# Cat Back Exhaust



## godspeed (Feb 15, 2005)

Anyone know any good-not too expensive cat back system ?
I saw a one on ebay for about 300$ on ebay from some company named Megan Racing (i've never heard about them, that's why i don't know if i should get that one).

I have a 99 Nissan Sentra GXE Limited Ed.

Any info will be well received, thanks !


----------



## b14sleeper (Dec 31, 2004)

i believe that megan racing is a japan based company, that has a reputable name, but i never knew that they made exhausts for our car. i think that you will be better off making your own exhaust, with a glasspack, and magnaflow muffler(sentra.net, go to eninge mods). or you can try to find a stromung exhaust, those are good.


----------



## I'm tired of my usernamee (Feb 16, 2004)

The Megan Racing catback is very nice, but its 2.5 in ID so its on the large side. Just get one fabbed up for you, would be the same or less cost and if done right will be just as good.


----------



## godspeed (Feb 15, 2005)

*Note*

My mid pipe broke, so instead of buying a new one for 150+installation, I thought it's better to just get a catback, here's the address for the one i saw on ebay, please let me know your opinion people.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33630&item=7959089798&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW


----------



## Nostrodomas (Jun 15, 2002)

If you go to one of your local reputable muffler shops, they can fabricate you a nice 2" crush bent cat back, with your choice of muffler. The catback will run you around $70, and a Magnaflow muffler will run you around $100, all installed. So you get a good cat back system, that is not so big that you will loose power instead of gaining any. You will also have a nice low sounding exhaust tone, not all raspy and ricy. For under $200.
If you plan to buy a header soon, you might want to look into also buying a resonator, a good quality one. Since one you install the header, it will change your exhaust tone to a raspy bee machine. The res will cancel out that tone and bring you back to the low tone once again.


----------



## Twiz (Aug 24, 2004)

the midpipe with the silencer (resonator) attached to it can't be $150 ... I just bought one for $69 shipped last week. That catback looks sweet cause its T-304 those are indestructible they'll last you longer than your car. Check the condition of the bolts where the midpipe joins the cat. sometimes they're melted so you have to cut them off and redrill 3/8" holes into the cat. Use stainless steel bolts and nuts makes everything so easy next time you decide to swap exhausts.


----------



## godspeed (Feb 15, 2005)

*So...*

So the Megan Racing cat back which already has the resonator for 275-300$ it's a good thing to get, i guess.

Thanks for the info people.

Also, i'm planning on getting a header, anyone knows a low-cost good one ?


----------



## Creason (Jan 23, 2005)

just had my local exhaust shop build my cat back with, 2.5" with resonator, I bought a Dynomax Super Turbo muffler cheap through Jeg's and had them use it, my total investment including muffler, resonator pipe and installation: $225.


----------



## Nismo1997 (Dec 26, 2003)

godspeed said:


> So the Megan Racing cat back which already has the resonator for 275-300$ it's a good thing to get, i guess.
> 
> Thanks for the info people.
> 
> Also, i'm planning on getting a header, anyone knows a low-cost good one ?


The Megan Racing cat-back is too BIG for the 1.6 engine. Do not go with anything bigger then 2inch.


----------



## godspeed (Feb 15, 2005)

*?*



Nismo1997 said:


> The Megan Racing cat-back is too BIG for the 1.6 engine. Do not go with anything bigger then 2inch.


It says it's made for the 1.6 specifically.

======================
UPDATE: I checked with 2 muffler shops already and noone seems to know how to make a cat back exhaust, like everyone tell me to do.

Any help please ?


----------



## wildmanee (Nov 21, 2004)

No, he's right... 2.5 inch exhaust system on a 1.6 GA16de will lose you HP.. 

Compare a 2 inch exhaust system side by side with a 2.5 inch exhaust system (both on a GA16de) - the 2 inch beats out the 2.5 inch in HP.


----------



## DraftEm98 (Jun 29, 2004)

wildmane said:


> No, he's right... 2.5 inch exhaust system on a 1.6 GA16de will lose you HP..
> 
> Compare a 2 inch exhaust system side by side with a 2.5 inch exhaust system (both on a GA16de) - the 2 inch beats out the 2.5 inch in HP.


 True dat. A 2.5" exhaust will make your car sluggish and slow. 
@ 275 bones, you're still spending too much money. You're gonna have to make some calls to find a good muffler shop, but it's well worth it.

