Does anyone have a custom exhaust?

[Solobarix]

I've been looking at the prices of exhaust set ups, an I was curious if anyone had a custom setup. All the major brands are a bit pricey for me, but my friend works at a shop an can do a custom exhaust. Is this a good idea or bad. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[CoupeVQ35CVT]

Go custom!

I have a custom bent 2.25" catback on my Sentra 1.8 (since like you I am not a brandname whore or have the kind of money to throw away) that the shop did for me, along with a Flowmaster 40 muffler (too loud though).

Aside from that, if you have the 3.5 engine, look up Altima coupe exhaust on ebay. You will come across listings for a full catback starting at $135+ shipping to $175 shipped. It is what I have on my 3.5 coupe. Sounds great, not loud, but sporty and somewhat aggressive at upper revs. It's a direct bolt on and does not need any removal of cats or anything of that sort.

Only thing I had to have done was have the shop install and then cut away the uber crooked cheap thin tips and weld on proper ones at correct angles (also had to cut and unbend one tail pipe as it was crooked).

Total costs$175 cat-back$60 install$100 for 2 new tips and welding/labor to straighten things out.

$335 - complete job. Sounds awesome. Not quite Borla but I love it.

Other than that, I was thinking of getting a transverse Camaro style muffler like the Flowmaster ones, just 1. It has dual outlets, one on each side. You'd need to have the shop bend the piping and weld the hangers, tail pipes/tips. Shouldn't cost more than $150 for the labor etc.

I think you can find the muffler for cheap, < $70?

BTW, from what I hear, you don't need a cat-back, even a good axle back is supposedly enough, as the difference in power between the two is apparently not enough to warrant the extra cost for a cat-back.

Get the Y-pipe, @ < $290 it is apparently the best bang for the buck with ~ 10 whp. Down side is it will remove your 3rd (main) cat so you may not be able to get an "official" inspection passed. That and most shops won't want to risk messing with cat removals due to legal reasons.

[Solobarix]

Yeah, I have the 2.5 4 cyl engine. My friend usually charges me for parts an then of course I throw him a good tip. I'm not sure tho.. I'm probably going to take it up to his shop on Friday an give me an estimate on it. I get to go pay 60 tomorrow for a dumb oil change an tire rotation, just to appease them with my extended warranty ugh.

[CoupeVQ35CVT]

Ah... 2.5.. well still, you can bye that catback I mentioned, it is STILL cheaper than any brandname axleback or catback I've seen. Just have the shop fudge a little and they can hook it up to your 2.5 as well.

$60 for oil change and tire rotation? WTF. I pay maybe $20-25 for regular oil + $20 for rotation. Hmm nvm I guess you're not too far off.

[Solobarix]

It's the dumb nissan dealership. I have a stupid book I have to bring in everytime for them to stamp to make sure i'm keeping up on the maintnence. If I don't have it stamped they can say I neglected caring for my car. The oil change is 35.99 (plus a free car wash) an the tire rotation is 19.99.

My brother has a nice custom exhaust on his 350z, all custom..I think I want to go in that direction. I'll go up there an talk to him an see what he thinks about it, an a price an see what we can work out.

[Solobarix]

Do you have an idea of what size piping I should get for a deep sound. I don't want my car to sound like a weedwacker on coke, that's for damn sure.

[CoupeVQ35CVT]

Haha... well you don't want to go up in size too much, as it will rob low end torque that you want for everyday driving. I'd say stick with 2.25" tubing for the exhaust and you'll be fine. Unfortunately, the wrong muffler usually causes the fart/weedwacker effect or makes it worse.

So make damned sure you use a resonator at least 18" or larger, to help absorb that crappy rasp smaller 4 cyl engines make, and a NON-fartcan muffler, maybe some kinda' Magnaflow or something. I'd ask other forumites to chime in with that nugget of info.

Keep us posted on the progress, and when you get it done, PICTURES. And sound clip.

[Hussain]

i have custom exhaust as well as a couple altima sedans. i went with 2.5" cat-back on the my 3.5se and ive always heard people say to go with 2.5" unless you got forced induction or like in one of my friends case, a V8 with no room for dual pipes.

[CoupeVQ35CVT]

Agreed. 3" and above is usually recommended for turbo/supercharged setups where you don't want any back pressure, or parts where you have a single pipe for V8's. 2.5" is OK for our V6s and I think I've read 2.25" is best for larger 4 cyl. like QR25.

Plus you can brag about it being "custom."

