So I'm entertaining dropping in a new exhaust to my 2200, header to tailpipe. Has anyone here had any luck with the Ebay exhaust kits? By the looks of it I can get a full setup for about 300 bucks. Or am I better off buying the components of it and having a shop weld the piping and all that? Straight up bolt on is really appealing but it doesn't look like any of the Ebay kits come with resonators, and I see a lot of huge fart cans with silencers in them. I just want a 2.5 or 2.25 inch exhaust with a 3 inch tip on the tailpipe.
Oh, and more ground clearance than a low rider.
eBay exhausts are junk. I wouldn't bother. If you want to go the custom route, I'd get a nice muffler like a DynoMax Super Turbo or something from Borla (yes, they'll cost at least a third of the price of a whole eBay exhaust, but quality is important), and for a 2200, give it 2.25" piping, unless you're going for turbo later on.
2010 Honda Fit LX
What do you want to get out of this exhaust.
Upgrading to 2.25 will get you a bunch of new ponies up around 3+ krpm, but for casual city driving it'll kill your torque.
Pacesetter header - Buy it new, you'll see a deal every now and then but go ahead and pay $50 to make sure you've got everything you need. You can then use header paint to prevent rust, mine's holding up pretty well. OBX is hit or miss as far as quality from what I've read.
Magnaflow Cat or Thunderbolt Spin Cat - I've got Magnaflow and a PO420 code for the rear O2 sensor. But 18mm spark plug antifoulers will space the rear O2 sensor out and take care of that. Therefore, either one is a good choice.
Dynomax Super Turbo or stock LSJ muffler - Mystic keeps recommending the LSJ so I'll take his word for it. I've got the Dynomax muffler and although it seems louder than when I first got it, it's got a nice mellow tone and I'd still recommend it.
Quality tip like Magnaflow - Don't cheap out as I had an eBay tip start rusting within a month of installation. My Magnaflow tip still looks brand new.
Many will recommend a resonator and for good reason, find the longest one that can fit after the cat as it will prevent the raspiness you don't want. Mine isn't too bad without a resonator but it wouldn't hurt.
2.25" is standard on 2200's as long as you're not planning on boosting it. It's been debated but I've got no complaints with my 2.25" and it'd be useless to go from 1 7/8" stock to just 2" lol
As far as installation, buy all the parts online and then find a quality shop to weld it up for you. A few years back I payed $60 to have all my components welded after installing the header and downpipe. Altogether I've got $400 in my exhaust so it's very affordable to do things right and avoid eBay junk.
id like to know whats so wrong with the ebay catbacks? sure the muffler isnt name brand but piping is piping as far as i am concerned. most are mandrel bent with cnc cut flanges and have solid welded bracketry. basically the exact same damn thing the WAY overpriced borla and magnaflow stuff is. most come in polished stainless steel, too. probably aint the best quality stainless but for around $100 shipped who cares? you can buy one every year for that price if it rots out, which it wont, so...
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I bought an ebay exhaust kit for my 3.5 altima mainly for the piping. The sorry 12" excuse of a resonator was cut out and a 30" put on in its place. The mufflers and tips have both been changed.
For the $200 shipped i paid, it was impossible to find mandarel bent 2.5" SS piping.
Id buy one of the kits again for the piping. the other components can easy be changed out.
"Oil Leak ? What oil Leak ? Oh, Thats Just The Sweat From All The HorsePower!!"
It's cheaper just to have a shop weld everything up and provide the mandrel bent pipe, plus you don't have to deal with installing everything without a lift like I would have had to do.
Very few shops have an actual mandarel bender. The kinker must shops have work similar to a mandarel as they use dies but still distort the piping slightly.
On the cavalier I had an exhaust shop fab from the downpipe back. Was about the same price as the kit I bought for the altima.
"Oil Leak ? What oil Leak ? Oh, Thats Just The Sweat From All The HorsePower!!"
bradsk88 wrote:What do you want to get out of this exhaust.
Upgrading to 2.25 will get you a bunch of new ponies up around 3+ krpm, but for casual city driving it'll kill your torque.
How will it kill my torque?
I don't think I'm going to boost. If I do, it'll be a long ways down the road. I think I'm gonna get the Pacesetter 4-q
-1 header. Or should I go 4-2-1?
It affects scavenging. Basically the air in a smaller pipe will pull harder on the exhaust ports creating extra power at low rpms but bottlenecking at high rpms. Air in a bigger pipe is under less pressure so it doesn't pull as hard, but you can move more air at high RPM.
