I need a new cat back, and I'm probably going to get the borla system,
http://www.mrcmfg.com/respeed/catalo...68a1eb48f19d30

My dad and grandpa are trying to understand why I want to spend $500 on a cat-back system. All I can come up with is it sounds good, is made out of stainless steel, and adds a few horsepower. They think I should go to some place like autozone and buy some cheap replacement mufflers, which I expect probably sound like tin cans.

Any thoughts?

 

yes here is a perfect idea. Explain to them that the police will not appreciate the sound that the cheap exhaust makes (loud!!) and after a year the cheap exhaust will likely deteriorate and get even louder. Not to mention that you will not likely find anything that will fit.

 

As I've heard, the Borla catback MADE for the FC is the worst sounding exhaust next to Pacesetter.


And..exhaust systems are expensive for many reasons:

Tons of R&D goes into making them produce the most power, while still baffeling the exhaust note. It is expensive to to produce the exhausts, especially if you do them in limited runs. Hand-made takes a ton of work, and making an assembly line-up for a short run of exhausts is a lot of cash. Also..the material is not cheap. Most companies (IE: Racing Beat, GReddy) use extremely thick, high-quality products, with amazingly good welds, to hold up to the heat of exhaust, for many many years.

 

don't go cheap because it will either be super loud, super heavy, or super quick to fall apart or melt out...and quite possibly all of the above. Check into a hks catback or racing beat, i have racing beat pre-silencer and dp, both are super strong and will last a long time, it's quiet too. I also have a 3" magnaflow diesel race muffler which helps quiet a bit too.
if you look around you could even get a good deal on some used components or try ebay. it is a good place to look at parts and good prices too.

 

[QUOTE=adrock3217]As I've heard, the Borla catback MADE for the FC is the worst sounding exhaust next to Pacesetter.
QUOTE]

Really? I heard it was one of the best sounding.

I might start athread getting opinions about that

 

just research a bit and you will find threads galore on exhaust ratings

 

the borla xr1 mufflers are the loud ones, the cat back in question is good...

 

If they are trying to understand, they never will understand. Alot of people dont understand these things called hobbys. most people use cars for one reason, a mode of transportation, and cant possibly understand why we would make them even more uncomfortable to drive.

When someone questions my cars I tell them "Im 18, I do dumb things like that" Usually they (think they) understand then.

 

If it's stainless, then it's expensive.
You should go price out some stainless pipe and mufflers sometime - the prices will surprise you.

Also, anything name brand you paying for.
Ever take a class in economics?
It's called "perceived value".


-Ted

 

It is expensive for one simple reason... ECONOMICS... supply and demand, plus the cost of production raises the prices for exhaust systems for our car... But dont worry, it is a good investment. Just make sure that you get a nice system and it will do you justice in the long run. It adds style to your car (looks and sound,) horsepower, and it will potentially help reduce the amount of harmful gases that you release into the atmosphere (I do highly suggest getting a high flow cat as it does help everyone.)

 

thanks for the responses!

MazdaTed, i think you made a great point there

 

exhaust systems are expensive cause it's something everyone needs and as RETed said most times you're paying fo the name.

 

I have the racing beat full system on my TII, and I think it's got tons more power, and they sound like a sports car should.

 

I have cheap e-bay mufflers on mine, and I can rattle the windows on both sides of the street when I step on it. But it looks quite nice in my opinion, and with my high flow cat, and dual exhaust, I still paid less than half that. I expect once I get the turbo added the backpressure will balance out a little and it won't be as bad.

Oh yeah, and the torque/power difference can best be described as 'surprising'.

 

Take a different route. Tell them you are saving money as the factory Y and mufflers would cost @ $1200, and naturally the stainless would last.