Craig577

I recently had obx headers, a dynomax high-flow cat, 2.5" mandrel bent piping and a dual-tip straight-through muffler. I expected to notice a power gain after spending $450 to have this done but if there is any difference (other than the crappy raspy noise at anywhere or 3k) it is a loss of low-end power. What can I do to make the sound more smooth and not like a raspy p.o.s.? I would really appreciate any input anybody might have... Thanks.

95_240SXSE

First off, not to be harsh, but OBX headers are crap. Second, I'll bet it was the muffler that made the sound bad. Go get yourself a nice full cat-back. I recommend the HKS Hi-Power. $382 bucks and it sounds sweet and gives good gains.

Craig577

Thaks 95. I've heard bad things about OBX before (after I purchased it of course). I should have looked into it more before buying. I was just trying to save a buck but I guess you get what you pay for... Why exactly are they crap? I've heard that they are sometimes a pain to install and that the EGR fittings sometimes have problems but is there anything wrong with them performance-wise? I haven't noticed any actual dyno sheets or tests showing results but I would think they'd would have to help performance somewhat??? Maybe?... I do notice a bit of a sound coming from around where they downpipe and cat come together. The only way I can describe it is a air 'fluttering' noise. I thought it may be a leak but I had it checked out and they said everything's sealed just fine. As far as the muffler goes, it's weird because the raspiness from the muffler has pretty much went away completely after driving it for a few days but it's still pretty loud. I still need to quiet it a bit. Might put another small muffler on the mid-pipe. Maybe it just had to be broken in a little bit. I checked out the HKS hi-power and I'm considering it. The headers will probably go because I'll probably put a turbo on in the summer. Any recommendations on a good turbo kit for a somewhat decent price? Also any more info on the obx headers would be appreciated. I want to know if they're worth keeping or if I'd be better off just taking them off...

95_240SXSE

The OBX headers are known to crack as well as being hard to install at times. Also, like you said, the EGR and O2 sensors sometimes have trouble fitting. There are sometimes also fittment problems with the catalytic converter and b pipe. Some good cheap turbo kits are the Nsport, Greddy, and Fmax.

Craig577

I still plan on doing something to quiet my exhaust. I don't really feel like putting up the money for a full cat-back right now when I just had the custom piping done and it wasn't that cheap...
I brought up the idea of a resonator to the guy at the shop. He said that a resonator wouldn't really quiet it enough and he wants to put on a small 6" straight-through dynomax muffler on the mid-pipe.
This sounded kind of funny to me - having two mufflers and all- but I don't think it would slow down the velocity that much since it's straight through... What do you think about this idea? How much do resonators cut down the noise? I thought I might be better off just getting a muffler with a silencer but I do kind of like the way my current muffler looks.
Thanks for your help.. a lot of people in these forums don't bother answering newb questions such as mine...