Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Duratec Performance Incredible Exhaust System (repost)

OOPS! Screwed up and put this in the wrong part of the forum earlier. I was also typing and talking to a friend at the same time so I left some stuff out, Like perforfance stats:
Stock Exhaust - 143 FWHP
Borla Exhaust - 139 FWHP
SCA Exhaust - 144 FWHP
CarDoc - 148 FWHP

Left this out too, seems to be a really overrated topic here.
Crush Bends versus Mandrel Bends
I would love to have a $1000 mandrel bent custom system but unlike the rest of the planet, I have other bills to pay. I am stuck with what I can afford. You have to understand that 2.5 liter engine is ONLY 155 cubic inches, even with the necking down of a crush bend the flow area is still about 4.2", at the narrowest, this is enough flow area for 355 cubic inches or 5.7 liters. I know that my car sounds better, runs better, and is definitely quicker. Enough about that, on to my original post.

Just thought I would tell you guys about this incredible exhaust system I found last year. I had been searching for about two years for a decent system, from the SCA, Borla and the Bassini they were all way overpriced and the sound was still not right. I was very disappointed until I heard the CarDoc Exhaust System, it was fantastic! I have had the CarDoc Exhaust System installed on my car since September 2001, and to put it lightly, it ROCKS! It is the healthiest sounding exhaust system I have ever had on any car I have owned, and I have owned some killer cars, rat motor Camaros, 440cid Plymouth Fury, small block Corvette, all the way down to a 1.6L Isuzu Stylus XS (a hot little car). All of them had custom exhausts (among other things). This of all of them, sounds the best at idle, midrange, and at full song.
The problem with the factory exhaust along with every other exhaust system that copies the factory layout (Bassini, Borla, SCA) have the same tinny, raspy, ricy ringing sound. It is because of the Y split at the back of the car right before the mufflers. It seems that the exhaust pulses of the engine hammer against the split (the exhaust is forced to make a 90 degree bend) and make the whole exhaust system ring like a bell, or resonate. No matter how trick your mufflers are, or how expensive your mandrel bends are, you cannot get rid of the sound unless you get rid of the Y split. Cardoc's system does this, and does it very well, it really is a trick system. The bends are minimal, and high flowing, the muffler is very heavy duty it is a single in, dual out.
The sound, Ahhh, the sound, imagine a burbly deep idle, a rumbly mid-range, and an almost Ferrari V12 scream at full throttle. There is no raspy, Honda fart-can sounds to be found in this system, this is a take no prisoners, go for broke, hairy-chested, rock-crushing exhaust system. If you are the type of person that likes to remain discrete and undercover this is not the system for you!
There is also some unexpected perks to this exhaust, my SVT is now quieter! Yes it sounds strange but the car is now quieter from the front! It seems that the ringing sound the stock exhaust system (or any of its many copies) makes is gone forever, the back end now has a rich deep burbly idle, a beautiful sound! I have confirmed this about a dozen times now at three different get-togethers with fellow SVT owners. It seems that ringing is a big part of the noise at the front of the car, you can now hear the DOHC sound much clearer at full song. Take a look at it, it is low-cost $350, a great deal!
-RoxRocket

What kind of mufflers is that setup running? I too just got the back Y modified with Magnaflows and now I wanna know how to get rid of the wind noise at highway speed.

Those numbers are fairly low for an SVT. Do you have any dyno scans we can take a look at?

Forgive for typing while sleepy and on meds!!

JEEZ!! Man when I screw up I screw up! My roomate and I went to the dyno on the same day to do this thrash with the exhaust systems for a friend of mine, she was invited because she has a 98 Contour SE 2.5 Auto! Well, I blindly pasted from an email I sent my brother without looking, sorry guys here is the real stuff:
Stock Exhaust - 171 FWHP
Borla Exhaust - 173 FWHP
SCA Exhaust - 169 FWHP
CarDoc - 177 FWHP

Sorry for Fu@*ing up so badly!

LBVSVT Asks:
"What kind of mufflers is that setup running? I too just got the back Y modified with Magnaflows and now I wanna know how to get rid of the wind noise at highway speed."

RR Replies:
Actually it is a single in to dual out that sits where the old resonator gets pulled from, it really is a trick system! To see pictures of the prototype go to the fordcontour.org board and look for the cardoc exhaust system.

BTW LBVSVT, What "wind noise" are you talking about? Please explain!

Thanks all!

-RoxRocket

Ahhh, so did you actually try all those exhausts on the same car in one dyno session?? Both SCA and Borla shown to gain more power than you are showing on an SVT...Your endorsement for the CarDoc system is impressive, almost "advertisement" like. And the first numbers are from an ATX SE??? Pretty good numbers....
But, you like it and thats what counts.

The windnoise is what I hear now, instead of the exhaust. I went from a droney SHO Y setup with stock SVT mufflers to a modified stock Y with Magnaflows out back. The new set up is quieter, so I'm hearing more whoooshing ...

Let's see some dyno graphs and then I'll believe you, until then it's just more unsubstantiated claims.

Well, I'll back RoxRocket up on at least once claim, and that's the fact that the cardoc exhaust setup is THE best sounding exhaust system I've ever heard in person on a 2.5L Duratec.

Mangler has it on his car, and it really is tha bomb! Whenever I hear it, I am enormously jealous.

As far as gains go, I can't really quantify them, but it sure helped his ride out, and it is definitely better than stock. You can't go wrong with a single 2.5" in and dual 2" outs to the back.

Ya I have bassani now! but I have been to a few ohio meets with cardoc! His exhaust is very impressive. The sound is great, I love my bassani though!

Damn those are some very low numbers! (oops, guess you've changed your story already!)

$1000 for a mandrel bent exhaust... Boy are you confused...
I built a mandrel bent exhaust for under $300.
$600 for high quality stainless units.

Borla dropping power???
Even though there are numerous dyno's showing gains every time!

4.2" pipe??? huh?
Do you mean that crush bending a 2.5" pipe at 90 degrees effectively makes it a 2.1" pipe (stock is 2.25" mandrel BTW) That's a power loss in any book. Not including the added weight of running 2 sets of larger pipe all the way to the back (a good 20lbs added or 3HP/TQ lost due to weight!)

Without testing the same car on the same dyno with these different setup your comparrisons are moot. The 177HP is a good showing, but I will openly bet you it would be higher with a better system (which would be anything - even stock sans resonator!)
Plus dropping that extra weight off the car would make it quicker, faster, and handle better!