True Dual Exhaust vs cobra Intake

mark0101

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I want some more power, so which would help the most? What is the cost of installing a true Dual and what Is the cost of putting the cobra Intake.
What about a Chip. can anyone telll me the prices and tell me what would be the best upgrade to my Mark.(true dual, cobra Intake, or a Chip) I don't want to change my gears because than I have to change my driveshaft and I think that is going over board. (for me)
 
i have heard mixed reviews about the cobra intake. people who installed it says that they did not notice anything, and others said they noticed something, but not extremly noticeable. i would really go with a exhaust system first, because you want to get rid of that very restrictive stock p.o.s. it is totally up to you on which aftermarket exhaust you want. good luck!
 
Hmmm...

Cobra Intake:

Good:
Better higher RPM (very noticeable after 3,500!)
Smoother running and idle than the Gen-II

Bad:
More noisy and harsher sounding @ full throttle
Not readily availible for immediate install.
Expensive (up to $600 just for the intake, nevermind the time you take to find it or any of the supporting parts like fuel rails and adapters, etc.)
Pain in the ass knucklebuster to install (bring some disinfectant and band-aids)
Cost-to-result ratio gains are not all the great unless you get it cheap or free.
Should only be done in conjunction w/ other mods, like gears, exhaust, SC, TC, or torque converter.



Dual Exhaust:

Good:
Can be cheap, if you shop around
Easy to find and very availible
Good sounds with the right combo
Better performance for non-LSC

Bad:
Can be noisy, if noise is a factor in your setup
Can get you a ticket in some areas
Can be expensive if you want it done your way or a certain way
Some shops flat-out SUCK!
Crappy components or poor installs can rust or corrode


For you, I recommend exhaust. Cobra intakes are not a good first mod, I found that out the hard way. I love my Cobra Intake and get great perforamnce and all, but for the time wasted, money spent, alcohol consumed, criminal charges filed, and aggravation in installing it, I'd have first wasted my money on exhaust or at least a tune. Go with an exhaust!
 
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All you need to do is that the Y-pipe off and lead the pipes straight to the Muffler, Right? I don't get the part with the aftermarket exhaust? I mean all I need to do is take the Y-pipe off. What about the chip? and I don't want any sound like flowmaster and stuff like that. I would Like the LSC duals

And thanks for all the Help, you guys are great. So cross out The Intake
 
2.5 inch pipes to an x-pipe, then out to two muffs. www.speedfreak.cc sells a kit which I hear is very high quality, but is $385. If you're REALLY on a budget, try Summit's own Turbo muffs. Alot of guys who bought them said they sound exactly like Dynomax's, only the Summits are $15 vs. Dyno's $65!

Also, see BlackIceLSC's video on his DynoMax Bullet mufflers. I think he paid under $40 each and they sound pretty good. He has a video somewhere...

What about the chip?

A chip isn't required for exhaust, but you will gain a bit of performance and response with a chip. Going prices on chips are from $200-400.
 
evillally said:
Hmmm...

Cobra Intake:

Good:
Better higher RPM (very noticeable after 3,500!)
Smoother running and idle than the Gen-II

Bad:
More noisy and harsher sounding @ full throttle
Not readily availible for immediate install.
Expensive (up to $600 just for the intake, nevermind the time you take to find it or any of the supporting parts like fuel rails and adapters, etc.)
Pain in the ass knucklebuster to install (bring some disinfectant and band-aids)
Cost-to-result ratio gains are not all the great unless you get it cheap or free.
Should only be done in conjunction w/ other mods, like gears, exhaust, SC, TC, or torque converter.



Dual Exhaust:

Good:
Can be cheap, if you shop around
Easy to find and very availible
Good sounds with the right combo
Better performance for non-LSC

Bad:
Can be noisy, if noise is a factor in your setup
Can get you a ticket in some areas
Can be expensive if you want it done your way or a certain way
Some shops falt-out SUCK!
Crappy components or poor installs can rust or corrode


For you, I recommend exhaust. Cobra intakes are not a good first mod, I found that out the hard way. I love my Cobra Intake and get great perforamnce and all, but for the time wasted, money spent, alcohol consumed, criminal charges filed, and aggravation in installing it, I'd have first wasted my money on exhaust or at least a tune. Go with an exhaust!

The intake wasnt hard to swap on my car.. I paid $350 shipped for intake, TB, rails, IMRC's, IMRC motor, intake tube, and IAC
2 hardest things to install on it, on a gen2 atleast, you have to move the cruise control module to get more slack in it, and adapt your stock fuel lines to fit on the cobra rails (the fuel feed is on the opposite side)
I cant comment on the driving part, it hasnt left the garage for much more than an 'around the block' to test the non existant brakes..
 
