Hello all. I am new to the forum and newly proud owner of a 2000 Black on Black SE. I was just wondering about the sound difference between some of the exhaust systems on the market. Every day I see all these rice-burner Honda's that sound like s**t. I'm looking for a, well I'll just say it, I want more of an "American" groul to it. I know its kinda an oxymoron but I just can't stand the high-pitched squeal of a suped-up Japanese car. So the big question is which exhaust sounds best under high revs and low-end cruising?
Also if anyone knows of any websites with .wav files of their exhaust systems it would be greatly appreciated. Thx for the info in advance, James McLeod

 

HKS all the way!

 

I've heard very good reviews of the HKS. I have also heard that the Greddy cat-back is kind of loud and if you ever get a y-pipe it will get even louder. I think the HKS has a nice tone down low.

 

I have a frankencar/stillen custom hybrid intake/cattman y/rt cat/ and greddy catback and it it is FREAKIN' LOUD!

 

I have a Cattman Y-pipe, 2.5" mandrel-bent catback with a 26" Magnaflow resonator, and a stock rear section and muffler. I ran a Magnaflow straight-through muffler for awhile but it was just TOO FREAKING LOUD after I installed the Y-pipe. With the stock rear section, my wife says my car "purrs". That is, until I get on it. Then it "growls".

I'll leave it to you to imagine what "purrs" and "growls" sound like.

PS: In case you're interested, I didn't seem to take a performance hit when I re-installed the stock rear section.

 

This is the ULTIMATE question I am looking for an answer too. I am about to drop $500.00 on a Cat Back exhaaust and I am looking for a RUMBLE, not a Rice sound with backfire....Help. those of you that already have Exhaust. Ive heard the Greddy is good....

 

I agree with you! After owning 3 V8 Mustangs (one 11.70's) over the last 10 years, I stepped way up to my AE! Unfortunately,I'm a horsepower junkie and can't believe I've been anle to leave my car alone for a year now. I have been thinking about performace and exhaust upgrades, but I don't want the "high school kid in his Honda DX with the 6" tip hanging out the back" exhaust noise! Unfortunately, we'll never get close to that V8 sound we knew and loved, but there HAS to be an exhaust that sounds more Skyline/BMW than Civic/motorcycle! Borla had a nice tone for V8; maybe they're still an option? A wav file would be great if anyone would like to post their exhaust sound.

 

I have the Cattman Cat Back exhaust (check my cardomain site for a pic). The car purrs (copied from y2kse) from 1k to 3k. It doesn't have the Mustang rumble but it doesn't have the rice sound/backfire either. Hard to explain. I think it is the best compromise between you and your spouse (if you have one). It's not loud enough to get her *****ing, but it's loud enough to satisfy your ears. I don't have a y-pipe yet, but I'm sure it will sound bad *** because I'll get the rumble of the y-pipe plus the purr of the Cattman CatBack. Hope this helps... I know it's difficult to describe how an exhaust sounds in words, but the Cattman sounds good. I have no idea how the HKS sounds.

 

If you're planning on installing a Y-pipe, do that BEFORE you make any other modifications to your exhaust system. If you modify your exhaust and subsequently install a Y-pipe, expect the sound to increase by about a factor of 2X. (That may be a little high, but better safe than sorry!)

If I had it to do all over again, I'd install my Y-pipe first. If I wanted more sound after that, I'd remove the stock resonator. If that still wasn't enough, I'd go to a reputable muffler shop and audition some aftermarket mufflers (HKS, Magnaflow, Borla, Greddy, etc.). And if I really wanted to alert the local gendarmerie, I'd install a couple of 10" subs in my trunk, hook them up to a 1000W RMS Amp, and connect the amp's input to a unidirectional mike aimed straight at the muffler.

Have fun!

PS: Don't worry about your Maxima sounding ricey. A Maxima doesn't know how to sound ricey.

 

Go for the stillen y pipe and the Greddy EVO exhaust. Thats what i gots. You said anmerican growl you got it. If you wanna hear it go to Y2Kev's site and check it out. also you can hear it on the dyno if you want. http://12.233.210.59/norcal_maximas/...ThisMax2NV.mpg
heres my car and what it sounds like (on Dyno)