I posted this in the Mall but was advised to move it to the General Fiero Chat.

What is the best exhaust system to install on a 85 Fiero GT?

Is Borla (if you can find) better than the Ocelot stainless system from the Fiero Store? What about a CAT and manifolds/headers; are Focoa's better than the stainless Sprint's with coating?

My GT has been in the family since day 1 and I have only need to change the CAT once. My manifolds are leaking/cracked, my muffler is toast and the entire exhaust system is flaking rust all over my driveway ... it needs to be changed.

What is the best set-up outthere in terms of quality: Manifolds, pipes, cat, muffler etc... Based on my reading I thought Borla was the best but I want everyones opinion before I invest in the wrong areas.

Ted
Living in the Great White North, Toronto

[This message has been edited by Bandana Boyz (edited 10-03-2009).]

Wow. You got a stainless steel exhaust system to rust?

Yes, Borla is "better" than Ocelot. Better quality and better performance. Sound is subjective, but I'd say the Borla sounds better too. It costs more and is harder to find, which isn't "better."
FOCOA headers are better than Sprints. Sprints are only slightly better than stock manifolds, but they are more durable than stock and don't crack like the stock manifolds do. FOCOA headers are also more expensive and harder to find.

You're going to find when asking what's "best" that most things are subjective. What are you looking for? Performance? Durabilitiy? Good looks? Cheap price? OEM fit and appearance?
Also check out http://trueleo.com/index.htm . They make intake and exhaust for the Fiero and while they're not cheap, many members here have their products and swear by them.

For just a stock daily driver, Truleo would be overkill. If you do a 3.4 pushrod swap or mod your 2.8, then their stuff makes more sense. If your car is stock and you just need to replace a worn out system and are looking for improvements at the same time, I'd go with either Sprint headers or OEM manifolds that have been welded and ported. Performance is about the same. Then use a high flow cat, and the Borla exhaust, unless you decide to make a custom exhaust. Most people here have done custom exhaust systems since so few catback kits exist for the Fiero.

Welcome to the Forum!

quote Originally posted by Formula88: Wow. You got a stainless steel exhaust system to rust?

Some grades of stainless contain enough ferrite to be magnetic and rust. I learned when working in the machine shop that 304 will rust, 316 won't.

quote Originally posted by Formula88: Wow. You got a stainless steel exhaust system to rust? Yes, Borla is "better" than Ocelot. Better quality and better performance. Sound is subjective, but I'd say the Borla sounds better too. It costs more and is harder to find, which isn't "better." FOCOA headers are better than Sprints. Sprints are only slightly better than stock manifolds, but they are more durable than stock and don't crack like the stock manifolds do. FOCOA headers are also more expensive and harder to find. You're going to find when asking what's "best" that most things are subjective. What are you looking for? Performance? Durabilitiy? Good looks? Cheap price? OEM fit and appearance? Also check out http://trueleo.com/index.htm . They make intake and exhaust for the Fiero and while they're not cheap, many members here have their products and swear by them. For just a stock daily driver, Truleo would be overkill. If you do a 3.4 pushrod swap or mod your 2.8, then their stuff makes more sense. If your car is stock and you just need to replace a worn out system and are looking for improvements at the same time, I'd go with either Sprint headers or OEM manifolds that have been welded and ported. Performance is about the same. Then use a high flow cat, and the Borla exhaust, unless you decide to make a custom exhaust. Most people here have done custom exhaust systems since so few catback kits exist for the Fiero. Welcome to the Forum!

Thanks for the welcome. I live in Toronto and I use the Fiero as my summer car and store it in the winter. The system has no holes in the pipes but the pipes themselves produce rust flakes and make a sea of rust coming down my drivway (after a rainfall). I take good care of it but would really like to invest in a solid system. The Sprint headers that are heat coated and stainless from the FS are the same cost as the Truleo. I thought I had a handle on a Borla exhaust at one place but they were mistaken with their inventory. I found one person but he wanted $1,000 for it new (a little high I think). I do not mind spending for quality as I plan on keeping the car for a long time and perhaps modify it in the future.

What CAT would you put on the system?

