Power, style and speed. These are the most common reasons enthusiasts spend their hard-earned dollars on automotive pursuits. Most gearheads can barely get their new car off the dealer’s lot before they begin thinking of ways to modify and personalize their rides.
One of the most popular aftermarket products is the “cat-back” exhaust system. The reasons are simple. They are fairly affordable, provide a custom look over the OEM system, come with the promise of relatively cheap horsepower gains, and usually have a more aggressive sound than stock systems.
Everyone has a preference for their favorite ‘look.’ Big tip, small tip, polished. There are as many different looking systems as there are different systems. Likewise, with sound, everyone is looking for something in particular. Does the system barely increase the sound of the stock exhaust for that ‘stealth’ effect...or does it make the car sound like it just returned from the 24 Hours of LeMans?
No matter what your preference in look or sound may be, we can bet there is one thing that everyone has in common when it comes to exhaust systems - we all want power. And, as much of it as we can get.
There are a lot of myths, personal reviews and manufacturers claims floating around. So we decided to get down and dirty and find out exactly how some of the major cat-back systems stack up against each other and the dyno.
We put out the call to all the system manufacturers we could find and asked if they would be willing to provide us with systems for a shoot-out. Many said “yes” right away. A few needed more information before they were convinced and a couple* declined to participate.
In the end we received eleven systems (see list below). Each with its own unique design, look and construction. Our goal was to see how each performed on the dyno, on a stock car. While most people will undoubtedly add more aftermarket parts to their cars, for many an exhaust system is their first purchase. We wanted to see just what each system would do without any additional modifications.
To start, we unpacked each system making notes on everything from how well the systems were packed and number of pieces in the complete system, to the first impression of material quality and welds. We also noted whether the system came with instructions and any other extras. Our rating scale was based on a 1 through 5 numbering system, (five being the highest rating the system could receive).
Finally, it was time to let the systems speak for themselves. The plan was simple. Using a stock 2001 Focus ZX3 we would establish a baseline dyno graph to show what the stock car is capable of producing at the wheels. Using the popular DynoJet dyno we recorded four runs with the stock car. We chose the best dyno numbers as the starting point of the Shoot-Out. These numbers were as follows:
MaxPower: 112.8
MaxTorque: 120.2
Now came the fun, or tedious part, depending on who you were. For us, we could stand around, bench race and drink mass quantities of soft drinks. On the other hand, the dyno technician had a decidedly less exciting time. To make everything as fair as possible we had one person install and remove each system on the stock car. Not a very glamourous job. However we used that to our advantage by allowing the technician to rate the systems from his point of view. His reviews were concerned with real world issues such as system fit and ease of installation. His ratings are broken out separately and are based on a 1 through 10 scale.
We also were able to obtain a decibel meter and acquired readings for all systems in a consistent manner. Sound reading specifications for traffic purposes are decided by each individual municipality. We decided to take ours at a distance of 5 feet and at a 45 degree angle from the rear of the car.
Each system rating contains a section called ‘Notes.’ These are additional things we observed while working with the systems. We tried to note things like the fact that there are different grades of stainless steel. With the help of a magnet we could determine a rough outline of whether each part of the system was high grade stainless or a lesser grade (which typically has a higher carbon content). Other things, like a really good tone or exceptionally nice finish are mentioned as well.
We’d like to give a big thank you to all the companies who participated. We’d also like to thank everyone including the readers of Focaljet for their patience. This is our first multi-product test, and the logistics of putting it together proved to be even more complex then we imagined. Rest assured that future tests will be conducted on a tighter timetable.
Well, enough with the formalities, now on to what you all really want. The numbers. Enjoy!
Shoot-Out Participants:
| Applied Technologies & Research, Inc. |
| Bassani Manufacturing |
| Borla Performance Industries |
| Bosal |
| FocusSport |
| HKS USA |
| MagnaFlow Performance Exhaust |
| MBRP Inc. |
| PaceSetter Performance Products |
| RM Racing |
| Vibrant Power Inc. |
All of the above companies were gracious enough to provide us with systems for the Shoot-Out. Originally HKS agreed to provide a system but required us to jump through too many hoops so we were not going to include them. Fortunately, at the last moment, we located a very slightly used unit and were able to purchase it for a good price.
*Thermal Research and Development and A'PEX i both declined to participate in the Shoot-Out.