Mopar Performance (Borla) cat back install with sound

[cdover73]

So I bought the cat back from MP and installed it today. The kit was straightforward and simple. With a trip to town to get more T40 bits (dang Torx head bolts!) it took me about 4 hours total. The hardest part was removing all the stubborn to break Torx bolts and reaching the forward 10mm nut on the side sill. Once it was all apart I removed the crossover pipes (even giggled evilly while doing it) and the stock muffler. Aligning the new pipes with the side port was easy after I realized to semi tighten the clamps to hold it but still allow me to move it in position, otherwise it would have taken ten hands. I left all the stock cats in place for now.

The clips below are before and after. I took them with my phone so the quality isn't that good but enough to hear a difference. I'm satisfied with the results. It has a deeper and slightly more aggressive tone but not obnoxious. I may play with removing the rear cats first then maybe upgrade to high flow in the front later. One step at a time.

Before:

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1xlmN4sHlwZ

After:

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1cNFT41WHSn

Thanks,

 

[ViperJeff]

Very Nice!!!!

 

[cdover73]

Thanks! If anybody is interested: http://m.ebay.com/itm/Mopar-Perform...er-SRT10-8-3L-2003-0-/111778123857?nav=SEARCH . Only one more available!

It surprised me to find out out that Borla makes these kits for MP. Why would you pay the extra if its made the same? Or is it?? The quality and fit seems very above standard. Even the clamps were beefy and not the cheap, bendable ones you find in other kits. Im happy for now. Thanks to cubican for turning me on to these! He has been a tremendous help to me lately. Now if I can just find the 355 unit like the one I missed out on recently...

 

[cdover73]

ViperJeff - I just saw your note on my other post about the site I linked to for the sound clips using html and it not being supported here. I posted it before reading that. If it violates site rules or anything you can remove it. My apologies...

 

[broomrider]

Very nice!! I would have rather been putting exhust on my car than cooking for 50 people lol

 

[denniskgb]

Very nice!! I would have rather been putting exhust on my car than cooking for 50 people lol

can I marry you?

 

[broomrider]

can I marry you?

Hahahahahaha that's very sweet but there is a Mr Broom. I guess I said that wrong. He would take great offense to me calling him Mr. Broom

 

[cubican]

Sounds excellent glad all went well, I'm still looking for a rear end for you. Cheers

 

[denniskgb]

Hahahahahaha that's very sweet but there is a Mr Broom. I guess I said that wrong. He would take great offense to me calling him Mr. Broom

this is when i woke up

 

[Free2go]

can I marry you?

I already got dibs.

 

[Free2go]

Cdover73, I have a MP exhaust with no cats and love the sound. Good choice.

 

[broomrider]

I already got dibs.

You guys are so sweet. I can cook and entertain but I would definitely rather be around cars and bikes. Hell I've even let my hubby park my road king in the living
room for decoration.

 

[cdover73]

Sounds excellent glad all went well, I'm still looking for a rear end for you. Cheers

I was hoping you picked up on that!! Lol. Hope the vacation went good. Appreciate the help.

 

[MoparMap]

I had the Borla pipes on mine when I bought it and really like them. They do have a little more low end rumble and growl than the Corsa sets I've heard. Have since put headers on that changed the sound some, but not too much. The low end is still pretty similar sounding, but the high rpm sound is more of a wail than a roar.

 

[Allan]

I had those for a few years on mine............the cat delete version.

way more cool than the stock set up.

 

[cdover73]

One question I have is will this system get deeper as it gets broke in? I know with some of my other exhaust setups on other vehicles they got a lot deeper. For instance, a Flowmaster true dual setup on a 2000 Dodge Dakota with the 4.7 v-8 started out making me wonder if I had made the right choice. Two months later it got so deep that I could hardly stand the drone. That was turned down at the rear end and a regular cab truck.

I noticed when I drove to the LSU game on saturday that at specific rpms the tone sounded great. At idle it was almost stock. And at WOT it was awesome! How much change in tone can I expect?

 

[MoparMap]

I can't say for sure as mine had some miles already when I bought then, but mine haven't changed much in the 40,000 miles I've done. Borlas are typically fairly well known for drone though, and it is a pretty deep consistent tone when I drive on the highway, but not unreasonable for me. I think I actually preferred having the factory manifolds and cats to some degree in that I kept the good tone of the mufflers with slightly less volume than my headers and cat delete have provided, but it's not awful. You can carry on a conversation with someone without shouting easy enough, but it does drown out things a bit.

 

[broomrider]

I noticed when I drove to the LSU game on saturday that at specific rpms the tone sounded great.

