Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

This is the prototype set, on paper they perform well, we'll see how they do on the dyno. They're also working on a C6 set, it'll be interesting to compare the flow results, both stock and modified, vs. this C7 set.

I'm having a hell of a time tracking down a stock C7 intake manifold so it's looking like I may be forced to buy a new core.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Awesomesauce!

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Copy/pasted from my thread on CorvetteForum (http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/...-vs-corsa.html):

After reading a thread on here about adding an aftermarket X-pipe to an otherwise stock exhasut system (http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/...stock-npp.html) I decided to start looking into it further. There aren't many options on the market yet, but I picked up what is currently the most popular (Corsa Double Helixx) plus another that I think will also prove effective and popular (Borla part #60547) to compare them side-by-side with the stock X-pipe and ultimately decide which, if any, to install on my car (2014 Z51 w/NPP). Until now, my exhaust system was 100% stock. Due to a past history of going overboard on modding my street vehicles, when I ordered this car last winter I promised myself I'd take it slow and only add modifications that don't have any drawbacks to drivability and livability, plus remain somewhat emissions and hopefully warranty friendly. It's not my DD car, but I do take it on quite a few roadtrips, dinner on the weekends, etc. in addition to performance driving orientated events ;)

stock exhaust specs
-catted downpipes: 3.0" outlets
-X-pipe: 3.0" inlets w/3" cats*, reduces to 2.75" immediately post-cats, single 2.75" X-crossover, expands to 2.875" at the outlets to slip over the axle-back pipes
-NPP axle-back: 2.75" inlets

The stock X-pipe weighs in at 22.6 lbs, which includes the clamps (welded on) so for comparison sake I'll subtract 1 lb. and call the stock X-pipe to be an equivalent of 21.6 lbs.

*The factory X-pipe cats are not monitored so they can be removed without throwing any check engine lights or error codes.

Borla X-pipe specs
-3.0" inlets, smooth taper to 2.75" after the inlet flange
-2.75" piping with the exception of the in/outlets
-single 2.75" X-crossover
-explands to 2.875" at the outlet to slip over the factory axle-back.
-15.8 lbs for a savings of 5.8 lbs vs. stock

Corsa Double Helixx X-pipe specs
-3.0" inlet
-3.0" piping
-two 3.0" X-crossovers
-3.0" outlet (I noticed that this has to basically be crushed to securely clamp over the stock axle-back pipes, not ideal in my opinion as it seems prone to leaks and internal turbulence)
-19.6 lbs for a savings of 2.0 lbs vs. stock (Corsa claims a 2 lbs weight savings so my measurements confirm this)

Corsa (top) vs. Borla (bottom):
http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...106151831a.jpg

Borla (top) vs. Corsa (bottom):
http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...0106151833.jpg

stock/Borla/Corsa:
http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...0106151945.jpg

Corsa/Borla/stock:
http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...106151945a.jpg


stock impressions
For factory exhaust piping, it is very nice in design with decent welds, bends, and transitions. If it wasn't for the cats, I'd probably say it wouldn't be worth the bother to replace unless you wanted to be very particular about some of the bends having a slight crush to them.

Borla impressions
This is a very nice pipe, I feel this is what the stock pipe could have been like if manufacturing costs weren't a concern as it has smoother bends than the factory pipe with no crush to them at all. It is similar in design to stock and follows the stock pipe routing almost exactly. One benefit to that is how it looks nearly factory once installed and partially hidden by the stock tunnel brace. Unless a trained eye knows exactly what they're looking for, I can see this pipe flying under the radar when it comes to warranty claims.

Corsa impressions
This pipe is a beast, it's large and heavy, but seemingly designed for excellent flow (Corsa claims +20% compared to stock). This pipe has the fewest and smoothest bends of the three so that is a plus in my book. The double X does change the tone of the exhaust; some say it makes the car sound more exotic or European vs. the throaty rumble of an American V8. I do wonder if it adds unneeded internal turbulence though? This pipe seems to be the most popular on the market right now, but my guess is that's because it was the first one to become widely available and the fact it's straight 3.0" in design.

