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ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: Speedracer7c on January 23, 2004, 07:56:23 AM

Title: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Speedracer7c on January 23, 2004, 07:56:23 AM
I am really considering buying the calmini cat back system, if it gives me a noticeable difference in power. IF anyone has it, do you feel it made a difference, even with the stock manifold? Thanks Andrew
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Natebert on January 23, 2004, 08:34:52 AM
Not to bag on the Calmini product, but we found it cheaper to find a local exhaust shop supply the materials and perform this work.

~Nate
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Mikerpm4x4 on January 23, 2004, 08:44:50 AM
My cousin was actually quoted far higher on her X90 so we ordered the calmini cat back for less than our local shops would do it. I work at a shop that installs Bolt on exhaust kits. Calmini was only $20 more (after shipping) than the cheapy stuff we can get.:-/ I think It would depend on where you live. I have never asked her if it gave her any more power but it does sound better.

Mike
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Z3bra on January 23, 2004, 08:55:50 AM
I agree, even if you don't fab it up yourself it's cheaper.  Figure you can get a kick-ass muffler like a magnaflow or a dynomax striaght through for around 60 bucks if you don't go for stainless.  Since it's a pretty easy system in terms of bends to build, I bet you'd be looking at maybe 200 total, less if you just get a cheapie turbo muffler.  With the Calmini setup you're probably looking at an extra 20 bucks for shipping (roughly).  It's worth a look at least.

Then again it may just depend, I had a system put on for me on my Datsun by a hole in the wall type shop for about 120 bucks a few years ago.   If it ends up being more like it did for Mike you can always fall back to ordering the Calmini stuff worst case.
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: ksa421 on January 23, 2004, 10:14:50 AM
I had a guy in town do my exhaust and he  charged me $300(parts and labor)  to install a Magnaflo and a new cat w/ 2" pipeing from the header back. That $300 also included some welding I had him do while he had in the shop to fix my bumper bracket that broke, so with out that it prob been a little cheaper.


Jacob
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Speedracer7c on January 23, 2004, 11:28:41 AM
Nice, maybe i should try that, or I will get a flowmaster. Its up in the air right now with all these ideas floating around.
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: TomKat on January 23, 2004, 12:07:30 PM
I reccommend if you wheel a lot to stay away from the calmini exhaust. My second wheeling trip folded the tailpipe into the gas tank due to the fact it hangs way too low. The bends are factory locations and it just hangs down too low and gets hung up. I now run the calmini header with a universal cat and a dyno max ultra flow with custom bent pipes, nice to have access to a pipe bender. I like the setup now, sounds pretty good.
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Speedracer7c on January 23, 2004, 12:11:17 PM
Ok, thanks for that info. That helps me a lot, cause I wheel alot with it bone stock. hehehe.
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Z3bra on January 23, 2004, 12:21:22 PM
Quote
Nice, maybe i should try that, or I will get a flowmaster. Its up in the air right now with all these ideas floating around.


Stick with a Magnaflow or Dynomax Ultraflow.  They flow better anyway, but they sound a lot better on a 4 cyl.  Flowmasters sound pretty crappy on 4 cyl cars.
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Speedracer7c on January 23, 2004, 12:25:07 PM
I heard a sound clip of projecttwin's tracker with a 60 series and it sounded really nice..........I don't know if there is a link to his site anywhere.
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Speedracer7c on January 23, 2004, 12:27:45 PM
http://www.projecttwin.com/images/tracker/exhaustafter.mpg there listen to that. I think it sounds really nice.
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: NY_SIDEKICKER on January 23, 2004, 03:26:08 PM
SOUNDS GOOD IDLING....WONDER HOW SHE SOUNDS ON THE FREEWAY  ???
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Alaska101 on January 23, 2004, 03:32:55 PM
I got a shop to fab up my cat back. Oh that is right I don't have a cat. pulled the darn thing out hehe. What I did was take out the old stuff then got the shop to fab up the thing then I put it in the kick myself.

Total Cost:
2.25" pipe $60.00
Muffler $25.00
$85.00 beat that

Great Gains in Hp too!!! Sound cool!!
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Kreg on January 23, 2004, 05:40:45 PM
I got the Calmini cat-back and header about a month ago when I put in my lift.


It works pretty good though it was a pain in the ass to install.

They don't send you enough material with the kit because they recently changed the design and I think they are trying to sell of their stock before they implement the design change. (or something along those lines) :-/

So if you order it your gonna have to find a two foot piece of 2" exhaust pipe and bend it to fit between the Cat and the flange pipe that comes out of the muffler.

