I'm wondering what exhaust to get for my hhr. I want a deep really clean sound. So far I'm leaning toward a flowmaster super 40, but noone knows what it will sound like with a 4 cylinder. Anyone got any suggestions.

My neighbor really likes his Corsa exhaust. He says you cant even hear it inside the car, but it sounds so good on his car.

so will a 2.25 inch exhaust work ok?

I'm still trying to find what is gonna work best. Its so hard to make a decision.

I like Magnaflow because there are no baffles. They kind of sound like glass packs.

Maybe I can get some THRUSH! D'OH! I wonder if they still make THRUSH, I am gonna check. Back in the day it was Cherry Bombs, Thrush, and Purple Hornies....lol...Yep! OK Dynomax does Thrush.

B.Fenrir

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I had Thrush's on a whole bunch of my vehicles way back when! ;)

Back in the day it was Cherry Bombs, Thrush, and Purple Hornies....lol...Yep!

:bow: Going back to my childhood those were all popular along with Hooker headers. :beer: My uncle was a Purple Hornies man and my step dad was all about Thrush. Does anyone know the diameter tube Chevy used on the stock set up? :confused: I have a 2LT so I have the factory stainless exhaust. I'm guessing 2" or 2 1/4" but haven't checked yet.

I had Hooker Headers on my 79' Monza and my Pa and Bro's all used Hooker Headers. It was a factory 305, I dropped a 350 from a 79 Corvette, (bought it from my Landlord cuz a guy couldn't pay rent) They may have been what some called "crap cars" but I tell ya there were a lot of Mustangs going WTF? when I roasted them off the line! I had to sell that car for economy and to pay for my school, I will have to dig out and old photo! That was a nice sleeper! I miss that car!

B.Fenrir

Well today I went to my local muffler shop and they installed a magnaflow on my HHR sounds great and the car feels less stressed out and much smoother. install and everything was $106.00

So...question; how much louder is it inside the car than stock?
I don't want to lose my nice quiet inside ride...

Its not that loud but you can definitely hear it above 2800rpm

Magnaflows have more of a thrushing noise like glass packs. They are loud at idle and during acceleration but quiet during cruise. I had a dual Magnaflow setup on my Mustang.

True, but on the freeway going 80mph at 3000rpm with all the windows up you can really hear the exhuast this is cruising speed for me. The guy that installed the muffler said he could remove the resonator to make it sound louder but its perfect the way it is. One thing that i told the guy was i didnt want it to sound like a japanese car, Dont get me wrong those cars sound really nice but it wouldnt look/sound good on a HHR i wanted more of a muscle car sound on mine.

You outta post a sound clip. I'd love to hear what it sounds like.

Yes, if you can record the idle and rev sounds I'll post them on my website. (Not sure if you have that capability). You can send the file to me through www.yousendit.com just send it to mike@socalhhrs.com

And if you can't...no problem! :thumb:

Sorry I don’t have the equipment to record it. But I will ask my brother if he has anything or one of his friends his into computers a lot so I’m sure he has something I will post pictures on the weekend of the exhaust. Guys trust when I say It sounds really nice and my car feels much more responsive than before

my car feels much more responsive than before

Magnaflow claims a 7 hp increase on a HHR with their muffler. I have no reason to doubt them, they make one of the best exhaust systems on the market.

Did you get the Magnaflow exhaust tips (well I guess it would just be a tip) also? I could never keep mine clean no matter what I used, they were like road tar magnets.

i went with 2.25 inch pipe from the expansion chamber back with a magna flow also and a three inch resonated tip!! sounds real good and it definetly let the car breath!!

I went with Triple Lake pipes on both sides. Looks great and sounds to die for!
Talk about letting the car breathe!!! Watch out! (*I got a bit excited leaving the muffler shop.)

http://www.chevyhhr.net/gallery/files/1/6/6/RatFinkHHR.jpg

Sorry...I had to!

:bow: :bow: :bow: RAT FINK :beer: SoCal you are the man! :beer: You could probably do one side functional and leave the other side dead. Of course not those Patriot lake pipes because it would never meet emissions but something like the Hooker ones with the slip in glass packs Or Patriot Lake pipe 4s or Patriot Shielded pipes because of the muffler. I think I might be on to something. I wonder how they would look with the running boards? :confused: If only I could figure out how to use Photoshop. I love side pipes but it sucks to touch your leg to one. I did it once one my moms buddy Johns vette and I never wanted to do it again! :eek:

Nice!!!

my HHR came with the exhaust but i wasnt it to feel more manly sooo what u guys thinking

I like Magnaflow and Borla.

Whatever I can get for a good price to do a dual exaust works for me

Whatever I can get for a good price to do a dual exaust works for me

Why do you want to do a dual? You'll probably loose power.

Yeah, I was talking to Erich at Darkside last week, and he said they ran a "Y" on their build out car - but only about 15% of the flow makes it to the passenger side, so it's mainly for looks. As snksknr94 said - with 4-cylinder cars, a single exhaust is really the way to go.

