Hi everyone, before reading, note that my car never came with a cat, ie. I didn't remove it
Also, I had the install done at one of the most highly regarded exhaust places in the country (Trinidad)..

My exhaust set up is this
-DC 4-2-1 ceramic coated
-Purchased Megan resonated test pipe (didn't fit, they sent me the wrong one)- Used straight pipe instead
-APEXi WS2 catback...


So, I finally got the Apexi WS2 and my DC 4-2-1 installed today.. We had to do some improvisation seeing as the fools who sold me the test pipe sent me the wrong one... Hence why I used straight pipe instead.
Also, most of the hangers didnt line up with the exhaust exactly so we had to do some cutting and creating new mounts for the exhaust as well as change a few hangers etc

So, the problem now is this.....
The exhaust sounds superb at idle and high up in the revs. Nice and deep and fantastically quiet.
However, from 2000-almost 5000 I have a horrible raspiness.. to the point that it sounds like a cheap ebay exhaust...
I know that the mid-pipe between the header and the catback exhaust (once again I have no cat) is straight pipe but the raspiness is ridiculous....
I have never really heard complaints about the WS2 being raspy, even with people running straight test pipe like I am.. What would be the main cause of this? Could it be the straight pipe, or the actual header itself? Could the diameter change from stock collector size to the 2.25" piping cause this rasp?

I could just go back to the exhaust shop and get them to install a long resonator instead of mid-pipe but that would run me another $75 and i'm already out quite a lot on this entire thing..
What if after all that, i still have the raspiness?

I would really appreciate some help with this and some advice from experience..
Thanks

 

I'm just going to assume there are no known problems with the engine that might cause some nasty sounds (as you would probably be asking about them as well if they existed).

If you have no resonator or cat in the exhaust, there is your problem. The only other thing I can think of off the top of my head is if your header was a cheapo thin-walled ebay deal. That can lead to a bit of rice in the exhaust tone on occasion. Though if you have an authentic DC, you should be fine.

You say you haven't heard one that sounds raspy and I believe you. It's hard to do! However, it can definitely happen when you aren't running a cat or any resonator(s). The only bad WSII tipped exhausts have been the ones with either a bad motor or running (basically) a straight pipe on a lightly modified motor. I've found one or two on youtube that sounded awful!

Definitely get something to muffle it out and it should sound just like all the nice sound clips.

Oh, and on a side note: The only time I've heard them sound good straight pipped is when they are on a built motor or a forced induction setup. I've never heard a straight pipped stock motor sound good. I don't care what muffler is on it.

 

Well, so far as I know I have the real deal genuine DC sports 4-2-1.. It did have a small crack on it which was MIG welded and checked for leaks.. came back clear

Concerning the engine, no problems at all like that.. Right now i'm still stock apart from bolt-ons but it sounds fine and runs fine..

I guess the in-line bulging piece of the Apexi is a in-line muffler and not a resonator then? I figure I may be forced to spend the extra money and throw on an in-line resonator and hope it works....
Ideally I was planning to use the Megan Test pipe for this purpose but they sent me the wrong one so that wasnt an option....

Of course, its possible the header is causing some raspiness which is just being amplified by my non-resonated exhaust?

 

an aftermarket header is going to be raspier and more mean sounding than a stock manifold in any situation

just get a magnaflow direct-fit catalytic converter thats already got the flanges you need
you'll get better mileage from not having CEL's and running open loop, and get like 1 extra torque (been tested in import tuner back in the day)

they run a little over a hundred bucks, you can re-sell the test pipe or use it when and iff you build the motor and boost it

best of all the exhaust will smell better and my grandkids wont get sunburns playing outside a bolt-on accord loses power from a test pipe

 

Well, as I mentioned above "Hi everyone, before reading, note that my car never came with a cat, ie. I didn't remove it"

As in, my car (CD4 chasis) came straight from Japan without a cat (Trinidad didnt have unleaded fuel as yet) so my stock setup was catless....
Therefore, removing a cat doesnt throw codes because I never had a secondary o2 sensor to begin with... ie. even if I had a cat in the first place which I dont

So, stock on the car was a length of flex pipe in that location.. I replaced it with straight test-pipe...
I'm assuming the length of resonator that I place will change its effectiveness?