*cough*

[Solobarix]

Now I need to find the proper muffler an resonator for this project. Sweet. Anyone have a definate must get muffler the recommend?

[cartersaltima]

there is a custom auto shop here, doing a special on a cat back exhaust anodized steel 300.00 full setup installed. I would expect to pay around that same price if not a bit more due to 2 mufflers. If i were you I'd look into a singe straight thru exhaust. I would think that would be more beneficial four our 4 cylinders de to less bends in the piping. correct me if im wrong.

[Hussain]

didnt a couple people go straight pipe with the 2.5S and love the way it sounded? could keep the resonator and tips and just have a shop take out the muffler. the resonator will keep it a little quieter and should clean up the sound a little. i think you would lose some low end power on the 2.5s but you'll gain high end power and it should sound bad a**

[CoupeVQ35CVT]

Yet again the backpressure myth rears its head haha. As far as I understand, removing the muffler will not reduce your low end torque. Remember it's the *escape velocity* not back pressure (which is actually the ENEMY of torque and the reason why we want the exhaust to have higher velocity leaving the cylinder via smaller diameter headers, so it sucks out the exhaust behind it the next time around) that allows the engine to produce better low end torque. The stock header and piping will take care of the low end torque, removing the muffler way down at the end of the exhaust will have little or no impact as I understand the theory, other than give you better upper end power.

Go straight through, and definitely keep the resonator (or add a long 20" plus) it should give you a nice aggressive growl toward the mid to high range rpm.

[mcheddadi]

Yet again the backpressure myth rears its head haha. As far as I understand, removing the muffler will not reduce your low end torque. Remember it's the *escape velocity* not back pressure (which is actually the ENEMY of torque and the reason why we want the exhaust to have higher velocity leaving the cylinder via smaller diameter headers, so it sucks out the exhaust behind it the next time around) that allows the engine to produce better low end torque. The stock header and piping will take care of the low end torque, removing the muffler way down at the end of the exhaust will have little or no impact as I understand the theory, other than give you better upper end power.

Go straight through, and definitely keep the resonator (or add a long 20" plus) it should give you a nice aggressive growl toward the mid to high range rpm.

when I removed my muffler I lost so much low end torque it was crazy. not a happy thing to do

[CoupeVQ35CVT]

when I removed my muffler I lost so much low end torque it was crazy. not a happy thing to do

Hmm ok obviously I'm missing some key knowledge if that is a fact. If that's the case then most people who switch to straight through mufflers should lose low end power Hmmmmmmm... dammit why'd you have to throw a wrench into that theory.

[Solobarix]

Say I did go straight pipe, would I have to buy anything to do this or just remove things already there? Since it is a 4cyl, a loss of low end power would be very noticable, but is it unbearable. I honestly don't think it would be worth the high end gain to do straight piping if this is the case.

[trayharrell951]

When i got mine done i wasnt sure either. So I went with a full catback exhaust with a new resonator. I love the sound. On top of that i went with a y pipe. The results were more then i expected. Sounds really good. Sounds really sporty not like those fart cans. And they had stainless steel mufflers which was a nice touch.

[ESP]

Say I did go straight pipe, would I have to buy anything to do this or just remove things already there? Since it is a 4cyl, a loss of low end power would be very noticable, but is it unbearable. I honestly don't think it would be worth the high end gain to do straight piping if this is the case.

Well, for starters you'd have to extend the pipes past the flange where the muffler attaches. That'll cost you in labor and materials...and don't forget about adding a pair of exhaust tips.

The loss of low end torque is pretty noticeable, but I wouldn't call it a deal breaker. More importantly it's the droning that's giving me problems. That being said, I've learned how to drive so as to avoid hovering at the RPMs that are more prone to drone. The high-end gain is freakin' ridonkulous though!

[Solobarix]

Okay so I talked to my friend an he said he could do it for about 200, an he would create a custome y pipe for it. Would that get rid of the resonator?

[CoupeVQ35CVT]

I think the best person to ask would be your friend, no? He's the one fabbing the thing up. And you can always relocate the resonator. I'm assuming you're referring to the stock unit?

[Solobarix]

He has no idea how it will turn out. That's why i'm asking what other people had done so I have a better idea to give him to see what he can do. I don't want it to come out sounding terrible, that would just suck.

He's going to make a y pipe, take out the muffler then weld the stock tips back on. I don't know how that will sound.. I don't really want to find out the hard way either.

[ESP]

...deep, rumbly, and not raspy at all. It will, however, drone like a motherfracker at around 1600 and 3100 RPMs if you let off the gas and allow the engine to brake itself...