Good exhaust choice?

[Phreak0402]

I am pretty new to this site and I haven't had my 2009 tC for very long. I am wanting to do exhaust on it. I don't want it to be so loud I can't listen to music or have a conversation in my car, but I do want what HP gain I can get from doing a full exhaust

So far what I am considering is installing a 4-2-1 DC sports headers, Invidia S-pipe, and Magnaflow cat back. That is a relatively expensive operation so I want to get some advice before I execute. Will putting on those upgrades give me what I am looking for overall? More than likely will it sound good? Will I kill my low end torque really horribly with this install??. Any advice is welcome.

[Redneck4csa]

Welcome to the club. That sounds like a good plan that you have now. The only downfall is that you will have a raspy exhaust. The only way around that is to put a combination of resonators in the exhuast to kill it. Your low end torque will be fine.

[Phreak0402]

Please forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is a resonator? Would I have to cut my mid pipe or something in order to install it?

[Redneck4csa]

I've explained this before somewhere else. Anyway, it's a chamber in the exhaust which causes sounds waves to bounce against each other cancelling themselves out. It's there to fine tune the sound. Yes, you will have to cut the mid-pipe in order to install one, or two. You will have to play around with different combinations until you find the sound you like.

[Mengsta]

The DC sports header is also really a 4-1 Header. Big typo cause a lot of mistake by consumers. A 4-1 will typically cause more rasp as far as I've seen. So yes a resonator will be needed unless you like to be raspy and obnoxious. You should also invest in a high quality low tone axle-back like the tanabe medallion.

You will get improvement, the header will most likely give you the most. The Invidia S-pipe is an excellent choice.

[Constantine]

Im not to familiar with the magnaflow exhaust you had in mind, but from experience I have found that the Borla axel back exhaust to be great. From inside the cabin I only hear a low tone, not overpowering in any way. But, from what my friends say, they can hear my comin from a few blocks away. And from messing around with other tC's I do take them off the line as well as at high rpm's.

[Phreak0402]

I know now that the DC sports is a 4-1 header. Is there anything out there that is a 4-2-1 that is not a race header ( I want to keep my cat).

Also, I was considering doing an axle back but from what I read cat backs are more effective so I was going to go with one of those. please correct me if I am wrong.

I like the way the magnaflow sounded but if there is anything else out there that is of great quality that is a cat back I would be open to considering other options. I would love to find a Borla cat back for the car.

[Redneck4csa]

Mengsta, thanks for that. I caught that but was unable to get to a computer to fix it. I know that Weapon-R's header is 4-2-1. No header will allow you to keep your primary catalytic converter. You could always look into Dezod's N/A cat-back.

[Phreak0402]

So any header I install will subtract my primary cat? correct? Well being that I might as well go for the weapon R headers that are 4-2-1 over the DC sports 4-1. what would you guys do?

[Redneck4csa]

Yes, any header will eliminate the primary cat. If I was doing an exhaust setup, I would go with Weapon-R headers, Weapon-R S-pipe, high flow cat, custom resonators and the Dezod N/A cat-back. Just my opinion.

[Mengsta]

I have the weapon-r header. Fitment was a B*tch, excuse my language. But its apparantly the highest gain header for us. If you want a 4-2-1 you wouldnt have to get the invidia, because it comes with a downpipe. For the price, its actually not bad considering that when the weapon-r header first came out, they were pushing it at like 800 bucks lol. If you want a 4-1, than go with DME hands down... It has the same exact design as Alphawerks which was the best fitting and performing header that was 4-1.

According to "four stroke performance tuning" by Hayes, a 4-1 header will give you more top end power, while a 4-2-1 is more low to mid. Im guessing if u have a daily driver a 4-2-1 is your best bet. As for catback, yes of course a catback will give you more power because it removes part of the heavy midpipe. If the borla is a catback than im assuming cutting will be involved. There is a catalytic converter welded onto the midpipe so to be a true cat-back somebody would have to cut and weld the new midpipe on.

Most people just buy a axleback and have a exhaust shop custom make a midpipe, that way they could weld on a resonator as they make it. This isnt shouldnt be too expensive. In Cali its about 150 bucks. Just giving you choices bud.

-Tony

[bdis3]

First... all of this is debated and explained in at least 5 other threads.

Second... no N/A car comes with a downpipe. Your thinking of the S-Pipe I presume.

Third... The DME header is just a re-badged DC header.

[Phreak0402]

SO pretty much it comes down to preference when choosing between DME/DC sports and weapon R header? Or is one for sure better than the other with dnyo to back up claims?

Also when I have looked at weapon R headers online I have noticed that some come with a CEL eliminator? does CEL stand for Check Engine Light?

[bdis3]

Get the weapon R. It comes with an s pipe and you can get a CEL eliminator. CEL= check engine light. correct.

Anyway hands down the weapon racing one is the best.