Hi. Just finished my VMS 1.5 DoD delete cam swap. Included installing Kooks long tube headers, Kooks connector pipe, and the Corsa catback exhaust that was installed by the previous owner. What I have now is an obnoxiously loud car. I'm not kidding...above 3,000 rpms or on the gas at any rpm and this thing sounds like it's running straight pipes! And I have a loud motorcycle and loud diesel truck so I'm used to making some noise. The quality of the Kooks products is outstanding. I just goofed by not including the Kooks 3" cats instead of the connector pipes. The Corsa system with the factory manifolds and cats sounded good, although I would have been happy to be a little noisier. But I completely misjudged how loud the system would be without the cats. It sounds nice and lumpy at an idle but quickly gets excessive. Almost sounds like the cherry bomb glasspaks from the seventies!
My Kooks/Corsa experience
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If you went with the catted version of the connection pipes, it would be a little quieter but still not a big difference from what you have now. This setup is still much louder than just Corsa mated to the factory manifolds/cats.
You could also try welding one of the Magnaflow mid-mufflers into the mid-pipe which should quiet the system down.
You could also try welding one of the Magnaflow mid-mufflers into the mid-pipe which should quiet the system down.
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To each his own but I agree. I had the same set up on a GT with a LM stage 1 cam and I know what your talking about. Cold starts and idel was the sweetest thing ever but after that just way to lowd for me. I now have Kooks mids into the stock GXP cat back and looking for a little more. Thinking X-pipe and delete mid muffler/resenator or Corsa cat back. Why is the exhaust the toughest thing to get right on these car but it should be so simple. Hate to say his but bite the bullit and change to the Kooks mids, sell the L/T's, give up 8 or 10 ponys and a couple buck and live happily ever after. My .02
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Sounds like it might be time to pass that Corsa onto another member, pick up the Kooks mid pipes and settle on an axle back, like the Hooker Max Flows or something similar. You should be able to unload that Cora and pay for everything else, just the time doing it all is what you will be out.
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I love the sound of my corsa on stock manifolds/cats. But after reading posts like this makes me wonder if I should do headers or not.
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I had the same exact setup with exception I had the catted connection pipes. It was way too loud and obnoxious. I ended up putting my Solo Mach Balanced with high flow cats and solo bullet resonators and sold the Corsa. I am much happier.
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Sounds like I'd love your set up. Only difference I want is the butterfly option to go stealth. Keep the coppers away and keep my neighbors happy.
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Don't be afraid of headers with Corsa. His is so much louder because of the cam and no cats. I have Kooks 1 7/8 LTs with catted connectors to the Corsa and it sounds great. Even my inlaws(in their 70s) have never mentioned it. Its only loud over 3500RPM.
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^^^+1
I took the Corsa with Catted Connection pipes off my car and onto the person who bought it and it was perfectly fine. He had Kooks 1 7/8" LT, but no cam and it was much quieter than mine.
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I took the Corsa with Catted Connection pipes off my car and onto the person who bought it and it was perfectly fine. He had Kooks 1 7/8" LT, but no cam and it was much quieter than mine.
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I've been checking out exhaust videos online, and I saw the Corsa exhaust with Kooks headers and it sounded AMAZING! But also a little loud. Deb0650, I actually think it's the same setup you have! Maybe it just doesn't sound so loud on the road?
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Please take my advice: Videos online do not accurately reproduce exhaust notes. I've heard every exhaust combination out there on a G8 and can honestly tell you the online videos rarely sound like the actual exhaust. The videos do t do a good job of picking up the deeper notes. Corsa doesn't have as deep of an exhaust note as most others so more sound is reproduced in videos, but it still doesn't sound like a Corsa in person.
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Yep. It is not loud if you don't have a cam. I had a 70+ years old lady in my car. She does not like loud music etc. She did not say anything.
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You need to sit down and think your modification road path out. Don't get caught up thinking, "this is all I am going to do" because its rarely the last thing you will do 
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All good comments...fortunately the exhaust on this car is a very easy swap, so I'll give the setup a try for a week or two and see how I feel after I get used to it. I can swap back the stock manifolds/cats in an hour or two so no big deal. I like the corsa setup because here in California we have smog checks, and the headers will not pass. So my plan was to swap out the headers and connector pipe for the factory manifolds and connector pipe, change tune, and hopefully pass the smog test next year. Anyways, did some more driving today. roll up the windows, turn on the a/c and stereo, and it's no so bad.
Well...I have officially become an old man! The kooks were too loud. This morning I swapped back on the factory manifolds and cats and it is 100% better. I did a lot of racing around last night and decided there was no way I could drive the car as is. At least not without completely rethinking my exhaust ($$). Even then it would not be the stealth car I wanted. To say nothing of actually romancing women in my freaking Nascar. Just took it for a test drive and could actually rev through the gears without waking up every cop within five miles. Runs great. No doubt I'm sacrificing horsepower. But worth it in my opinion. Coming up for sale is a new kooks 1 7/8" long tube with connector pipes to corsa catback.
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LOL. That is why I have waited on doing headers. I was thinking about going with the Kooks mid-length headers because I heard they are quieter & sound better than the long tubes w/ Corsa. Don't know if the Kooks mids would pass smog in CA though. Does anyone know? I think they might because the cats remain in nearly the same location. However, the high-flow cats may cause an issue with emissions. Difficult decision because I love the way my Corsa sounds right now (no drone, relatively quiet at low revs & just loud enough at WOT). Plus it is subtle yet sounds exotic. It turns heads in a good way.
Hi. I don't think any of the headers has a CARB sticker. And the cost of the mids with such a minor horsepower gain just doesn't seem to be worth it. My plan was to remove the headers at smog time. I like the sound of the stock manifolds with the corsa. With the cam I installed it is even better. I would tolerate a more noise but the long tube headers without cats was extremely loud. Not to mention they bottom on every speed bump, even when you slow to a crawl.
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I didn't know picking up 25 rwhp was minor from kooks mids...
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Yeah, I believe the mid-lengths make 10 to 15 HP less than the long tubes but gains are gains. Plus, they bolt right up to a Corsa without connecter pipes. Did you see the YouTube videos of the Livernois shop G8 GXP? I know the LS3 sounds slightly different than our L76 but that GXP sounded like pure sex with Kooks mids & Corsa. Of course it was a manual though.
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