csementuh

iTrader: (18)

04Redline,

My biggest question concerning this exhaust is the sound while cruising... Is the exhaust loud when you cruising along on the highway? Can it be heard more than stock? This is a huge deciding factor for me... I cannot have an exhaust that drones on while driving. When you get on the gas, I def don't mind lots of noise, but for everyday driving along a highway in overdrive, I want it to be damn near silent? Soo can you please give a description of the sounds?

Also my second biggest fear is losing a lot of low end power... Do you feel that the car lost some torque? If so, does it feel significantly better top end?

Please someone preferably with the 3" exhaust please clear this up for me. That is the only thing holding me back. If everything is OK, I will order the exhaust tonight. Then I will have the full Clear Image setup! Thanks!

04Redline

Well the throttle response feels better and i'm not sure that I lost any low end.... it still pulls hard and towards the top end it's gets quieter and seams to pull alot better. Idling it sounds like a deep rumble and cruising isn't loud unless you get on it of course.... i'll post a couple videos of my cruising and idle.... it's hard to tell but i've been starting off at lower RPMs now to keep the noise down. And it sounds really good as i was skepticle of getting an exhaust in the first place, but very pleased with what Clear Image did with it.

sorry for music didn't even realise it was playing!

csementuh

iTrader: (18)

Thanks for the info. It doesn't seem to be *too* loud in the car... I have rode in a lot of cars that would just make me want to kill myself if they were a daily driver. I immediately think of Civics with fartcans that drone on while driving and vibrate and sound like general **** inside the car. I really really really want a nice exhaust for my SS that performs, has good sound, but isn't very loud inside (preferably as quiet as stock while cruising). Is this exhaust more loud than stock when cruising? That is an extremely important consideration for me. I want it to not make a lot of noise until you get on it. Thank you for the videos, they are very good, however they probably don't do the sound justice... In the inside video, there seems to be primarily road noise until you give it some gas, then the exhaust is heard. When just cruising with the radio off is it just as easy as stock to have a conversation? Can you hear the radio OK? Thanks for the information, I really appreciate it.

FYI, I did go ahead and order the 3" system too. However I talked to Dan and he said he was trying to locate a bigger resonator to quiet it down some. Soo hopefully he can accomplish that. Beth will call me later on to see how it goes. I still need answers to my questions though. Thanks!

04Redline

Yes it is louder than the stock exhaust. Not usre about the GMPP exhaust though. It doesn't over drone the radio at all and cruising you can hear it just enough to know it's there. I had Dan put the biggest resonator and muffler from magnaflow he could find and put that on because sound was a big concern to me as well. I think if you get it you will be very pleased as I am. This sounds WAY better than any exhaust i've heard on any import.... except the wrx because that boxter engine just sounds mean. Other than that this is the next best exhaust i've heard and don't plan on changing it! I'll try to get a better sound clip today so you don't hear all the air noise. Those where all with the windows down so you can tell it's not to loud.

an0malous

What would shipping be on a 2.5 system to T9G1J9 Alberta Canada?
and who would you use to ship?

csementuh

iTrader: (18)

04Redline,

Thank you very much for answering all of my questions! I'm sure Dan would think you are doing a fantastic job of marketing the exhausts haha.

04Redline

Ok just drove 3 hours to a friends house and back. The exhaust does not compare to stock at all. it's louder and definitly can be heard even up against a full exhaust on a muscle car. It sounds good but is a lil loud still. Next plan is to get cams and see how it respondes.

Spectral

sounds sweeeeeeeet. drove in the car. Definitely not like mine which is stock.

ClearImageAuto Dan

Dana,
thanks for posting the videos and giving your honest opinion of everything.

I'm glad everyone likes the sound. We have final test fitting to do on a Cobalt sometime next week. This week is being dedicated to catching up on production and shipping.

Thanks again everyone.

04Redline

And a little bit more exciting information.... i was getting about 250 miles to the tank and after this exhaust i got 300.... food for thought on those people wanting to save on gas prices! lol

ClearImageAuto Dan

Awesome!

However, you did say you just completed a long trip. Was the 300 miles, this trip, comparable to another long trip to the same place?

How many gallons does the Redline have compared to the Cobalt? I assume the same size tank? But GM is notorious for changing parts for no reason.

Tank size?
Previous miles per gallon?

Thanks again.

04Redline

Well the Ion has a 13.2 gallon tank but i never even got close to putting that much in my car even passed empty! I've put 11.5/12 at the most before. So i was getting 18 MPG (cruising on freeway) with all my performance mods and the header/downpipe. After i got the 3" catback exhaust i was getting 23 MPG on the freeway and i got on it a few times... so propably even alittle higher mileage now.

18 mpg (old) 555 gallons a year
23 mpg (new) 434 gallons a year

Fuel saving for one year putting 10k on it.

Thats 121 less gallons of fuel per year. And at a rate of 92 octane paying the lowest price around(cosco) is 4.59 a gallon.

Total Savings for one year with new exhaust= $555.00 Bucks! Damn thats a good deal... haha

NOTE: This is all calculated on MY personal car, not yours, so it may vary.

