Does tailpipe size matter

[jess7977]

I have a 1977 olds cutlass with a 350. It has the stock single exhaust routing. It has the stock exhaust manifolds with a 2.5 crossover pipe from one manifold to the other. It goes to the cat with a 2.5 pipe. I took the cat out and put a 2.5 pipe in its place. The exhaust then goes to the muffler, its a magnaflow with 2.5 in and 2.5 out. The pipe that goes over the axle is 2.25, all the way to the bumper. Basically, I have 2.5 exhaust pipe all the way from the engine to the muffler, then 2.25 exhaust pipe from the muffler to the bumper due to area constraints.

My question is if I replace the 2.25 tailpipe with a 2.5 tailpipe, would I get any better performance. Is it worth the trouble of getting a 2.5 tailpipe bent at a muffler shop, because I have taken it to a couple shops and was told it would be very hard to bend it without alot of really bad kinks in it. It is a tight area with alot of bends. I had a 2.5 tailpipe bent a few years ago, but got a hole where it was kinked. I did notice the 2.5 tailpipe was a bit louder than the 2.25. Is the sound the only difference between the size of pipes? If someone is in San Antonio, Texas, would you have any recommendations of a good muffler shop?

Thanks for taking the time to read this long and wordy post. This forum has been a great help to me.

[GTP Dad]

I don't have any shops in Texas but the larger the pipe, within reason, the better the exhaust flow and the better the engine will run. If you want better performance it would be better to change the single exhaust to double and use the 2.25 inch pipes on both sides. This will help get the exhaust out of the engine faster and with less restriction.