I went to the muffler shop here in town the other day to check out some prices for exhaust to be put on my car. I asked the guy about putting a flowmaster and dual exhaust on and he told me he would put on a flowmaster 40 series. Everywhere I had read on here said 80 series, so I asked about that and he said it would barely if any change the sound. Could someone explain this to me and tell me exactly what I need to get?

 

Most people who get flowmaster mufflers usually end up getting a full catback eventually so you may want to consider that. If flowmaster is the way you want to go, go to their website, flowmastermufflers.com i believe it is and they have a sound clip of a 3.8L F-body with a 80 series. Listen to that and see if you like it.

 

I just had a Flowmaster 80 series installed on my wife's 01 Camaro v6.

At idle and low rpm it rumbles nicely. Sounds similar to a base v8 car.

Cruising on the interstate at 70 MPH, in 5th gear with 3.23 rear gears, it's very livable. Louder inside the car for sure, but not unbearable AND it doesn't sound like crap outside either.

Now in upper RPMs, with higher throttle input, it screams. It kinda sounds raspy, or tinny, but it's really not bad. It'll grow on you.

I have a v8 so the 6 just doesn't sound quite right to me, but this was a definite improvement.

The car feels to pull much harder from the passenger seat than it did before, but that could be my wife driving it a little harder to hear the exhaust. She loves the sound.

FYI: I asked the exhaust shop for the 2.5" inlet muffler (42583 I believe), but they sent me the 3.0" inlet muffler (43083 I believe). The 3" is the one most folks run on the v8's and the 2.5" is the one that usually goes on the v6 cars.

EDIT: Just noticed that you are from TN. Depending on where you are, we might be able to arrange a meeting to let you hear the car in person before you decide. The sound clip on Flowmaster's site sounds to me to be the EXACT same clip for the V8 car, and my wife's car doesn't sound like the clip anyway.

 

Well i'm in Northwest TN, where are you at?
On your wife's V6 did you just have a 80 series and dual exhaust put on?if not, what else was put on?

 

The only thing that we have changed on her car is the exhaust...

The 80 series muffler, with new exhaust pipes to polished tips.

They had to put a small piece of pipe to get from the smaller I-pipe to the 3" inlet of the 80 series muffler. Just a step up pipe really, no more than 3 inches long or so.

I live in Cookeville, but have car club meetings twice a month in Nashville. I'm the Newsletter Editor for the Middle Tennessee F-Body Association: http://www.mtfba.org.

We meet the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month. The 1st Saturday meeting is in Rivergate at Tennessee Speed Sport, the 3rd Saturday meeting is at the Bellevue cruise-in at Bellevue Center Mall.

So if you want to get together one Saturday while I'm in Nashville, I'd be happy to meet you.

Are you a member of the West Tennessee F-Body Association?

 

Well i'm about 2 1/2 to 3 hours away from Nashville, so thats a bit of a stretch for me. But thanks for the offer anyway.
Whats the West TN F-Body association? Is that centered in Memphis?

 

Yep, the WTFBA is based out of Memphis, so it might be closer for you.

http://www.wtfba.org

 

Sorry, but that clip is

 

I think we've reached a verdict.

 

And why is that BS?

 

Why? Because, that's the exact same is clip as the V8 clip. Don't believe everything you hear.

 

uh....it's not the same clip. And my 3.8 Camaro has 3 inch duals with the 80 series Flowmaster and she is mistaken daily for a V-8. NOt that I'm trying to get a V-8 sound cause I know you can't, but I just wanted a more throaty sound.

 

Someone else please go to the flowmaster website and tell me that the 3.8 clip isn't identical to the 5.7 clip and it's Prove me wrong because maybe i'm getting def.

 

Like I said in my previous post, I believe it is the same clip.

However, I CAN see that the full American Thunder cat-back for a V6 car sounding VERY similar to a similar setup for a V8.

So I agree that the clip itself is bogus, BUT that the V6 CAN sound like a V8 to a certain point. At idle, my wife's Camaro sounds remarkably like my V8, but above 4500 RPM, her car sounds tinny or raspy.

 

the 80 series is a cool muffler, but if he wants to use a 40 series, let him! it has a much deeper sound and great tone to it IMO. at least on the v8 cars. i have only heard the 80 series on a v6