What about cutting the megan resonated test pipe they sent me (wrong ends) and then welding on the correct connectors to the already resonated pipe?

 

i just put on my ws2 with the megan resonator test pipe on my civic and man is it clean.. before i had a straight pipe and it shounded just like what your talking about! change up the flanges to make it work or send it back and demand the right one... you'll like its its great!

 

Thanks for the heads up.. Will go back to the exhaust shop tomorrow and see if he is willing to cut the flanges etc...
If not, i'll let him provide a resonator and we will see how it goes.. If that doesn't solve it, then i'll do some videos for yourl to hear

 

Have them put in a resonator to quiet down that raspyness. Thats the main purpose why some exhaust system comes with those stock resonator.

My WS2 sounds fantastic with a 2.5" cat converter and no resonator. No raspy noise at all.

Here's a quick vid of how my car sounds like at Topend:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wykepaliayo

Sorry, I don't really have a clip just for my exhaust, so I chose this one to give you an idea of what mine sounds like at WOT. Cannot hear the muffler at all but VTEC, thats how quiet mine is. I'll make a vid of my WS2 exhaust soon.

My setup:
-Hytech Rep header(VteckiDD)
-2.5" cat converter
-WS2 muffler

Note: All pipings are 2.5" from header collector to muffler.

 

ok, mine definitely doesnt sound remotely close...

The plan is tomorrow to cut the flanges off the straight pipe and weld them on to the megan resonated test pipe.. See if that helps

If it doesnt, then we put on a 18" resonator or so...

I just have a feeling most of the raspiness is due to the honda collector size being 2" and the rest of exhaust being 2.25"


Also, I'm not 100% sure about this but I believe that cat converters themselves act as resonators in a way.. Hence why my car came stock with a res instead of a cat...

 

Cat converters do typically help in the noise department, especially when they are OEM style.

I honestly don't know that the test pipe will really help you. I think it'll still not be to your liking (I know I definitely wouldn't like it but I'm REALLY picky with exhaust) but who knows till you get it on.

Btw the collector size differences are probably the least of your worries. I doubt that's affecting a whole lot in the big scheme of things.

 

I agree with Bwill9886.

Mine's a Hi-Flow cat BTW and sounds smooth. I could've sold you my 2.0" Magnaflow Hi-Flow cat(Direct fit with flanges), but I sold it just after I got my 2.5" Hi-Flow.

 

Well, I would have even considered buying your cat if my car was compatible with it...
I guess knowing that the car was never going to have a cat for this export market they didnt even fit it with a MAF or O2 sensors... Just a MAP sensor..

Could the raspiness be coming from the weld that I had to do on the DC 4-2-1? It obvsiouly has a slight piece of weld jutting out into 1 of the 4 header pipes.. No more than maybe 2mm which in the big scheme of things shouldnt really be a problem..

 

hate to dig up an old thread but what size is the flange for on the world sport 2 cat back where it bolts up to the cat? Im gona be using a 2.5" cat for the kidd racing header, I need to know what size flange to weld onto the cat back part of the cat.

 

hmm, not entirely sure.. I just assumed that the flange would be the size of the exhaust? 2.36" or so....

 

It seems I never followed up with an update...

Eventually I got the exhaust shop to do a custom fit 16" resonator.. Thats as big as we could get to fit... I'd say it cut out MOST of the rasp.. about 75% of it, but around 2300-2800rpm I still get something of a ZING noise... ie. a quick burst of rasp
I wonder why it should happen there and is significantly reduced everywhere else in the rev range?

In retrospect, I should have had that DC 4-2-1 Header TIG welded instead of MIG.. I think it would have given a neater weld and that would at least help me diagnose or eliminated possible sources for my rasp...

That said, the WS2 is a fantastic system, certainly the best I have ever used on any vehicle. It really brings out the back end looks of the accord.. gave it a bit of rear aggression that it was missing I think.. Not to mention the sound is superb

PS. Has anyone else found their intake giving LESS induction noise after putting on an exhaust? I think this is the case with mine.. not a complaint mind you, just a small observation