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Exhaust Accessories
Pontiac V8 Exhaust Accessories
Loud When You Want It — Exhaust Accessories for Pontiac V8s
Exhaust cutouts solve the oldest problem in the hobby: you want the car quiet enough to drive to the track and loud enough once you get there. An electric cutout opens a bypass ahead of the mufflers at the flip of a switch, so the exhaust you spent real money on stays on the car either way.
Butler stocks Pypes dual electric cutout kits in 2.5" and 3.0" and Patriot electronic cutout systems with wireless remotes, both sold as complete dual kits with the Y-pipes and wiring included.
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1. What an electric cutout actually does
A cutout is a valve welded or bolted into a Y in the pipe ahead of the mufflers. Closed, the exhaust runs through the system normally. Open, it dumps straight out.
| Track use | Pypes states that opening the cutouts at the track gives full flow and an extra 10 to 15 horsepower. Cutouts are the practical answer for tracks that do not require mufflers. |
| Street use | Pypes notes you can open them at a stop light, with the obvious caveat to check local noise ordinances. |
| Why not just run open pipes | a cutout keeps the finished exhaust system, the hangers and the tips on the car. Nothing gets cut off and rewelded every weekend. |
2. Pypes electric cutouts
| Sizing and space | Pypes dual electric cutout kits are offered for 2.5" and 3.0" systems. The kit needs roughly a 12" straight section of pipe to give the motor and valve assemblies room. |
| Construction | CNC machined billet aluminum bodies with a high quality electric motor. Wiring and switch are included, and Pypes backs them with a limited lifetime warranty. |
| Works with your Pypes system | the 3.0" pair fits both 2.5" and 3.0" Pypes X-Change exhaust systems as well as universal cutout adapters. |
3. Y-pipes, and why they decide the install
A cutout is only half the part. The Y-pipe is what splices it into your exhaust, and how that happens is the real difference between a Saturday job and a trip to the muffler shop.
| Kits with Y-pipes included | the Patriot dual kits include mild steel Y-pipes sized to the system, 2.5" or 3.0". Buying the complete kit is almost always cheaper than sourcing the valve and the Y separately. |
| Cutouts sold as a pair only | the Pypes 3.0" pair is sold without the Y-pipes, which is what you want if you are building custom pipe or already have a straight section ready to be cut. |
| Where they go | ahead of the mufflers, in a straight section, with enough room around the pipe for the motor and valve body. Pypes calls for roughly a 12" straight run. |
| Ground clearance | on a lowered car, check how far below the pipe the motor hangs before you commit to a location. Both Patriot and Pypes make a point of a compact body for exactly this reason. |
4. Patriot electronic cutouts
| No welding | Patriot dual kits include mild steel Y-pipes and are designed as a bolt-on installation, so there is no trip to the muffler shop to get them in. |
| Sealing | a butterfly valve seals against a machined recess in the body to keep it from leaking once it is closed. |
| Wireless remote | two wires to the battery or fuse panel and no in-car switch, which means no holes drilled through the firewall or the dash. |
| Mounting | stainless steel construction, a compact body for lowered cars, and turn-outs on a spin ring for 360 degree adjustability. |
Cutouts are sold in 2.5" and 3.0" to match your system, so measure your pipe before ordering. If you bought a Pypes X-Change system, you may already have the open-exhaust capability built in and not need cutouts at all. Call the shop if you are not sure which you have.
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Email our tech team at tech@butlerperformance.com. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.