Best exhaust for performance???

[hyperliteryda]

So I see plenty of threads comparing the sound of different exhaust systems, but none comparing the performance (hp gains or otherwise). Im looking for a deciding factor other than appearance and noise before buying a new exhaust! Any input would be much appreciated...

[Will06SI]

Skunk2 70mm enough said !

It has been proven to offer the best dyno and butt gains for this car its on the loud and aggressive side so if thats not for you i would go Vibrant instead.

[RWatters]

Honestly it's only a few horsepower between the biggest and the smallest.

I would say the largest Skunk2 exhaust and the DC Sports would probably be the better of the gains, though. The DC Sports is 2.75" as well, it just seems to have shit build quality (I had 3 of them and 2 of them broke).

[BrineSI]

Yeah, if you're really into squeezing out even 2 extra hp, go S2 70mm or vibrant. Loud as all hell, but you can add a resonator, but then you've lost your extra 2hp you wanted in the first place

[Monsterbishi]

Buddy club if you have the money, I got compliments from an aged gentlemen in a 1984 ferarri 308gtsi this morning on how nice my car sounded. Power gains are noticible as well, it really smooths out the engine and gives a bit of power.
-Paul

[OrdnanceMarine]

Bottom line is nobody had done a back to back to back comparison of the exhausts.

As long as you're dealing with a real "straight through" design and mandrel bends and you're stock size or larger (to a point, nobody REALLY knows here what diameter is too large for the K20Z3) you should see some gains. The reason people talk most about sound (and looks) is that you don't get much out of a new exhaust on our motors so in general you upgrade for these two features, not so much performance. This is a good thing in that Honda already did a pretty good job sizing an exhaust for our cars.

[RWatters]

Originally Posted by Monsterbishi

Buddy club if you have the money, I got compliments from an aged gentlemen in a 1984 ferarri 308gtsi this morning on how nice my car sounded. Power gains are noticible as well, it really smooths out the engine and gives a bit of power.
-Paul

My Si lost 4whp when I switched from the DC Sports cat-back to the Buddy Club cat-back and that was running the same car on the same dyno.

Still the Buddy Club is, IMO, by FAR the best sounding exhaust to put on these cars and I've heard just about all of them. There is absolutely no rasp, just a throaty exhaust note. It's also really, really light-weight. If it wasn't so damn loud on the inside of the car I would buy another one for this Si in a heartbeat.

Also, just to point this out: In a race between a 185whp Si and a 190whp Si the difference is simply going to be the driver. 5whp on a car that weighs nearly 2900lbs isn't going to do much of anything. Buy the one that you think looks the the best and sounds the best, because the horsepower gains aren't anything that impressive.

[Monsterbishi]

Originally Posted by RWatters

My Si lost 4whp when I switched from the DC Sports cat-back to the Buddy Club cat-back and that was running the same car on the same dyno.

Still the Buddy Club is, IMO, by FAR the best sounding exhaust to put on these cars and I've heard just about all of them. There is absolutely no rasp, just a throaty exhaust note. It's also really, really light-weight. If it wasn't so damn loud on the inside of the car I would buy another one for this Si in a heartbeat.

Also, just to point this out: In a race between a 185whp Si and a 190whp Si the difference is simply going to be the driver. 5whp on a car that weighs nearly 2900lbs isn't going to do much of anything. Buy the one that you think looks the the best and sounds the best, because the horsepower gains aren't anything that impressive.

'lost' 4 hp because of the exhaust or the conditions when the car was dyno'd? or really because of the exhaust?

[RWatters]

Originally Posted by Monsterbishi

'lost' 4 hp because of the exhaust or the conditions when the car was dyno'd? or really because of the exhaust?

Who knows. It was 10 degrees hotter that day which could have played a factor. It's the reason I don't buy into dynographs for the most part.

In fact, I shouldn't even have said it lost 4whp given that the dyno runs were done on completely different days with (obviously) different weather conditions.

Like I said, just buy whatever exhaust you like the most and enjoy the .

[Monsterbishi]

Originally Posted by RWatters

Who knows. It was 10 degrees hotter that day which could have played a factor. It's the reason I don't buy into dynographs for the most part.

In fact, I shouldn't even have said it lost 4whp given that the dyno runs were done on completely different days with (obviously) different weather conditions.

Like I said, just buy whatever exhaust you like the most and enjoy the .

Thats really the answer i was looking for. Just for the record, when someone says "This exhaust made this much more or less power" it seems pretty subjective. I have used many different exhausts on aftermarket cars, and honestly as long as the R&D has been done, the numbers for most cat back systems will be almost identical. Granted there are a few exceptions, but its like asking "which turbo back is going to make the most power" the real answer, as RWatters put it, is its up to you, except for the noise the difference is negligable at best. over the range of exhausts ive used on all of my cars the difference between one company and another is generally the $$$'s. Like my first DSM for example, had four different exhausts, ranging in price from 300 to over $1,000, the power differences on all of them (the car was always tuned the same) was within 1 HP on a reliable dyno and same day conditions (within 3 degrees and mmHG pressure).

So spend what you will, they all be tubes of steel (*hopefully) that be bolted to the beatbox.

[Gr3y Goose]

open header. no catback

[BrineSI]

Originally Posted by OrdnanceMarine

As long as you're dealing with a real "straight through" design and mandrel bends and you're stock size or larger (to a point, nobody REALLY knows here what diameter is too large for the K20Z3) you should see some gains. The reason people talk most about sound (and looks) is that you don't get much out of a new exhaust on our motors so in general you upgrade for these two features, not so much performance.

I have apexi WS2 because with a RH, it's just the right tone and volume level for me and if you a pair a RH with stock exhaust, it'll blow out and sound like ass after a short period of time... here's my setup vid I whore out all the time...
Viddler.com - brinesi040208qt - Uploaded by berobert

[hyperliteryda]

Thanks

[SoCal07Si]

straight pipe from the header back

[OrdnanceMarine]

Originally Posted by SoCal07Si

straight pipe from the header back

woot woot! ahem, I mean WOOT WOOT!!!

[Nathen]

N.A.E.T. = Not Another Exhaust Thread from now on.

epic fails.

[Jardiniboy]

Buddy club spec II. Or Ajp 3 inch exhaust

[hyperliteryda]

Originally Posted by Nathen

N.A.E.T. = Not Another Exhaust Thread from now on.

epic fails.

what?

[hyperliteryda]

Originally Posted by Jardiniboy

Buddy club spec II. Or Ajp 3 inch exhaust

which do you use? which has better gains??

[galaxygrey13]

stock ftw (its only temporary) lol