The cruise relocation sucked. I had re-relocate because of tire clearance (I have 17's with 245's, so I had some possible interference and didn't want to find out the hard way at 85MPH) I cut the sh!t out of my hands doing it!


But the fuel part sucked the most. I ended up with pressure problems and had to reuse my Mark FPR because the Stang one must've been bad. When the install was done, I then had to trek to the gas station for more gas to restart (I performed the install on an empty tank and didn't have enough). The fuel parts were expenseive; I used neoprene hoses and adonized AN fittings, so I shelled-out $100 alone on fuel stuff.
Worts part: I reused my plastic IMRC's, so I cleaned them (GUNKED!). That was the real painfull part...because I got carb cleaner all over my cut-up hands :D

Overall, just a royal pain in the arse!
 
mark0101 said:
All you need to do is that the Y-pipe off and lead the pipes straight to the Muffler, Right? I don't get the part with the aftermarket exhaust? I mean all I need to do is take the Y-pipe off.

no thier is no room to have pipes strait back , they have to be bent to fit the small area where you singal pipe are.
depending on your state what u can do with you 3rd cat.
(me in CA. I had to get a 2in 2out cat.)

what I did was called about 10 mulffer shops till I found one that would do what I wanted .
I paid about $500 for a new 3 rd cat new pipes and new mulffers .
Make sure you get atleast 1.5 bafles mulffers or you'll be in the drone zone.
 
Go with the exahust. Like everyone else says, the cobra intake needs some mods to support it. I am VERY happy with the sound I have from the magnaflows on my 95'
 
I would go with either a chip or the exhaust. Like everyone has said the benefit with going with the Cobra intake is minimal at best unless you plan on future upgrades.....IE supercharger and the likes.

As with the exhaust you can look at the pix that I have posted as to what I had on the AssassinVIIIor. I hacked off the third cat and put 2 x-pipes and true dual exhaust all the way back. With JUST the exhaust my car ran a 14.4 down the quarter. Not sure what the car ran factory, but it was one of the quickest mostly stock Mark VIII's around.

The chip will give you benefits not only in performance, but also quicker/firmer shifts with your tranny.

Both the exhaust and the chip are going to end up being about the same in total costs. The exhaust might end up being a bit more.

I would go with the chip at first, unless you want the sound factor from the exhaust. The only thing is, is if you have a shift kit already installed you will prolly have to inform the company you are getting the chip from of that so they can make a custom program that does not use the upgraded shift parameters. Also, if you plan on installing a shift kit you will still need to inform the company of your future plans so they can leave that parameter out of the program......just more food for thought. I went with the exhaust first because I wanted the in-your-face sound that I got.
:Beer

exhaust1.jpg


exhaust2.jpg


exhaust3.jpg


exhaust4.jpg


exhaust5.jpg


exhaustrevisited.jpg


exhaustrevisited1.jpg
 
My cruise relocated pretty easy, and the fuel lines were pretty easy i guess, i cut them with a pipe cutter and flared them, and re-used the stock rubber lines and springlock connectors, and they work good for me.
I think the Cobra Intake will show its benefits more with exhaust. more air in, more air out.
It more depends on your point of reference. If you drive a Gen1, the Cobra intake isnt that much of a gain, but if you have a Gen2, then it is a much better upgrade, as the gen2 intake is a joke.
 
mark0101 said:
I want some more power, so which would help the most? What is the cost of installing a true Dual and what Is the cost of putting the cobra Intake.
What about a Chip. can anyone telll me the prices and tell me what would be the best upgrade to my Mark.(true dual, cobra Intake, or a Chip) I don't want to change my gears because than I have to change my driveshaft and I think that is going over board. (for me)
If you are just looking for more power on the street I'd go with 32lb injectors (about $215), an areomotive fuel pump ($265 A1000), a small shot of nitros(depends on brand but about $500), and at least a 80mm MAF ($225 and it comes with a K/N filter). That will kick the power up considerably, but add a chip from Lincoln Motorsports or one from Bill at Super Coupe Performance ($295) and you will be flying. It's cheaper than the manifold switch and exhaust up grades and produces far more streetable power!
 
Dual cross-overs?

What was the reason behind using dual crossover pipes? I'm just curious as I haven't seen it done before.
Thanks
 
MNEagle said:
What was the reason behind using dual crossover pipes? I'm just curious as I haven't seen it done before.
Thanks

An earlier and slightly longer torque curve from having slightly more backpressure without restriction, plus the SOUND is so freakishly amazing!

Heres an example.
 
1wykdmk8 said:
I would go with either a chip or the exhaust. Like everyone has said the benefit with going with the Cobra intake is minimal at best unless you plan on future upgrades.....IE supercharger and the likes.

