fun weekend project - pep boys muffler bypass pipe

This cheap little mod has a very high fun factor! While trying to figure out if I wanted to get the Fabspeed muffler bypass pipes, I stumbled upon a thread about someone who found some right angle exhaust pipe at Pep Boys that fit perfectly as a muffler bypass for his 996. He was right! For $15 I can try out the Fabspeed sound to see if I like it or not. It is LOUD!!!! The car isn't my daily driver - mostly weekends and track days - otherwise I wouldn't even consider this as an option, but the sound sure does get my heart pumping! Everything I do with the throttle I hear now (and so does everyone around me). It's not bad cruising down the freeway, but the noise level has definitely bumped up. I also think that there's some sort of link between the throttle and my mouth now because every time I step on it I get this stupid grin on my face. Anyway, I'll leave it on for awhile to see if that grin starts to wear off or not, then I can decide if I want to spend the money on the Fabspeeds. The only downside is that it looks like hell.... Here are pics of the Pep Boys and Fabspeed mods:

welcome 2 the dark side man

Get some tips welded on and you are good to go.

Can you leave the mufflers in for a quick change or do they have to come out?

no...there is no space. i have done the other conversion (pse) bypass this weekend and cant fit the mufflers back as the pipe comes out at wrong angle. those mufflers way a ton.. i drove the car with the mufflers off and it is VERY loud.

Mundman, Spikes is right, you can't leave the mufflers in, but now that I've done the job, I can't imagine it would take more than 45 minutes to an hour to covert either way. Pretty simple stuff.

I replaced my silencers with Fabspeed and it was quite simple and I didn't think it would be possible to leave the mufflers in but wouldn't it be great if you could!

I got so used to the sound that my bypass pipes stay on 24/7 and I live in the city. The sound is unreal and I couldn't go back to the old way. Also, the weight reduction is noticeable. I also took out all the brackets.

What size pipe did you get? I want to do this tomorrow!

Clothes pins and playing cards makes a cool sound too.

Chris, it's a 2" right angle pipe that Pep Boys has in stock. They're usually in a display with all the various exhaust pipe pieces. The part number is 548703. Here are a couple of pics: Enjoy!

Cool! I have brake disks to install on the front today and oil to change, then it's off to Pep Boys.... Thank you.

Love my bypass pipes..I couldn't go back to the OE muffler after having them installed.

LOL Went by a local Pep Boys a few weeks ago for some oil and saw those pipes, scratched my chin, and wondered if they would work... no kidding! Pretty funny. I wonder if any of their exhaust tips would fit...

Who installed the Pep Pipes? If you did, would you describe what you did or if you have pix, I'd like to see them. If you had someone do this, who did this for you? Thanks

Wow. I really like these pipes! The family thinks they are too "look at me" loud, though. At some RPMs they resonate in the cabin (just below 3000 and a bit above 4000), but I've been thinking of the Fabspeed pipes for the track and this is a great, easy, cheap way to try them out. Removal of the mufflers is ridiculously easy, once you know how. A good explanation is HERE. You can use the OEM collar to install the Pep Boys piece. Not a problem. This is such a great way to try out the muffler bypass pipes, and for the track maybit it's just good enough.

I just picked up the same pipe (and two tips) at the Advance Auto Parts by my office. Sunday night I'll do a little surgery. I also picked up a can of 1200 degree black ceramic paint to help hide the hideous little pipes.

Agree with all previous posts on the bypass. Two broken mufflers led me to install bypass pipes this morning over coffee (oaky, it did get a little dirty). Here are my instructions: 1.)Safely block front wheels, jack up rear and place jack stands under cross brace. 2.) Remove rear wheel on side you start with. 3.) Locate 2 17mm nuts at catconverter. Loosen. No need to remove 4.) Locate front and rear 1/2" nuts holding muffler in place. Loosen. You may have to place a 1/2" box end wrench on the top nut as well. 5.) Locate two 1/2" nuts holding SIDE of muffler to engine mount (?) Loosen and remove. There are 6 bolts/nuts for each side 12 TOTAL to remove each muffler (L and R). I sprayed all nuts and bolts with heavy dose of WD-40. All came free upon return from parts store. (2" outer diameter pipe). 6.) Wiggle muffler free and remove via wheel well. 7.) Re-install wheel and repeat on other side of car. 8.) With 2" OUTER DIAMETER right angle muffler pipe, slide into sleave (recall the two 17MM nuts) connecting this bypass pipe to the cat converter. Tighten down. Double check pipe position. 9.) Fire the engine and enjoy. The sound is intoxicating!

WOW. Several of my bolts were rusted so I took the car to Midas. Um, gee, it is LOOOUUUD! I immediately went into paranoia mode shifting at 2500. I'm usually for fun exhausts but I'm not sure about this. I'll try it for a couple more days before I decide. I'm nevrous that the Fairfax Cty cops will be all over me on my drive to work... It does sound wonderful though!

Isn't it amazing what they (Fabspeed) can charge to us Porsche owners? I'm sure the Pep-Pipes are crappy in comparison but I can't believe I paid over $400 for Fabspeeds. Rediculous! Agio, you need those Pep-Pipes! Maybe we could hear your car then!!

