Adding a new exhaust system...
Adding a new exhaust system to your Fourth-Generation Trans Am or Formula Firebird can be a fun and rewarding experience, as long as the system compensates you with power, sound, looks, quality, and proper fit with easy installation. Let's see if Corsa Performance's after-cat exhaust fits the bill.
In the high-performance aftermarket, after-cat-system jungle, choosing the right package for your late-model Trans Am or Firebird Formula is oftentimes a challenging and risk-filled adventure. So many manufacturers claim to have the uncontested right to your hard-earned dollars, and if you sift through their marketing literature, you'll find a repetition of the same marketing words: great sound, guaranteed horsepower, unsurpassed quality, and so on.
When it comes down to it, many Pontiac hobbyists who modify their vehicles from stock agree that there are five things to expect from a great exhaust system-power, sound, looks, quality, and easy installation/proper fit. Though many will rank power as the most important of these five key points, they may find that sound is the one point that determines whether they stay with their new aftermarket exhaust for the long haul or kick it to the curb for a different brand.
Corsa Performance Exhaust of Berea, Ohio, is one of America's oldest and most-respected exhaust-system manufacturers. It has patented a design called Reflective Sound Cancellation (RSC) technology, which reflects sound pressure waves within the muffler case to produce the same 180-degree out-of-phase wave-cancellation effect found in electronic noise-suppression mufflers, but without electronic devices or flow restriction. As a result, Corsa is able to design a straight-through exhaust system that offers minimal resistance to the exhaust flow with awesome sound at full throttle and idle, while at the same time canceling low-frequency cabin resonance.
Corsa's kit features premium-quality...
Corsa's kit features premium-quality complete 304L stainless-steel construction and mandrel-bent, 3-inch-diameter pipes. It's designed as a direct-fit, bolt-on option, which only takes 45 minutes to an hour [for a professional shop] to install. If you're the DIY type, Corsa includes a step-by-step instruction guide with photos with every kit, allowing you to install the system in your garage or driveway in nearly the same amount of time, depending upon your tools and skill level.
In layman's terms, Corsa promises no drone, a condition that pervades far too many muffler systems in the market today.
Corsa's after-cat systems for the '93-'02 Trans Am and Formula Firebird are not brand-new. In fact, they've been available for over 10 years. In that tenure, Corsa hasn't had to change its design once. That speaks solidly for the system's reputation, and you probably already know at least one fellow late-model Pontiac owner who has a Corsa exhaust installed on his or her car.
We wanted to learn more for ourselves, so we procured a system to install and test. Part number 14143, an after-cat system for the '98-'02 LS1, comes with dual 3.5-in Pro tips and costs approximately $1,200. To aid us, we brought in AntiVenom Performance, a late-model Trans Am and GTO speed shop located in Seffner, Florida. AntiVenom's Greg Lovell will turn the wrenches and perform the dyno-testing on the in-house Dynojet.
Follow along to see how Corsa's system fares when challenged to attain all five key points of a great after-cat system.
With the factory exhaust still...
With the factory exhaust still in place, we put the Trans Am on AntiVenom's Dynojet dynamometer for three pulls to record a baseline. The best was 342.33 hp and 335.51 lb-ft of torque.
No wonder GM puts the exhaust...
No wonder GM puts the exhaust underneath the car where you don't have to see it. Notice what eight years of environmental exposure has done to the factory's aluminized pipes and muffler.
We'll begin aft of the factory...
We'll begin aft of the factory cross-brace, where the rear of the stock Y-pipe mates to the intermediate pipe.