i have a 2000 integra LS with a gsr swap. my exhaust rattles when i drive because it's rubbing against the heatshield next to my shift linkage. the joint between the header collector and the cat inlet was apart by about .75 inch so i had to use a G-clamp to pull them close and bolt it down. I think this is putting stress to my hangers. I want to solve my rattle problem either by rewelding at a shop, or upgrade to an aftermarket 2.5" catback with piping to fix my problem. Which one would be a better choice? will i feel gain with a 2.5" catback? I don't want too much noise. is it worth spending the extra? the car is a beater and maybe an occasional track bucket.

 

You'll pick up some power but won't you have to get a bigger collector on the header and a bigger cat or test pipe to utilize the 2.5" cat-back? I read so many different things I don't even know what to believe anymore. Im running a tanabe exhaust and I believe it's 60mm which is like 2.36" on a 1999 ls with a gsr swap. I took all the exhaust heat shields off to just not deal with the rattling. The only problem is the exhaust rubs on the bottom of the shifter sometimes. Maybe you can just get away with taking all the heat shields off if you don't wanna spend the money for the exhaust.

 

thanks for your thoughtful inputs. I forgot to state that if i do upgrade the piping, i will definitely upgrade the header and axleback some day, maybe even the cat itself. I might have to weld or bolt on the stock heatshield on the aftermarket header to make it look stock. with that said, i wanted to know if i'll make worthy gains with a full header/exhaust upgrade. thank you!

 

Of course it will. Best upgrades to do in the beginning is headers, exhaust, and intake. Several years ago in my second gsr I had nothing but intake, headers, a flywheel and clutch and ran a 14.6 in the quarter mile. Thats nothing awesome by any means, but stock it ran 15.4 so I'd say just the header and intake made a world of difference. And supposedly you loose bottom end with running just headers with no upgraded exhaust. Look up dyno plots of companies testing their headers and exhausts on stock cars and it'll give you a range. They're also a **** load of magazines that did those comparisons on the gsr's several years ago you could probably find archived somewhere. I'd say you'll pick up around 10 horsepower peak just for a guess but your overall powercurve will be greatly improved. It all depends on your motor too and so on and so on. Google it!