I am getting ready to put new exhuast on my '05 xB. My plan is to have new piping put on just after the catalytic and remove the resonator. My problem though is I don't know whether to go 2.25" or 2.5" in diameter. I thought maybe 2.5" since (unfortunately) it won't be mandrel bent and I want to make up for the loss in pipe diameter when the muffler shop bends the piping. At the same time though, I am worried that even with the loss in diameter when the pipe is bent, that 2.5" is too big and I will lose horsepower and torque. Can anyone help?

 

I have read on this site that 2.5 is too big, unless you are going with forced induction. My exhaust is still stock, so I can not speak from experience.

 

i went 2.25 and got rid of the resonator, has a little more high rpm push now, 2.5 was to big to fit between the upper rear i beam and the bottom of the unibody on a lowered car

 

Mmmm weird.......

I put 2" all the way...no cat just resonator and I think it was too big for the car......I can feel loss of torque........(im also using 4-1 headers).

 

2.5 is too big even though it is not mandrel bent?

 

You need the cat on there or else you car will try to compensate for the loss of the cat. The 02 sensors are going haywire and so the car will lose torque because the computer is try to figure out what to do.

I would recomend no bigger than 2.25in pipe on the vehicle and keep the resinator, our boxes are annoying without the resinator.

 

So anyway I had my exhaust done. I took off the resonator and Stylis was right. Our boxes are annoying without it. I put the resonator back on, but for me, even with it on and a new performance muffler, it is still too annoying. So all the work and money goes down the crapper because I am having my stock muffler put back on. I know a lot of people on here are gonna think I am crazy but the sound isn't for me and isn't worth the gains. My only problem though is I now have my new 2.25" pipes (after the cat to the resonator and after the resonator to what will soon be my stock exhaust). Do you think that will cause any problems with anything on my car? And even with my stock muffler will it be a little louder because I have those 2.25" pipes?

 

I was thinking that the Echo has the same engine, and wondered how it sounded. (I have Echo shocks to improve the ride) Found a co-worker with one, and it is "quiet". He reved the engine, and I was standing behind the car, and I could hear the engine noise far above the exhaust noise. I investigated the 2004 Echo, and it is rated at 108 HP like the xB, so that quiet muffler is not robbing any high end power. I am going to look into substituting the Echo muffler with the OEM on the xB. There will be some adapting, (since it is a "straight through" and the xB's is offset) but it will be quiet when I am through.

 

You're crazy man. I love exhaust sound!

 

I used to love exhaust sound. Had an straight 6 with split headers and dual exhaust with glass-packs. But now, I just like, quiet, at home and in the car, except for my music.

 

I'll second that! I just drove home today with my blessed stock exhuast. It was a beautiful thing. Then I turned some of my favorite CD's on to vol. 41 and could hear it uninterrupted. I will admit though that my performance exhuast did sound a little better and less abrasive after putting a few miles on it. But still on accelerations and certain rpm's it would resonate in my car and I would cringe.

 

i was planning on getting new 2 1/4" piping too and taking off the resonator on my RS 2.0 xB. Would this make my DC Sports Axle-back sound better, as is a little louder and deeper? I love the sound of a deep exhaust and have no problems listening to that sometimes instead of music. Everyone has different preferences so its really up to each person.

 

As far as my experience with the removal of my resonator, it will make it sound louder and deeper. Without that resonator your car will have a little more growl to it. Also, I noticed that when I had my resonator removed my car got a few more horses out of it and the gas pedal was more responsive (better acceleration). When I put the resonator back on and still had my performance exhaust, I noticed the difference right away, it was a little more restricted and the gains were minimal.