Im looking to get a new muffler....its a fireball with a 4" diamter outlet.......i get confused...is the stock muffler that big silver bowl right before the tip???

and how much would installation cost for that....at a chevy dealer???

 

dont rice the car out

 

not necessarily rice, im sure just changing the muffler will produce a pretty decent sound if you chose the right muffler...

 

while this is true, i don't see a 4" muffler with a name like fireball being considered the "right" muffler

 

yeah i agree, i was being optomistic...however u spell it

 

go to a local muffler shop and have em just do a catback exhaust. i paid $280 to have it done to my jetta awhile back.

 

id rather just buy a quality product...add like another $150 and u got a magnaflow Catback

 

do not waste your time just installing just a muffler, especially a fart can 'fireball' muffler...it will not yield any gains and will not look all that great either.

there are a number of vendors here who sell catback exhausts for the cobalt...although personally I think spending $500+ on an exhaust for 2-3HP is ridiculous. Take yourself to an exhaust shop that does mandrel bends and have them construct you a 2.25" exhaust with your choice of mufflers for around $300.

oh and your dealership will not install an aftermarket muffler on your car for you. it needs to be taken to an exhaust shop and welded on.

 

Fireball........lol.

 

Agreed. Please don't just buy a muffler...it's completely pointless and will make your car sound waaayy too ricey. Save some cash for another week or so and pickup at least a Magnaflow cat-back...

Optimally, I would suggest a Corsa system, but it isn't for the financially challenged.

 

thanks guys.....i will have to stop being so anxious and just wait a lil for the cat-back...my favorite one so far...is the GMPP perfromance exhaust....i like the sound, affordable , and good ratings.

thanks

 

I won't argue with that Anything but that lil can of yours lol

 

well i paid $280 and i got 2.5'' full catback w/ magnaflow muffler...isntalled and everything.

 

great idea and when you get it you will be happy just make sure you get yourself an intake around the same time. either mod works by itself but together they yield a massive improvement over stock.

 

the nice thing about cat-back kits vs customs is that you get a gain as claimed by the manufacturer, there is no way to know whether or not a new custom exhaust is going to do any good or not.

i guess the custom route is good if you would rather have a car that looks good rather than performs well.

 

how is going custom any different than paying for a production exhaust

mandrel bent 2.5" piping is mandrel bent 2.5" piping...your choice of muffler and resonator and you are left with the same result. There is no engineering degree needed, you get the proper size piping, put in the higher flowing mufflers in stock locations and there you have your brand new exhaust. If seeing padded gains on a website or box makes you sleep better at night than by all means spend the extra money but a production exhaust is by no means better than a custom setup.

 

exactly

 

Yup...IonNinja hit the nail right on the head...thats why i'm going custom!

Besides...just because the manufacturers claim certain HP gains, that doesn't mean that you're actually going to gain the same amount. Thats like shopping for a sound system and only looking at the RMS ratings!

Paying $500+ for some mandrel piping, a resonator and a muffler is pretty rediculous if you ask me...Stainless or not, you can always go custom for so much less.

 

While you did make a great point, I would like to point out to the thread starter to NOT get a 2.5" exhaust system if he has a 2.2 ECOTEC motor. 2 1/4" is big enough and will give him a well balanced power gain throughout his powerband, not just his high end. I've seen from personal experience and others that our motors just don't have enough exhaust velocity on the low end and we lose in low end power.

Agreed. It's all a marketing gimmick. It's like saying "buy our sneakers, you'll be able to jump 12 inches higher than you did before!"

Best advice I can give you from personal experience and seeing others mess up is to PLAN & SAVE. If you have a good plan ahead of time, you will be able to save your money properly instead of buying random parts to see what you can gain out of it. If you know what kind of power you're looking for ahead of time, this might prevent you from wasting your money on pointless modifications.

I say from this point on, if you're in it for performance, make yourself a goal....whether it's a 175 HP or 215 HP or 275 HP, make a goal. Research and find people who have reached the goals you want or what you would need to reach that goal. For all you know, you might want 215 HP and you'll find out that going boosted is the most logical way to get there and you just wasted a ton of money on bolt ons when you could have already met your goal. Happend to me and I try to educate others so it doesn't happen to them.

Sorry for talking your ear off but just wanted to make a statement. Good luck with the exhaust setup.

 

Yeah you're definately right about the 2 1/4" piping being better for 2.2's. But if you plan on getting a turbo or a supercharger, 2.5" is the way to go i've heard.

 

Yes, that is true.

 

ADAM!!!! I had no idea you were on here. ADAM FOR PRESIDENT!!!!!!

 

being that the gain is so small from an NA exhaust upgrade in the first place I'm willing to bet little to no difference is felt between 2.25" and 2.5". However, I'm going the nitrous route and have opted for the 2.5" piping, I'll probably even end up with a 2.5" downpipe after the Pacesetter too. I'm thinkin I'll be okay in N/A mode...

 

lol what's up?

 

not too much man. hows samantha?