[-JD]

Hello All, my first time signing on with a question for direction. First, a little about myself. First car was a 1972 Plymouth Satellite with a 318 engine. This car turned into a rusted wreck in upstate NY but got me around through high school. Next significant car was 1978 Chevy Malibu Custom with the 305 which I purchased and paid off while I was in the Navy. This car taught me quite a bit. I learned about advance curve kits for the distributor, shift kits for the automatic transmission, and performance exhaust with Hooker headers and tuned mufflers. It also taught me to be on the lookout for inspection stations with mechanics who understood headers and catalytic converters don’t get along. The growl that exhaust system put out is something I want to emulate with my year and a half old Camaro. My Malibu had a distinctive low rumble at idle until I lit up the tires. The growl that car put out was music to my ears.

Due to a series of possibly illegal dealer actions with a 2019 Mustang GT Premium I purchased from this dealer, I drove my Camaro out of the showroom after negotiations. They also had a 2023 LT1 which I was told was not priced to fit what they were offering to avoid litigation.

Sorry to be long winded. I have been researching performance exhaust systems, cold air intakes, and tuning to replicate the thrill I had with my Malibu. In visiting performance exhaust shops locally, I have been advised the best I could do is have it sound like a rattling and popping Honda or Subaru. If this is true, I will leave everything stock and just enjoy the freedom of having a convertible.

So, what I am after is advice on what is possible and just as important what is not with my turbo 4 cylinder Camaro especially as it relates to exhaust. Thanks, much. I look forward to what you have to say. I do not plan to break the bank with mods, just exploring options for the three mentioned above.

Regards,
John

[arpad_m]

to the forums, John, and congrats on your 3LT. That's an interesting backstory with the Mustang and the LT1 the dealer didn't want you to have, oh well.

You may not like it, but unfortunately an inline 4-cylinder will never sound half as good as a V8. Borla has some nice options for your car at around $1000 (see here and listen here), but even the best and loudest one (Atak) won't give your car the deep low rumble you appear to be craving. It's much, much better than stock, though.

[-JD]

Thanks for your reply Arpad. Still considering options and appreciate the two you provided. These are axel back. Any difference with cat back? Also, I was advised if I add cold air intake I would hear a bothersome “ticking” from the turbo. This is causing me to lean into leaving the Camaro stock. I am, however curious if I can add the tune chip with a stock air intakes.

BTW, with a little research I found out the Mustang had been a rental and involved in two accidents which among other damage bent the rear end frame. The guy running the collision shop at the dealership and I go back many years, so he is the one who got the ball rolling on negotiations. The Mustang, without any repairs went to the auction house.

[arpad_m]

Honestly, I don't know if there are any good catback exhaust options for the LTG, but if this is only (or mostly) about sound and not performance, if I were you I would only look at axlebacks anyway, those cost much-much less and still alter the noise profile in pleasant ways. Did you check the audio clips in the video I linked?

Looks like you dodged a giant bullet with that Mustang , you were blessed to have a man on the inside who stood up for you. I mentioned here several times how important it was for me to build good relationships with the service department that worked on my car, at the dealership I ordered it from, and they always had my back, treated me like a king in fact. Didn't do it quid pro quo even though it was a very nice perk, I just believe in treating people the way you'd like to be treated in their place.

[-JD]

I did check out the Borla options. It was hard to tell if there was much difference until I got to the inside the car recordings. Still had a hard time discerning tone and overall sound. I am nota hurry. I just keep my eyes and ears open to ideas. Are most members of this community running V8s? Thanks for your input.

[Joshinator99]

With the 4 cylinder, I would not bother trying to get the great V8 sound out of it…it’s not going to happen. Most aftermarket exhausts on the 4 cylinders makes them sound even worse. If you want V8 sound you’re going to have to spring for the V8. Wish I had better news.

[bishopts]

i have the LTG in my Cadillac ATS daily. i went with a ZZP downpipe and gutted the cat out of it. then gutted the secondary cat. with the stock muffler. its going to sound a little different than the camaro but for the most part its the same thing. i can tell that its running from when i remote start it out in the driveway but i cant really hear much difference from the driver seat when im actually driving.
i would suggest a good tune and if possible e85. making the car sound like a v8 isnt really going to work but making it respond a little more aggressive will make it fun to be in.

[-JD]

Thanks all. It is disappointing but agree. In hind site, I now see why the dealership pointed me to my 3LT. It is a very nice looking car getting many comments and looks when I am out in it. It also has all the options anyone could ever want, but with an engine that removes it completely from the muscle car people think it is. It is an RS version with the Redline treatments. I will get some pictures up soon. Funny, but lead me to inquire about performance updates was the thought of painting my brake calipers red! From little things big things come I guess.