I'm looking into some options right now for cat-back systems to sell.
We'll see what turns up...

It will all depend on what types of aftermarket rear bumpers the make. I would love to have a single exaust in the middle.

Why do you want to do a dual? You'll probably loose power.

If you increase the air coming in you wont lose any power.

If you increase the air coming in you wont lose any power.

You probably still will lose power.

It will all depend on what types of aftermarket rear bumpers the make. I would love to have a single exaust in the middle.

Two up the middle would be nice - but I don't think it'll happen. Erich and I were going over some options while my car was up on the lift getting lowered. Not really any room to go up the middle (spare tire well).

I'm thinking about...nah, I can't say just yet! :p:

Two up the middle would be nice - but I don't think it'll happen. Erich and I were going over some options while my car was up on the lift getting lowered. Not really any room to go up the middle (spare tire well).

I'm thinking about...nah, I can't say just yet! :p:

Oh, sure SoCal, dangle the carrot! :p:

Fenris :beer: :D

Oh well it was an idea. I guess I will have to wait and see

I'm sure dual exhaust will be a reality for the HHR.

Yeah, they have enough of them for PT Cruisers.
But for peformance - a single is the best way to go.

But how about with a supercharger! :D

I Guess 2.2 or 2.4 engine size would not make a difference

snaps ya i thinking im going to put a supercharger in myn :-P!

If you find one that would fit a 2.4 please share the info

I found this. It isn't available yet, but hey it has to be getting close. Does replacing the resinator void the warranty?

http://www.magnaflow.com/07techtips/pdfs/16655.pdf

Good job! :beer: You found the first cat-back system and its from my favorite exhaust company. :one: It should only void the warranty on the factory exhaust system. But then again you will no longer have the factory exhaust system so what difference will it make. I can't wait to get my hands on one! :D :bow:

Hey, I saw the site for the whole exhaust...
My question is ? Why is there big "S" between the resonator assy and muffler.
The quickest direction between two points is a straight line.
But it should not as curved as shown...

Thoughts ?

They are following the exact same path as the factory exhaust. Get under your HHR and look. There are very few cars out there with a straight exhaust from the factory. They need to go around things like your gas tank and rear axle. Your exhaust manifold dumps on the passenger side and the exhaust ends on the driver side. Now do you see where the shape comes from. :beer:

Good job! :beer: You found the first cat-back system and its from my favorite exhaust company. :one: It should only void the warranty on the factory exhaust system. But then again you will no longer have the factory exhaust system so what difference will it make. I can't wait to get my hands on one! :D :bow:
You know I posted that PDF on the "other site" over 2 weeks ago and not one remark! I was truly surprised! I can't wait, that is a top prority on my list!

I would be surprised also. :eek: Maybe nobody there actualy wants to mod their HHR! :confused:

I need a sound clip before I get excited. I refuse to drive a car that sounds like a lawn mower or an angry swarm of bee's.

Magnaflow systems always sound awesome! :thumb: They don't use baffles in there mufflers so they have a cool thrushing noise kind of like glass packs. I had a Magnaflow cat-back system on my Mustang and I loved it. They have me sold from my previous system. I also like Borla exhaust systems. :beer:

Magnaflow systems always sound awesome! :thumb: They don't use baffles in there mufflers so they have a cool thrushing noise kind of like glass packs. I had a Magnaflow cat-back system on my Mustang and I loved it. They have me sold from my previous system. I also like Borla exhaust systems. :beer:


Any exhaust system sounds good on a stang, even a flowmaster. I will just be really pissed if I get one then I sound like a fart canned Honda.

Very good point, same here. I hate that loud annoying buzzing sound of Japanese imports. I love how those kids just swap the muffler and think they are getting a major HP boost.

I hate those loud exaust's. Its kinda annoying

I love loud exhaust systems but it's all about the tone. If its loud and deep then you have to love it. :bow:

I'm really picky about what exhaust I put on my cars. Which is why it is taking me so long to pick what I want for the hhr. I want it to be deep but really clear. If anyone has any aftermarket mufflers they should get a sound byte from it and post it.

hi i have the flowmaster 40 series on my HHR i have the 2.4 motor with the 2 1/4 inlet and outlet. I like it not the honda sounding exhaust.

I'm really picky about what exhaust I put on my cars. Which is why it is taking me so long to pick what I want for the hhr. I want it to be deep but really clear. If anyone has any aftermarket mufflers they should get a sound byte from it and post it.

We are working on getting the mufflers Kenny had on his ride. He installed a MagnaFlow - it was way too loud, then a Flowmaster - it resonated too much in his HHR at all frequencies, and finally, the mufflers we are trying to get.

The sound is not at all "ricey" - but deeper than stock and barely noticeable while driving, until you really pur your foot in it! I also stood outside the car and litened to him do some HP runs through the Sam's Club parking lot (at night - no cars around!). It sounded very beefy! Still, not ricey at all. Kennt had a chrome oval tip welded on, and it looked great. Obviously not stock HHR material, but different enough for another HHR owner to notice. Kenny's tip was also tucked back in a bt more than the stock LT tips - looked very nice!

