ok i didnt spend money for my exhaust all i did was cut off the resonator and the muffler........so basically a cat back you could say..........now ive heard that the resonator is needed for backpressure or something like that......did i lose any power by cutting off my resonator and muffler or is it just all in my mind....

Also while on the subject of exhaust....i got my emissions test notice in the mail......i hope not having a resonator or a muffler will not affect me from passing.........the cat is still in the car but it smells really bad when im behind my car letting a friend rev it so im worried that i wont pass emissions and ill have to put back the resonator until i get enough money for REAL exhaust...thanks for all of your help guys.

 

I am not sure of exactly what you did, but your muffler/res does give you more back pressure, and torque I believe... where exactly did you cut it off at, after the cat?

 

well where the resonator was i cut that off and its all pipe from where the stock resonator was at......
so if i put an aftermarket muffler and res on it would help me performance wise??.....

 

Backpressure is always bad, you always want less of it. Sometimes a big exhaust will cuase a drop in exhaust gas velocity. This will result in less than sharp throttle response at low engine load. Under heavy accelertaion, at all RPM, less backpressure is better.

This is why exahsut must be tuned for the best results. Bigger is not always better.

 

so if i want an slight increas in power or whatever.....just leave the resonator and muffler off????

 

depending on where you want the power at... at low rpm or high rpm... you want faster acceleration or better top end?

 

faster acceleration is what i want most............

 

Backpressure is not always bad. It is needed on the low end for 500 - 2,500 RPM. Without the backpressure, you'll be losing a good amount of usable torque. I usually do most of my driving in the 2,000-3,500 RPM so backpressure is important for me. My exhaust system consists of the intake, Stillen Y-pipe, RT cat, Courtesy B-pipe, and the 5th gen muffler. By replacing the pipes with more freer-flowing components, I gained all throughout the poewrband. The 5th gen muffler retains the backpressure at low RPMs to creat low end torque, but increases its flow capacity at mid to high end.

 

Pressure is not the key...its gas velocity, higher gas velocity promotes better cylinder filling...more power.