It turns out what I thought was horrible droning from my PR CAI + Budget Y + RT Cat + Apex'i WS catback was a cracked weld on my budget y's flex pipe section. I had the car on a lift today (o2 sensors ) and noticed I could shake the flex section and my exhaust note was changing in pitch (great...).

I bought the car used, so I had no idea it wasn't supposed to sound like that. I am floored as to the difference in noise level after I got it fixed though. I was just getting used to having a loud *** car (not fart style, it was a ballsy, deep sound), and then this... (Now I get to hear an abundance of wind noise instead of 3k RPM when I'm on the highway)

If you've got excessive noise while cruising, check your flex section for rust and weld cracks. I don't have to crank the stereo now to keep from going insane...

Nick

 

My max is like that! It sounds horrible.. I know its a rust or weld crack. How much did it cost to fix. I really need my quiet max back.

 

ive heard others reporting cracks or leaks around the curve sections for the aftermarket y pipes.

 

Total was $100. Kinda steep, but they had trouble finding a big enough flex section (2.5" I believe is not standard in most small neighborhood muffler places), and they also took care of the rattling I had on my heatshield so I wasn't too bummed about the price.

If you're having some trouble pinpointing where the crack is, take a vaccum hose (i.e., Oreck type ****, not car vaccum hoses), put one end to your ear and the other end all around the exhaust. You'll pinpoint it in a second, but its most likely at the first flex weld, since that has the most movement... Get a big screwdriver and move the flex section left and right; if you notice a change in sound you've found the problem.

Nick