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Just bought 2000 Camaro stock and looking to add headers and Borla exhaust. Thinking BBK long tube headers and a Borla exhaust.

Has anyone done that?

Any recommendations?

Any other suggestions are welcomed.

DucatiKiller
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Mike29
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1 Answers1

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I'm assuming you have a Z28, or maybe a B4C (police package). I figure you would have said so if it was an SS, and AFAIK BBK doesn't make longtubes for the V6.

What has you looking at BBK? It's not a bad choice; just looking for context.

I went with Kooks longtubes on my '02 Z28 (link goes to one of many kits that would be suitable for your car). I made that choice because (by reputation -- this isn't a spec you can look up) they tuck up under the car the best, leaving the most ground clearance. My car is lowered almost two inches, so I want every bit of clearance I can get.

You'll want to get the engine tuned afterward to take best advantage of the additional airflow. Unless you know someone or have the skills and equipment already, this will cost you at least a few hundred dollars.

Note that, with longtubes, you'll also need a Y-pipe (unless you plan to go to full dual exhaust, in which case you need a bunch of other stuff). When you replace the Y-pipe, you have to decide whether to retain catalytic converters. If you ditch them, your car will have a slight gasoline smell (bothers some people; others love it), release more harmful emissions, and require additional changes in the tune. A "catted" Y-pipe is several hundred dollars more expensive than an "off road" (catless) Y-pipe, also known as an ORY.

I'll assume you're in the US; what state? Emissions laws vary, and you might have some compliance considerations. Longtubes generally won't pass inspection, if that's required in your state.

The Borla catback is excellent. You pretty much can't go wrong there. If you'd like to spend less, Magnaflow's is great and much less expensive. Personally, I have the Corsa. It's expensive but sounds awesome! (Video is with stock manifolds and Y-pipe, no longtubes yet.)

All that said, this advice is based on the assumption that exhaust is the right first modification. What has you wanting to do the exhaust?

Depending on what you plan to do with the car in the long term, I'd encourage you to consider some alternatives:

  • Subframe connectors (especially important as miles grow higher -- makes the car much stiffer)
  • Tires (literally the most important factor for all aspects of vehicle performance, but I generally only recommend this if what you have is straight garbage or if it's time to replace them anyway)
  • Airbox lid (super cheap, super easy to install, and worth almost as much horsepower as longtubes, no tune required)
  • Shifter (if manual transmission, the factory shifter leaves a LOT to be desired, even if your car has the Hurst option. I recommend MGW or Tick)
  • Shocks & springs (the factory shocks are way too stiff, and the springs are way too soft. Changing these will make a HUGE difference in ride and handling. I also recommend swaybars if cornering is a priority for you.)

The links above are just some of many, many options -- but they're good starting points. I'm happy to offer more tailored advice if you can tell me about about your goals and budget, along with some details about what you're comfortable doing.

The LS1Tech forums are a great place for vehicle specific advice for this platform.

JakeRobb
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