My exhaust is done! FINALLY!

[Rush]

After procrastinating and putzing around for roughly four months, I finally got my exhaust hooked up!

Considering the psychotic requirements for emissions/inspection in PA, I couldn't do anything too dramatic. PA says that you HAVE to have at least two cats somewhere in your exhaust system, unfortunately .. so here's what I wound up making for myself.

I kept the silly little stock 'downpipe' into the first stock cat. Cut out the second stock cat, and replaced that with a 2.5" Magnaflow hi-flow cat. There's about four inches of expanded piping between the first and second cat, obviously. I ditched the resonator -- there's nothing but SS piping from the hi-flow cat back to my muffler. For a muffler, I went with the HKS Hiper style, with the 3" piping and 5.5" titanium tip.

It sounds GORGEOUS. I was a bit worried that without the resonator, the exhaust would be a little too loud. But it's perfect. The system has a relatively quiet, though somewhat growling, idle. A deep, smooth tone through the RPMs up till 4500 or so -- and then it snarls through the high RPMs. It's great. And I can feel a difference with how the MSP pulls, as well. Not as much stuttering through the gears, and more even acceleration.

All told, with parts and labor, the system cost me just short of $700. And it's money I'm happy I spent! I'll see what I can do about getting up some sound clips and pictures soon.

 

[Stormtrooper77]

Wow! 5.5" tip?! Are you launching rockets out of there?

 

[Striker187]

^^^^
hahahahaha, yeah, that sounds a little big. but post photos and soundclips!! then we'll pass judgement

 

[Bhamsan]

Pics!

And why did you decide to keep the stock cat? Why not replace it with another high flow cat? It sounds like your car is ready to push for some bigger numbers.

 

[Rush]

I know, sounds monstrous, right?

.. But it actually doesn't look huge on the car. I have to run to work real quickly to check my schedule, but then I'll take some quick shots of it. I only have my crappy digital camera, and there's not much space to take any photos of the piping and whatnot underneath .. but I'll do my best.

 

[Rush]

Okay. I only have three pics .. and, in all honesty, the quality is pretty bad. I need a new digital camera desperately. But these at least give you an idea. And just as a note .. the one picture, from the side, makes it look like the muffler is sitting at a downslanting angle .. but it's actually not. My camera just sucks that bad.

I'm gonna see if I can borrow a friend's camera to get some better shots, as well as some sound clips.

 

[t3ase]

Moved; please use the proper sections.

 

[t3ase]

Looks nice, by the way.

 

[Striker187]

looks good...though that really doesn't look like a 5.5" tip. u sure it's that big? hks's website only lists their Ti muffler tip at 120mm (4.72 in.). either way, it looks good. and if you can get me soundclips, i believe you will be the first msp to provide a soundclip with an HKS Hi-Power muffler and i'd finally be able to update the exhaust thread!!!

 

[Roywhitep5]

thats our t3ase!!

 

[mspeed101]

Damn too bad you cant run catless. How does the exhaust feel performance wise?

 

[FSDET]

why didnt u get a Midpipe from Apexr1.com or someone else with 1 highflow cat( so that it wont stink) and put the stock one back for Smog ? its not like its hard to swap it ...

 

[FSDET]

your muffler looks really nice.. but if i were u i would have bought a 2.5 inch midpipe with a high flow cat for ~350 and custom piping from the midpipe to the STOCK muffler( to be quite and stealthy).

 

[Rush]

t3ase -- Sorry 'bout usin' the wrong section .. I was so bleepin' excited about finally gettin' the frickin' thing done that I just, y'know, posted. Whoops.

Striker -- Y'know, you could be right about the size. In all honesty, I did a quick conversion using some weird online calculator to go from mm to inches. Wouldn't surprise me if I hit a wrong button, heh. But I'll talk to one of my housemates tomorrow about using some of his tech equipment to get sound clips, as I currently have nothing .. and I want people to hear it, cause it sounds GOOD.

mspeed101 -- Performance wise, I can feel a difference, though it's nothing monstrous. Acceleration has picked up a notch or two, but more noticable is the smoothness of it. It also shifts a lot better. Before the exhaust, I would have an annoying 'hiccup' when I shifted that would kill the RPM levels and generally bomb the accelearation. That's gone now. So overall, definitely worth it.

mazdaspdprotege -- The reason I went with this system is because I didn't want to have to worry about swapping things out. Too lazy for that, to be perfectly honest! And PA is so b****y about their emissions/inspection s*** that I just wanted the security of knowing my exhaust will pass without having to bother anything. And I ditched the stock muffler for a reason, too .. I didn't WANT quiet and stealthy, LOL. But to each their own!