ok. so i just got a 96 ex coupe from my niece a few months ago. originally i was under the impression that it had a full exhaust, but i was wrong. as soon as i got under the car i quickly saw that the stock exhaust pipe is still on there and its definitely rusting away. i have holes in my exhaust resulting in my car pretty much sounding like a go cart. i want to get new exhaust for the car, but i have this weird quirky thing about doing everything to the car myself. is it possible to install my own exhaust or do i need machines to bend the pipes and things like that?

secondly. lets say that price is NOT an object. what exhaust would you guys recomend?

and contrary to that. what exhaust will be the best overall mod (sound, HP gains, and appearance) while still being economical?

while im at it and asking questions.. whats a catback exhaust? is it simply the exhaust system behind the cat. converter instead of an entire exhaust?

thanks for all the help. and sorry for the stupid questions. haha

 

On a scale of 1-10... installing a cat-back exhaust is about a 2. It's just a matter of if bolts need drilled out or not. You should be able to do it with ease as long as you have some way of getting under your car.

Cat-back = piping from catalytic converter back to the muffler and the muffler itself.

I have a megan racing catback. It's probably the best exhaust for it's price.

But... if money is not an option, I'd say look around for vids and see what sound you want/like.

 

how much room do i need under my car? i dont have a lift or anything like that. but i have floor jacks, the ramps you drive up on to.. and i could buy jack stands no problem. but if i did it that way id really only be lifting the car about 12 or 13 inches off the ground. maybe a little higher than that. i def dont have a problem gettin on the ground n gettin dirty. but is that gunna be enough room to do what i need to do.

and would you recomend gettin a new cat? basically i want a really good tone. im getting CAI or SRI pretty soon. i might replace my header aswell. how hard is it to install a cat and a header.. or while im at it i might as well replace everything. i/h/e.

also would it be beneficial to insulate my CAI or SRI with something to keep more heat out?

 

there's no point in insulating your cai or sri or header, you'll see little - and i mean little gains - that are not worth it.

installing i/h/e is pretty easy. all of them definitely are 2 on the 10 scale. for installing the exhaust, jackstands should be all you need.

some of the bolts are REALLY hard to get off because they might be rusted for those, you just dremel them, or try some lubricant

 

cool thanks. about how much would a good quality exhaust run me? so i know how much to save. and what do you guys recomend for exhaust. i want a deep tone, kinda throaty. similar to the sound of an STI or something. subaru's sound amazing.

 

i'm not sure if any exhaust will give you the sound of a subie... subies run 300HP | ~300lb/ft torque and are turboed...

anyways, good exhaust for our cars include Magnaflow catback system ($375-$425) and Skunk2 axleback ($150-$200)/Skunk2 catback ($550-$600). you could always go custom - it's cheaper. the tubing size you'd want is 2" if you're NA and not turboed. if you get 2.25, you'll notice some loss in low end torque

AEM and DCSports also offer exhausts that are very good; however, these exhaust are priced pretty high, around the $600 range.

if you have A LOT of money you could spend, tanabe is what you want. really nice tone at the brutal cost of ~$800-$900.

on civics in general, you won't notice big performance differences between exhausts of different brands. find a exhaust that sounds good, and falls in your price range, and get it. www.youtube.com is the first place you want to check for sound clips

good luck

 

STis and WRXs are turborcharged, which makes a difference with aftermarket exhausts.

if you want a deep throaty exhaust, you're best bet is something like a Greddy EVO2 or twin-loop muffler, but it'll never be that deep simply because hondas have small displacement engines.

tanabe touring medalliions are deep too and run around $600-$700 on some forums group buys.

tanabes have a different sound though, there a lot mellower than other exhausts partially due to their muffler insulation material. they're excellent products if you can afford one.

 

Apexi ws2 is also another great exhaust for around 400

 

good call guys. i completely forgot greddy

 

dont forget comptech....that has to be the easiest exhaust to install, and it has the deep throaty sound your looking for guaranteed