In a side note, I went back to the same dealership because I saw they had a 2022 single owner 1LT with 8K miles on the lot for $38K. They low balled me at $33K for the car I paid $46K with 2,300 miles on it just a year and a half ago.

[bishopts]

There is a lot of power to be made from the LTG so don't think of it as a lost cause.

https://youtu.be/7aVZ8twsHWs?si=9Az0olW-ysY2MEU7

[-JD]

Thanks for the encouragement, bishopts! For anyone interested I have added a an album for my 3LT. My grand kids were the reason behind the license plate. Car color is sharkskin grey.

[arpad_m]

Well, the game for the dealer is to jack up the price with options that become irrelevant the moment you want to trade the car in, plus they shaft everyone on trading anyway, your car probably lost $10K in value the moment you drove it off the lot.

Before spending $$$ on power mods, however, I'd suggest that you have a brutally honest reflection on whether you'd be genuinely happy with a faster LTG. You can upgrade to the real deal V8 very cheap it you're okay with an older model year with higher mileage than yours, already much more capable in stock form than the LTG, and even then you could keep building the LT1 or LT4 all the way to crazy four-digit horsepower numbers if you wanted to.

Just to make you feel a bit better, you're not alone in this "first world predicament" , I initially got a 2LT with a V6, thinking it'd be good enough, then lost $9K on the trade up to a 2SS when I went back to the dealer after 3 or 4 months... never regretted it though, there was nothing wrong with the 6-cylinder, but the moment I stepped on the pedal in the new 2SS, the grin on my face turned into the shit eating kind . And it's even faster and more beautiful now, in the absolutely perfect form I arrived at after a few rounds of mods. Sounds like freaking thunder on wide open throttle, too.

[bugdewde]

As mentioned, you won't get a low rumble V8 sound out of a muffled down turbo 4. Just can't happen.
Here's my deep rumble idle with some in-car audio accelerating down an on-ramp & cruise around 70 mph.

ZZP catted down pipe, cold air intake & DNA muffler delete axle back pipes .

It has a deep so6nd on cold start and a loud bark when the cams make power around 3000-3500 rpm ... cruise noise at 70 mph is very mild unless you put the car under load (i.e. ...cruise set going up a hill).
Having had many V8s in my time, I get the desire to have that cool sound .... but it isn't gonna happen with a turbo 4.
My mods are completely reversible & I can revert back k to stock when I get tired of the noisey 4-cylinder. ��

https://youtu.be/8Dk6Ac4iLqI?si=DbP_hRV5CTSta6Xz

[-JD]

Hey Bugdewde! That is very close to what I wanted to achieve. Lower sound without the popping and look at me sounds I hear coming from VW's and Honda's I hear around here, however I do have news...a few days ago I purchased a 2023 Mustang GT Premium Convertible. 5.0L V8 6 speed manual at 450 HP, red metallic paint with over the top black racing stripe. I am just beginning to learn about all the options the first owner added to an already fully loaded premium car. GT performance package(?), Electronic power assist steering(?), Track Apps(?), Magneride damping system(?), and active valve performance exhaust(?) plus a load of gauges in the dash I have never seen. I know this is a Camaro enthusiast site, but you all convinced me from the git-go I needed to be back in a V8. It also puts to rest the torment I went through with my previous Mustang mentioned at the top of this thread. The dealership did work with me and made this an almost stress free purchase. What I do not understand is why someone would purchase a $50K car and add an additional $11.5K in options to turn around after a year and a half of owning it to trade it with 4,056 miles? I personally have never driven something with this much power until my test drive. I was freaking hooked!! The good news is this car had one previous owner and was easily traced back to the original selling dealership which is local to me. Thanks to all for your straight forward advice. See, I followed it. I will be picking it up in about a week. Once the dealership listened to my previous Mustang ordeal they told me they were going to go through the car bolt by bolt to make sure I won't find something. I took this with a grain of salt but am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Adios, gentlemen. Thanks for steering me straight.


You can see the car here: https://www.irwinzone.com/used-Lacon...TP8FF9P5100393

[cooper1965]

@-JD, so you could make you Camaro walk that malibu, but it will never sound like a V8 .. ever... If it was possible, I would have figured it out by now. The best sounding exhaust I have heard off shelf, bolt on (still obviously a 4 cylinder sound) is the stainless Injen with the equal length Y split. The best one I heard in person was a full custom 3" titanium single exit. Believe it only had a single full boar muffler.


Personally, I kept mine quiet, full 3" ,catless ,into stock suitcase, and enjoy turbo sounds instead of a exhaust note that doesnt exist.