My conclusion
I decided to keep the Borla X-pipe on my car. I like the design of it, the weight savings, and it's somewhat stock appearance. Considering the NPP axle-back is also 2.75" in diameter I do not feel I'm giving anything up in regards to the Borla 2.75" vs. Corsa 3.0", but that is just my somewhat experienced guess. The exhaust tone sounds similar to stock, just a bit louder and sharper with the removal of two catalytic converters. They all install very easily with simple hand tools, 1 jack, and 1 jackstand. I'd suggest a 3/8" drive ratchet with an extension or two, sockets in the 13-18mm range, a 15mm wrench (ratcheting if you have it to speed things up), a flat head screwdriver for prying off the gaskets and rubber hangar, and a hammer to pound the gaskets on to the new pipe. You can just jack up one side of the car; I jacked up from the passenger side rear point (just in front of the rear wheel) and put the stand under the passenger side front point (just behind the front wheel).

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Vroom Vroom! I still want to learn the math of the X-pipe vs double-X. Any louder while cruising at 85? :D

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I honestly think the double-X is just a marketing gimmick that sets them apart, plus creates an exhaust tone unique to their brand. From my understanding, only a single H- or X-pipe is needed to equalize exhaust pressure between the banks. Heck, why not just Y into a large single, then Y back to duals, that would be unique to the industry for sure! I'll report back on cruising volume @ 85... :)

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

procharger on order?

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

No, but MAP's working on a ported intake manifold.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Whats with the metric sizes, this is 'Murica son!

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Chevy & Borla, neither could be more American...but still smart enough to use metric fasteners :lol:

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Hell, even my old 2007 Tahoe is all metric. Had to get dirty last night. :D

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I finally had the MAP ported & coated exhaust manifolds installed today! Below is the before & after dyno chart. I'm very happy with the results, and the shop said they were surprised by the gains. The gains were about half what long-tube headers show which I think is fair considering these are emissions, warranty, and stock tune friendly by retaining the stock pair of primary cats (the X-pipe install from last week deleted the secondary cats).

+11WHP/+8WTQ

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...0117151342.jpg

Full mod list:
-AFE intake
-WeaponX ported throttle body
-MAP ported & coated exhaust manifolds
-Borla X pipe
-Diablo InTune (custom DiabLew tuned)

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Cant beat that, and retains oem fitment / quality.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Exactly my thinking! No durability issues, no extra noise or annoying sounds, etc.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Agree, nice gain for the benefit of stock durability.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

If anyone cares, this shop is owned by John Lingenfelter's daughter and her husband.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I thought I've heard of that shop before.

Nice gains. Should help the supercharger breath..

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

A month or so back I bought a stock intake manifold and had it shipped directly to MAP for their inspection and porting (if deemed necessary). Fast-forward to last week and the guys at MAP inspected the manifold and deemed porting not necessary so they shipped it back to me. This did surprise me since other companies are already offering intake manifold porting ($200-400 depending on company and level of porting) for the LT1 and claiming that gains are possible. Here are some pictures that I took. Overall, the stock manifold is a very nice design with individual radiused runners. It is plastic so it is smoother than a rough cast aluminum and more ideal in design, but there are definitely still some lips and edges that could be smoothed out, along with that PCV vacuum straw that runs directly behind the inlet. Thoughts? Theories? Ideas?

I'm currently toying with 3 ideas:
1. Selling it for ~$200 and not worrying about it.
2. Do a little self-porting with a Dremel to smooth out the lips/edges and cutting down the straw.
3. Send it to Fasterproms for their $200 service.

Weapon-X, company that ported my throttle body, offers two levels of service, Stage 1 for $349, and Stage 2 for $399, but both of which seem excessive for my setup.

TOP
http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...0126152044.jpg

BOTTOM
http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...126152045a.jpg

INLET
http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...126152045b.jpg

RUNNER
http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...0126152046.jpg

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Sell it. I'd question whether there are any real efficiencies to be gained by porting those minor items.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Yea... seems like a waste of time/effort for maybe a couple hp?

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

You guys share Kyle's (@ MAP) thoughts, he basically said the exact same thing.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Sell it, buy beer.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

$200 = 333 Miller High Lifes aka Champagnes! Or enough to cover gas for the spring cruise :)

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Done and Done.

From a guy who ports almost everything, I wouldn't port that. I have never seen the purpose of porting those intake mani's, the plastic ones, just doesn't seem worth it.

