I am new to having a V6 camaro and was wondering if putting on a cat back system would cause me to lose power. I have an '02 V6 5-speed. I have heard that I will lose some power and to just change the muffler out if I want a different tone. Need some help from someone who has cat backs. I called Flowmaster and they said they have an American Thunder Cat Back system with a resonator for the '02 V6's that would help gain some power.

 

will you loose low end torque? that is debatable , i think its in people 's heads.

will you gain top end power? yes

 

Thanks for the info.

 

anytime

 

The only way you will "lose" low-end torque is if you go with a 3" I-pipe...but you aren't losing the power, you just move it up in the RPMs, that is...you gain it higher up. Most people go with a 2.5" I-pipe, but it all depends on your plans for your car.

2.5"-2.75" - Little mods, simple bolt ons

3" - Major mods, nitrous, forced induction.

If you aren't going to blow or juice your car, see if you can find a I-pipe off a Z28 at a junkyard or muffler shop and just find a muffler that you think sounds good. Don't bother to ask "Which exhaust will make me sound like a V8", cuz it won't and people will only talk about how their own exhaust sounds better than the rest.
I say, forget what everyone says and listen to them personally.

 

What seemed to really wake my buddies up more than the cat back was the slp cold air setup....

 

Well the cat-back will work better if it is paired with a intake.

Without an intake, a cat-back will yield OK results. Still not enough air in. Without exhaust work, the intake gets more air in without getting it out more efficiently.

My first mod was the intake...it was pretty good. Faster acceleration but after the exhaust was put on (a few months later), it REALLY felt different.


So what are your plans, anyways?

 

Ok, how low do the RPMS drop during the shifts at WOT? I agree, you may lose a little torque on the bottom with 3 inch pipe, but it is basically inconsequential given that you gain it in the mid to high rpms where your car actually operates under WOT. If you have 3.42's you'll never know it is gone off the line, unless you go with nearly zero backpressure. Three inch is the way to go. If you are concerned, do what ImportKILLER suggested and get the 2.75in pipe. The best idea is to make sure that whatever diameter you get, you stick with it. A pipe that changes from small diameter (ie 2 1/4 s-pipe to 3inch intermediate pipe) large create extra backpressure from decreased velocity and turbulence.