Cadillac Owners Forum banner
1 - 20 of 26 Posts

· Registered
'04 Escalade EXT
Joined
·
353 Posts
Discussion Starter · #1 ·
I currently have an 03 3.2L 5spd. I am contemplating on getting a dual exhaust as I currently only have single exhaust. My question is, what is all required to do tis mod. Is the B&B exhaust a complete kit that comes with everything needed. I had asked the dealer what they would charge if I wanted to purchase a 3.6 dual and get it installed. They said the 3.6 cat back would be 1000, and then I would have to buy 2 new cats plus pay for install, all totaling over 3G's. That is quite a bit out of my price range, although I'm sure most of that price was due to the factory cats that they love cahrging an arm and a leg for. So basically what am I looking at for price to upgrade to dual?
 

· Registered
'04 CTS, '79 Coupe DeVille, '78 Sedan De Ville, '77 Firebird
Joined
·
1,024 Posts
i've got the borla singe to dual exhaust. it goes to dual after the rear end. What i'm thinking about doing is hacking of the borla at the cats and run straight pipe of the cats (costs about $100 plus mufflers, i'll reuse my borlas) this is the cheapest way to get true dual exhaust. what i'm trying to figure out is: is a mandrel bent single to dual, better than a conventional bent true dual exhaust.
 

· Registered
'04 Escalade EXT
Joined
·
353 Posts
Discussion Starter · #3 ·
The borla full dual; does this connect directly to the headers or do you connect it to the two cats that I don't have, beings mine is a single. I want ot go with the true dual exhast. i just like the sound a lot better
 

· Registered
'04 CTS, '79 Coupe DeVille, '78 Sedan De Ville, '77 Firebird
Joined
·
1,024 Posts
On these the cats are right after the headers. The headers/cats flow dual into a single silencer in the middle of the car, which is what I think you're mistaking for a single cat (unless '03s and '04 3.2ls are different). Anyways you can do away with the silencer or replace it with a crossover or x-pipe, and run straight duals of the (2) cats.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1,478 Posts
i have the borla true dual on my 3.2. so far i really like it and it doesn't sound too "ricer" ish...which was my main concern.

for 900 from www.lildevilmotorsports.com you get a full cat back system. bolt each piece onto each cat, then 2 go into a resonator and 2 come out of the resonator. from there it follows the stock 3.6 lines and goes to 2 borla mufflers, 1 on each side, then each side gets a chrom tip. i think it really evens out the rear end of the car.

heres a pic of mine after i had it installed. ran me about 90 bucks for the install which i was glad to pay to alleviate the time/energy.

 

· Registered
2007 CTS-V, 2001 Honda Shadow Sabre
Joined
·
1,646 Posts
yomommas said:
On these the cats are right after the headers. The headers/cats flow dual into a single silencer in the middle of the car, which is what I think you're mistaking for a single cat (unless '03s and '04 3.2ls are different). Anyways you can do away with the silencer or replace it with a crossover or x-pipe, and run straight duals of the (2) cats.
I've been contemplating the dual exhaust upgrade for a while and while poking around under my car (03 CTS) I could see there are 2 cats right after the headers, and then the pipes come together. Therefore it is relatively easy to upgrade.

d-dash - run a search of the forums, many of us with the 3.2L have just used the stock V-exhaust as an upgrade. The average going price for a V exhaust seems to be about $50; you should be able to buy it and have it installed for little more than $100 total. Some people recomend the single-to-dual exhaust from the 3.6L V6 as an upgrade for our 3.2's because the V exhaust might cut the backpressure too much, thus causing a loss of low end torque.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
469 Posts
:bouncy: There are many options available. We have a '03 3.2L 5-speed. I went with a closed out B&B true dual off eBay for $400. What a deal. It's all stainless steel, beautiful, but a little too loud for my wife. It's her car. Based on what I've read in the past year, your best bet is to hold out for a used CTS-V system. Good system with nice tips, cheap price. Plus it won't be too loud, even with the 5 speed. That's my recommendation. By the way, you definitely have the two cats on the '03 3.2L. Good luck!
 

· Registered
2018 XT5 Black on Black
Joined
·
1,858 Posts
Thats why its been suggested to use a 3.6 exhaust so as not to lose any torque from the loss of back pressure of having too large a pipe from the cats. I believe the 3.6 bolts right up to the cats has a resonator (without it you risk interior resonance) and then out the back. You need a bracket on the right for the pipe and muffler on that side, plus you have to do a cut-out on that side for the exhaust exit. Watch for guys in your area who are acquiring a V-exhaust to put on their 3.6, you should be able to pick-up their exhaust on the cheap! You can then add other mufflers later. Keep checking thru the threads as their are others who have posted doing this.
 

