[JonnyB]

Hello all. This has probably been discussed many times but I couldn't quite find all the info I needed.
I want to build a custom exhaust for my bone stock b12 sentra to replace the original one thats rotting away.(car has 295000km)
I'm a welder and have the shop where I work available to build it in my spare time.
So whats the best way to go with it? From what I gathered from the articles I read(revenge of the nerds and sentra.net stuff) I think I'm going to get a good straight through (perforated core) muffler, pre silencer/resonator glass pack, 2" piping, clamps/hangers and new cat. is that all the parts I need. I don't plan to do any other major engine mods from stock E16i. Will this kind of setup be much louder/better than stock, or would it be overkill? Trying to do this with least expense possible while trying to squeeze any HP I can get out of this old beater. so on that note is doing a custom job better value than just replacing with OEM parts?
And I have a cat question. whats a good one to replace OEM cat? does quality matter with this part or should I just get cheapest one I can find?
Also I read the piping reccomended is 2", what size then muffler do I need then? would the inlet/outlet have to be 2" too? do I just weld the pipe onto the exhaust or use a clamp?
And on a side note, what other exhaust setups are there? What exactly is a cat-back system I keep hearing about?

 

[astreamk1]

Hello , the term Cat Back exhaust refers to the section of the exhaust system from the catalytic convertor back to the muffler and/or tailpipe. unfortunately there really are no Cat back systems readily availible for our cars. you are limited to replacing with the stock pipes, or building your own system.

from what I read sentra.net, the catalytic convertor was not a big issue in their tests and replacing your old one with even a new OEM or universal style should be fine.

being that you have access to a shop and welding equipment, you might want to buy yourself some pre-bent tubing and weld up your own pipes. running a 2 inch system all the way back should definitely improve exhaust flow. the stock exhaust on these cars is tiny. :thumbup:

 

[JonnyB]

Thanks for the ideas astreamk1. I've been doing some more searching/reading, and since I want to go cheap as I can while still sounding decent, I've decided on this:
-Magnaflow SS muffler: $150
-Magnaflow freeflow cat: $80
-piping I'm undecided to go mandrel bends or crush bent. Haven't checked out prices on this yet. I'll probably go 2" crush bent if those mandrels go into the triple $$$ range.
-cherrybomb muffler for a resonator: $30
I priced this stuff out roughly from the Canadian Tire performance stuff catalog. Not a bad price for it all so far and hopefully in the long run it'll pay for itself if by outlasting OEM stuff.

 

[astreamk1]

I have a cherry bomb on my car right now in place of the stock muffler on the stock system, and it is very very quiet. too quiet for my taste. When I redo mine here shortly, I think I am skipping the resonator. I figure if it is too loud, I'll just look for a resonated tip later.

I was looking at the mandrel bent tubing pieces on jcwhitney.com . they even have them with expanded ends so they will slide together. for the aluminized stuff, it does not seem that expensive. around here it seems to cost an arm and a leg just to get crush bent exhaust and most of the places are hacks anyways.

 

[Lazarus_023]

jeez! $150 for a muffler? you gots to be joking son. you can buy another B12 for that... i ran a cherry bomb on my B11 ($15 at F&F), it didn't sound too bad. 2" might be a little overkill as well... 1-3/4 or 1-7/8 would be enough, and the cat and muffler might be cheeeper.

edit: er, wait. $150 canadian is like, what? $20 us?

 

[Crazy-Mart]

150 = 120/125$ those days

 

[astreamk1]

I think I kinda agree with Lazarus on the muffler. $150 is kinda steep, esp. if you are building on a budget. on my other B12, I ran stock piping mated to an aluminized glasspack I bought on jcwhitney.com for like $25, 2 years later the exhaust system was shot and that muffler was still like new. and that B12 was my winter ride at the time. I mainly only drove it when it was bad out.

for the money you'll save buying a lesser muffler, will probably almost pay for the rest of the system.

 

[Gsolo]

i ran a thrush glasspack, similar to a cherry bomb, on my pulsar with no resonator. It was a little loud so my suggestion would be use the longest cherrybomb you can with same inlet outlet right after the cat, then use a very good resonator tip like pacesetter. that would keep your cost low and woulnd't be to loud. if it does become to loud you could probably run two cherrybombs.