ClearImageAuto Dan

Thanks again for doing the math and for posting your results. Looks like they have resulted in a couple orders for us.

csementuh

iTrader: (18)

Dan, any word on sourcing a different resonator for the 3" exhaust? I know you guys are hard at work with the header/dp's but I still need to try and find something a bit quieter. I will be taking a couple 6+ hour trips by the end of the year and I need something that doesn't drone badly when cruising. Please let us know if you find another viable option to quiet it down a little. What about the possibility of a dual resonator? Or the reduced piping again?

Dainslaif

Dan, you know I'm in for one of these, but I'd like to wait until you get your 3" stainless headers up (since I figure it'd be cheaper to ship that way). Think you could hold a slot for me? ;-)

You say the 3" can bolt up to the stock DP; does that mean there's another 2 1/2" bottleneck at the flange, or would I need to specify that it would need a 3" one? Also, any word on the 3" mufflers we discussed?

csementuh

iTrader: (18)

Not wanting to try and speak entirely for Dan, Beth, and/or Clear Image Automotive, I have been in with the header/dp/exhaust GP since the beginning and have been waiting for this stuff to ship. Their response to this for me was that the header/dp and exhaust both come in separate boxes and that there could be no combined deal on shipping charges. Soo basically just order what you want whenever because it shouldn't really matter. For someone getting the full exhaust like me, it shouldn't matter as to how long each piece takes and when it will ship. Also to the best of my knowledge the exhaust can be built as either a slip fit to 2.5" or a full 3". If you are buying an entire system from them, and want 3", the dp and exhaust should be a full real 3" the whole way through... Hope this help some!

ClearImageAuto Dan

I have not had a chance to research larger resonators. I have a brand in mind; Aero. We installed a set on a truck a couple weeks ago and it toned the sound way down. It wasn't very large either.

As far as the 3" exhaust. Unless specified, the 3" exhaust will have a reduction to 2 1/2" with a 2-bolt factory flange welded on to match the stock down-pipe. Otherwise, we can build our DP and 3" exhaust without the reduction.

Thanks guys.

csementuh

iTrader: (18)

Great to hear Dan! That resonator sounds like a perfect fit for me. I assume you are talking about the Aero AR30? It is 304 stainless and has a 3" input, 3" output, 6" body x 10" length with 14" overall length. I am really hoping this fits well on the exhaust. If soo that is fantastic and I will definitely take my system like that. As far as cost is concerned I am hoping that this is similar to the Magnaflow unit and it can be used as an option in the original system. That sounds like a reasonable thing there.

Also any way of knowing in what order you header/dp is in? Or any status on when it is going to ship?

Thanks!

ClearImageAuto Dan

I have one Aero resonator on order. We'll see how it works out.

As far as number of order, etc. There is no easy way for me to figure it out. The reason is this:

almost every single order is different in some way, shape or form. Some have stainless down-pipes, some have aluminized, some have 3", some have 2 1/2", some got velocity cones, some got extra O2 bungs, some got hi-clow converters, some wanted welded flanges, some wanted slip-fit flanges, some wanted ball flanges, some got ceramic coating. Take all of that and there are probably just as many different assmblies for a kit we are working on. With all of that, some orders are easier to fill than others because we have everything available and others who ordered sooner we can't fill as easily because we are waiting for something. Specifically, we are waiting for another batch of 3" flex sections, we are waiting for 2-bolt flat factory flanges. Also, we need to find the best location to install the extra O2 bung for those wideband customers. I'm dropping all headers for ceramic coating off today. Todd is building as many down-pipes as possible with the parts we have today. Tomorrow more headers will be assmbled. There's a lot to do to fill all these orders and there's just a couple of us here.

I forgot my camera today so I have nothing to up-load. Sorry guys.

OK, back to work.
Thanks again.

04Redline

Need employees for the weekends? lol

ClearImageAuto Dan

Funny you mentioned that.

We interviewed two potentials yesterday and I am working with another from MI who is moving.

Right now weekend help would be available. The problem is the training required isn't something you can learn in a day. We'll talk tomorrow. You're the 2nd local owner who has mentioned this. The other is full-time Military. Makes it hard because he could be trained and then get deployed the next day.

04Redline

Well I love learning new trades and i know how to use benders... not yours but in the electrical field... haha

csementuh

iTrader: (18)

Dan thanks for responding. I am extremely interested in those Aero resonators. They look like good stuff. Please keep me updated. I already order my 3" exhaust with Beth last week. I call first dibs on these with the Aero parts in stainless!

Dainslaif

My work benders involve a keyboard and a case of mountain dew (computer programmer).

I'm very interested to see the results with the new resonator. I was told by other owners that the bigger the resonator, the louder it is inside but quieter outside, am I wrong about this?

csementuh

iTrader: (18)

Huh? I have never heard this before. If the bigger resonator makes it louder inside that would definitely be a bad thing... At least for me... Can anyone validate this as true or untrue? The Aero resonator is supposed to have some kind of ceramic packing material which is supposed to quiet down the whole exhaust significantly... I hope!