As with the exhaust you can look at the pix that I have posted as to what I had on the AssassinVIIIor. I hacked off the third cat and put 2 x-pipes and true dual exhaust all the way back. With JUST the exhaust my car ran a 14.4 down the quarter. Not sure what the car ran factory, but it was one of the quickest mostly stock Mark VIII's around.

The chip will give you benefits not only in performance, but also quicker/firmer shifts with your tranny.

Both the exhaust and the chip are going to end up being about the same in total costs. The exhaust might end up being a bit more.

I would go with the chip at first, unless you want the sound factor from the exhaust. The only thing is, is if you have a shift kit already installed you will prolly have to inform the company you are getting the chip from of that so they can make a custom program that does not use the upgraded shift parameters. Also, if you plan on installing a shift kit you will still need to inform the company of your future plans so they can leave that parameter out of the program......just more food for thought. I went with the exhaust first because I wanted the in-your-face sound that I got.
:Beer
Ok What I want to do is so I would have the same setup as an LSC. I know that you have to bend the pipes but is it really neccsary to have two X-pipes. Do the X-pipe gain any power or is it just fro sound. I don't want to Increase the sound of the car but alittle bit is ok. After adding the duals, will it give me better gas or the same or worest?Would I need to change my mufflers to or can I keep the stock one?What a is the 3rd cat and all.I am not familiar with the exhaust components so bare with me.
 
mark0101 said:
Ok What I want to do is so I would have the same setup as an LSC. I know that you have to bend the pipes but is it really neccsary to have two X-pipes. Do the X-pipe gain any power or is it just fro sound. I don't want to Increase the sound of the car but alittle bit is ok. After adding the duals, will it give me better gas or the same or worest?Would I need to change my mufflers to or can I keep the stock one?What a is the 3rd cat and all.I am not familiar with the exhaust components so bare with me.

It will gain MPG, our system has yeilded 1.5 to 3mpg better, the twin xx pipe lessens the sound, makes it more throaty and deep, with far less drone and raspyness. The entire stock system is crap the 14 chamber stock "hot water heater" mufflers are terrible for flow.The twin xx pipe as I stated in a post above increases the torque and the torque curve lasts a little longer and comes on a little earlier but the beautiful by product is the ultra exotic sound. Did you watch the COMMERCIAL?
 
ONEBADMK8 said:
It will gain MPG, our system has yeilded 1.5 to 3mpg better, the twin xx pipe lessens the sound, makes it more throaty and deep, with far less drone and raspyness. The entire stock system is crap the 14 chamber stock "hot water heater" mufflers are terrible for flow.The twin xx pipe as I stated in a post above increases the torque and the torque curve lasts a little longer and comes on a little earlier but the beautiful by product is the ultra exotic sound. Did you watch the COMMERCIAL?
another words... don't spends a dime on the 2nd X-pipe if you don't give to :q:q:q:qs or a flying :q:q:q:q about the sound. hope that helps :) Oh yea and BTW i went to the track tonight and spend 6 hours trying mods with and with out, and have alot of answers you guys might want to know what really helps.
 
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ONEBADMK8 said:
An earlier and slightly longer torque curve from having slightly more backpressure without restriction, plus the SOUND is so freakishly amazing!

Heres an example.

:I the SOUND is freakishly amazing just with the mufflers, but will sound A LOT better with a whole system and the Y pipe gone.
 
the_1calledgod said:
another words... don't spends a dime on the 2nd X-pipe if you don't give to :q:q:q:qs or a flying :q:q:q:q about the sound. hope that helps :) Oh yea and BTW i went to the track tonight and spend 6 hours trying mods with and with out, and have alot of answers you guys might want to know what really helps.

Cant wait. Post your results now. Why wait?
 
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I will definently be buying a pair of your oval tipped muffs, Geno. SOOON !

Do you also still have those Lincoln Star emblems for the centercaps for rims ? I'm buying a set of 18" Cobra R's and would like a set of those centercap emblems.
 
hey im wondering where i can buy the dual x pipes and im wondering if I should go with 40 series flowmasters or the xx2 muffler
 
Bates93Mark8 said:
hey im wondering where i can buy the dual x pipes and im wondering if I should go with 40 series flowmasters or the xx2 muffler

Call me up for the xx pipe and the XpansionX mufflers, they are BOTH on sale right now.
 
StraDog said:
I will definently be buying a pair of your oval tipped muffs, Geno. SOOON !

Do you also still have those Lincoln Star emblems for the centercaps for rims ? I'm buying a set of 18" Cobra R's and would like a set of those centercap emblems.

Glad to hear it Jon. Call me for the caps.
 

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