I'm going to get with Kenny about having him come over for me to get some measurements and record the sound bytes. (Kenny if you see this before my email - call me!). As soon as we get it recorded, I'll put the samples up on our site. :thumb:

sweet. Can't wait to hear it. what muffler is it?

IT's an IMCO Turbo. More details soon...

Will these aftermarket exhausts work well with the automatic

Yes, both manual or automatic.

Is it just a muffler or a full catback?

Producing, selling and shipping a full cat-back is just not possible for us now. The "package" we will sell consists of a weld-on muffler and exhaust tip. Since the HHR currently uses 2-1/4 tubing on the stock ehaust, it will provide some small power gains (est. 5-7hp).

At this stage, a full cat-back with 2-1/2" tubing will require a lot of money in testing and development (design, engineering, and dynoing). We cant' justify that - and such a system would also require big shipping fees (heavy/oversize), so it's not feasible for us. Additionally, it has not yet been proven that 2-1/2" tubing performs well on an HHR. I had a '70's El Camino that did much better on 2-1/4 than 2-1/2...

The setup we will sell offers a few things:


Better, deeper sound than stock - with no "ricey" resonation.
Small Performance Gain
Low Price
Low Shipping Cost
Unique Appearance (special tip)


I'm sure it won't appeal to everyone, but for the price, it will be a great upgrade with exceptional value.

Well. Get on the ball and start selling it :) J/k I'm sure your doing everything you can to get a quality product to us as fast as you can.

I wish I could hear Big Jim's exhaust. ;) I want Magnaflow. :one: If your not going to sell them SoCal you should remove it from the home page of your site. :confused:

I think 5-7 hp gain would be pushing it with just a muffler.

I think 5-7 hp gain would be pushing it with just a muffler.

Not at all. It all depends on how restrictive the stock unit is. I once got a verified 12hp gain on a Jeep CJ7 just by changing out the muffler. I've installed over 250 mufflers on my own vehicles in my lifetime, and I can easily tell when there is a performance gain. (I do a lot of "shootouts" when changing exhausts. The muffler we will be selling felt stronger than stock while both riding in the car and watching from outside.

The big thing for me (and I imagine many HHR owners), is that I don't want to spend $350+ on a "brand M" system, then find out after it's installed that it sounds too "ricey" for me. That is why Kenny's muffler caught my attention. It has the sound I think many owners are looking for, and adds a little pep (more than the Magnaflow or Flowmaster muyfflers, according to Kenny), without breaking the bank - or having to go through the trial and error $$$ that Kenny already did. I think many owners will appreciate that.

Of course, you don't have to believe it or buy one, so you are welcome to draw your own conclusions. Freedom of choice is what our country was founded upon. :thumb:

CH: done. :D

Not at all. It all depends on how restrictive the stock unit is. I once got a verified 12hp gain on a Jeep CJ7 just by changing out the muffler. I've installed over 250 mufflers on my own vehicles in my lifetime, and I can easily tell when there is a performance gain. (I do a lot of "shootouts" when changing exhausts. The muffler we will be selling felt stronger than stock while both riding in the car and watching from outside.

The big thing for me (and I imagine many HHR owners), is that I don't want to spend $350+ on a "brand M" system, then find out after it's installed that it sounds too "ricey" for me. That is why Kenny's muffler caught my attention. It has the sound I think many owners are looking for, and adds a little pep (more than the Magnaflow or Flowmaster muyfflers, according to Kenny), without breaking the bank - or having to go through the trial and error $$$ that Kenny already did. I think many owners will appreciate that.

Of course, you don't have to believe it or buy one, so you are welcome to draw your own conclusions. Freedom of choice is what our country was founded upon. :thumb:

CH: done. :D

I just don't think I'd be advertising a HP claim with out the numbers to back it up yet.

Originally posted by SocalHHR
Of course, you don't have to believe it or buy one, so you are welcome to draw your own conclusions. Freedom of choice is what our country was founded upon He isn't really advertising it. Just guesstimating. And as he said you don't have to believe him :)

I think the 60 series from Flowmaster sounds good.I'm all about sound and could really care less about performance.

Does anyone have any idea where I could find some decently designed and decently priced exhaust tips to fit on the current exhaust? I didn't order the currently offered factory exhaust tip because I would like to find something a little more unique, and formfitting that's not going to require a lot of, if at all, welding to install the exhaust tip. Also, what dimensions of exhaust tips should I be looking for? Anything helps. Thanks y'all. :thumb:

Does anyone have any idea where I could find some decently designed and decently priced exhaust tips to fit on the current exhaust? I didn't order the currently offered factory exhaust tip because I would like to find something a little more unique, and formfitting that's not going to require a lot of, if at all, welding to install the exhaust tip. Also, what dimensions of exhaust tips should I be looking for? Anything helps. Thanks y'all. :thumb:

Go to the auto parts shops in your area and find something you like.