[nb0616]

Hey guys, first post here but a lurker none the less. I have a 2014 cruze lt auto with bnr tune, gtx14 turbo, 42lb injectors and a zzp catless downpipe.

I find tons of posts about how to get the loudest exhaust, but nothing much else. What I'm basically interested in is getting the highest possible performance out of an exhaust without it being ridiculously loud.

To be honest, I don't like the sound of four cylinder engines with only a few exceptions (escort cosworth, fiesta and focus st, focus rs and maybe a few more)

I know I'm asking a rather difficult question as I know a large restriction free exhaust is the easiest way to make power.

I'm all for running no cats and no resonator. Perhaps there's a good muffler and an optimum size pipe to keep things tame?

I'm certain I will not be running cats and most likely a resonator either. I may just be screwed. But I figured it would be worth talking to the community about it.


Thank you and sorry for the long post,


Nick

 

[MP81]

Honestly, the Cruzes sound pretty good without a muffler, since they're turbo'd. The turbo does a good job of quelling rasp.

Unfortunately, noise generally goes hand in hand with flow.

 

[EricSmit]

Sounding good is not a quantifiable opinion to make.

If you had no cats and a 2.5-3" pipe and 2 18" straight through mufflers, that would probably do the trick without hindering flow.

 

[NickD]

Ha, if wasn't for the fact that we have to use unleaded fuel that requires EGR that little engine would be developing 2 HP per cube of engine displacement. Turbo kicks out as much as 35 psi boost, but you need a solid state sensor and a scope to test this. It took years even before 1 hp per cube was reached.

If the stock Cruze exhaust was just as good as what our 04 Cavalier was driving in road salt, it lasted ten years before replacement, and this was just cat back. For years with stock exhaust, this had to be done every year. And about every three years was from the exhaust manifold back.

If you look at any GM parts site, talking about $$$$ to replace the stock system, sure a lot of bucks down there, watch our for road restrictions. Wish at times they would copy farm tractors or semi's, where the exhaust goes straight up into the air, they don't have these kind of problems.

Talk about cold air, but with manifold fuel injection, cold air does not atomized the fuel, get droplets, they don't burn as well, you are actually hurting both performance and economy. A nice change would be to go to direct combustion chamber injection, doesn't have this problem.

Fooling with the stock system in particular with the cat, could cost you $25,000 in EPA fines if caught, don't get caught.

Dual exhaust does favor a V-6 or a V-8, each bank has its own pipe, only one bank with the Cruze.

One way to get more HP, trade it off for a Caddy CTS, basically the same identical unibody as the Cruze, same weight, but comes stock with 360 HP. And perfectly legal.

Yeah, I know aftermarket people like to call engineers idiots, been this way for years. Ever since 1972, our bosses was the EPA, and also toss in the DOT, plus other governmental agencies.

 

[Merc6]

The rear muffler chopped and straight pipe from axle back.