I bought the wagon with a leaky exhaust up front (blown out flex pipe). Gave me a reason to modify it! Had the local exhaust shop weld 2.5in mandrel bent pipe from the manifold down pipe back (meaning no cat, it's 20 years old and probably doesn't do any good anyway) I went with a flowmaster 40 series delta flow, thinking that it is an actual muffler and would be better than your average straight through muffler looking resonator. Well, I don't know if it is or not, but it sounds horrible. Loud and buzzy. I was hoping that the larger 2.2 liter engine wouldn't be so bad, but damn, I was wrong.
I've run 3in manifold dp back with (cat-less) on nissan 240sx's with the muffler looking resonators and they sound good and deep, loud, but deep.
And numerous other wide open exhausts, but the 2.4 in the 240sx's is as close to the displacement as I could compare.
I am now one of the annoying ricers in your neighborhood, lol. Even at low throttle and rpm, I can't shift early enough.
I'm having an 18in resonator installed friday, I'll update.

 

Damn I wouldn't think 2.5 inch would sound loud and buzzy. Could possibly be the choice of muffler?

 

It's gotta be the muffler.

 

Wait you took off the flex pipe? Your going to crank the pipe from the motor rocking around. You shouldnt take off the cat, I am using my oem that came on the car (my family has owned it since new) and it passes emissions no problem. Taking one off isnt going to gain you anymore then 1 to 2 horses. You need to run a resonator otherwise it will be raspy, this isnt a Nissan... put a cat back on will help with the way it sounds too

 

I was going for the flowmaster sound lol. The exhaust consists of a flex pipe and a muffler.

 

I am sure this will help a bit to get rid of the buzzy, raspy sound. Cat-less N/A cars usually don't sound all that well in the 4 cylinder world. I have heard otherwise though.

 

Delta Flow was originally designed for V8 mustangs. Try a Greddy 2 or DC Sports muffler. I've heard Magniflow sounds good as well


Posted from Honda-tech.com App for Android

 

If you mean that 90* cross plane V8 burble, you are a quartet short.
I've heard a few Ghetto-Master mufflers on Hondas and they all just sound wrong. IIRC Flowmaster does not sell a complete kit, but a rear/afteraxle kit that retains the factory exhaust forward.

If the catalyst and resonator were removed the exhaust will sound raspy.

Other factors affect the exhaust sound, not just engine size.

 

Keep the piping and the muffler you have and go back to the shop and buy the long perforated (holes not slits) 2.5"resonator, and get a round 2.5"magnaflow muffler.
That should calm it down.

 

you removed the resonator as well, and put a chambered muffler that is a poor design for your engine. it will be buzzy and loud and sound like crap.

you would have done MUCH better to buy a $110 shipped exhaust off of ebay instead, it will sound better...much better.

 

18 inch resonator installed. Sounds much better. Just a hint of rasp when I get on it harder than normal driving. What was in acceptable is now acceptable and maybe even borderline good sounding.
I entertained the idea of a complete aftermarket cat back system, but i did away with the cat, thus requiring more pipe than a cat back system would provide. I also re used the factory tail pipe, it is only a 1.5 in piece, but I didn't want the look of aftermarket. I would say for the 200 in labor and pipe and the 60 in muffler, it was money well spent. I needed exhaust work anyhow.