custom or catback exhaust?

Which would be better for me to get a universal muffler and 2.25 piping with mendrel bend or a catback for my civic? i know that the cat is going to be more expensive, but for a hundred more i would rather do it right the first time. i mean unless the custom is a lot cheaper, but it sounds like it's only a $100 difference. thanks

Unless you have a resonator to weld into the custom piping before the muffler, jsut get a catback.

Originally posted by texan
Unless you have a resonator to weld into the custom piping before the muffler, jsut get a catback.


what's a resonater? how much difference does it make with out it ?

Well, a resonator resonates... hence the name resonator. From this I gather that it will sound like turd without one. Take my word for it, mine doesn't have one and it doesn't sound all that great.

If I were you then I would get a complete system.

so everyone agrees that a cat back is better? i mean cause i was just about to get a apex dunk from my friend for 100 bucks and then i was going to do the custom route. and i mean that's a hell of a lot cheaper then $500 for a greddy. is it really that big of a difference? thanks!

Originally posted by texan
Unless you have a resonator to weld into the custom piping before the muffler, jsut get a catback.


so are you saying that you need a resonator in the piping even if your muffler has a resonator in it already...2 resonators back to back??

Originally posted by rybred



so are you saying that you need a resonator in the piping even if your muffler has a resonator in it already...2 resonators back to back??

What do you mean? The resonator is a different canister. I don't know, maybe I am wrong, but mufflers don't come with built in resonators. They have resonance, but they are not "resonators". Your car should have one already, but it also sucks very bad and should be replaced with a good one.

Originally posted by 91HBSi


What do you mean? The resonator is a different canister. I don't know, maybe I am wrong, but mufflers don't come with built in resonators. They have resonance, but they are not "resonators". Your car should have one already, but it also sucks very bad and should be replaced with a good one.

ya! maybe i'm wrong! i thought that my muffler(obx) had a resonator in it already. I thought they all do! But maybe your right, that it's only in the piping before the muffler, i don't know!! If anyone is sure of this, pls let me know!

about the real topic here, i know it would be a hell of a lot cheaper to build a cat-back system here in canada! it would cost me 250 with the resonator and the muffler about 300 for a total of 550 which is about 300usd...compared to 900-1200 for lets say a dc catback...put a random tech hi-flow cat and you would have a killer catback system...providing the muffler place you go to is really good, and it's actually mandrel bent piping!

Well, it also depends on the application. If you were going to build up your motor then you may want to pay more attention to the system you choose. But if you just want something that will look cool and be cheap, then go with the custom system you had in mind.

thanks for the help. well ok it sounds to me that if i am planning on really building up the motor i should go with a cat back. but to tell you the truth, i just want to get rid of all the restritive parts of the engine and give it a little boost. nothing crazy cause i don't have the money for all of that. so it sounds like the universal would be the best way to go.... i guess. with a resonator??

what your car is going to sound like is really based on the car. i took my resonater out and replaced it with 2.5" piping custom. it sounds great. not much different than it did with the original piping...just louder.

the resonater basically takes out the lower pitched sounds (the rumbles) while the muffler would normally take out the higher. in this case your muffler accents the highs probably more than the lows, which would be good..if you want your car to shatter glass. but i liked the lows too.

but. a word to the wise would say to get a muzzle for the muffler to if you are going to take out the resonater. because those nights coming home at 3am could leave you with a guilty concience when you see all your neighbors' lights go on. and just leave it off when you dont care what they say.

i just got the same kind of muffler with no resonator pipe, i went custom 2.25" pipe from the stock cat, its very loud and deep, ive set off a few car alarms with it:D

If you can find a custom shop that actually uses mandrel bent piping, I would say go for that. As far as the resonator is concerned, it will help keep your decible levels lower so cops don't try and bust you for noice violations all the time.

well someone just said the apex dunk is really loud?? i don't want it annoying loud... i hope it isn't... so it sounds to me like i need to make sure i have a resonator to keep it toned down??? correct?

dude, get the muffler, go to a shop and get the mandrell bent 2.25 pipes, it is basically the same thing as cat back, and it's a whole lot cheaper, ne body who tells you that it doesn't sound as great is a liar, in kansas, all of my friends do what i have done and that is buy the muffler and go to my friends shop and get all the pipes made and equipped for 40 bucks and it is hella loud, i have a hayame hx type 2 muffler with mandrel bent 2.25 pipes and it is louder than a mofo, not to mention it has some great top end performance gains, hope i helped ya out, lata

Just because it is loud doesn't mean it sounds good :o If you want loud then but a strai pipe. I guess it depends on the person also. If loud sounds good to you then I can't really argue against that.

Well that's why i keep saying i don't want anything annoy and crazy loud!! just something that can be noticed... so i hope the apex dunk isn't annoying. i'm going to get a resonator with a 2.25 piping... thanks for all the help!

Sounds good. My friend has a APEXi on his Tercel and it sound decent... and that is on a tercel. Good luck with it.

which exaust do you think is better (louder/most performance) the apex n1, dunk, or a tanabe racing medalion?

I would have to say that it depends on the application as to which one would offer better gains, but as far as loudness goes I think the N1 will give you the loudest note. The tanabe is more of a winy sounding exhaust while the dunk is a deep low sound. This is just from what I have heard on my friends cars though. Like I said, it depends on the application.

If you tell me what you drive I might be able to offer some advice.

in about 3 months i will be purchasing an EG, which is the car i would be putting the exaust on. the N1 and dunk seem good to me, because im looking for an exaust with that loud deep import-throatyish sound.

b.t.w., are these exausts you'd recommend for an EG?

IMO, apex dunk is loud and annoying. i heard one on a civic going 5 mph and it was so loud you could hear him coming from a mile away. as he drove away, it just got worse. it wasnt a clean sounding exhaust.

...anyone else have same or different opinion about the dunk?

I have 3" downpipe, 3" flex pipe, 3" test pipe (no cat), and 3" mandrel bent custom exhaust connected to a 3" Apex'i N1 turbo muffler. It flows extremely well and it doesnt even sound that bad, of course i have a turbo so it is much quieter than NA cars. It really wont sound that bad without a resonator, and it will flow better.

as long as you get a high flow cat and a muffler you like, id just go the custom route. i got my high flow cat and piping for $130 installed...to me that is a whole lot better deal than what you would spend on a name brand exhaust system. just my 2cents