Been thinking about changing at least the axle-back on my car. Performance isn't really a goal, if anything it would be preferred to stay the same (or more) but not lose it.

I'm just looking for a bit more tone. However, being an 04 LX 4 door, my bumper is pretty flat as I'm sure you guys know. Are there any exhausts available that will have a stock style tip? A buddy of mine has a 91 Accord with stock exhaust except for a circular magnaflow XL straight through muffler (clamped on) and that is the best sounding setup I have heard on a Honda. Deep, pronounced, but not loud or raspy at all.

Any input let me know, thanks in advance!!

Ahh! Why would you want anything that even resembles the stock tip...so narrow and weaksauce.

The straight through Magnaflows are my favorite though.

If you want it to look stock then just swap out for an aftermarket muffler like your friend did, I spose.

Unless you know of an exhaust that will fit in the bumper, I don't want to have to cut the bumper on my car, that's my main reason behind it.

I was thinking about buying another axle-back off of another car, stock, and cutting out the muffler and clamping/welding in a magnaflow. Thing is just finding a good priced axleback nearby.

I have one of the magnaflow race series on my 05 and it has a 4in wide tip and it fits under there, though just barely (granted it has burned the underside of the bumper).

But I've seen many an aftermarket muffler with various tips that fit quite nicely.

I don't think you need to get anything off another car. If you just want the noise then you can just chop off the stock muffler and weld another one on. If you browse the magnaflow site I'm sure they have some universal mufflers with tips that will work.

the reason behind getting a different muffler off another car would be so I could switch back to stock if the situation were to arise, say trading it back in ETC.

Any setups you would reccomend? As in in the axle-back setup that would fit? You say you have seen some, any to mention?

Sorry for the questions I just am new to the Civic aftermarket.

This one looks pretty good IMHO:
http://magnaflow.com/02product/shopexd.asp?zone=main&id=7076
Here's mine with the wide tip:
http://magnaflow.com/02product/shopexd.asp?zone=main&id=7151

but it's pretty simple just chop off the stock muffler and weld the new one on (make sure to tell the guy at the shop to save the stock muffler)
and then to go back to stock just chop off the new one and weld on the old one

my experience has been with universal mufflers+custom piping and not with prefab exhausts...not sure if you specifically wanted something that would bolt on, but custom seems to run a little cheaper

well dont get a full cat, because you will loose performance there, just weld on a new muffler, weld the stock one back on if you want to trade it in.

I see. A full cat? You mean cat-back? A full exhaust will lose me power?

And so there are no bolt on axle-backs that will fit...

it doesn't have to be the cheapest route.

the a'pexi ws2 has a pretty clean tip:

http://www.dtmautohaus.com/store/images/apexi/ws.jpg

that one does look pretty nice, do you think that should clear the sedan bumper all right?



EDIT:

Just looked up some sound clips of that one it sounds pretty good. I take it those are a lot longer lasting than your standard ebay setup?

that is one dang expensive muffler though, wow. I don't understand how a few pieces of pipe cost dang near 500 for a CIVIC yet I can get a full mustang exhaust headers H pipe dual muffler cat-back for the same price. Supply and demand maybe?

Maybe I will go custom. There are a few exhaust shops nearby I could try out.

yea full cat back exhaust, will probably lose you horse power because you will create too much back pressure. This will really lose you the torque. Just a tip that most people dont know because they say you get hp, i mean it all depends on how big the pipe is, but performance will not be any big gains if you get any. Thats y you should just get a muffler and then if you get some more performance parts get some custom piping that will allow you car to breath batter, prolly like 2.5 pipping 3.0 if you turbo but i dont think you looking to turbo

last time i checked a wider pipe meant less backpressure, assuming all other variables are constant

also he said performance isnt a goal...

but here's the sticky on backpressure, if you hadnt read it yet:
http://www.hondacivicforum.com/m_39893/tm.htm

yeah, read the sticky, basically backpressure is a non issue for our cars, but also going bigger than 2.5" non boosted is useless

Larger piping = higher power band in the RPM.

Contrary to popular belief, you WILL see small gains from only a catback (not full exhuast). I you don't believe me try driving a car with and w/o one.

If you're looking for a stock tip, with a nice quite tone (but a bit more then you've got), an RSX-S muffler is a great way to go. Just buy the axleback and have a muffler shop do the piping and hangars and you're good to go. Magnaflow mufflers are great quality also, it really depends which way you want to go.

I had a Magnaflow Catback on my 01 Civic before I put it up for sale, and I never regretted it for a day. Great system w/ good quality...just the tip is a little big. Plus is shouldn't cost you more then $400.

Basically:

RSX-S muffler, $130 ish + 50 installation
Magnaflow Street Series (http://magnaflow.com/02product/streetmufflers.asp?shape=5in.x8in.%20Oval): Roughly the same price.
Magnafow Catback: $400
RSR* Exmag: 500+
etc, etc.

Were it me, I would do the RSX-S muffler just because you like the stock tip. Plus you can leave it on the car if you sell it and it looks stock. Just a little more sound in the higher RPM's.

ORIGINAL: bakertime

Larger piping = higher power band in the RPM.

Contrary to popular belief, you WILL see small gains from only a catback (not full exhuast). I you don't believe me try driving a car with and w/o one.

If you're looking for a stock tip, with a nice quite tone (but a bit more then you've got), an RSX-S muffler is a great way to go. Just buy the axleback and have a muffler shop do the piping and hangars and you're good to go. Magnaflow mufflers are great quality also, it really depends which way you want to go.

I had a Magnaflow Catback on my 01 Civic before I put it up for sale, and I never regretted it for a day. Great system w/ good quality...just the tip is a little big. Plus is shouldn't cost you more then $400.

Basically:

RSX-S muffler, $130 ish + 50 installation
Magnaflow Street Series (http://magnaflow.com/02product/streetmufflers.asp?shape=5in.x8in.%20Oval): Roughly the same price.
Magnafow Catback: $400
RSR* Exmag: 500+
etc, etc.

Were it me, I would do the RSX-S muffler just because you like the stock tip. Plus you can leave it on the car if you sell it and it looks stock. Just a little more sound in the higher RPM's.


Thanks much! So the RSX S muffler will fit my setup? And you say to have a shop do the piping and hangers, what do you mean? Have a shop custom bend the rest of the pipe to match? Or will the axleback bolt up to mysetup? If it does and hangers on the muffler have to change I work in a shop and have access to welders and such. We just are not a custom exhaust shop, more a little bit of everything shop.