· Registered
2007 CTS-V, 2001 Honda Shadow Sabre
Joined
·
1,646 Posts
There was mention of the single-to-dual vs the true dual borla - according to borla's website the single-to-dual is for the 3.2 and the true dual is for the 3.6. Probably comes down to the back pressure issue brought up with the V vs 3.6 exhausts on the 3.2's.

single, dual, V, 3.2, 3.6 sheesh - have I managed to confuse anyone yet? :bonkers:
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1,478 Posts
hmmm, not sure about that DDS. i talked to the engineer at borla and he recommended the 140032 system for the 3.2L. it's the 2 in 2 out true dual. thats the only one they have listed for the car when you run the search. i think since the pipes are 2" and not 2.5", they can do a true dual and not adversely effect back pressure. i think Ody mentioned with the true dual 2" versus stock there is a 28% flow gain.

i didn't want the 2.5" V-pipes on my 3.2 because i did not want to run the chance of losing any low end torque...we need all we can get. (although this is a hella cheaper option)
 

· Registered
2003 CTS Manual Trans., '93 STS
Joined
·
3,037 Posts
What he said! LOL You may be able to pick up a used 3.6L dual exhaust and easily retrofit it to the dual pipes coming off the cats, just like the 3.6L guys do with a V exhaust. The stock 3.6L and the Borla both use 2" pipes to keep the velocity up (and resulting torque), while giving a 28% increase in flow from the single 2.5" pipes on the stock 3.2L car. I went to Borla. Sound is sweet, and upcoming dyno test (with multiple airboxes) will tell the truth as to how much.
 

· Registered
2007 CTS-V, 2001 Honda Shadow Sabre
Joined
·
1,646 Posts
TripleOught said:
hmmm, not sure about that DDS. i talked to the engineer at borla and he recommended the 140032 system for the 3.2L. it's the 2 in 2 out true dual. thats the only one they have listed for the car when you run the search. i think since the pipes are 2" and not 2.5", they can do a true dual and not adversely effect back pressure. i think Ody mentioned with the true dual 2" versus stock there is a 28% flow gain.

i didn't want the 2.5" V-pipes on my 3.2 because i did not want to run the chance of losing any low end torque...we need all we can get. (although this is a hella cheaper option)
Yup, youre right. The borla is a true dual for the 3.2, but the corsa does a single to dual. Thats what I get for quoting info i remember from a search a couple of weeks ago without double-checking my facts. :hide:
 

· Registered
2005 CTS 3.6L, 2006 350Z, Ducati 996s
Joined
·
2,463 Posts
DDS rollin a CTS said:
Yup, youre right. The borla is a true dual for the 3.2, but the corsa does a single to dual. Thats what I get for quoting info i remember from a search a couple of weeks ago without double-checking my facts. :hide:
The corsa for the 3.6L is a dual. SO with little work (buy a 2nd muffler) you should be able to mate the 3.6L Corsa to a 3.2L.
 

· Registered
2007 CTS-V, 2001 Honda Shadow Sabre
Joined
·
1,646 Posts
AznPrydeRegalRyde said:
The corsa for the 3.6L is a dual. SO with little work (buy a 2nd muffler) you should be able to mate the 3.6L Corsa to a 3.2L.
Yeah, but the one they list for the 3.2 is a single to dual. Thats where that came from. But no one ever said you have to follow thier directions. :cool:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wildcardmatt

· Registered
Black the Darkside
Joined
·
22,542 Posts
I guess it comes down to $$$. You should be able to do the 3.6 duals for about $125. The Borla or Corsa will be closer to $1,000. Either way will require the bumper cut. Noise level is a consideration too. I'm sure you will want to retain the Cadillac integrity.:)
 

· Registered
2003 CTS Manual Trans., '93 STS
Joined
·
3,037 Posts
According to Borla the 140032 fits ALL CTS's, not just the 3.2L, and not just manual or auto. They come with two sets of head pipes (between the cats and the resonator) that are described as clearing either the auto or manual trans. While I haven't actually done this, it leads me to believe the stock 3.6L exhaust should be just about a bolt-in to a 3.2L car. You'll still need the passenger side muffler hangers, and cut the bumper cover.

Even it its not a perfect bolt-in, the stock 3.6L CTS exhaust should be EASILY retrofitted to the 3.2L engine, since they both have 2" headpipes and the resonators both have dual inlets in the same location. The main differences are at the exit of the resonator.

I'm sure someone can find a used 3.6L exhaust from someone else who's upgraded, for next to nothing. It would be a cheap experiment, prior to plopping down close to $1000 for an aftermarket system. Any takers? Like the Great Air Intake Challenge, before and after dyno results would be nice. :D
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1,478 Posts
i can't wait until Ody does the dyno, being how we both seem to have identical components on our 3.2. only difference is he has the manual trans where i have the auto.

if i had a 3.6 i would do the V-exhaust mod to definitely save money because it has a great sound with the flowmaster mufflers added.

regardless, i'm pretty satisfied with mine. just need to figure out this strange shifting behavior it's been going through...
 

· Registered
2007 CTS-V, 2001 Honda Shadow Sabre
Joined
·
1,646 Posts
odysseus said:
I'm sure someone can find a used 3.6L exhaust from someone else who's upgraded, for next to nothing.
So, anyone have a dual exhaust out of a 3.6 layin around??? Anyone? Beuller? Beuller? Anyone?
 

· Registered
Joined
·
1,478 Posts
i've got the bits and pieces to my old 3.2 exhaust, ie. resonator, muffler, and some tubing...if you had use of some skill and a welder you would use the pieces...i'll probably just throw it away or stick it on ebay for a hella cheap price in hopes of just getting rid of it.
 
1 - 20 of 26 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top