So I bought my 94' Vtec a little while ago, knowing the exhaust had a limited time remaining before needing replaced. Well, it's time, the muffler has suffered some inner chamber collapse from what i can tell, so i'm looking to replace it with an upgrade. I saw in the "MarketPlace" some really sick looking 'Vibrant Performance' mufflers, which is partially what i'm looking for. I'm looking to go with a catback though, and their website didn't seem to have the flat black muffler that looks OEM to my car (i really want something that looks subtle). I have a few questions to get a better understanding of general exhausts for this particular car:

1. What type of price range am i looking at, i'm really looking for something rather low since this car has rather high mileage and i'm not going to really build it up more than bolt ons (CAI, clutch, flywheel, full exhaust, suspension). I just started a new job so i don't have much $ right now either, so $300 or less would be great, am i dreaming here?

2. Resonator? I have read that w/o them the exhaust will more than likely sound fairly 'raspy', which i don't want, i would like something subtle looking and sounding, yet achieving optimal performance for the dollar per se. Does most catbacks come with a resonator? What has your experience been with this?

3. I read 2.5 inch diameter is the optimal size, is that right?

4. Any reccomendations i would greatly appreciate! I checked out the martketplace here and on ClubSi, any of you happen to have something you are looking to get rid of?

Thank You Very Much

 

1. Catback for under $300 has not been seen by my eyes. You might check eBay, but I really don't think you'll find anything decent.

2. Resonators help reduce noise volume. I don't believe they do much for pitch.

3. Opinions vary on exhaust sizing. But it's pointless to go with a 2.5" catback without also replacing the cat. Carsound 2.5" universal high-flow cat is the common answer here.

I just replaced my entire exhaust from the collector back with custom 2.5" piping and an OBX muffler ($50 for muffler). The whole job ran me about $800.

 

Well, i was considering used catbacks as well, but yeah, $300 is probably a pipe dream. How much was that high flow cat? If i could do that and the catback i would be pretty happy, as well as see a 3-5 hp/tq gain i'd assume since i'm not going for the top dollar setups. I'm only looking to replace, with an upgrade. Catback only, they're in the mid 3's for decent brand names from what i see online. So ~$400 after shipping,...

Resonator? Do i need to pick one up, or is included in the catback setups typically?

Thx for the reply!


Modified by Cosa Nostra at 10:25 PM 7/29/2008

 

i've never seen a basic catback kit that included a resonator....but don't forget about the cat itself.