i've never been into anything under the car, as far as piping is concerned. i'm more of audio nutcase....so when i see ypipe, b pipe, test pipe, i'm like HUH?

can anyone define these for me and what fits the 2k2's. what are the advantages and disadvantages of them. i'm gonna be doing the whole undercarriage soon so i'd kinda like to do it all at once. other than the exhausts, y and b pipes and test pipes, is there anything else that belongs down there. the farthest i ever went was when i used to have a CRX that i did headers exhaust straight through, so i didnt' have to bother with all this other piping.

and oh yeah, can you also put average costs of these.
i did a search and coudlnt' find definitions of these. maybe with a good response, this should go into the FAQ.

 

Y pipe. Unavailable for 2K2 right now. It's the biggest possible gain you can achieve from a NA bolt on. It is up near the engine BEFORE the catalytic converter.

B pipe: Another term for a catback. Goes AFTER the catalytic converter all the way back to the muffler. Available for 2K2.

Test pipe: Replacement for catalytic converter. Basically, you just remove it and put in a straight pipe. I actually did this today and it is as loud as hell.

This pic should help (stolen from Custom Maxima.com):

 

sounds like the test pipe doesn't really do anything?? why would anyone want the car to sound louder. throatier i understand, but louder no.

so now my folluw up question, if i got a full cat back exhaust, what happens to where the B-pipe was located. can i continue without it or are their sensors attached that i'd have to leave the b-pipe on.

 

If you look at the picture, a catback exhaust would include a b pipe..on its own the b pipe won't produce much of a gain, however if you are doing the rest (y,muffler) you should just get that too..

 

The Testpipe will help a bit on top end. Especially on a boosted maxima.

Dixit