 

[Crazy-Mart]

on my setup, i ran a 2in crush bent from the cat (wich is next to the turbo) all the way to the back with a bosal single tip SS muffler... the muffler keep better than the rest of the line...altaught i should had a resonator in the oe place for the cat... anyway the muffler costed me 2 time the $$ of the piping... totaled 500$can for the job... wich i was quoted over 1000$ for a 3inch mandrel with magnaflow exhaust without tip. 1 thing i wont redo. is getting a 2in crush bent for a turbo engine.

 

[BII]

If you can weld, buy some SS tubing like Bassani's or Borla's (don't buy direct though, more expensive, buy from a distrbutor), they have prebent ones and the exhaust on the B12 doesn't have wierd or tight bends in it. Mandrel bent is ALWAYS better to go than crush bent. Crush bent tubing has an inner diameter that is smaller than the outer, than restricts flow (since the flow has to slow down in this smaller area). Mandrel bent tubing (what most cat-backs are made from and the Bassani/Borla pieces are) have the same inner and outer diameter on the bends, so flow is less restricted, by like 60% in some cases. Borla's SS tubing is far more expensive though, they use a higher grade stainless steel (304 vs everyone else, which uses 409) that has less nickel (good thing) and more chromium (good thing as well). More chromium makes for a more resilient piece of metal, your exhaust will outlive Cher if you use Borla's piping and muffler, but it is probably overkill if you ask me.

As far as a muffler, a straight through design like Magna Flow's is a good choice. Magna Flow's seem to be the best dollar-to-value choice. Borla's mufflers are very nice (similar design, better materials though), nicer than Magna Flow, but more expensive. If you want to go crazy you can get a titanium muffler or a Japanese robotic welded muffler like A'PEXi (which is what I have, it is SO beautiful, sounds amazing, but expensive).

You should definately get a resonator (like a cherry bomb or whatever), unless you want 5-0 on your back giving you tickets for having a loud exhaust. Glasspacks wear out over time, the material its packed with rusts and gets loose, then its blown out. MAgna Flow mufflers use lava rocks which are not prone to this problem.

As far as a cat, you can get a high-flow cat from carsound, which owns Magna Flow (they have been making catalytic convertors since they came out). This runs around $60-75 and flow better than a Pep Boys/OEM cat and still keeps you legal.

EDIT: If you go with Borla or Bassani Piping, get a catalog then PM me with what you want, we distrbute both where I work and I can give you more info.

 

[Gsolo]

your exhaust will outlive Cher

lmao!!!! :thumbup:

 

[JonnyB]

great ideas guys.
making me rethink my plan.
what do you guys think about this:

-for muffler: P/N 14214 at:
http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/mufflers/univ_ss_oval.asp

-cat: one of these: http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/02converters.asp

-SS tubing

-resonator: kinda confused on this. Is a resonator just another "muffler" that is placed between the main muffler and the cat? would any of these be good for a resonator?
P/N 13650: http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/02xl.asp
P/N 14414: http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/mufflers/univ_ss_round.asp

Now another question. Wheres a good place to buy this stuff?
Canadian tire? NAPA?
or a place like www.jbspowercenter.com (one of local performance part specialty shops)

 

[BII]

great ideas guys.
making me rethink my plan.
what do you guys think about this:

-for muffler: P/N 14214 at:
http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/mufflers/univ_ss_oval.asp

-cat: one of these: http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/02converters.asp

-SS tubing

-resonator: kinda confused on this. Is a resonator just another "muffler" that is placed between the main muffler and the cat? would any of these be good for a resonator?
P/N 13650: http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/02xl.asp
P/N 14414: http://www.magnaflow.com/02product/mufflers/univ_ss_round.asp

Now another question. Wheres a good place to buy this stuff?
Canadian tire? NAPA?
or a place like www.jbspowercenter.com (one of local performance part specialty shops)

Try Here, its where I work and you can get everything from us, although some stuff we may not list online, you can call and get the other parts. We stock a lot of Magna Flow and if its not in stock we get very fast. It may or may not be cheaper here than locally in Canada, although many customers are from Canada.

A resonator decreases the noise by reflecting sound waves against each other in such a way as to cancel them out. Yes, it is a kind of muffler, technically, but not in the same sense that many people think of. Its a good idea to one (or at least a glasspack) in addition to your end muffler, unless you want a loud exhaust (B12s do not have much in the way of sound deadening between you and the exhaust, so its a really good idea to lessen the db level with a resonator).