Those with custom exhaust

[217gsr]

First, I just wanna say that I have a stock exhaust and a stock header.

I had a 2.25" test-pipe not long ago, which I sold because I was tired of the rattling noise. I stepped it up to a 2.5" Carsound cat. Performance is still pretty good compared to the test pipe, and definately a lot better than the stock cat.

The problem is that the 3-bolt flange at the exhaust end of the cat. does not match up perfectly to the exhaust pipe. The holes match up perfectly, but the 2.5" hole doesn't match up to the 2" exhaust hole. Duh, I knew that would happen. But there is actually a TINY gap, where there is some exhaust leaking out. This creates a whole new set of problems for me, mostly nosie related, because I can hear the exhaust rattling against the cat. at ~3500 rpm.

I've wanted to stay away from an aftermarket exhaust system for a long time now, but on the other hand, I don't want the stock exhaust to rattle anymore. And changing back to my stock cat. is not an option. [img]smile.gif[/img]

So. . . while keeping the price relatively low (no brand names, custom exhaust is the only option, i think), and the sound as close to stock as possible (nothing ear piercing), and absolutely no flashy mufflers (as little chromed/stainless steel parts as possible), what would you guys recommend? Keep in mind that I would like to keep my 2.5" Carsound in the picture, so the exhaust would probably have to be 2.5" to match also.

Sorry this post was so long, but thanks for reading anyways.

[cpa]

I had a 2.5" custom exhaust built (pre bent mandrel sections welded to straight sections) and put on my car. It's gone now (almost - I kept the axle back part and ditched the b-pipe). It was a straight through round resonator (4" round I believe - about 16" long)and a straight through round muffler (6" round I believe - as long as would fit after the axle). It was loud as hell and I couldn't take it. I don't think you can have a quiet straight through exhaust at 2.5". I even put in a longer louvered resonator with the louvers facing forward and it helped, but didn't solve it nearly enough. At WOT, it was fine, but driving around in normal freeway/street conditions and starting up from idle at stop lights, etc. it was too damn loud. I just don't think our engines off boost flow enough air to keep that large of a pipe resonating/quiet. Or maybe it needed to be a better design, but I had the resonator placed where the stock one was.

I will say with the Type R b-pipe, and the axle back portion of the 2.5" that I kept and modified to fit the Type R b-pipe it's kind of a happy medium on sound that I can live with and probably doesn't flow much worse than the full 2.5" inch. I don't have a 2.5" cat though [img]tongue.gif[/img] .

So, my response is long, and likely not helpful - but that's what I ended up with and what I thought. Good luck.

[217gsr]

Is the axle-back portion of the exhaust the part that is directly connected to the cat? What is the B-pipe? I assume then, that there is a third piece, the muffler portion?

So CPA, from what I can tell, you have a 2.5" axle-back (with or without resonator?). And a TypeR B-pipe and muffler? I've heard of people using up to 2 resonators on the axle-back portion. Did you try this? Should I try this if I got a 2.5" exhaust or is this a bad idea?

how large is the TypeR B-pipe? Are there any fitment problems when mating it to a 2.5" axle-back?

[cpa]

From the cat back to the rear axle I have the Type R stock b-pipe at 2.25". It has a resonator mid-way back and a very small resonator at the flange connection to the rear axle back portion (I do not believe the GSR exhaust has this). The rear axle back transitions from 2.25" to 2.5" at the flange through the muffler (leftover from my custom exhaust).

[217gsr]

Cpa, thanks again for your advice. I think I've got a rough idea of what it will take to make a custom exhaust now.

Are both resonators on the cat-back portion an OEM part of the stock TypeR exhaust? Or did you add 1 of them?

Were there any fitment problems that are associated with this setup? Or did you just bolt everything up?

What kind of muffler are you using, and does the choice of muffler also affect how much noise the exhaust emits at cruising/WOT?

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 22, 2002 05:42 PM: Message edited by: 217gsr ]</font>

[cpa]

The resonators are stock. The R b-pipe had to be extended about 4" with an extra piece of tubing spliced in right after the cat flange. Once that was done, it was a direct bolt-in to the OEM cat and OEM exhaust tube and muffler hanger locations. The resonators are OEM.

The muffler is a Bullet perforated straight through round canister (similar to Magnaflow, etc.) The type of muffler (chambered vs straight through)will definitely influence sound, I'm not sure about similar design between brands having so much influence, but I haven't tried a bunch out.

Most people will say that the muffler is the biggest influence on sound which is probably true, but I think there's a lot more to it that is substantial in the design and shouldn't be factored out as inconsequential.

[217gsr]

Maybe I should get an aftermarket exhaust. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Anyone else wanna relate something about their personal experience(s) with aftermarket/custom exhausts?

How much should I expect to spend on a custom exhaust? $200-300??

[rjaffey]

I have a custom exhaust with 2.5" pipe a straight through "resonator" and a straight through oval offset muffler (both by Magnaflow). It's louder than stock, but not too bad. Definitely mellow cruising around and under light acceleration. It gets a bit loud when I mash the throttle, but not too bad. All in all, it's quieter than I expected.