For those of you without a Pep Boys in the area (are there such people?), you should be able to get these pipes at any mass market supply house. At Pep Boys, Advance Auto and Autozone they are on the shelf. I discovered this after an agricultural exploit on the track this weekend loosened one which, in a later session, skittered across the track. The audio track became even louder, and I pitted for fear the exhaust into the bumper would melt it. A replacement part was easy to find. I'll reserve these pipes for the track only, though. Too loud for the street, I think. Great on the track. The driver of a Ferrari commented yesterday that when I passed him he could not hear his own engine, and his car is not quiet, but the sound was so good he did not mind.

[Image-only post; no author-written text. Original image references:] https://rennlist.com/forums/graemlins/thumbup.gif

I picked up the pipes and a set of simple round polished tips on Friday and put them on Friday night. It sounds incredible!!! It was paranoia-inducingly loud for the first day but now I am really, really enjoying the sound. THIS is what a 911 sounds like! Thanks for saving me $400!

Maybe I'm just in paranoia still??? LOL. Drove across the street for a quick spin and saw 2 cops. I tiptoed, shifting at 2k, and didn't get noticed. I did open 'er up twice and couldn't wipe the smile off of my face! I'll see how they grow on me. I think I have the same setup with bolt-on chrome tips. They hang well below the bumper cutouts; I guess Fabspeed must have a slight bend to their pipes to compensate? I could always raise the chrome tips, but that would not make the pipes parallel to the ground and possibly allow wated to pool up in the cats- that can't be good!

Hey Jon, I think these would be the perfect finishing touch on the round polished tips: http://www.shoplaser.com/ I give you guys props. I would be too paranoid to put bypass pipes on my car. Chronos, I don't think we've met before. I live in McLean and work in Reston. I drive through Vienna and Fairfax a lot. I'll keep my eyes peeled (and my ears open) for a Slate Gray 996 with bypass pipes.

Here's a bad phone cam pic to show the pipes.

Trust me when I state you'll hear me first! ROFL. Hope to cross paths sometime amigo! Live in Potomac and work in Fairfax.

Yeah, Chronos, that's just what I picked up. It was $40 with the pipes and the tips. I just need to pull them back off the car and cut off the extra length so they look right. I like the idea of zapping them with the high-temp black paint, too.

Yep, this weekend I'll probably do the same. Hopefully my RUF front splitter will arrive by then too.

Any updates gents? I painted the pipes black and they are a little less hideous now. I've come closer to accepting the sound. Still loud as Hell but fun. Only issue so far is having two ricers want to race me (lol) and an old gent in a Cadillac frown at me as I drove past him. I'm driving my niece to her homecoming in a couple of weeks. She sooo badly wants me to keep the pipes on until then! LOL

I am still quite happy with the sound. This weekend I am pulling the pipes back off to trim them down, paint them, and attach my Pep Boys chrome tips. They're not exactly like this, but close. Eh, what can you expect for $11.95?

A word of warning. Three years ago when I converted my 996 to a race car I took my mufflers to local shop and had them make up a small pipe with a tip that looked pretty much like the pep boy setup. If I recall correctly mine was even cheaper and looked a little better because the tip was welded on. Anyway, check the tightness of your bolts fairly regularly. You have a couple of unsupported pounds sticking off the end of your cat. You also have a lot of expanding and contracting of different metals with heat changes and a lot of vibration. You don't want your nifty pep boy tip going through the windshield of the car behind you. BTW, get rid of the cats and the car really sounds good.

I echo JimB's caution. I lost a Pep Boys tip on the track last weekend. I think the precipitating event was an agricultural expedition that might have contacted the tip on a prevoius lap, but it did come off and skitter across the bowl at Pocono. I was embarrassed, and it could have damaged another car, although it did not.

Thanks. I'll loctite 'em on after I trim them this weekend.

We ended up dilling a couple of small holes where the pipes overlap and stuck a couple of self tapping metal screws in. This, along with Locktite should do the trick. Chris, I wasn't going to admit it but I lost one at Sebring soon after I put them on. I don't even want to think about what might have happened if it had bounced up and hit someones windshield at 120 mph. Jim

Not to steal the thread, but I have a pair of genuine faspeed muffler bypass pipes for sale for $200+shipping. They're in great shape - they even include a pair of the Porsche muffler clamps so you can keep the muffler clamps on the car with the muffler - makes changeover very easy. The sound rocks... the only reason I have them for sale is that I have no 996 to put them on anymore !!!! best, t

Bypass pipes are sold.... Now if anyone needs a set of 18" black powder coated turbo looks mounted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cups .... let me know !!! t

JimB I am pretty sure the loctite will break down with the heat. You might want to lock the nuts mechanically.

Web, Good point. We didn't actually use Loctite. I was just supporting what had been said by someone else in their post. We just tapped some screws in. They worked great although we've long sense thrown out the mufflers and the cats. Get your exhaust system down to 6 inches of pipe and an o2 sensor and you have a lot fewer problems. Jim

Yeah, I mentioned loctite. My current cheapo tips actually have an internal pressure-style clamp that wraps around the pipe, and the tip screws into the clamp. So far the screws are tight and haven't loosened. I have grown to LOVE the sound.