Also think about this: you buy the expensive stuff ebay ($275 + a TON in shipping fees), bolt it up ( or pay a shop = more moolah spent!) and now your exhaust looks great and sounds pleasant. Then some Neon decides to challenge you at a red light... they take off, you putter along. Its kinda embarrassing (trust me).
Not saying that you're all about bolting off the red line... but these cars of ours make racing a permanent spot on the brain!


----------



## godspeed (Feb 15, 2005)

*OK...*



DraftEm98 said:


> True dat. A 2.5" exhaust will make your car sluggish and slow.
> @ 275 bones, you're still spending too much money. You're gonna have to make some calls to find a good muffler shop, but it's well worth it.
> 
> Also think about this: you buy the expensive stuff ebay ($275 + a TON in shipping fees), bolt it up ( or pay a shop = more moolah spent!) and now your exhaust looks great and sounds pleasant. Then some Neon decides to challenge you at a red light... they take off, you putter along. Its kinda embarrassing (trust me).
> Not saying that you're all about bolting off the red line... but these cars of ours make racing a permanent spot on the brain!


Tried a third muffler shop (a big one, Monroe Muffler) one of the biggest ones in my area. They don't seem to know how to do what i need, so i'm just gonna ask you guys, literally, how to ask for this ?

One of them said they can give me a muffler pipe and that i have to get the adapter that goes from the pipe to the catalitic and another one that goes from pipe to muffler.

I don't think that's what i need, so someone please tell me what to tell them.

Also, what kind of muffler can i get for it.

Thanks in advance.


----------



## aminidab (Apr 30, 2002)

The ideal exhaust for the ga16de is a 2" mandrel bent setup. Unfortunately most muffler shops can only do crush bends, so you have to buy madrel bends from somewhere then have the shop use the bends to cut and weld a mandrel bent setup.
It sounds like you're going to chain stores to try and get an exhaust. Don't do that, go to independant shops preferably ones that do performance exhausts.

Magnaflow makes good mufflers, you can get a muffler and madrel bends at summitracing.com or vrsexhaust.com.


----------



## godspeed (Feb 15, 2005)

*Reply*



aminidab said:


> The ideal exhaust for the ga16de is a 2" mandrel bent setup. Unfortunately most muffler shops can only do crush bends, so you have to buy madrel bends from somewhere then have the shop use the bends to cut and weld a mandrel bent setup.
> It sounds like you're going to chain stores to try and get an exhaust. Don't do that, go to independant shops preferably ones that do performance exhausts.
> 
> Magnaflow makes good mufflers, you can get a muffler and madrel bends at summitracing.com or vrsexhaust.com.


Last place i tried has a mandrel bender, they can do the pipe for me, but don't know how to attach it to the catalitic.

Any help ?

Thanks for all the replies.


----------



## Nostrodomas (Jun 15, 2002)

They are morons then. All they have to do is use the stock flange from the oem exhaust system. I almost feel sorry for you, who told you that?
I would go in and ask them to do a complete cat back system in 2" mandrel bent tubing if possible, if not crush bent pipe. Crush bent will save you about $100. SInce you arent going to be squeezing every ounce of hp out of your car, any time soon anyway.
Also go with the magnaflow muffler nice deep tone.


----------



## godspeed (Feb 15, 2005)

*Ok*



Nostrodomas said:


> They are morons then. All they have to do is use the stock flange from the oem exhaust system. I almost feel sorry for you, who told you that?
> I would go in and ask them to do a complete cat back system in 2" mandrel bent tubing if possible, if not crush bent pipe. Crush bent will save you about $100. SInce you arent going to be squeezing every ounce of hp out of your car, any time soon anyway.
> Also go with the magnaflow muffler nice deep tone.


Any magnaflow is good ? any specific good ones for my car ?


----------



## Twiz (Aug 24, 2004)

I like to keep everything bolt-on. It's very easy to service the exhaust that way. You replace the bad portion only when something goes bad... I hate clamps and welding. It takes me minutes to remove the whole exhaust from the car. Work from the rear of the car towards the engine when you remove it.


----------



## 1CLNB14 (Apr 30, 2002)

DraftEm98 said:


> True dat. A 2.5" exhaust will make your car sluggish and slow.


Don't you mean it will make it even _more_ sluggish and slow?


