So I've done some research, searched the forum history, watched youtube vids... Who here installed an X pipe and wished they went with H, or v.v?

I have a 65, 347, hedmann long tubes, flowmasters. Keeping the flows. Mieneke will install an X pipe for $210 w/ 2.5" galvanized pipe. Currently the exhaust dumps down before the rear end and it's how I plan on keeping it. I currently have no cross over pipe (from previous owner) and was intending to do it once I completed the engine swap which I am done with now.

My intention was to go with an H pipe because I want a low rumble tone which I hear an H pipe offers. Mieneke swears by the X, but I'm not sure what direction to go now. I don't want to regret the sound. The exhaust forums on here seams to be for more of the new cars vs. classics.
Your thoughts???

 

The X supposedly has more power potential than the H, but for what and X sounds like with flowmasters, I'd drive mine off in the river before going that route. If it's a low rumble you want, you won't find it with flowmasters and an X.

 

Kind of what I am seeing out there, any other testimonials?

 

I am running an x with pypes mufflers and i have it dumped the same as you do on my 66. I love the sound. everyone that hears my car is impressed. the only negative is when i am putting through a parking lot in 2nd gear. it resonates and has a deep drone in it that gets a little old. but that is the only time.

i think if i ever were to change my exhaust the onlydifference i would make is to put magnaflow muflers on it. I had flomasters and an x pipe on my truck and it was way too noisey. especially on the freeway

 

An X makes more power than an H, an H is usually easier to install than an X and makes more power than no crossover, and no crossover sounds better than either.

I have evolved into a NO crossover kind of person because I love the sound of a V-8 running through "not too big" true dual exhaust.

 

I have also done the flowmasters vs. magnaflow debate in my head which would be about another $170-180 to get the magnaflows but not 100% confident it's worth the $$$. You got me leaning towards the H Pipe again...

If I go H, and decide to go magnaflow later, I guess it could only be an upgrade at that time with the flowmasters in the mean time not being a bad thing.

 

I have what's essentially an "X" setup on the '79 Malibu, using a huge catalytic converter to merge the flows from the two banks. The '08 GT appears to have an "H" of some sort. The GT's 281 CID with an H is much more "rumbly" than Bu's 355 CID with an X, and the Malibu even has long tube headers and straight through mufflers. The 'Bu gets pretty snarly above 3000 rpm or so; different sound character entirely.

An X tends to be better up top, particularly if your mufflers are somewhat restrictive because the flow sharing is better.

I happen to like the sound of an X at mid to high revs, and it's less intrusive/attention-getting at idle which I prefer. If I'm building up my own exhaust system, I'm probably going to make it an X. But I wouldn't bother changing my GT's H to an X just to change the sound or gain a few HP.


H-pipe (top) vs X-pipe. The big spikes are much of what makes the rumble, and having much more even pulsing is what makes the X sound "smoother" or "less rowdy".



Norm

 

Really.. either will perform better then nothing. I had the H installed on our stang with Mags and its sounds great. We also put the H on my fathers AMC and it made a huge difference in both sound and performance.

Next year when I start another for myself I'll go the H-pipe and Cherry Bomb Pro mufflers 2.5" again. The sound and rumble was awesome from idle to wot!

 

Dr. Gas x pipe. It's an actual balance pipe unlike most other x's. They make all the balance pipe setups for NASCAR. It's actually DESIGNED to balance exhaust pulses from bank to bank rather than just being some pipes connecting each side that are better than nothing.

 

My understanding on this debate was H gives better low end power and X gives better top end power. H has a more rough, muscular idle that the X as well.

I went with H, because I like the rough idle sound on a pushrod V8. If I had a mod motor I would have gone X