Flowmasters? Whats the deal?

[johnnyttype]

i have 2 3" orignal 40's on my car and i ran almost identical times, within a few hundreths...in the 12.0 range @116mph, this was capped and uncapped on my exhaust dump. My car currently makes 434rwhp through the muffs which is good enough for me...for now!

Plus, i am clearly biased, but i love the way my car sounds... cant say the same for some other buicks i have heard but to each his own

hears what mine sounds like : Dyno Run 86 Buick T-Type - 1320X - Grassroots Drag Racing - Fast Cars - Rock 'N Roll

 

["Turbo-T"]

IMO Flowmasters are good when you have a low hp low performance car that you want to "sound good".

Case in point.....you have a 1985....well say a Regal...with a 307....you want it to sound good because you know it doesn't have any real performance....similar to 5.0 Mustangs of about the same year ....so you throw a set of Flows on, now your ride "sounds" like it's got balls.

Of course most people associate sound with performance, ask any ricer.

Now in a high hp car where rpms are up you need something that's going to flow well. Because an engine is an air pump right? More flow in and more flow out....You know if you go to the track, most of those high hp cars they uncork the exhaust by not running one....aka "open headers".

But let's say you also run on the street and can't run open headers all the time....what's the next best thing to an open header but MUCH quieter? Certainly NOT a Flowmaster. And not a glass pack either.

Now in my experience any of my performance engines I've been around, going from Flows to (in my case) Ultraflows, I noticed an immediate improvement on top end performance.

On the TR, I went from Flows to the same muffler and also went from the stock dp and exhaust to a 3 inch dp and straight shot. PSI went from 19 to at least 26. I'm sure if a Flow was a replacement PSI would have gone to...maybe 23. Just a guess.

Old wives tales say "backpressure" is needed for an engine to have performance.....bull hickey.

 

[notacarlo]

Other than the idle drone, these cars are fairly quiet with straight pipes. That is until you squash the grasshopper under the go pedal.

 

[slow305]

Back pressure does help with the street manners of a N/A car. Not saying that's it's going to run better at the track than an open exhaust, but low to mid RPM acceleration is improved with moderate back pressure.

 

["Turbo-T"]

Back pressure does help with the street manners of a N/A car. Not saying that's it's going to run better at the track than an open exhaust, but low to mid RPM acceleration is improved with moderate back pressure.

Actually, I think, if anything, the only time back pressure is going to help at all on an engine is if your engine happens to be one of those underpowered emissions strangled choking wheezing engines from 1973 on up to around 1990. Those I've heard need all the help they can get since they made so little torque and no real hp.

But I think I know what you really mean....how if you have lets say a torque engine, a smaller diameter tube will simulate more torque. Applies to headers and exhaust pipes.

 

[novaderrik]

backpressure is always bad- but it is possible to over scavenge with too big of an exhaust pipe and kill low end response and torque.

 

["Turbo-T"]

That is true Derrick that's why they say exhaust pipe size is important. Bigger isn't always better, and smaller isn't always better.

 

[TurboDave]

backpressure is always bad- but it is possible to over scavenge with too big of an exhaust pipe and kill low end response and torque.

True, but not on turbo cars. POST turbo piping can't be too big.

 

[j-6]

flowmasters

Yeah I agree about 15 years ago a guy ran a 3inch piece of pipe from the turbine housing a stock car with flowmasters and ran in the 8s with flows and 7.70s with the piece of pipe from the turbo housing so turbodave I know first hand what free flow will do I have flowmasters on my 86 gn right now but as soon as I get finish with the transmission I will run a 3.5 single shot dynomax bullet muffler on my car to many other GN experts have told me thats the way to go I will keep you informed on my car.

 

[blackmonte]

Anyone know anything about the GNX Mr.Marriott's Owned on YouTube?The exhaust sounds really nice on that car,they kind of sound like pitbulls?