----------



## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

here is what i know from my research.... stromung is the best, but it will run you around 550-600 beans but it sounds deep as all hell and close to stock and will produce the most ponies.. pace setter will rust within a year or two and then you will have to replace it within that time period. megan racing is more on the crappy side and people in the passed said it sounds like crap once you put a header on.. custom mandrel bent setups can be good, dependin onthe type of material they use.. varies on the stainless steels... some are more resistant then others, but a 321 and a 304 are good stainless steels and should produce some good numbers... a major dissadvantage to a custom is when you do other work on your car (ie-short shifter) you haveto remove the whole system as compared to a section


----------



## sicksilver99 (Jun 17, 2004)

for good sound think big. go buy a large turbo, straight through, canister style muffler(mine has a 3" inlet). then go to a decent muffler shop and get a 2.25 inch, crush bent piping from the cat installed along with the muffler. it cost me a little over a $100 dollars, and has a very bassy, deep sound. dont get a resonator either, its not that loud, and even though u should get 2", 2.25" piping has a slightly deeper sound and i didnt loose any power.


----------



## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

or you know he could save a few extra bucks and get a quality exhaust system.. cuz you know the 2.25" crush system is goin to suck it and wont provide good gains... once he adds on a header or soemthing its goin to sounds like rice... trust me, i have a 2.25" custom mandrel bent system and i need a resonator... you wouldn't know cuz you dont have a header or intake yet.. for max gains and best sounds get a stromung exhaust.. they are high quality


----------



## Nostrodomas (Jun 15, 2002)

When I put my hotshot header on, and a 2" Stomung exhaust, it was raspy as hell with out a resonator. So I can imaging how raspy it would be with the 2.5.


----------



## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

regardless of what exhaust you have, it will sound nice and deep till you add a header, trust me, i have heard most types of exhaust, but you will need to resonator it either way


----------



## Nostrodomas (Jun 15, 2002)

X 1,999,999........


----------



## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

^lmao.... that was a good one NOS


well anyways, if you want cheap, get a custom 2" mandrel bent, prolly 321 or a 306 ss would be good, but get a resonator and a magnaflow muffler.... it should sound good and realitively cheap...


----------



## sicksilver99 (Jun 17, 2004)

well my exhaust sounds really good now, but if i do get a header i suppose ill get a resonator


----------



## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

^trust me, it will sound like crap if you dont


----------



## Nostrodomas (Jun 15, 2002)

Yea we know from experiance. I to didnt think I needed a res, when I installed the header, but when I fired it up ewwwwww. Sounded liek my muffler was taken over by angry bee's.


----------



## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

when i added my OBX (crappy and cheap) header, it wasn't too bad, cuz it was just like a stock replacement, but once i got my hotshot header, here came the sworm of bees.. gettin a resinator will not hurt performance but only make it deeper... trust all of us when we say you want it... plus if you are having the system put in, it wont really cost that much more


----------



## 1CLNB14 (Apr 30, 2002)

I'll be running the 2.5inch HKS Super Dragger w/ resonator, Hotshot header, and no cat  

I decided that the slight loss of torque and HP is not a big deal on my automatic show slug.

The 2.5inch wil be ideal once I do decide to do a swap, and I don't want to have to buy a new set-up at that time.


----------



## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

question, say you put more than one res. in..........will that affect flow at all? if not i think i would get at least 2. i love tuner cars but if there is somthing i hate its any and all tinny sounding exhaust, even if it is a good setup i still hate the sound. so would 2 res. on a GA or SR engine work to give it an even lower tone? like on a WRX? i know it would never be the same but i like the way they sound as opposed to a civic or sentra.


----------



## Radioaktiv (Feb 12, 2004)

i know exactly what you mean

1 resonator and a good magnaflow muffler sounds good IMO

if you want an even deeper tone, ive noticed the dual tipped mufflers have a smoother, deeper tone


----------



## pete? (Jul 6, 2004)

hmm, sounds like its worth looking into. i guess i would just get the longest res i could fit. but if its still to tinny ill just put another on


----------



## DraftEm98 (Jun 29, 2004)

1.6pete said:


> question, say you put more than one res. in..........will that affect flow at all? if not i think i would get at least 2. i love tuner cars but if there is somthing i hate is any and all tinny sounding exhaust, even if it is a good setup i still hate the sound. so would 2 res. on a GA or SR engine work to give it an even lower tone? like on a WRX? i know it would never be the same but i like the way they sound as opposed to a civic or sentra.


 I think that the lengths of the resonator('s) and the muffler have a lot to do with sound quality as well. Longer resonator equals better sound.


----------



## psuLemon (Apr 23, 2003)

there would be no point in having multiple resonators, it would prolly effect hp on turbo cars more, but only a few ponies. but if you have a good quality exhaust and a good muffler, you should be fine.. turboed cars dont need a resonators because a turbo will quiet down the exhaust...


----------

