kleenc2000

Hi fellow TL owners.

I'm new to the whole modding scene, and I've done some research, but it all is pretty useless when there are technical info and terms that people assume everyone else knows, when in fact I know almost nothing. So can anyone answer some noob questions about exhausts please?

I realized a lot of people when they first start modding the car the first thing they do is change the exhaust, but a lot of things puzzle me, for instance...


1. What are the different segments of the exhaust pipe that people mod? I always see terms like j-pipe, precat, cat delete, etcetc, but what/where are these? Is it possible to remove one, add one, remove all of them or any combination of that?

2. XLR8, ATLP, RV6 (is this a brand or an item?), and REM are a bunch of what I assume to be exhaust manufacturers/retailers, and are names correct? So in relation to question 1, I see a lot of people mixing and matching brands together to create a new, whole exhaust system. If I'm wrong (I'm pretty sure I am wrong somewhere), please correct me.

3. Cold air intake, muffler, resonator, and other stuff like that. Apart from the obvious things (like I believe out of common sense muffler muffles the exhaust note ), what are these things, what do they do, and what relation do they have with each other?

4. What combination of setup is very popular here? Since I know almost nothing about creating an exhaust pipe system, I believe I'll just jump on the bandwagon and follow the most popular option as a trial-and-error kind of thing and as a learning experience.

I understand that these questions are very narrow, and I would really appreciate it if someone with knowledge of these things could give me a quick run-down of them. Everyone has to start somewhere, yeah?

Thanks again!

kleenc2000

And also, what are the different stages of mods? I looked online and I got the textbook definition of what a "stage 3" mod is, but it seems like everyone's got some sort of stage 3 exhaust or what not, which doesn't seem to make sense from what I learned that stage 3 refers to big performance changes geared for racing.

Help me out here, my mod IQ is a solid 70 right now.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

our exhaust system looks like this:
Primary cats-->jpipe-->3rd cat-->stock catback exhaust.


we can substitute these restrictive parts with better flowing pipes.
the PCD's(Pre-cat-deletes)= this gets rid of the stock primary cats and replaces them with straight pipe.
Jpipe= the factory jpipe is restrictive.
catback = again, the factory pipes are restrictive.

there are two main companies: RV6 and XLR8

they both produce amzing jpipes. they are priced similar.

RV6 is the only company that makes the Pre-cat-deletes.

BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK = THE PCD!
butt, does have drawbacks.

the jpipe would be the next best bang.
it has no drawbacks.

kleenc2000

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...move+resonator

I feel like I'm reading a rocket science textbook.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

First, ask your self...in what direction you want to go with the car.
these exhaust mods(that I posted above) are all go fast goodies.

Now, the stage mods(acurazine made these "Stage mods" up...levels of sound. 1 being the softest)....are just SOUNDS. you gain no performance.
and if you do the stage mods first, and then want to upgrade to the go fast, you'll have problems with SOUND! being too loud, raspy, ugly, you get the point.

Decide which direction you want to go.

kleenc2000

Thanks so much for the info.

I was also wondering, judging by your answer, is there a specific order to go about changing the exhaust system? Would changing one section prevent changing another section?

kleenc2000

... And you answered it with your most recent post.

Thanks again

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

if you want the go fast goodies...there is no specific order to buy them/install them.

some people get just the catback.
some people get just the PCD's
some people get just the jpipe.

and any combination of the 3.

the jpipe is one of the first mods EVERY one does.
BEcause there are no drawbacks!


its pretty simple to install as well *hint hint*

kleenc2000

Thanks guys.

Do many people use the custom Magnaflow exhausts? I see those a lot online, and which specific parts are they in the exhaust system?

Also, what's the difference between resonated and non-resonated, and again, which part of the system can/have resonated or non-resonated parts?

Inaccurate

Welcome aboard! I like your sense of humor

While you are waiting on more replies, I have included some links of note worthy threads for your reading pleasure to ease the wait. Enjoy !


Swaping out the cat for a straight pipe? (click here)
The Drone is unreal! Help! (click here)
RV6 V3 Long Tube J-Pipe (click here)
E-124: ATLP V2 vs RV6 V2 *pics/comparisons* (click here)
i dont know which jpipe to go with... (click here)
Illustration of XLR8's longer primaries (click here)
E-124: ATLP V2 vs RV6 V2 *pics/comparisons* (click here)
XLR8 J-pipe install...... (click here)
Introducing RV6 V3 Precat Deletes Taking Deposits (click here)
Taming the beast! PCD Rasp (videos posted) (click here)
RV6 V2 Precat Delete Interest (click here)
Pre-cats and low end torque (click here)
RV6 (Richie) PreCats **Groupbuy** (click here)
Precat-deletes V2 install (click here)
RV6 V2 Precat Delete (click here)
Precat Deletes + Upgraded Jpipe + No 3rd Cat + Stock Exhaust = very sexy exhaust note (click here)
E-106: Official Pre Cat Delete HOW TO DIY (click here)
Precat Deletes (click here)
E-106: Official Pre Cat Delete HOW TO DIY (click here)
PROCATS are now NO-CATS =( for now.... (click here)
Precat Deletes (click here)
XLR8 J-pipe install.......Not liking the sound! (click here)
Taming the beast! PCD Rasp (videos posted) (click here)

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Hey, Inacc!

