Sound level difference: 2.5" vs 3" exhaust - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums (2024)

FAQs

Does a 3 inch exhaust make a difference? ›

For street exhaust systems, our guidance is the same as that for off-road vehicles. For turbocharged and supercharged vehicles, a Manta system with 3-inch twin pipes will flow over 800+kw, which is perfect for a blown powertrain or a vehicle with an upgraded cam. It also gives you a deeper, louder note.

Engine Power and Fuel Efficiency Comparison: For engine performance, the Chevrolet Camaro SS's base engine makes 455 horsepower, and the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 base engine makes 650 horsepower. The SS is rated to deliver an average of 19 miles per gallon, with a highway range of 456 miles.

Sound preferences: Different exhaust sizes can produce different sounds. If you're looking for a deeper, more aggressive sound, you'll want to choose a larger exhaust pipe.

Improved sound.

Basically, if you're hoping for better fuel efficiency, a more powerful engine and a better driving experience, then bigger exhaust pipes are a good choice.

Performance: Due to the more powerful engine, the ZL1 offers superior performance compared to the SS. The ZL1 can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds, while the SS takes around 4 seconds to achieve the same speed. The ZL1 also has a higher top speed, capable of reaching 198 mph compared to the SSs 165 mph.

All engines were initially available with a 6-speed manual and 8-speed automatic transmissions, except for the ZL1 models, which use a 10-speed automatic in addition to a standard 6-speed manual. The 8-speed was replaced by the 10-speed automatic in the 2019 SS and 2020 V6 models.

For modified turbocharged cars pushing 300 to 600 whp, the most common exhaust size seems to be 3-inch. Some big-turbo cars use 4 inches at the expense of increased noise and decreased ground clearances, which is enough to deter many away from the larger-diameter piping.

Unless you perform other engine modifications, simply making the exhaust larger will do nothing at all to either the engine's performance or fuel consumption. An engine is essentially an air pump. If the air flow out is changed without changing the airflow in, the change will make no difference.

Exhaust Size

As a rule, switching to a performance system that is 1/4" to 1/2" larger than the standard system combined with free-flowing muffler designs will provide you with the best overall horsepower increases.

The quick and easy way to choose what diameter pipe you will need from the headers to the mufflers is to go back to the old rule of thumb, that for every 100 horsepower = 1” of total pipe diameter is needed across the system. For example, a 500 horsepower engine needs a 2.5″ dual exhaust (2.5″ x 2 = 5″).