Developing the First C8 Cat-Back Exhaust with Magnaflow

YouTuber TJ Hunt and Magnaflow work on the first aftermarket C8 exhaust system. And it sounds awesome!

YouTuber TJ Hunt is nothing if not a dedicated Corvette fanatic. He flew all the way from San Diego to Pittsburgh just to be able to pick up one of the first C8 Corvettes. Then, he proceeded to drive it over 2,500 miles home.

He’s been the first to document his oil change and the first to get a check engine light thanks to some burnouts and donuts. Now, he’s going to be the first to install an aftermarket exhaust on a C8 Corvette.

Hunt drives his Corvette to Magnaflow to allow them to use his car to prototype their C8 Corvette cat-back exhaust. In the intro, he explains, “We are going to be stripping it down to the bare bones in the back to get a better idea of what’s beneath all of the garbage.”

Hunt and the crew at Magnaflow put the car on a lift and set about disassembling the rear of the car. This gives us our first look at what lurks beneath the skin of the C8. Since it’s a mid-engine car, there’s not much piping to the exhaust. The muffler is enormous, though.

One interesting observation is that the catalytic converters are separate from the exhaust headers. The cats are a completely separate component, which will make exhaust modifications easier for racers.

If It’s Too Loud, You’re Too Old

With the exhaust removed from the car, Magnaflow is ready to take a 3D scan and design a new system in CAD. This exhaust contains four valves, which Magnaflow will integrate into the new system.

At first, they try a system with an X-shaped crossover muffler. It sounds good, but it’s too quiet for Hunt’s liking. After hearing the car running and revving with no exhaust, it’s decided to try to make the new exhaust as free-flowing as possible.

After some testing, Magnaflow has designed a system with an X-pipe and two mufflers. Hunt explains that “these are their smallest mufflers.” It should result in a deep, loud, throaty sound, whether the valve is open or closed. We can’t wait to hear the finished product!

When the crew at Magnaflow cut open the stock exhaust, they were surprised to discover that, internally, it uses a very similar system to what Magnaflow designed. There’s a center x-pipe crossover muffler, with twin outlets. One outlet on each side opens or closes depending on the operation of the exhaust valves.

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The new exhaust sounds throaty and aggressive, yet still refined. We really like the round carbon tips Hunt went with. At idle or under load, the new exhaust sounds great and Hunt doesn’t detect any drone. We can’t wait until it’s ready for retail sale.

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