If you want to give this a cheap try, read the thread HERE.

if anyone else wants a set I have a customer with a used set of the fabspeeds as wel for $200.

Come on guys, wrinkle bent pipe and screw on tips!!!! At least have a muffler shop bend the pipe for a more mandrel bend look and weld the tips or flare the end of them.

Thats what I did, and they welded on some pretty nice tips.

you just posted a link to the same thread you're posting in?

I will take the used Fabspeed bypass pipes if they are still available. Let me know. Thanks.

Im confused... you linked back to this thread? thanks, id have never seen it otherwise! hahaha

any one in So Cal LA area have this done? I would be interested in hearing how this sounds. Sounds like a quick mod...wow. If I did'nt already have mufflers I may have to try this!

Here's the result of my muffler bypass project. I didn't want to throw down 6 bills or whatever it is currently for the Fabspeeds, but have decided I want 40-50 lbs less on the car at the track, so I ordered two 90 degree stainless steel mandrel bends from Summit Racing and two Magnaflow polished stainless double wall round tip (both in 2 1/4") took them to a muffler shop and had them barely flare the end that goes onto the cat and weld the tips on(not a great job on the welding). I finished them with the angle grinder with 3M scotchbrite velcro pads and voila.... two pounds a piece and a total of $140 all told. So you can get something nicer than the Pep Boys version without too much trouble.

Nice! It's amazing to see how much things are overpriced. I am interested to see if a glass pack muffler could be plumbed in there somewhere to help control the sound. I think going open will be too loud for me. thanks, Amir

I toyed with the idea of using a glass-packed tip like the one's Monza make, but don't like their look so much and I'd imagine they're a bit heavier and that could be a problem as the bypasses are unsupported.

i was thinking of putting a supertrapp on in some sort of bypass method, but I dont think it will work. Supertrapps have adjustable backpressure & sound.

How would the 90 degree bens look by themselves? Did the tip add much to the appearance? (This would be an "at the track" change for me, so appearance is not high on the list.

Hmmmm.. Glass packs. Not sure if they make them in large enough diameter, but you could get some baffle inserts for motorcycle drag pipes. Harleys old Triumphs etc... They are metal baffle inserts that have a set screw to secure them. You can also wrap them with fiberglass mat to mellow the sound. If I get some time this winter I'll make some up as I've got some extra baffels from my 72 Bonneville that I'm not using.

Without tips they look kind of bad (IMO) because the cutouts in the bumper are pretty big, so to get the pipes somewhat centered in the cutout you have to angle them upwards as they exit the rear of the car. Either that or they look like they don't fit the back right (too low). This is coming from a somewhat critical viewpoint. Would I run them with no tip at the track? Sure. Was it really easy to put nice tips on them? Yes.

A couple things. Forget Supertrapps. We tested them on my racecar in hopes of getting back some of the torque we lost when we went to straight pipes. I'm not sure I still have the dyno charts but it was terrible. We lost a ton of hp and torque. The quality was just as bad. Don't forget to add some sort of set screws to keep your pipes from falling off at the track. This is covered somewhere in this thread. Finally, for the track, I think going tipless is the only way to go. You'll never find a race car with tips. Jim

supertrapps don't work? i see them on plenty of race cars though - or do most do that so they can make the sound req's at the track?

Not sure. All I know is what we found. We tried with several different sets of plates and the results were all bad. And, as I mentioned, the quality was terrible.

I thought the discussion about set screws was to keep the tips from coming off. It's hard for me to see how a set screw would be more secure than a robust (1" wide with a 12mm bolt) exhaust clamp. Maybe I'm missing something here? When my car becomes a race car I'll remove the tips.

Russ, I hear you on the tips. For a street car I'd do the same. If you're only using the pipes on the track I'd skip them though. I'm certainly not saying that you shouldn't use an exhaust clamp. I'm just warning that the combination of different metals (stainless and plain steel), changing temps and the weight (espeically with tips) vibrating with no support can cause them to come loose. We solved the issue with set screws. Jim

Russ - Do you have the Summit part number for the 90 degree pipe? They have about 300 SKU's in s/s alone. Thanks.

Russ, those muffler bypass pipes look great. You're giving me ideas. My quad exhaust on a narrowbody might be had for cheap if I take your approach. Thanks for posting the pictures.

Here's the Summit SKU You have to cut the tip end to move the tip as close as possible to the bend. Jim, So add the set screw to back things up. Thanks.

Thanks!

it looks like the summit part is no longer available. Can someone please post the exact size of the pipe needed? I have found similar pipes online but need to make sure i order the correect size (especially lengthwise) thanks.

guys would they work for 997s? similar 90 degrees 2 inch pipes? can someone also tell me why we cant use the pep boys pipes for long term? other than the looks of it, i reckon they work same like fabspeed? If it looks ugly, cant we weld some nicer looking pipes on it?