02CaliforniaGT

Hey guys i have an 02 gt and im looking to do the exhaust next. So far i have bbk CAI, 75mm bbk throttle body, flowmaster mufflers, short shifter, upgraded clutch, and its lowered on eibach springs.

The system has me a bit confused. At the end of it all I want long tube headers and a nice catback exhaust. But where does the mid pipe come into play? if i get a catback exhaust lets say the Borla ATAK and some long tube headers, what type of mid pipe am i looking at? are there short and long mid pipes to make it fit? Do i even need a mid pipe? i have so many questions

I really want that loud rumble and backfire Keep in mind please i do live in california and will need to smog eventually so i need it to be catted.

Thank you all for your input

hotrod7687

The mid pipe is the piece that comes off the headers and runs to the mufflers. It's also the section of exhaust that the cats and o2 sensors are in. You will need a new mid pipe if you go with long tube headers. Even if you end up with short headers or leave the stock manifolds, an aftermarket 2.5in mid pipe with high flow cats will help. The stock mid pipe is 2.25in and has either 4 or 6 cats, so its a big restriction. The stock cats don't flow very well are the biggest restriction on a stock exhaust.

It shouldn't matter what cat back you choose, they should all bolt up with whatever mid pipe you have. A cat back system is more accurately a mid-pipe back system anyway, It replaces the mufflers back which is behind the mid pipe. Guess the name cat back just stuck when it was named that a long time ago.

If you want long tube headers you're going to need a mid pipe that's shorter than stock, because the long tube headers are longer than stock manifolds. Most manufacturers that make long tube headers also make mid pipes to fit them.

As for loud, the slp loudmouth 1 system is about the loudest you can get. I don't like it because its just obnoxiously loud and doesn't have a good tone in my opinion. The magnaflow magnapack cat back is loud and has a nice deep tone to it. With the cats, the tone will be a little deeper and quieter than pipes without cats.

Hope that helps

02CaliforniaGT

Thanks for the reply, that definitely helped me get a better understanding of the exhaust. One more question, would it better to get a shorty x-pipe, or shorty h-pipe?

Soldier GT

I see that you're from California. You guys have very strict emissions testing, so LT's might be out of the question.

hotrod7687

The H or X really depends on the sound you want. The X will flow slightly better, but not enough for you to notice.

The H has more of lower pitch rumble that people relate to the old muscle car sound. The X has a higher pitch more raspy sound, more like a race car sound.

I like the H better, I like the low deep sound.

billyb_at_borla

get the borla long tubes and catback system they match up perfectly all you need in one shot and great sound awesome performance!!!

Z28KLR

This.

Make sure you have a reliable "friend" in the smog business before you commit to LT's. With an o/r midpipe it's not as big a deal because you can just put your stock pipe back on for testing every 2 years but with LT's it's way too much work to consider doing that.