I've been looking into doing some true duals and I was wondering if the differences between mandrel bent and non mandrel bent were that important. I know mandrel bent is supposed to be smoother but on a dual exhaust setup does it really matter that much?


Eric

 

better airflow with the madrel bent which all in all will be a little more power in the end.

 

Ya there would be alittle more power w/a mandrel but I seriously doubt its much. Even if you go with a dual 2.5" set up that is crush bent over the axel (I've seen pics of one under the axel so the bend wasn't bad) it would basically be 2.25" pipes. Dual 2.25" pipes will still flow better than single 3". If you run dumps, or cut-outs before the axel then this won't matter.

The question is, is the power difference worth the extra cash of the mandrel system?

 

Go with 3" tubing. Use an X-pipe. There is only room for two small bullet mufflers. Dump in front of the rear axle. Even with some crushing you will still see some really good horsepower gains. Be warned, It's going to be loud. My son's 99 Z28 A4 is running 7.6s with only a cam, longtubes, LS6 intake, a 3800 canvertor, and non-mandrel bent true duals. So the dual 3" tubes must really move a lot of air each.

 

Yes they do. I knew a guy that had a well built 455 w/3" pressure bent true duals running through turbo mufflers on a late 70s TA. It didn't seem to hinder it any.