That's because you were headed to a tigers game. It had to have the right growl

 

[Allan]

One question I have is will this system get deeper as it gets broke in? I know with some of my other exhaust setups on other vehicles they got a lot deeper. For instance, a Flowmaster true dual setup on a 2000 Dodge Dakota with the 4.7 v-8 started out making me wonder if I had made the right choice. Two months later it got so deep that I could hardly stand the drone. That was turned down at the rear end and a regular cab truck.

I noticed when I drove to the LSU game on saturday that at specific rpms the tone sounded great. At idle it was almost stock. And at WOT it was awesome! How much change in tone can I expect?

I did not really notice a change over time.

 

[steve e]

Get rid of the Cats, then see how it sounds.

 

[cdover73]

Get rid of the Cats, then see how it sounds.

All of them or should I just try with removing the secondaries first? And if I do anything with the primaries should I just rod them out, replace with high flow, or remove altogether? Is there a MIL eliminator to get rid of the O2 sensors or is it controlled by the PCM and need to be re-programmed?

Sorry for all the questions, but you started it...lol!

 

[cdover73]

That's because you were headed to a tigers game. It had to have the right growl

That's right! I was actually giving my maw-in-law her Christmas present. She had never been to a game and nobody was using my season tickets so I figured I would **** it up and take her. This thread was mostly created because the exhaust wasn't loud enough to get rid of her drone on the way there... On the bright side, at least I got to see Les Miles' last game!

 

[viper04blk]

I cant find ANY info on the "drone" effect. can you explain it to me? Does it happen at only high way speeds? is it only during a set of rpm range? is it a deep sound or a higher sound? can you record it?

 

[MoparMap]

As I understand it, it's basically a constant hum that's just really ear filling for lack of a better term. It drowns out a lot of other sounds/conversation/etc. I think it's just sort of a resonant frequency or something like that. Most see it on the highway at low rpm. For instance, doing 70 in 5th isn't too loud, but once I shift into 6th and lug it down a bit more the engine tone changes and has more of a drone effect. It doesn't bother me that much, but over a long drive it can get to you. I know my ears have felt a little sore after multi-hour highway cruises from time to time, but that might have involved the windows being down too.

It's typically an rpm based thing. There's usually a fairly small window of engine speed where the exhaust just sounds really loud, even though you aren't really pushing the car.

 

[broomrider]

That's right! I was actually giving my maw-in-law her Christmas present. She had never been to a game and nobody was using my season tickets so I figured I would **** it up and take her. This thread was mostly created because the exhaust wasn't loud enough to get rid of her drone on the way there... On the bright side, at least I got to see Les Miles' last game!

Hahahahahahaha and hallelujah. My mother n laws drone is a phone call away no exhaust would fix it

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

.......he would just be the Groom to Ms. Broom.

Some folks are noting that there is a drone at certain speeds with the Borlas, and that was the big selling point pushed by Corsa -- deleting that effect, and quite effective through the magic of a chambered maze of handmade channels to tune that out. As noted, some folks don't mind as much as it I usually in a specific power range. Would definitely not suggest deleting the cats, though , as the sound , smell , and difficulty in resale don't really add up to the perceived benefit. Butt dyno usually have folks saying that lack of back pressure leaves it a little less satisfying at low end. Just my humble opinion, but frankly the raw fuel spell in traffic or under start up never was too appealing in my estimation?

 

[MoparMap]

I tend to agree. I would have left the cats if they would have fit, but with the long tubes and no aftermarket ones at hand I wasn't going to go out and buy any. If they came with the exhaust I'd probably put them on though. The smell isn't nearly as bad on mine as my mom's 94 (which we found out had the cats removed when I was fixing some paint on her rocker panel). That will gas you out and make your eyes water. Mine is noticeable to the nose, but really not that bad, even sitting in traffic.

 

[cdover73]

With the cats stock i am not getting a lot of drone. I have driven a couple hundred miles since i installed, with the top both up and down and the noise is very tame. I would like it to be a little more aggressive with a deeper growl but overall I'm extremely pleased.

The only issue I am having is getting the adjustment right on the tips from cold to hot. The clamps seem to loosen up as they get hot. I went one "umph" past tight, but they still move around. I may end up using my mig to tack them in place.

 

[cubican]

The viper exhaust move a ton the best way to adjust them adjust the tips to the front of the exhaust exit hole, like that when they get hot and move back they will be centered, also if you like it more aggressive sound delete the rear cat not the front one.

 

[cdover73]

Yeah I did that. The problem is they keep moving on the pipes after they get hot. Like the clamps are not holding. When I get out and check them after driving they are all the way back and turned down. But I can actually move them by hand with gloves on. I went back and tightened the heck out of them and it still does it. It wouldn't be a problem if they stayed where I initially put them. Thats why I said I may tack them in place.