If you want/need to use a Cat, I'd recommend Rodney Dickman's stainless steel version.

http://www.rodneydickman.com/retail_new.html

Select the Engine tab and click on Catalytic converters. He has regular and Hi-Flow cats in stainless steel.

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"If any car is both the parade and the rain, it is the Fiero"

Driving a Fiero is like driving a Rough-Draft, Pontiac got it to work, now its up to you to make it a good car.

I'm surprised it is leaving rust on the driveway. I found the culprit to be the battery tray.

If you can wait for the next season, that is over the winter, I'll be selling my system that is definitely not stock, but sounds way cool

But to answer your question, from all I've read the Borla system seems to be preferred.

Arn

quote Originally posted by Bandana Boyz: What CAT would you put on the system?

quote Originally posted by Xanth: If you want/need to use a Cat, I'd recommend Rodney Dickman's stainless steel version.

I once bought a cheaper stainless replacement catalytic converter other than the Rodney Dickman one, and the pipes just outside the cat completely rusted through because while that cat itself was stainless, the pipes connecting it to the remainder of the car's exhaust system were not.

In contrast, the catalytic converter offered by Rodney Dickman is completely stainless. Even the pipes connecting the cat to the remainder of the exhaust system are stainless --- unlike the cheaper, mostly stainless cat I bought earlier --- which in hindsight, was a mistake of "false economy" on my part. Accordingly, you will benefit by ordering a Rodney Dickman cat, especially given that you intend to keep your Fiero for awhile.

You also stated:

quote Originally posted by Bandana Boyz: ...I want everyones opinion before I invest in the wrong areas.

Well, now you know from my experience not to invest in a supposedly less expensive stainless cat, as I first did, before I opted for the Rodney Dickman cat, which is what I should have done in the first place.


Good luck to you with your project, and welcome to Pennock's Fiero Forum!

The borla system produced 5 hp more than the stock on dyno test,,it is the STANDARD for fiero exhaust system,, $400.00 would seem the top price for a used pristine unit

The stock fiero V 6 manifolds,,stock manifold ported produce more dyno power than the focoa and sprint headers ..and have a neat look when cleaned up
It is a lot of work to port stock manifolds,,worth it tho...

im also a fan of borla.

Borla if you can find it , or a good custom exhaust shop. I have the truleo headers on my 2.8 and there is an improvement, not like holy crap much but an improvement.

I agree, Borla if you can find them, I chose the Ocelot, as the price was in the range I was wanting to spend.

In August 07, I bought the OCELOT PERFORMANCE EXHAUST , from the fierostore (w/ their 15% off special)

Comes with 2" aluminized pipe leading into a custom built, free flow Shuttleworth muffler, & GT style megaphone style tips and clamps.

I also bought the 1988 V6 CATALYTIC CONVERTER KIT
This kit includes an aluminized headpipe, Walker free flow catalytic converter and clamps.

Painted them before installing with a high temp ceramic paint. As of this 10/09 posting, the paint has held up & the pipes still look brand new.

The sound is very good, louder than stock, but not enough to be obnoxious.

[This message has been edited by CoolBlue87GT (edited 10-06-2009).]

CoolBlue, great photo's. Why did you paint the performance stainless exhaust system from the FS? Also, are you running stock manifold or another type?

So, if I need to replace my exhaust manifolds, should I go with the after market factory ones or upgrade to Sprint, Truleo or Focoa?

Nice moped btw.

quote Originally posted by Bandana Boyz: CoolBlue, great photo's. Why did you paint the performance stainless exhaust system from the FS? Also, are you running stock manifold or another type? So, if I need to replace my exhaust manifolds, should I go with the after market factory ones or upgrade to Sprint, Truleo or Focoa?

The F/S system is not stainless, it's "aluminized" pipe.

I'm running the stock factory (headers) manifolds.

My bad, I thought you installed the stainless system from Ocelot.

Shuttleworth has some interesting muffler types http://www.shuttleworthexhaustsystems.com



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World of Wheels Winners
My 3.4L S/C 87 GT
& Super Duty 4 Indy

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 10-07-2009).]

link to start of thread

[This message has been edited by RickN (edited 10-11-2009).]