the weekly exhaust question..

[Tw3NTy0n3]

okay, i've searched pt forums everywhere trying to find out if an exhaust adds any real power at all to the cruiser but every thread turns into an exhaust sound discussion..

i want to know if it does anything to the performance of the car.. can anyone tell me if it helps any? i know it won't be a big jump, but is it worth spending that money for the performance (if any) that you'll get in return? thanks in advance!

[ElectricBlueGT]

Most people claim that the butt dyno feels some more power. I have yet to see real dyno data to prove that an aftermarket PT exhaust increases power. People also claim that their mileage increases with their new less-restrictive exhaust.

Scott

[quicksilverdon]

Quite sure a good flow-thru exhaust will add a few horses, and combined with an intake, eliminates take-off hesitation. I haven't seen dyno results, but the stock exhaust has quietness as it's main goal.

[purplept]

I agree that just adding an exhaust system doesn't necessarily increase engine performance. I believe upgrades have a relational effect. For example, adding an exhaust system on the PT without doing anything else, has little if any performance advantage. However, when combined with other upgrades such as air intakes or a Stage kit, then the exhaust upgrade has a performance benefit related to the other upgrades, i.e., more air in, less restrictive exhaust out. This can be collaborated by reading the fine print on Mopar's website where they indicate that the horsepower and torque benefits on the Stage 2 and 3 kits for the SRT4 are fully realized when using the Mopar/Borla exhaust upgrade. However, on some cars such as the Subara STI, a catback exhaust upgrade can add up to 38 horsepower. I've done exhaust upgrades on two PT's, one N/A and a GT and can't feel much of a difference until upgrading the intake. But, the Mopar dual exhaust sounds and looks very good. I like mine.

[Tw3NTy0n3]

Hmm, thanks for the responses! I already have an Airaid intake and a 3" air duct from the fog light to the intake. Not sure how good an exhaust would work with that.. I don't think the PT Cruiser can give me the speed I'm looking for so I'm gonna save my money for another car. I'm going for a 1990 or 1991 Nissan 300ZX. Preferably a 2+2. Thanks again!

[MichaelDay]

Since you are starting with the normally aspirated PT, you are limited in how much power you can add before reducing the life of the engine. Now if you were starting with the turbo (either the lite or the GT) you would have a good platform to start making some power mods.[}]

[RallyDRock]

My mopar/borla single exhaust helped with off the line hesitation.
For example i was able to roll away from a 3mph crawl in 2nd gear without any bucking.