softer sound.
Smaller pipes will "cackle" I like the cackle sound
myself. Straight pipes. No mufflers.

ryanwheelock · Feb 11, 2011

I own an exhuast shop here in northern michigan and I agree with the posts below, start with the mufflers, whats on it now?? for the sound u want go with a Flowmaster 40 series or the Thrush welded (same as the flowmaster without the price). Goin with 3" pipes will give it a deeper tone, smaller pipes more of a crackal. For the price of the 3" its not worth it in my opion, go with the mufflers. Also here in my town nobody has the dies to bend 3" and they want a ton of $$$ to get them for my bender.

rustyfarmall · Feb 11, 2011

(quoted from post at 06:06:51 02/11/11) I own an exhuast shop here in northern michigan and I agree with the posts below, start with the mufflers, whats on it now?? for the sound u want go with a Flowmaster 40 series or the Thrush welded (same as the flowmaster without the price). Goin with 3" pipes will give it a deeper tone, smaller pipes more of a crackal. For the price of the 3" its not worth it in my opion, go with the mufflers. Also here in my town nobody has the dies to bend 3" and they want a ton of $$$ to get them for my bender.

Ryan, that must be why I can't find an exhaust shop here in southwest Iowa that will tackle the exhaust on my '01 K3500 dually. It has 3" dual pipes to the muffler, and dual 3" coming out of the muffler, and those pipes "Y" into a 3 1/2" short tailpipe. All I want is to replace that 15 gallon sized muffler with a pair of something less restrictive, but due to the configuration of the exhaust pipes, it's going to require some custom bending and fabbing to make it all fit in the stock location. Any ideas?

Brian G. NY · Feb 11, 2011

Now....that brings up a question I"ve wondered about for years.
Why will the cops harrass a guy with glasspacks on his car or truck when all them Harley guys can get away with them straight pipes that literally rattle your windows? Just Askin"??

in-too-deep · Feb 11, 2011

Glad I'm not the only person that thinks that. Nothing against motorcyclists or their machines...I just don't enjoy the noise.

rustyfarmall · Feb 11, 2011

The only time I got harrassed for having glass packs on my car was one night when the glass packs sort of got left at home. I though that little 283 sounded really COOL. The highway patrol officer had a little different opinion.

36 Coupe · Feb 11, 2011

I came out of my kitchen door to go to the general store across the intersection.I had to wait for a motor cycle to pass,It was so loud it caused pain in my ears.A woman was sitting on the back . the pipes ended right under her feet.I wonder how she could stand it.I sold my Indian Chief over 50 years ago, it wasnt loud.

36 Coupe · Feb 11, 2011

There are many complaints about loud motor cycles here.You can hear them coming from 4 miles away.

Justin SE IOWA · Feb 11, 2011

I have "flopro" muffelers on it now. It was only straight pipes but I wanted it a little quieter so I put those muffelers on. I was told they were the same as flow masters just cheeper. I want it fairly quiet just a deep rumble heard from 20 feet or so

charles todd · Feb 12, 2011

My 5.3L has dual cats that Y into a 3" pipe (all stock at this point) then to the muffler (a 3" in/3"out x 18" glass pack) out of a Y to dual 2 1/4" or 2 1/2" tail pipes capped with 4" tips. I believe this is a "Cat-Back" system? It was like this when I bought it. It has a deep rumble but doesn't "POP" like duals due to the Y config. I like the deep and the rumble and the not too loud. I do not like the "POP-POP" of true duals.

Honestly I have been told and read up that on a "V" engine a Y or balance pipe should be in place to equalize the pulses from the combustion to scavenge the exhaust from the engine. I have had trucks with true duals and truck with Y config's. The true duals did not seem to run as smooth. And as others said 2 1/2" duals are overkill. That is good for at least 400hp.

CT

ryanwheelock · Feb 14, 2011

I've found very very few muffler shops that have a bender that does 3". I could buy them for about $1200 for the set but the cost vs. the amount of times I would need them in my small town just doesnt add up. The few times I've had someone thats wants 3" Ive always just got prebends made for the make and model. U would think in bigger cities the muffler shops would have the dies but I have yet to check.
Ryan in northern michigan

rustyfarmall · Feb 14, 2011

(quoted from post at 09:10:47 02/14/11) I've found very very few muffler shops that have a bender that does 3". I could buy them for about $1200 for the set but the cost vs. the amount of times I would need them in my small town just doesnt add up. The few times I've had someone thats wants 3" Ive always just got prebends made for the make and model. U would think in bigger cities the muffler shops would have the dies but I have yet to check.
Ryan in northern michigan

I am well over 100 miles away from any "big" city, but with the large number of diesel powered farm trucks we have around here, you would think there would be enough of a demand to warrant the local exhaust shops to invest in some 3" pipe inventory as well as the equipment needed to bend the larger pipes. It just ain't that way though.

I've even checked out the complete systems available from a variety of sources, and every one of them has a "kit" that supposedly is custom made for my truck, but when I read the descriptions, and look at the pictures of those kits, it is very apparent the makers of those kits do NOT have a clue as to what is on the truck from the factory, and installing one of those kits would be more likely to reduce the performance rather than improve it. We won't even TALK about the super ridiculously HIGH prices on those kits.

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