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By Jim Wilder Undercar Digest Editor A t the turn of this century Zoro Muffler President Jeff Boychuk said he was getting hit from both ends when it came to obtaining quality ex- haust components and satisfying the needs of customers. "Our quiet stuff wasn't quiet enough and our performance stuff wasn't good enough. It had a drone. The soccer moms were coming back with their Caravan minivans say- ing: 'It's louder than when I brought it in with a hole in the muf- fler.' In addition, per- formance enthusiasts were complaining about a raspy exhaust tune, instead of the deep rumble sounds they were used to when V-8 muscle cars ruled the highway. "We struggled through the years to remain an exhaust- only shop," Jeff said. "We went to major manufacturers and said we had a major problem and they couldn't, wouldn't or weren't interest- ed." Likewise, he said distributors were more concerned with price points than the actual products they sold. 12 Undercar Digest Boychuk, who has Zoro Muffler shops in Mississauga, Hamilton and Welland, Ontario, as well as a Mufflerman shop in Kenmore, N.Y., said he was at wits end. It was then that he and his wife, Michelle, along with his team members at the shops, decided to start making their own mufflers and exhaust systems. And with that, Solo Performance was born in 2005 with a limited number of mufflers and cat-back systems. At first, the company only manufac- tured for its own shops, but as word spread, Solo began offering the products to fellow muffler shops that were members of the Independent Muffershop Dealers Association (IMDA). In the past year Solo began advertising its product offering to shops through- out Canada, the United States and Mexico. One of the biggest problems with performance exhaust was that it didn't pass what Boychuk calls the "grandmother test." "Can you take grandma across country and be OK with holding conversations? If the answer is "yes," you have the winner," he said. But that wasn't happening with most of the performance exhaust kits on the market that his shops were installing. and its Mississauga, Ontario, Zoro Muffler shop, explained how newer engines, transmissions and electronics have changed exhaust tones. In earlier days most vehicles had three- or four-speed automatic or standard transmissions. Nearly every engine/transmission combi- Solo founder Jeff Boychuk This Solo Mach cat-back exhaust for a Pontiac G8 allows the driver to adjust the system for street or track. The Solo team includes (from left) Jeff Boychuk, Jack Quinn, Ray Blanchard, Ron Urquhart, Bob Notar and Rich Devalentio. Not shown are Michelle Boychuk, Brian Vanier and Frenchy Martin.