Q1. How much horsepower can I expect to gain?
An engine is an air pump, and BORLA®'s exhaust system allows the engine to pump and flow more uninterrupted air. The actual horsepower increase depends upon the fuel management system's ability to provide the right amount of fuel to match the extra air flow; 5 to 15% increases are not uncommon.
Q2. How does FLOW affect performance and sound?
BORLA® exhaust systems’ patented, straight-through design increases exhaust gas velocity and moves more uninterrupted air through the engine. Since there are no restrictions, exhaust gases evacuate the cylinder completely, thereby allowing the new charge to come into the cylinder and create more power. The result is a larger volume of torque from the engine as well as an enhanced exhaust tonal quality.
Q3. Will I get better gas mileage?
Yes, a better performing engine uses less fuel more efficiently, increasing fuel economy under normal cruising conditions. BORLA®’s patented flow through design and proper diameter mandrel bent tubing evacuate the exhaust gases out the system much faster and at a much greater temperature than factory exhaust. This results in performance gains in HP when you plant your foot and fuel economy at cruising speeds. And, the bigger the vehicle, the bigger the engine, the bigger the load, the bigger the savings in fuel. That's why UPS delivery trucks are BORLA®-equipped!
Q4. Why does it cost more?
The most commonly used metals in the manufacture of exhaust systems are rusty mild steel, aluminized steel or an inferior 400-series stainless. BORLA® uses only high quality austenitic stainless steel. It costs more than the other lesser grades of steel. To cut, bend and hand weld this grade of stainless steel takes special equipment too. Ask your local muffler shop if they can make a smooth, precision mandrel bend in a 2.50" 201 or 304 Stainless Steel pipe for you. You won't find many that can, and it won't be cheap. We also focus heavily on research and development to assure that the system fits, performs and sounds better than any other system on the market. Add to this pressure testing, our Million-Mile Warranty and the years of race winning technology that go into the systems made at BORLA®, and you will see why we have so many loyal, repeat customers. A BORLA® is actually very cost effective when you take into account the fact that most exhaust systems will need replacement within 18 months to 4 years while a BORLA® exhaust is designed to last the life of your vehicle.
Q5. What does it sound like?
BORLA® Cat Back™ systems have a deeper, throatier tone than stock. Our engineers take care in designing and tuning the systems with the mellow sound of power, aggressive yet elegant. Picture yourself driving down the road and turning up the bass on your stereo system but not changing the volume. That's what BORLA® sounds like!
Q6. Will it void my factory warranty?
NO. Some cars even have BORLA® systems as the OEM exhaust. All of our street Cat-Back™s™, Rear Sections and Mufflers are 50-state emissions legal. In fact, it is illegal for a dealer to deny you the OE warranty because you have changed the exhaust system.
Q7. Is a bigger pipe and muffler system better?
No, there has to be a balanced design to enhance the maximum engine output, exhaust gas velocity, and sound. If the diameter of the tubing is too large, the exhaust gas velocity will be reduced and rob the exhaust of thermal efficiency. Unfortunately we often disprove accepted racer mentalities like bigger is better. We must spend a great deal of energy explaining to someone how a 4" exhaust pipe will not work as efficiently as a 3" pipe. That is hard sometimes, but it is why we have magazine editors. Even with our excellent "track record" winning more professional car races than all the other muffler makers combined, we still often have to prove our theories to very well know top racers. One of these issues is volume versus velocity. The late John Lingenfelter helped us prove this over and over with his legendary Corvette exploits. People were often amazed how he would run 600 plus horsepower Vettes with 2 1/2" exhaust. If 4" would have made John go faster, he would have run it. We need to have a pipe large enough to overcome the boundary layer restriction in a dynamic flow situation while maintaining exhaust speed and evacuation. This isn't a simple axiom to understand, but the second best explanation is to say in race classes where let us say the budgets are seldom limited and the rules are not restrictive regarding exhaust, you will observe much smaller exhaust header tubing and exhaust pipes than some kids run on their 190-horsepower hand-me-down Honda sports compacts on the street.
