Ok for those that voted on the poll earlier...thanks!

I am gonna buy a street bike I can work on so that I know how to work on them yet if something terrible happens I won't cry myself to sleep.

Anyway....I might...might...have some extra cash from Good Ol' Sam so I was thinking of doing the total exhaust replacement also.

Long headers to true dual out, Magnaflow Cats to super 44's...I've read about all the different pipes out there. Stock we have Y-pipes, correct? Is there an advantage to making H-pipe or X-pipes from true duals? Something about the way it makes the exhaust come out?

I saw an ebay listing for a 3" X-Pipe and was wondering if I should even waste my time. Feedback out there for comparision and what is what and all the junk please!

 

H pipe and X pipe if im not mistaken are added to help with back pressure so you dont have misfires. I asked my step father about this and hes very engine savy. But what i was told, is that nascar doesnt use X or H piping, they just run their exhaust straight back. Thats serious racing, so it there is an advantage to running an X pipe or an H pipe its so small that its not worth adding the extra lbs of piping.
Someone correct me if im wrong.

 

right from jegs catalog

"The X-Pipe design synchronizes the balance of the exhaust pulses from each bank of cylinders based on the firing order which increases velocity and scavenging from each cylinder. Manufactured from fully aluminized 2-1/2' diameter mandrel bent tubing. Includes all necessary hardware. Catalytic Converters not included, for off-road use only! Made in the USA."

 

Yea yea I can read marketing language the same! :P I wanted to know if someone out there actually notices a difference or if it is just a waste or additional money.

 

+1 on straight pipes being the best for all out power but for trucks with pre and post O2 sensors that type of setup seems to easily turn from simple and cheap to complicated and expensive. If you wanted straight pipes you would either need to rip out your O2 sensors alltogether which would cost you about 1/2 of your MPG or get some expensive O2 sensor simms from the fastman. Either way, say goodbye to ever passing smog if you have to smog your truck

X and H pipe setups both balance out the exhaust pulses but if I'm not mistaken, the x pipe does it better.

My recommendation would be if you want the good and inexpensive route go with a large diameter y pipe. Then most everything will still line up where it is today and you'll get a good gain in power.

Otherwise the best thing is to install an X pipe before the cat(s) and then another X or a Y pipe after the cat(s). That would deliver the best results with a good low restriction muffler and high flow catalytic converter(s) and also allow you to keep you O2 sensors properly placed.

 

and 3" piping by the way is a bit large for the smallblocks in our engines unless that small block is a screaming monster called a 340.

I have 2.5" pipes on my truck going from headers into X pipe into dual cats into y pipe into 3.5" straight pipe and it's not too shabby. Going past 2.5 inches is not really worth doing unless you have an all out race motor.

Stick with 2.25" if you don't plan on doing engine work, 2.5" if your going to freshen that thing up someday, and 3" only if your gonna build a beast.

 

Crossover pipes give you a little added torque. H or X is fine.

 

I want the power but don't want to lose too much torque also....I think I might do the X-pipe but not before the cats and then after...that seems over the top

 

I came out of the headers, into the collectors, then into each individual cat. After the cats, I "Y" piped into a single until the one into two Flowmaster, where its back to dual out's...
When I had my 2nd gen, I went true dual, ditched the catsand welded an "H" pipe just before the spare tire mount.
I don't know if one is any better than the other, but I was taught that at some point you need to let the exhaust from both sides meet.

 

its not imperitive that they meet, it just helps get a little more torque. Old drag racers trick from the early 60s, that has caught on and now everyone uses it.