Many people often tell us about their new VE or VF Holden Commodore or HSV. They say the exhaust sound is quiet. They feel their car does not sound like a V8.
Their question then is “What can I do to make it sound like a V8 should?” This article aims to answer that question and help you choose a VE or VF Exhaust system.
Good Sounding Exhaust
Stainless Steel Exhaust
People often say, “We don’t want a stainless system because it sounds tinny. “In the old days, stainless systems were thin and often did sound that way. But the exhaust systems we supply use much thicker stainless steel, which gives the best sound. Mild steel systems tend to be lower pitched with a dull note that can easily be droney at low rpm high loads. The new stainless systems we use have a more beattie sound. The stainless steel adds a sharper edge to the note, which is pleasant to hear. This ‘beatiness’ is an effect of the exhaust where individual pulses are being heard. The psychological effect of beatiness is interesting. When you can hear the beats, the sound is pleasant. However, if you lose those beats, the sound becomes droney, and we dislike it. Good headers that are working tend to make the exhaust sound even more beattie. Effective headers cause the exhaust pulses to constructively interfere and add up. This shows that exhaust scavenging from the headers effectively removes exhaust gas from the engine’s cylinders.
Bimodal Exhaust Systems
Some rear mufflers have valves that control exhaust gas flow. This prevents gas from flowing to all four tips at low loads while cruising. This feature can help reduce any droning sounds. Bimodal systems are standard on many HSV models in both the VE & VF. We have systems that can use the factory bimodal wiring and function under the HSV dash EDI control. Getting a Bi-modal Performance exhaust for any car that came out with it is highly recommended. It is a great feature and will not take away value from the vehicle. Our Bimodal systems are the best-sounding exhausts we offer.
Performance Improvement
A complete performance exhaust system can boost power on many cars, including the HSV LS3. This system includes headers, high-flow metal catalytic converters, and a performance cat-back exhaust. The result can be an increase of 20 rear-wheel kilowatts or more. This is on top of any gains from a cold air intake or a tune. You cannot simply install a full exhaust system on any VE-VF model without upgrading the engine management computer.
We are platinum dealers for Manta Pro Exhausts and prefer the sound of the DPE systems. They also perform very well on the Dyno.