Q8. My new car came with Stainless Steel exhaust from the factory! What's the difference?
Material Difference: Many new-model cars and trucks come factory-equipped with a low grade, 400 series stainless steel exhaust. These are an improvement from the old, rusty steel systems and are built to improve durability somewhat. Also, the inferior grade of stainless is the only cheap material that will last through the factory warranty period. But, ferritic stainless steels, which are part of the 400 series of stainless alloys, are magnetic, as compared to Austenitic stainless steels, which are part of the 200 & 300 series of stainless alloys and are non-magnetic. BORLA® incorporates Austenitic stainless, which is superior for automotive exhaust because it exhibits higher hardness and yield strength as well as excellent ductility. And, the higher nickel and chromium content makes it much more resistant to corrosion. Because these austenitic alloys are higher grade materials and harder to work with, they are therefore too expensive for the OE to supply. High quality, austenitic stainless allows us to back our systems with a Million-Mile guarantee - A BORLA® is a lifetime system! Performance Difference: BORLA® exhausts are also tuned to maximize the performance output of your vehicle and feature a more attractive and cost effective package than stock.
Q9. Can I install a BORLA® system myself?
Yes, many of our customers enjoy installing their BORLA® system. In fact, we are told all the time that it's a tougher job to remove the stock system than to install their BORLA®! Just be sure you have good clearance and access under your vehicle, have the proper tools, observe standard safety procedures, and ensure the vehicle is secured by approved jack stands. We do, however, recommend you have a professional installer do the work, especially for a header installation, which requires more skill.
Q10. Do I need to make any modifications to my vehicle to install the system?
No. Our systems are designed to be completely bolt -on to your vehicle. Factory locations are utilized and all necessary installation hardware is included in the kit.
Q11. Is our product different from a "glasspack" design?
Yes. A "glasspack" is a muffler usually containing a cheap grade of loose fiberglass insulation in a louvered tube. A byproduct of combustion is water, which combines with the expelled gases to form a variety of very corrosive acids. These acids get absorbed by the loose fiberglass packing and attack the louvered core. This in turn causes the core to rust and blow out along with the other internals of the glasspack muffler. All that is left is a loud, empty can.
BORLA® mufflers, on the other hand, contain high quality, continuous strand fiber bundle which is superior to the loose fiberglass packing in glasspack mufflers. This high quality packing material and stainless steel inner core construction, which is impervious to all corrosive acids, protects the packing from breaking down and getting blown out, so a BORLA® muffler never needs replacing. In addition, a BORLA® muffler is the most effective sound-absorbing device for the size, and it is guaranteed for one million miles.
Q12. Why is BORLA® exhaust so much better than the other guys?
BORLA® is the original. BORLA® pioneered the use of high-quality austenitic stainless steel in exhaust manufacturing over 30 years ago. Alex BORLA® holds five US patents for innovative, revolutionary exhaust technology. These patented, award and race-winning designs are unbeatable in terms of flow, sound, fit, durability and guarantee. A BORLA® muffler actually flows better than a straight pipe. This also translates to fuel economy.
Bottom line -- all other exhaust products are copycats at best; the cliché is true: "Often imitated, never duplicated". Why buy a wannabe when you can own an original? BORLA® has made a 3 decade long commitment and continues to lead the pack with performance gains, quality materials, craftsmanship, a distinctive look and sound, and a Million-Mile Warranty. BORLA® is not a trendy, here today-gone tomorrow company or product. Whether you drive a Ferrari, Camaro, F-150, Jeep, PT Cruiser, or Civic, BORLA® is the exhaust your vehicle deserves.
