Review - Corsa Extreme Axle Back w/ Lethal OTA's

[Chris Proia]

I purchased the following from Lethal Performance last week -

OTA SS Pipes (2nd gen)
Corsa Extreme Axle Backs

Let me first start by saying that the Lethal OTA's are well made! What I liked most about them was the two piece design which makes installation a breeze if you don't have access to a lift. There is ample space between the chassis and axle with only a few small bends. The clamps they provided were high quality and the connections themselves were spot on. Way to go Team Lethal!

The Corsa's on the other hand were a bit disappointing. In terms of looks, they deserve a 10 in my book. The body of the muffler has a brushed SS look, the tips are highly polished and slash cut from two different angles to match the rear bumper lines. The mufflers themselves are very short and not quite as wide or heavy as the stock units. So what's the problem you ask?

I installed the mufflers first on the stock hangers just to see how they would line up prior to installing the OTA's... :xpl: Both the driver and passenger side tips stick out waaaay to far. It looks ghetto! Not to mention they didn't even hang straight while exiting the bumper. I'm sorry but for $700.00 bucks for two mufflers, I expect a precise fitment. After several attempts to get them to line up properly and after installing the OTA's, they still look like shit.

In terms of sound, in a word, they are LOUD! Not for the faint of heart. If you live in an area with sound ordinances in place, these are not the mufflers for you. Of course, the absence of my stock resonators is probably not helping either :rockon: On deceleration they release a very pleasant popping noise that is music to my ears. If you're just cruising around town and keep it under 3,500 RPM they produce a nice deep rumble. However, if you decide to jam the pedal and rip it to 7,000, watch out, these mofos scream!

I contacted Lethal and spoke with Matt regarding the fitment. We decided the best course of action is to take pics of the mufflers installed and see what the Corsa rep has to say. In the meantime, I contacted my local Ford dealership to inquire about stock hangers for 2011+ GT's. It appears they have a different part # for the 11-12's and 13-14's...hmmmm

This would explain why other manufacturers like Magnaflow have released axle backs specific to 13-14's. As most know, the 11-12's have a two piece rear bumper which protrudes further out then the 1 piece 13-14's.

I will post up more pics later.

Chris

 

[Torchy]

I have the same set up on a 2013 and mine fit great. Maybe try adjusting them more. You have a lot of adjustability due to the OAP's.

Only slight issue I had was the hanger on the muffler wanted to get close to the one coming off the body on driver side (inside one on the 2 prong). Keep an eye on that because it will make a ugly cabin noise.

 

[DallasBoss]

I recently had the Extremes on stock over axle pipes and the fitment was perfect, with the tips lined up with the valence.

 

[Torchy]

Yeh I had stock OAP's before the JPC's (which look identical to OP's) and fit was perfect then too.

 

[Chris Proia]

Driver side with OTA pipes connected -

Passenger side with OTA pipes connected -

If I disconnect the OTA's, the driver side muffler doesn't move out of position (as neither should) but the passenger side will drop even further down. No amount of adjustment is going to fix that. As it sits right now, I pulled the OTA out further to try and put pressure against the muffler piping in hopes of forcing it upward but thats as good as it gets. Just thought Id share.

 

[Voltwings]

My tips stuck out way too far, and it turns out i didnt slide my OTA pipes far enough into the slip fittings with the Mid pipe. I was able to scoot them back almost 1"-2", and the fitment is MUCH better now. You are going to have to finigle almost any muffler to get them to sit perfectly in the rear bumper, its just part of it, especially when you've messed with the OA pipes.

 

[Chris Proia]

My tips stuck out way too far, and it turns out i didnt slide my OTA pipes far enough into the slip fittings with the Mid pipe. I was able to scoot them back almost 1"-2", and the fitment is MUCH better now. You are going to have to finigle almost any muffler to get them to sit perfectly in the rear bumper, its just part of it, especially when you've messed with the OA pipes.

I understand there are always going to be variances in fabricated parts but sometimes those differences are to great. In this case, I don't have any adjustment left to make it sit right and I don't plan on bending brackets to TRY and make it fit correctly. If I attach the mufflers to their respective hangers, the driver side sits how it should, level and centered. Unfortunately, the same is not true of the passenger side which looks a lot worse then pictured above. You spend 700 bucks on two mufflers, you expect them at the very least to sit level and centered in a new vehicle.

 

[Gaudin Ford]

Mine sat perfect when connected or not so you might actually have got a incorrectly welded hanger on that pass muffler. I couldn't get mine to sit like that even if I tried.