Exhaust
 

Im curious of peoples opinions on different exhaust set ups and their reasons behind them. I have a second gen (like most people) and i already have the dual fart cans. (they were on it when i bought it) now, do i get headers (collected or uncollected??) and then do i get true dual, or split it at the back? keeping in mind im a university student with not a lot of money. but i mean if true dual is REALLY the way to go, i would probably just wait for another summer.

Anyways, let me know what you guys think, the ups and the downs for all of that jazz.

Thanks.

It all depends on what you want.
True duals sounds pretty damn mean, and gets a pretty good gain in horsepower. But is fairly expensive (the Mazdatrix true duals are $1000+), but you could build it yourself.
A collected header with a nice pipe size back to a GOOD Y-pipe with dual mufflers is also a normal route taken. Cheaper, but not as much of a power gain.
However, SureShot (one of the regulars here) bought the header bracket thing, and built his own true dual system from the header back. It all depends on what you want and how much fabrication you can do.
Lotsa guys run a collected header to a big single, too... lighter but louder.

Re: Exhaust
 

you can do either, there's pros and cons. True duals will not pass emissions unless you put cats on both pipes and somehow get the split air selenoid valve to go to both, true duals are louder normally (but you can get them with presilencers to quiet it down a bit), true duals will be more expensive, but the true duals will make more power. You just gotta weigh your options, i have a collected header with a y-pipe to two mufflers, works for me. If I had known that I was going to be registering my car under a PO box and wouldnt have to pass emissions, i probably would've done true duals.

I have had 4 NA setups in the past.
1) Stock manifold through straight pipes to bombs. – LOUD - a little power gain.
2) Header to straight pipes to bombs. – WAY too LOUD! – some power gain.
3) Header to single 3” silencer, Y to bombs. – nice tone – nice power gain.
4) Header to dual silencers to bombs. Nice stereo tone – nice power gain.
Click on the link in my sig to hear idle tone with a throttle blip.

My last ’91 NA duals w/header setup was on almost 2 years when I sold the car. I was on a tight budget, so I got the Mazdatrix header kit & had a local shop weld it up. They used two "turbo-pac" presilencers and two bomb mufflers at the end. We reused the original muffler’s connecting flanges and the stock tips. The whole deal was $300.
As for loud – Yea if you open it up, but after a year it was still fairly quiet below 3k and at light throttle.

link to 2MB video

as long as you got the cash flow, do whatever you want...go for one idea if u dont like it trash it and get another one til you find what you want...its all about the cash flow homie

I just put Racing Beat dual on my NA and LOVE 'EM! Sound GREAT, power increased and they look Awesome. Only problem is my mileage went down... acceleration problems .... my foot on the pedal.