Exhaust doesn't make power. It
allows power.
bradsk88 wrote:It affects scavenging. Basically the air in a smaller pipe will pull harder on the exhaust ports creating extra power at low rpms but bottlenecking at high rpms. Air in a bigger pipe is under less pressure so it doesn't pull as hard, but you can move more air at high RPM.
Exhaust doesn't make power. It allows power.
That's cool and all but we're talking about a 2200, the difference is minimal and larger pipe is better than stock.
Go with 4-1 btw...
http://www.j-body.org/forums/read.php?f=2&i=466818&t=466787#466818
Should be even less so wit a 2.3, but I lost a lot of low end torque when I upgraded to full 2.25.
Just throwing it out there. Exhaust ain't always the right route.
Cruisin4DrCav wrote:It's cheaper just to have a shop weld everything up and provide the mandrel bent pipe, plus you don't have to deal with installing everything without a lift like I would have had to do.
no way this is true unless you know someone that knows someone that blew someone's cusin's brother or and u get a deal or something LOL
the catback im looking at is $123 shipped buy it now. 2.5" 304 mandrel bent stainless steel, cnc machined flanges, comes in two slip-fit pieces so you dont need a lift. only thing im going to do is put my nice magnaflow muffler on the end of it and viola i got a magnaflow or borla style catback for $180 bucks (including the muffler). it will sound like @!#$ but it'll look sweet, stay under the car for many years and it will flow like crazy for what i need it for!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Thursday, April 05, 2012 3:28 PM
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couple truths here
Bigger is NOT better...
4:1 is the way to go on a header...
Here's my exhaust
Long tube Ron header (quad family only) 3" out, 3" gutted cat, Y pipe. One Y -> 3" downpipe to 3" QTP Cutout. The other Y -> 2.5" Reducer - 2.5" Mild Steel Atomic piping back to LSJ Muffler. No Resonator at all what so ever. The entire exhaust system from header back was thermochromed 1300 degree ceramic coated.
closed vs open cutout
Dyno pull
and yes... i am well aware of my phantom engine knock
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Thursday, April 05, 2012 3:55 PM
-Z Yaaaa- wrote:truths? did you not see the DYNO PROOF that a 2.5" catback blew away a 2.25" catback done by bills and stans? this was on a STOCK ld9 mind you....
ok brad... 4" exhaust on a stock LN2 will run like ____ (fill in the blank (with anything but a curse word =P)) ... my point still stands...
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Thursday, April 05, 2012 9:19 PM
My bro got an eBay cat back stainless steel system for his civic for $130. It looks and sounds great. Not ricer at all. I spent more on my borla muffler alone and I'm hoping my car sounds as good as his.
2004 Cavalier Sedan
Mystic02VA (GME Chat) wrote:-Z Yaaaa- wrote:truths? did you not see the DYNO PROOF that a 2.5" catback blew away a 2.25" catback done by bills and stans? this was on a STOCK ld9 mind you....
ok brad... 4" exhaust on a stock LN2 will run like ____ (fill in the blank (with anything but a curse word =P)) ... my point still stands...
u said bigger is not better. you didnt say bigger is not better on a stock LN2
blanket statements for the win you big richard! ROFL!
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Since the OP has a a stock LN2, and is talking about exhaust systems... that would be the topic... so therefore i was on topic...
-Z Yaaaa- wrote:no way this is true unless you know someone that knows someone that blew someone's cusin's brother or and u get a deal or something LOL
the catback im looking at is $123 shipped buy it now. 2.5" 304 mandrel bent stainless steel, cnc machined flanges, comes in two slip-fit pieces so you dont need a lift. only thing im going to do is put my nice magnaflow muffler on the end of it and viola i got a magnaflow or borla style catback for $180 bucks (including the muffler). it will sound like @!#$ but it'll look sweet, stay under the car for many years and it will flow like crazy for what i need it for!
Granted mine is 2.25" but I payed $60 to have everything welded up. I don't have cnc machined flanges but if I need to do anything to it, cutting and rewelding the pipe isn't that big of a deal.
bradsk88 wrote:It affects scavenging. Basically the air in a smaller pipe will pull harder on the exhaust ports creating extra power at low rpms but bottlenecking at high rpms. Air in a bigger pipe is under less pressure so it doesn't pull as hard, but you can move more air at high RPM.
Exhaust doesn't make power. It allows power.
I could see this being true if exhaust was pushed instead of pulled as you said it is.
Thanks for the link, binzer.
Anyways, 2.25 or 2.5 for maximum HP/torque and complete combustion on an N/A 2200? And before it turns into a flamefest about which size is better, I'd like some proof.
it is true.. its been proven many times. smaller pipe creates a vacuum that almost 'pulls' the exhaust gases out of the cylinder. i'm looking at the OBX twin loop muffler on ebay I think it sounds great
