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Looks (actually, "sounds") as though the original exhaust on my "07 2LT, with @168k, is on its last legs. Does anyone have any experience with some sort of "performance" exhaust, other than the $650+ MagnaFlkow system?
I thought you’d notice.
I just went with similar dimensions in tube sizes. Most stainless steel exhaust shops have Flow Master or MagnaFlow or Borla mufflers .
Sweetie had a cat back SS system fabbed up with a 22 inch resonator and two 18 inch mufflers, all SS mirror polished , $650.00 CDN last spring.
The bends are mandrel bent and no clamps all joints are welded.
Yeah, I guess that I had better work with a local exhaust shop. I like a mellow exhaust tone but do NOT want a ricer fart can. Amazing to us old guys how long some of these modern components can last. For an original exhaust to last 13 years and almost 170,000 miles is astounding to me. My neighbor has an 08 LS 2.2 that he bought used a few years ago. It now has 148k so he took it to his mechanic to check things over before he started a 2800 mile round trip. He found to his amazement that his HHR still had the original battery, and that it was fine.
Not exactly what you asked, but the OEM muffler itself might be fine. They seem to hold up better than most.
I had read here that the heat shield above the axle is a frequent cause of local corrosion. Sure enough, I had that problem. A patch there probably would have kept me going for a couple more years.
Mine's a 2.2L with the skinny pipe. The Walker replacement (resonator included) with the crinkles in the bends looked more restrictive so I bought their item for the 2.4L (Walker resonator #56248) and cobbled it in; all the old flanges were so they were sawed off and everything was welded back together with slip-fit pieces of pipe. To be clear, the cat and muffler were salvaged, minus their flanges.
It was a pretty cheap fix, and after I found and obtained the pipe (with some difficulty,) it was while-you-wait at my favorite muffler cobbler, who confirmed that those OEM mufflers hold up well and was fine with salvaging it.
I'm sure I coulda done better but it's quiet and sounds nice, and I swear it's quicker even if it shouldn't be.
