Sorry if this a ridiculous question, but what are the advantages of a cat back vs. an axle back exhaust system. Are there greater gains in performance, or is it strictly sound? Also, is Borla worth the extra $$? Any opinions on who the best is? Will I still pass CA emissions with a cat back? Thanks

 

The catback replaces the over axle pipes where the axle back is only the mufflers. Some people have reported gains by going with the catback but I have never seen a dyno showing any....the stock pypes are pretty good. You will see no gains from the axlebacks. Its all mostly a enhancement in sound not performance. Emission would only depend on the CATs themselve....niether system you mention would remove them.

The stingers, whether they are borla or FRPP are very nice....I love mine.

 

as long as you get a 50 state smog legal exhaust set up, you should pass inspection. The pipes on the S197 are mandrel bent (the diameter is consistent). I would vote axelback, because to me, the stock pipes are big enough, others will say bigger is always better. Borla is worth the $$ if you have it. Others to consider are SLP, MAC, Corsa...and so on.

 

+1 go with Borla

 

Borla Stingers are 49 states legal and legally too loud for Cali, which has stricter exhaust noise level laws.

Personally I wanted to stay legal in CA without having to deal with swapping things around, so I went with the FRPP GTAs and X-pipe, which keeps the stock cats.

It's not the loudest exhaust setup, but the X-pipe helped make the exhaust tone deeper, smoother, and a bit louder. I'm a happy camper. There are clips of the Shelby GT and GT-H with the same setup on youtube which should give you an idea.

 

I ended up going with the Bassani X-pipe with cats and original 40 series flowmasters. It is noticibly loud but not so loud that people will stare. The x-pipe makes it sound so much better.

 

So with no HP gains, it sounds like the axle back is the way to go. Forgive my ignorance, but the term "stingers" refers to a type of muffler?Or is it a term for the axle back setup? Also, the X pipe, or Hpipe is only for sound and doesnt really give any increase in HP?I'm kind of new to some of the accronymshere,FRPP? Thanks for the help

 

Stinger is a term for the muffler used, and FRPP stands for Ford Racing Performance Products I believe.