cj krause

Anyone hear of Walker Superflow Mufflers
are they any good?

captain howdy

I've never even heard of them.

dan-d

Walker Superflow's are awsome mufflers. They're pretty quiet and out flow just about anything I've seen. There's an independent lab test floating out there on the internet, I don't know where it's at because I just stumbled on it a few months ago. They put them up against some very well known and popular mufflers and they were much quieter and flowed extremely better.

cj krause

I talked with Mike and i am going to stick with IMCO.
Mike has tried many and said this was a great match with the HHR.

one of the things i found out about the IMCO is they are made in Schulenberg, TX
all my German and Czech relatives from my family are from Schulenberg, Shiner, St Marys and that area which to me is very very cool.

so i am getting the IMCO 924

SoCalHHR

Just to clarify what CJ said; there are lots of good muffler companies out there. The most important thing about choosing an aftermarket muffler is getting the muffler's flow rate compatible with the engines flow needs. Not enough muffler flow (like stock), will restrict the exhaust and cut some power. Stock vehicles often ship this way to be "EPA Friendly." On the other hand, too much flow does not provide enough back pressure for your engine, causing a loss of power. A fine balance is needed.

We tried several brands and types before settling on the IMCO. Most were too loud, and caused a "droning" in the HHR's cavernous interior. A few did not provide enough back pressure and caused sluggish performance. Just like Goldilocks we had to find the one that was "just right."

Even IMCO makes a wide variety of muffler styles and sizes. We chose their Turbo (*and a specific size/model), as it met all our criteria. Compact size, improved tone (but not too loud!), no droning, a noticeable power increase from the engine being allowed to "breathe" better, and enough back pressure to help on the hills.

I've been working with a supplier for a while trying to get the best pricing I can and am hoping to have these available on our site shortly. It's a simple mod any muffler shop can do in 30-45 minutes. and one that will make your HHR stand out from the rest at the stoplights and on the highway.

If you just don't have the pocket change for a full cat-back, the IMCO turbo is the way to go. I really love mine and don't think I'm going to add a cat-back. It's that much of an improvement!

Just wanted to clarify "why" I think this particular muffler is the way to go....

Oh, and we put up a "How-to" for those interested here: IMCO Turbo Muffler Install

txsman2930

The muffler show that much improvement in power to the point where it changes your mind about adding a cat-back? Vast improvement..Keeps some money in the pockets...I'm sold!

captain howdy

No muffler is that good.

SoCalHHR

I think it gives a 5-7hp increase - based on the HUNDREDS of mufflers I've installed on various vehicles in my lifetime. Gibson is claiming a 12-15hp increase with their cat-back, which frankly seems pretty high for a 4-banger.

I've tried to get dyno charts and sound clips from them, with no response. I even offered to bring my video gear up there to shoot a how-to install and record the actual sounds myself. Still no response.

The HHR's stock tubing is all mandrel bent with very smooth routing, the only major change with a cat-back is eliminating the stock resonator - which is a straight-through flow design anyway.

For someone not willing to part with the $$$ for a full cat-back, the IMCO Turbo is the best way to go . You WILL notice the improvement after you do the swap. I really like the tone of mine (*It actually sounds much better than the clips we recorded - the mics were placed straight on and too close to actually get an accurate sound).

Basically, I love the sound right now, enjoy some added power, and am AFRAID if I change it now I might not like the results!

dan-d

Mike, don't get me wrong, I wasn't trying to sell CJ on the Walker Superflow. I was simply answering his question. The superflow quite frankly does outflow most of it's competition.....period. I also understand the importance regarding back pressure, flow velocity, etc. and have been building performance cars and drag racing for about 40 years. I'll be the first to admit that the superflow would most likely flow too easily for a 4 banger causing it to lose a whole bunch of low end torque. I appreciate all the work you've done in finding the best muffler available for the HHR in both the performance and sound aspects. As a matter of fact I love turbo mufflers and will most likely get an IMCO from you at some point. As far as performance improvement with nothing more than a simple muffler change I'll have to stand with Mike on this one. Over the past 4-5 years I've been playing with 4 bangers in the sport compact arena. We've seen some of the darndest things happen, especially at the drag strip and on a dyno. We've seen exactly what Mike talks about. I've seen some of these kids replace a muffler and gain HP and torque over stock, then later when they've saved up enough $$$ they swapped out their stock setup with aftermarket muffler to a complete catback system only to be dissappointed because they actually lost HP and torque to well below it's completely stock configuration.

SoCalHHR

No worries Dan - I didn't get the wrong message at all. I just wanted to clarify that a "great" muffler name like Magnaflow, Flowmaster, or Walker doesn't necessarily translate to excellent performance on the HHR.

We have already seen how delicate the intake system is - that owners who are trying to fab their own short rams are having problems with the engine management system. I'm just happy we found an affordable solution that provides good power and tone without breaking the bank.

As an aside, I had an El Camino years ago with a dual exhaust system. We installed Flowmasters on it and it ran like puke. I ended up swapping back to the original "turbo" style mufflers to get better performance (*this was with intake, carb, cam/rockers and headers btw). Now some Flowmaster mufflers may sound great and add good power on some vehicles - but it was not the case with mine.

As always, your mileage may vary!