And the kit is no longer a full bolt on kit.  You gotta weld the collector to the cat, then you gotta weld the piece of pipe that they dont send you to the other side of the cat, and to the flange pipe that comes out of the muffler. (like I mentioned above)

Make sure you bend the pipe that runs from the cat to the flange pipe perfectly or else it tweaks everything out of line and it's a bitch to attach the pipe to the hangers. ( I had to do it twice before everything sat right)

If I were to do it again I would just order the header and have a local exhast shop do the rest for me with a flow master kit. Since I live in Canada it cost an arm and a leg to get that stuff shipped up here.

But don't get me wrong.  With all the install probs set aside, its a great system. Huge power differance!  ;D
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Natebert on January 24, 2004, 04:05:33 AM
Quote
I reccommend if you wheel a lot to stay away from the calmini exhaust. My second wheeling trip folded the tailpipe into the gas tank due to the fact it hangs way too low. The bends are factory locations and it just hangs down too low and gets hung up. I now run the calmini header with a universal cat and a dyno max ultra flow with custom bent pipes, nice to have access to a pipe bender. I like the setup now, sounds pretty good.



My thoughts exactly.  
We have a 3 inch body lift and were able to fully customize where our exhaust ran while at the shop.

We replaced the cat too, because our cat had some 'damage' and was able to get nearly everything lifted up closer to the body from the downpipe to the tail pipe.

Now our exhaust has TONS of clearence.

~Nate
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Speedracer7c on January 24, 2004, 07:21:21 AM
The problem is, i can't be without a vehicle. And in order to have them make an exhaust they would have to keep it. Any suggestions? Thanks Andrew
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: NY_SIDEKICKER on January 24, 2004, 08:17:39 AM
MOST EXAUST SHOPS WILL DO IT ON THE SPOT.....SO YOU COULD GO WHEN YOU HAD A COUPLE FREE HOURS & HAVE THEM DO IT...... ;)
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: SpinalTap on January 24, 2004, 08:49:24 AM
I had a shop install my Calmini full system. They were very impressed with the quality and figured if they built it for me it would have cost almost twice as much. It definitley sounds better and has a lot more bottom end/mid range than stock.
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Speedracer7c on January 24, 2004, 10:40:57 AM
How much did they wack you to put it on though?
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: SpinalTap on January 25, 2004, 02:21:55 AM
Quote
How much did they wack you to put it on though?


$100CDN Plus free re-torques |removethispart|@ 500/1500/3000kms then every 6mos after that.
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Speedracer7c on January 25, 2004, 02:45:21 AM
hmmm I'll have to think about it, the problem is I dont want a shop to discover my gutted cat. lol
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: ksa421 on January 25, 2004, 03:46:01 AM
That depends on the shop too, I to it to one shop to get a quote and they wanted over $500 dollars to do a header back exhaust and that with me putting on the header and I had to bring it in with no cat. THwy said they couldnt take the cat off if it was in working order. The place I took it to said it didnt matter. I ended up taking the cat off when I put the header on anyway, becasue it was all connected and I didint have acces to a cutting tool. I drove it over the the exhaust shop with just the header, man that was loud. I had to roll the windows down becasue fumes where coming up through the holes for the shifters.
  So ask around, some times if you tell a shop the quote from another they will beat it by a little. That is what the guy in town did I actually told him what it would cost em to do the Calmini kit and he quoted me just under it. Good luck




Jacob
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: lil_Truck on January 25, 2004, 10:00:49 AM
I've had the Calimini exhaust for 2 years and haven't had any trouble with it.  It seems to let the engine breath nicely and has a nice sound.

When I installed it I had the 3"+3" Calimini lifts.  It fit just right and on the stock bumper the tail pipe came out just right.

I did have to adjust one pracket but other than that it fit just fine.  

After I did my frame I just cut the rear pipe in two places, readjusted it and welded it back together.

Though the muffler does have quite a few dents in it...  ;D
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: lil_Truck on January 25, 2004, 10:02:06 AM
I've heard people talk about removing their cats.  I'm just wondering how that effects the 2nd O2 sencer??
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: wildgoody on January 25, 2004, 12:01:08 PM
I thought the second O2 sensor was just
to tell the computer the Cat is bad and
trip the CEL so you go to the dealer to
get it replaced.
???
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Speedracer7c on January 25, 2004, 12:42:11 PM
Only models 1996 and later have 2 o2 sensors, the MPFI 1.6 and 1.8.
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: NY_SIDEKICKER on January 26, 2004, 11:55:34 AM
so it would be ok to hollow out the cat. and not effect any sensors on a 95 kick ???
Title: Re: Calmini Cat-Back
Post by: Speedracer7c on January 26, 2004, 12:05:04 PM
yup
mine is a 95 16 valve