[CadiKing2006]

hey everyone whats going on. Me and my friend, both own the 3.2L engine CTS and were having a debate today. On my CTS, I have borla exhaust, I love the extra power and sound, now my friend is looking into an exhaust, we were debating about which one would be the best choice, he wants performance and sound and doesnt want to lose any hp and/or torque but actually gain some.

Out of the choices below, please respond to which one you guys think would be the best deal. Please also mention how much power he would gain from either choices.

1. Getting A customized exhaust from a single outlet to dual outlet, magnaflow $700CDN installed.

2. Getting borla exhaust buying/shipping/installation: $1800 ( we live in ontario, canada so all the extra shit we gotta pay when getting it from US)

3. Not getting the exhaust at all b/c magnaflow wont increase performance anyway.

THANKS FOR RESPONDING...

 

[RobertCTS]

If I were to buy an aftermarket exhaust for the 3.2 I would recommend the Borla system. Odysseus(Ody) has them on his 3.2 and loves them. He has dynoed his car with the Borla and Volant intake. We consider Ody to be the resident expert on the 3.2. I'm sure he will see this thread and fill you in more. I think he installed the Borla himself. No welding required.

 

[Cadiman1983]

I will be getting the Borla exhaust system as well. I installed one on my fathers Chrysler 300C, and there was a noticable power difference, not to mention the sound is incredible with the Hemi. I can't wait for mine, and then the headers and cats, should sound really nice.

 

[TripleOught]

i love the borla...had mine for about 2 months or so...

i was really apprehensive at first and wondered if i had made a mistake, but i totally love it now. took about 2 or 3 weeks to really get used to it. if i drove a stock cts now i would probably be very disappointed. i think it really added some piss and vinegar in city driving.

the exhaust guy who was going to custom fab me a system checked it out yesterday and said, damn dude, that thing sounds like a "mini-vette" at idle...i couldn't help but smile.

i'm hoping with the headers and cats she'll be just a bit more thoaty and just that much more responsive. right now i could be totally satisfied if the headers weren't available...

i know i've mentioned it before, but with all this added interest in the borla, i'll really try to get some clips this weekend to help some people out...

 

[jteolis]

You can't beat a custom system, you can control your price and materials.

 

[TripleOught]

You can't beat a custom system, you can control your price and materials.

with this, i'll agree, but don't forget: if you purchase a pre-fabricated and tested exhaust, you benefit through the manufacturing costs. doing things once can lead to increased costs...

of course, on the up side you do get to control all the factors. come to find out, everything i wanted when all was said and done was going to run me around the same price. and for that i decided to get everything pre-fab. for someone just adding bits and pieces, i would recommend a custom job.

heres the thing: what some people don't factor in is aluminized verse stainless and mandrel bends. most normal shops will just assume do aluminized and crimp bends for the exhaust. of course you can do stainless and ASK for mandrel bends, but this requires tem to order the necessary bends from a distributor and add $$

if you want to do this rigtht with the highest quality and least amount of losses. you will want to do stainless with smooth mandrel bends. factoring this in, plus the high flow resonator and mufflers...and you might as well buy a pre-fab system.

if i was just adding mufflers or something, i would just have a shop tac some on.

 

[70eldo]

I would go for a custom too. The specialist can show you some different solutions and he might even be able to let you hear the different solutions. At least my specialist can... Also, you can combine a numerous amount of pipe layouts (H, X, etc) and dampeners and end tips.

 

[LS2 Solstice]

I love the borla too..I think it's the best. I have heard it and I haven't heard a bad borla kit yet..
I would check out billy boat exhaust instead of the magnaflow though..

http://www.bbexhaust.com/New/SightSound/VideoClips/cadillac_cts.mov

 

[Kael]

i think he borla and corsa are way overpriced for what they are.


we need to find a good shop and fab up a new system

mandrel bending is the way you want to go, and aluminzed is fine, i had aluminazed on a car for 5 years in chicago winters and it looked brand new tillthe very end.

 

[RobertCTS]

FYI the CTS uses steel pipes with an aluminized coating. My take is companies like Borla, Corsa & Billy Boat have put a lot of time into their designs and done actual dyno runs, where the corner muffler shop often takes the easiest path as he eyeballs it. I would still stick with the Borla.

 

[odysseus]

I don't know about overpriced. Lildevilmotorsports carries the 3.2L Borla for $900 shipped. That's the going price for a full stainless mandrel bent dual exhaust, that is a simple bolt-in. The clamps are great and the fit is like factory. It keeps a center resonator for sound control and keeping to dual 2" pipes really increases the torque. The 3.2L has dual 2" pipes going into the stock resonator. The 2" piping all the way back, increases the exhaust gas velocity over the single 2.5" pipe. Having two of them helps increase flow 28% over stock. My car laid down 200 lb-ft at the rear wheels with the stock wheels and airbox. If you do the math, that's 250 at the flywheel, which is 30 lb-ft over stock. Not bad for a simple cat-back.