Doesn't FAST make one yet for the C7? If you really want gains, I'd do that.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Not yet. It looks like the first aftermarket intake manifolds to market will be MSD ($1100, April) and Weapon-X.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I somewhat agree...but it almost pains me to leave it alone because as you know, I also love porting anything I can get my hands on! It is without a doubt the best stock intake manifold I've ever seen though.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

You'd think with a ported TB you could at least hog out the inlet and see a few whp gain? Can that be done w/o removing it? Quick/dirty, that's what I'd do on a CT9A if I were to do it all over again with a ported TB.

Damn it stop giving me ideas. :P

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

The ported throttle body just removes the lip and smooths things out pre-plate, the diameter post-plate is left about the same. Let me go double-check my throttle body pictures to confirm that though...

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Yea doublecheck that otherwise I say wait for a proper aftermarket manifold to come out...what are the other v8 guys doing traditionally?

or if you really wanna stick NA look at doing a big gnarly cam (I know you won't but I'm still throwing it out there)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW7SvXpCOSw&t=37s&hd=1


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaG7G2VHMrg&hd=1

Seriously though yea KISS--don't do the IM unless its really worth it.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

No long-tube headers and definitely no cam :) Drivability needs to remain 100% stock-like with little to no additional noise in Tour mode (muffler baffles shut); these are my self-imposed requirements.

As of right now the C7 guys are just porting the stock intake manifold as there is nothing yet available in the aftermarket (or simply leaving it alone), but results have been mixed and I've seen nothing mega concrete yet in terms of gains. The C6 guys either port the stocker (totally different design), or get an aftermarket and have that ported (FAST, MSD, etc.).

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Well, I couldn't leave well enough alone :)

I sent the stock intake manifold core in to Fasterproms in Florida for them to do their thing on it.

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...5396440842.jpg

http://www.mitsustyle.com/photopost/...2005395770.jpg

Porting is always tough to judge in pictures, but I'm very happy with the craftsmanship and finished product. The inlet and runners were all enlarged to gasket size, the vacuum/draft tube was removed, and all edges/lips were smoothed. This is what I would consider to be a "stage 1" level of porting, kind of like a Buschur intake manifold vs. a MAP Rev2 & 3. WeaponX (I have their ported throttle body) offers what I consider to be the stage 2 & 3 levels of porting, but for my plans the additional expense wasn't justified IMO.

I have a buddy coming to town from Arkansas next weekend to pick-up his Evo X build from Cobb so while he's here we're going to get some wrenching time in and install this manifold. Once I get the retune finalized, I plan to dyno again at Cobb since that's where I did my stock baseline at, then call my setup good for the year and just enjoy the hell out of the car!

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Keepin it simple and clean, really diggin it man. If only I had the discipline (and $$$) to do the same!

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Thank you..I feel you though, its a struggle! I actually bought, then canceled, a Procharger kit last month :lol: My goal is to keep things warranty, stock tune, and emissions compliant for my trips to the dealership. I also told myself I would not do anything to this car that in any way hurts reliability, drivability, comfort, etc. (something I've been guilty of on pretty much ever car I've previously modified). I want to be able to take cross-country roadtrips, then tear it up as soon as I get there :D

I figure it should be sitting somewhere around 450whp (Dynojet) with torque just a touch lower (440-445) for the Spring Cruise. This is on 93, I'll have to get a 91 safe tune made too for the middle states without the good stuff. Luckily my tank is big enough to do the entire cruise route on a single tank so regardless of what's available in southern MN/WI and Iowa, I'll be able to run 93 from Minneapolis.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I'm excited to see this thing on the cruise :)

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Looks great! I these C7s are just awesome.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

Only a little over 2 months away!
Thank you!

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I still need a ride. Stupid rain.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

No doubt :( Sucks you picked a rainy weekend to come down.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I like that you're keeping it simple with the car. After going big all those years ago, I'm enjoying a smaller, better driving setup. I'm planning on getting another Esprit and the more I read about it, I'll just be doing basic mods instead of going crazy with it. It's fun to just enjoy the car.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

I couldn't agree more. No major wrenching sessions, no drivability issues, etc. It's nice to just be able to drive the car whenever, and wherever, I please. I figure I should be able to knock the intake manifold out in about 2 hours Saturday morning, clean up, and be eating BBQ before noon.

Re: Meet GheyRay: Lower, Wider, Lighter!
 

:drool: BBQ.

MEGA DROOL VETTE+BBQ.