Welcome back to Operation Air Flow where we’ll take a stock C6 and show you some easy ways to bolt on some additional power. Last week we installed a CORSA carbon fiber intake on our 2009 Corvette coupe to get more air into the LS3. This week we’ll bolt on a CORSA Sport exhaust system again with the help of our friends at Smokey’s Dyno and Performance to help get all that air out more efficiently.
As we mentioned in episode 1, your engine is an air pump. More air into the engine equals more horsepower out. We’ve already taken care of getting more air into the LS3, so now it’s time to get it all back out. A CORSA Sport performance exhaust system (P/N 14108) will be tasked with extricating the spent gasses from the combustion chamber.
CORSA Sport Performance Exhaust Install
Like the carbon fiber intake, installation of the exhaust is pretty easy. Our total time for install was about 2.5 hours which included several pauses for photos and conversations plus a good amount of time ensuring that the tips were aligned just right. The folks at CORSA’s HQ say that they’ve got the process down to about 15 minutes on the C6. The team at Smokey’s had a 2 post lift at their disposal, but this install could be done in your driveway with a good high set of ramps and/or jack stands.
Obviously the first step is to remove the stock system from the car. We recommend hitting the fasteners with a penetrating oil before removing them. Once the fasteners are out, set them aside as you’ll be using them to install the new system.
Begin removal by starting at the front flange nuts and work your way back to the H pipe hangers, and rear muffler clamps. Remove the H pipe assembly then loosen the rear sway bar and flip it down away from the car.
CORSA Sport Performance Exhaust Install
Next, pull the muffler hangers out of the rubber mounts and carefully extract the mufflers and pipes over the rear axle and out of the car.
Installation begins with slipping both axle pipes up over the rear end.
CORSA Sport Performance Exhaust Install
Slip the forward ends into the H pipe clamps and snug fit them. Be sure to apply the provided anti-seize to all of the fasteners. If you have NPP this is where you’d cap your vacuum lines. Our C6 has the base exhaust so we could skip this step. Next, slip the clamps and rubber isolators onto each muffler.
CORSA Sport Performance Exhaust Install
Attach the passenger muffler to the axle pipe (only snug fit again) and factory hangers. Repeat this process for the driver side. Now everything is on the car so make your final adjustments to position the full system and tips properly and then tighten all of the clamps working from front to rear. CORSA recommends that you recheck all clamps and fasteners after the first test drive.
CORSA Sport Performance Exhaust Install
And that’s it. You’ve now got a CORSA performance exhaust system installed on your Corvette. Like the carbon fiber intake, installation is quick and can be performed easily at home in an afternoon or less. Again the installation instructions are clear, concise, and include plenty of photos to guide you through the process.
CORSA Sport Performance Exhaust Install
Wanna know what it sounds like? Here’s a taste:
CORSA’s Sport exhaust system is fantastic. The sound goes from a rumbly burbling idle to a raucous roar at full throttle. There is no drone thanks to CORSA’s patented RSC technology. We think the system is even quieter than the stock system when cruising at highway speeds. It’s that good. If you’re currently shopping aftermarket exhausts, we definitely recommend that you take a serious look at CORSA.
Coming up in Episode 3 we’ll get to what you’ve all been waiting for. We hit the dyno to see just how many extra ponies our C6 is putting down. Have a prediction on the final numbers? Let us know in the Comments section down below.
You can visit CORSA on the web at www.corsaperformance.com or call them Toll Free at: 800-486-0999. You can also email their sales department with any pre-sale questions at sales@corsaperformance.com.
You can also check out Smokey’s Dyno and Performance at www.smokeysdyno.com, 330-644-0021 or shoot them an email at info@smokeysdyno.com.
https://youtu.be/RwzX3uFthM4