Rikoku

So this is my first posting and i had a question i wanted to ask. I recently was gifted a 2000 civic lx sedan, the car is in good running condition and i wanted to add some part to it, i know i want to add a AEM short ram intake, and some other things but i also wanted to add a Cat-back exhaust and ive seen some on ebay generally for $50-100 for some generic no brand ones as to $400+ for name brand ones such as magnaflow, etc. So are these generic ones any good? im kinda limited on funds right now and these fit my budget. will they add any increase in performance or should i just stick with the stock exhaust system? ty for any input.

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

You'd add more performance adding a VTEC head on it.

Generic ebay CBE's add nice sound though
especially like bbp or like bomz

TRIZ

iTrader: (14)

What you pay for is what you get with ebay stuff. If you want it to sound like ****, go for ebay- if you want to know what kind of exhaust note to expect- then google the name and year of your car in youtube and pull up some clips. A lot of times people buy crappy parts because its what they can afford at the time, but only end up buying the name brand stuff later down the line and spending way more then they have to in the long run.

My suggestion to everyone is to fix whats broken on the car, and then tackle the upgrades- starting at what you want to upgrade the most instead of whats the cheapest.

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Actually TRIZ, Although performance (no matter how minor) is not as close to name brand, BOMZ CBE's from ebay sound better than Skunk2, I've heard so far.

Exhaust is a tough cookie, you've got to hear it in person to decide

TRIZ

iTrader: (14)

Yeah, there are some good off-brand things out there, but you really have to do your research. Hands down tho, I think if we're talking build quality- brand names are going to win. When I got my DCsports exhaust (TCS) back in the day, I was knocked back by the craftsman ship. Every weld was perfect and the hardware was super solid. I've seen some ebay exhausts that fell apart after less than 2 years.

I buy knock off **** all the time off ebay for camera equipment and its just as good as the name brand stuff- such as a Chinese interval meter was 20 bucks vs the canon $150 version, or the LCDVF for $60, vs name brand of $200.

It comes down to doing your research and reading reviews. Find as much info about the item your looking to buy and read about peoples experiences. Make sure the people are creditable as well. If everything checks out, buy it. If it doesnt- its probably a piece of ****.

Rikoku

oh well thanks for your advice guys, i guess maybe ill wait and get some quality parts later down the line, instead of some generic off brand. rather be safe than sorry.

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Completely up to you, just if you dont mind spending a little bit more

I use the same concept of Photography, I cheaped out and got a cheaper ultrazoom camera to learn to take better photos before i plan to buy an expensive DSLR...

I honestly, would do the same with exhaust, if you dont plan to add forced induction, catback, intake, headers and the such wont make any noticeable difference other than sound. So spend little for some sound enhancement, and when you decide to do bigger ugprades on the car, get some name brands.

That's just my take on it.

Rikoku

well i just honestly wanted it to sound better, do you think it would be best to just change the stock muffler to something else? say a flowmaster 50 series or a glasspack? and add a good looking tip?

TRIZ

iTrader: (14)

Go with an axle back, it just changes the muffler, not the whole exhaust system.

PuR

good info here thanks guys.
? what if you want to get rid of your catalytic conv and jsut have ur headers with pipes running out to the exhaust.. how do u go about that?

Newfiedan

That is simple, apexi catback + dc 4-2-1 header they mate right up eliminating the cat, however with straight pipe u can expect to ge a check engine light, be loud and annoying as well as stereotypical "ricer kid' looks. I am currently running this setup and I am hating the sound of it, sounds like a loud annoying lawnmower and you will not gain any noticeable performance from straight pipe, you are going to need some back pressure on exhaus to help torque, so stock header + catback is a good way to go I replaced my stock one due to a crack and got the dc 4-2-1 header locally really cheap off a friend. I am going to be repairing the crack in my stock header and putting it back on, its a much more pleasing exhaust note. As as side note you will fail any emissions test and in some states its illegal to run it without a cat.

xlee

the tsudo n1 is a fairly cheap exhaust from ebay that sounds nice and low. you can find one for 200 bucks.

NAcaRice

I just became a fan of Thermal R&D. They have some nice looking exhaust systems. I had one of their products put in my 98 civic. Not expensive, but it varies on the model and also your car. One thing I can say is my civic sounds real nice, and not that crappy rice sound. Also I have improved engine preformance. http://www.thermalrd.com/honda.htm

Hope this helps!

asianboy781

i got the tanaka cat back for my friend integra it had some deep tone but not too loud and it also look decent , it comes with hardware and cost around 2-300 bucks
which i think its a good buy