When I added my PCD's and Jpipe, I did not experience lack of low end torque.
why do some ppl seem to think they lost low end?

I still have OEM catback. but, I'm sure adding an exhaust will STILL smooth out the power band EVEN more.

Inaccurate

^ Hi Spaceman,

Have not seen you around lately. welcome back!

Agree about no loss of low rpm power. I did not notice any loss either.

My theory as to why people say this is as follows. Seat-of-pants is a tricky thing. A lot of psychology is going on without the person realizing it. The PCD does drastically increase the power in the upper half of the rpm range. The PCD causes a sudden spike in power when the increase does occur. Similar to a two-stroke motorcycle "getting on the pipe".

Because a person feels this sudden spike of new power (from the PCD) at the upper parts of the rpm range, then the lower rpm ranges *seem* to be less than before in comparison.

Regarding the oem catback. Appearance wise, that thing looks super restrictive. It looks like a skinny soda straw. I will have more of a definitive opinion about this after I get my custom single 3" exhaust installed and able to compare.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^i even have dyno's of my car(6mt) with pcd's and jpipe vs a stock 6mt TL.
granted, I did not do a before and after of my car....but the graph shows the same characteristics between both cars. Meaning the two cars have the same dips in the graphs at the same RPM, leading me to believe that it is a comparable graph.

the graph shows that I HAVE MORE LOW END TORQUE than my buddy.

Inaccurate

No argument here. Seems very plausible to me. It is amazing how closely the pattern of the graphs matches like you said. Also, seems like the two cars are on the same identical dyno too, right? .......because I see the other car being dyno'ed just one hour before on the same dyno computer (same database).

Thanks for sharing the graph.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^yes, it was a dyno day.
I had woken up late, and didnt think I would make it in time.
there was no one in line and my buddy still asked me to come, thus the hour difference and temperature change.

Thank you for validating this dyno graph, as I've taken some heat saying it is invalid.

Otacon

iTrader: (1)

If you're not the most mechanically savvy person then the most straight forward mod would be a jpipe. Not a whole lot can go wrong with that install.

Inaccurate

Justin,

Why did some people say the graph was no good? The power level is nothing out of the norm (you have PCD, right?). Comparing the two cars is very valid because same dyno on same day. Hard to argue with any of that. what are the nay-sayers saying?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Very great thread.
Thank you, Inaccurate.

Hammer5312

The Magnaflow items will be the mufflers in the back plus assorted piping...

Typically, the car company place what they call a "resonator" directly under the car. It is essentially a straight thru muffler or a glorified "glass pack" which is designed to change the resonance or the sound pulses of the exhaust before it gets to the mufflers.
My Grand Prix GTP had one which I had removed, I could not tell any difference in the sound. The Acura TL's maybe different, some exhausts are pretty touchy when it comes to making changes on the exhaust.
The main issue with the GTP was supposedly when you removed the resonator it made the exhaust "raspy"...
I get the feeling the Acura's are not that way...

Being an Old Hot Rodder(48)....it just depends on what image or sound you are wanting to display...I'm a family guy, decent neighborhood...so I can't have straight pipe to a couple of five inch cans...well I could but I really don't like sleeping on the couch that well, plus the cops would have a field day with me.
In my opinion, I would rather have a sleeper...put in Precats or do precat Deletes, put in a J-pipe, then see how it sounds...more importantly see whether its faster...if your still not happy with the sound then see if you can find a used cat back system...or cut the next cat out and add different mufflers at the back...

In my book...you want high flow, but not the noise with the high flow...so its a balancing act...with the GTP being supercharged, you want to get the exhaust to flow away from the engine as quickly as possible because you got an air pump on the engine trying to cram more into the engine...

mY sLOW UA6

Listen to this guy he has got his facts straight.

kleenc2000

Son of a gun! You are a lifesaver. Thank you thank you!!

kleenc2000

Thank you, that is some solid knowledge right there. There seems to be an endless amount of combinations, yet so little time/money/connections

A lot of people have replied saying how changing the J-pipe first would be the least risky and the best bang for the buck and that it is a good place to start? Judging from that, wouldn't changing the cat-back exhaust also be relatively safe/easy as well? But then there are all those other catalytic converters, mufflers, (resonators?) in between that can all be messed around with too... And would changing the J-pipe and catback exhaust restrict any future modding?


ahhhhhh......

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^a cat back is just as easy!!
it will provide smoother acceleration and sound!

no, if you change out your jpipe and catback, you are future proofing your ride, as in you wont have to change a thing later...unless you want to of course.