This has become a fascinating discussion.
I have to ask then, what does the resonator do?
Will removing it simply sacrafice some of the already small amount of torque for top-end power?
Why does Honda include it?
Why does
Mugen include it on their cat-back system?
It would seem that if it didn't do something productive, like help with low-end torque by helping exhaust scavenging (a vacuum pulling the next exhaust pulse forward) or reduce noise, the engineers would have simply put a less expensive pipe in its place.
As tanatalizing as this is, I'd like to hear more support before believing that simply taking the resonator out will improve the situation markedly.
Gutting the cat, or otherwise making the car emissions illegal is simply out of the question on moral grounds. People do actually die because of smog-induced respritory distress.