Well, I finally found an Acura forum where people actually seem to know What they are talking about. I picked up my tl about 3 months ago and I'm ready to start improving it.

At the moment, I'm looking for a great performance exhaust that sounds great and doesn't put a hole in my wallet. It has a lot of miles on it. (143k). Any ideas or suggestions?

 

Well, there aren't too many options for out cars as fr as exhaust goes...There are a few choices more popular than others, but the best bang for the buck is ATLP, unfortunately it is quite expensive....

Use the search feature on here and you should find all the info you need on all exhaust options.

 

Are you looking for an axle-back or cat-back exhaust.

There are lots of choices

Comptech
Apexi
Greddy
ATLP
.
.
.
.

 

He said he wants performance, so I dont think axleback is what he is looking for, however they are the cheaper route.

 

I know it's not exactly what he's looking for, but wouldn't a header set give more HP gains than a catback?

Also, I'm leaning towards the Tanabe Medalion Touring exhaust. It looks good, sounds good, and is reasonably priced. I think the ATLP exhaust looks too damn goofy.

 

too bad the old tanabe is only found used unless someone has the older model in stock. tanabe is doing a redesign.

 

Yep, the new one is what I was referring to.

http://store.excelerateperformance.c.../i-292002.aspx

 

If your looking for HP look for something other than an exhaust. Get a set of headers, a light weight crank pulley and an intake first. Then SAVE your money for a ATLP or comptech.

 

ha, i used to run a custom pipe with a tanabe muffler on my old 3.4 v-6 tacoma, i loved the way it sounded

 

performance and cheap dont always go hand in hand unfortunately.

atlp is the best exhaust we have but its damned expensive

and thats only 10hp

 

If you want a cheap, nice, name brand exhaust that sounds mean get a Magnaflow mufflers, resonator, y-pipe and have an exhaust shop bump your b-pipe to 2.5" and you'll have a custom Magnaflow setup. I've had mine for years and absolutely love it. Sounds badass in tunnels.

 

lol does no one like the stock exaust note besides me ? haha

 

what stock exhaust note? lol

 

^ lol, seriously we have no note. he does have a type-s which makes more noise than a TL-p soo

 

i have a TL-s and its still whisper quiet. well until i removed the mid muffler and unbolted the rears.

 

lol ok maybe i should rephrase that not note but on my stock 03 type s you get that little whistle until 4800-5000 revs and then you hear the vtech kicking in i just love that lol thats all i meant by the stock "Note" haha

sorry for any confusion

 

dont forget, an intake can make a hella lot of noise in the v-tec. and thats not exhaust making that. i love that sound note.

 

Ya no kidding great little noise coming from the car haha i dont think i would want to change my exaust anyways not to much on performance maybe just the tips my one tip got bashed in and i had to get er fix and its bend and stuff haha but ya stock noise is pretty nice i think

 

sounds like your intake note, not exhaust note. and its VTEC, vtech is a company that makes telephones

 

lol thats what i meant to write haha but whatever makes the stock noise works for me haha

 

lol

 

Just removing the intake resonator on a type-S will give a much better intake note...maybe better than CAI. I think leaving the air box allows a deeper tone than the straight pipe of a CAI.

The fake chrome 'tips' on stock mufflers annoy me, but the bell or funnel-shaped tips on most after market performance exhausts are a little exagerrated for my taste. I would like a straight chrome tip that is about 3".

 

 

I was thinking of removing my mid-muffler. From what I understand it will make it sound real nice but no performance increase... And supposedly it only costs $35 at the local muffler shop.... Any inputs??

2003 TL Type S
Honolulu HI

 

lol

and is that gianna michaels?

 

In my avatar??

 

You are correct. Great sound, no noticeable performance gain. It will cost $15 to $125 depending on where you get it done. Mine cost $60.

 

yes, before you changed it.

 

Nah, it was some chick from a car meet..

 

Why don't most people saw off the old muffler and put some thing in that fits?
Do you not get much gain?

 

Only replacing the mufflers gives less power gains than doing a full exhaust with piping.

There's two types of exhaust you can buy; axle-back and cat-back.
Axle back is replacement mufflers and cat-back replaces the mufflers plus all the piping to the catalytic converter. The piping is usually also larger in diameter.

And you don't have to saw them off. There are mufflers that bolt right up. Search for Tsudo or Comptech for mufflers that bolt on. Or you can buy universal mufflers and cut + weld.

 

Thanks man,
I was trying to figure out the gains of cat-backs over axle-backs.
I always see the kits on the horsepower shows where they replace from the cat backwards with new bigger pipes.
On my car a lot of the piping been re-done in stainless + ceramic headers, forget about the down pipe if its stainless or ceramic.
The big cats actually cut out on my car just a big piece of stainless pipe where it used to be.
still have the heat shields and crap for it in my back yard...
Resonators gone too, mid muffler is different than stock i think.
One has a sensor, the other doesn't i think, so the one that doesn't is gone.

 

with the stock mufflers?

hows it sound?

 

that's what i was thinking of doing too.
DC headers and then a 3 inch straight pipe all the way to the rear with stock mufflers.
i like the sound the mid muffler delete gives me, just perfect for my taste. but if i go straight will there be a big difference in the sound? because i don't want a very loud rice burner sound. my car isn't a sport's car it's luxery.

 

Naa, I got custom ones.
Really unique sound, not ricey,
doubble take, car isn't stock sound.
Similar to these...

http://www.matrixracing.com/p-3183-m...-45-id-25.aspx

But different tip and bigger body.
I forget where the ones i have are from.

 

I have Apexi WS2, but I like the ATLP better I think

 

idk but i just got my exhaust done

no cats, no resonator, with magnaflows

everybody says it sounds like a 350z

 

I recently had the Greddy SP2 cat-back exhaust put on my 2002 TL-P to complement my Comptech Icebox intake and it sounds great. It's definitely not loud or raspy sounding, instead it has a nice smooth deep tone that is not really intrusive into the interior and doesn't drone at cruising/highway speed. Sounds aggressive when you get on it without being raspy or ricey sounding. It also looks really nice with rolled 4" polished tips and it's all 100% full stainless steel construction. As far as performance goes I did feel a bit of an improvement in engine response and acceleration but it was noticeable mostly in the upper rpm range obviously due to the larger 60mm diameter piping and straight-through mufflers. It has a large resonator built into the piping which seems to do a great job at eliminating exhaust drone and ricey sounds and it leaves a deep smooth tone from idle to 4k rpms and then once VTEC hits it sounds aggressive but more sound from the Comptech Icebox intake than the exhaust. Overall I like the Greddy SP2 catback a lot and I get lots of compliments on the looks and sounds from it and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that doesn't want a loud, raspy, ricey sounding exhaust note.

 

I kind of sound like a G35 on low rpms,
then really unique, not riceish on mids.

 

tl:dr