If you can get a custom made stainless, mandrel bent exhaust with a center resonator and mufflers that sound just right for less, do it. But remember, Borla's been in the business for many years, and their pricing reflects mass production with a jig specifically for the CTS.

 

[TripleOught]

correct, ODY.

also, if you want your muffler guy to fab you a system using mandrel bent tubing, they have to order all the bends then SPLICE them together. with each splice we're talking losses. each bend has 2 splices (1 in the beginning and 1 at the end), times the number of bends from the cats, times 2 tubes for dual exhaust...you're getting up there. plus any chances or instability in the numerous added welding. am i being nit-picky? sure. but it's just a discussion.

the borla and corsa pipes are complete pieces with mandrel bends, the only seams are for the resonator and mufflers.

i'm not trying to sell the corsa, borla, or B&B fab exhausts...just letting you know all the things that numerous places won't bother to tell you.

 

[Ulises]

I've sent emails to both Corsa and Borla and have asked them, point blank, "Why should I choose your brand over someone else's." So far, Corsa has been the friendliest and most responsive. But again, I am looking for something that will give me more power, a better sound, and quality. I do not want to compromise on any of the three items. Don't get me wrong, I love the sound Borla has made on other cars/trucks, but I think i'm leaning towards Corsa. They are giving me what I want.

bottom line...it all comes down to what you like. Everyone will have a different opinion...as I have come to find out.

Good luck on you quest for an exhaust...

 

[RobertCTS]

I've sent emails to both Corsa and Borla and have asked them, point blank, "Why should I choose your brand over someone else's." So far, Corsa has been the friendliest and most responsive. But again, I am looking for something that will give me more power, a better sound, and quality. I do not want to compromise on any of the three items. Don't get me wrong, I love the sound Borla has made on other cars/trucks, but I think i'm leaning towards Corsa. They are giving me what I want.

bottom line...it all comes down to what you like. Everyone will have a different opinion...as I have come to find out.

Good luck on you quest for an exhaust...

I agree to a point. IMO sound is very important. The most power may come from a system that sounds like crap and cackle and pop like a '57 Ford pick-up on engine braking. T o me it still has to be civilized.

 

[Kael]

what about partial upgrades?
remove the resonator, change out the muffler, run better pipes, keep the stock y split.

 

[72279]

Good Morning!
Im still curious how the 3.6 exhaust w/mufflers would perform, on a 3.2..............................

 

[odysseus]

IMHO, that would be the perfect budget solution. I've never seen a 3.6L exhaust, but I've been assuming it's 2" all the way back. Does anyone know if it is, or if it's 2.25"? Factory dual 2" would be perfect, but I'm pretty sure several members have been asking for them, to no avial. The V exhaust seems easier to find used, and GM only made about 4000 of those each year.

 

[Ulises]

I agree to a point. IMO sound is very important. The most power may come from a system that sounds like crap and cackle and pop like a '57 Ford pick-up on engine braking. T o me it still has to be civilized.

That's exactly my point...which is why I'm going with a corsa...

Does anyone else have a 3.2L with a corsa exhaust?

 

[TripleOught]

hold on here i'm a little confused. for a 3.2 (as we've said) the corsa suggests a Y pipe at the end. for the 3.6 they have a true dual cat-back. are you saying you are going to use the 3.6 setup they offer for the 3.2?

did we resolve the issue on Corsa's website stating that their 3.6 system is 2.5" from the cat-back? i hope it's not 2.5" as that is the size of the v-exhaust and it was slightly determined that could result in a loss of torque.

are we comparing apples to apples here?

a true dual corsa versus a true dual borla for the 3.2?

 

[odysseus]

Another member had a video of the 3.2 with the Corsa that I thought was posted on the FAQ. I can't find it there (or anywhere else), but I have it on my hard drive. It's a 510kb quicktime movie. PM me and I'll email it.

The Corsa for the 3.2L is not a true dual, but cuts the pipe after the resonator and replaces it with another 2.5" single pipe that splits with a 'Y' near the differential into two mufflers. The 3.6L kit is also cut and clamp (you re-use the pipes after the cats). The Corsa 3.6 instructions list two 2.25" clamps and four 2" clamps, which says to me that it's not a 2.5" system.

I posted my dyno run video on the FAQ. I have a 3.2 with the Borla. (Reed has it listed as a 3.6). Borla is one of the quietest performance exhausts you can buy. Sounds sporty and rumbles outside, but is very quiet inside.

http://www.cadillacfaq.com/faq/video/odydyno.html