Some of the engine builders who rely on BORLA® to give them the competitive edge are: Greg Davis, Keith Dorton, Kenny Duttweiler, Ernie Elliott, Ryan Falconer, Tony Feil, Dennis Fischer, Earl Gaerte, Ron Hutter, Sonny Leonard, Lingenfelter Performance, Pat Musi, David Nickens, Roush Racing, Saleen, Steeda, Ron Shaver and Robert Yates. Racing champs who know the benefits of running BORLA®'s and trust BORLA® to be the quickest and quietest to give them the winning advantage include Kenny Bernstein, Brandon Bernstein, G.S. Abbott, Jean Ann Campagna, Steve Echols, Kent Hanley, Alan Kenny, Pat Musi, Wayne Talkington and Jeff Strckland as well as the American LeMans Corvette Racing Team, GM Racing's Cadillac LMP Team and Team Lexus. BORLA® has been invited to participate in Toyota racing programs as well as Team Viper's GTS-R, Team Escort, and Team Focus programs from their inceptions. We "rule" the NHRA in exhaust; and sponsor the Speedvision GT and touring class cars.
BORLA® has enjoyed some 20 years of mutually beneficial relationships with the OEM (original equipment manufacturers). We participate in the design and build up of many concept vehicles for DaimlerChrysler and Ford as well as GM, TRD, Mazda, Nissan, and Lexus. Ford Motor Company chose BORLA® exhaust for their limited Cobra-R model. Ford's national dealer training videos have featured BORLA® project vehicles. We developed a complete exhaust system, including headers, for the Shelby Series I and have worked with Toyota and their Solara as well as Mazda and their Protégé on both aftermarket opportunities and limited production runs.
Top engine builders, top winning racers, car manufacturers, and automotive enthusiasts worldwide recognize the difference BORLA® makes. You will too.
Q13. What makes an austenitic steel the best choice for an exhaust upgrade?
BORLA® Performance stands behind our products by offering a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. After nearly 30 years, the reason we are able to do this is because austenitic stainless steel is a superior material with optimum chromium and nickel content to maximize resistance to corrosion and rust as compared to 400 series which contains iron that, as we all know, rusts.
Q14. What procedure or formula do you use to determine the perfect muffler sound?
This is a combination of experience, equipment, savvy and Kentucky windage. We are confronted with different parameters depending on the application. For example, we make a significant number of OE and Private Label systems, and each manufacturer has different criteria: Ford Racing may want an aggressive Mustang system while Steeda may be looking for a more subdued sound or visa versa. In the systems we make for the various aftermarket arenas, our customers participate in the design process. We are also governed by federal and state regulations regarding emissions and sound. Fortunately, thanks to SEMA, we now have (in most states, including California) a db number for sound which is 95db. We use the SAE J1492 (replaced SAE J1169) testing procedure. BORLA® is most well known for making a very mellow growl rather than a painful bark. We do this while providing a gain in power and performance due to the technology of our entire system.
Q15. Do bigger muffler pipes alter sound? If so, how?
The larger the muffler pipes, the more sound will pass through with the power wave. Big pipes make more sound. We can absorb a certain amount of this sound by utilizing a longer muffler, but at some point this becomes both expensive and heavy. We often use XR-1® mufflers that are over 30" long for serious, Pro off-road trucks. This is double the length of our popular street car mufflers and almost three times longer than, say, a Corvette S-style system. Trophy trucks have no requirement regarding mufflers, but almost everyone runs them. In fact, every Baja winner and SCORE off-road race winner and champion for the last three years has run BORLA®’s. We pay no contingency, and these teams spend millions on their efforts. It is the F-1 of off road. Most teams have $250,000 chase trucks and several 18 wheelers as well as one or two helicopters for these races. They don't want to give up power, but they want to hear the radios. They also say after a horrific Baja 1000 they feel twice as refreshed after the race with the BORLA® mufflers on. In fact Alan Pflueger, the flyin Hawaiian, drove his Monster Energy Drink Trophy Truck the entire Baja my himself and credits a portion of that to the quieter mufflers we built for him.
Q16. Will I need to re-program my ignition control computer?
No re-programing of your computer is necessary. You can expect the computer to adjust to the change over a period of approximately 300-400 miles of operation. After that time, the full benefits of the system will be realized. Even though ECU upgrades are not required with a BORLA® exhaust systems, the added exhaust performance will aid the performance of an ECU upgrade.