Talon TSI 2 1/2 " Exhaust or 3" Exhaust Which whould i go with?

[l3igl3ang]

Hi im going to do a Exhaust System change and get rid of the stock Exhaust and CAT the shop will charge me $250 for a 2 1/2" full exhaust thats with my own apex muffler but they said a full 3" would be more $'s and i dont have a 3" muffler so how much of a difference is a 2 1/2 from a 3" is it a world of difference?

 

[dsm03]

More Air + More Fuel = More Power. Go big or go home. Your car is turbocharged therefore 3 inch would be a much better choice.

 

[chico904]

I would say go for the 3 inch now, so that depending on what your goals are down the road, you do not have to upgrade again.

 

[93blueGS]

3" at the very minimum on a turbo car..

 

[Kastigir]

Better off going with a 3 inch. Catbacks are expensive, but they're typically the best bang for your buck.

 

[l3igl3ang]

ok then 3" it is i will just buy a 3" muffler off ebay

is there any certin muffler i should buy off ebay or which would u guys suggest i get for the lowest $'s

 

[93blueGS]

Whichever one sounds best to you.. The muffler is all about sound preference..

 

[92AWDHX40]

I found a megan racing muffler off ebay, and i love it.

 

[99Dodge1500]

I have a Cherry Bomb GlassPack for a muffler, it is cheap and sounds good, it has a deep bumble bee sound if that is what you are going for.

 

[Calan]

Wow...so much mis-information (except I'll agree with Charlie).

Contrary to the simplistic answers I just read, it depends on your setup and your goals. Believe it or not, your exhaust is part of a system, and all the parts need to be matched to each other for optimum performance.

A 3" exhaust will definitely flow more freely... which oddly enough could actually cause problems. For a basically stock setup or maybe a slightly bigger turbo (14b, 16g), a 2-1/2 could be just right. Go bigger than that and you may run into boost creep at lower boost levels, or at the very least spend extra money for no real gains. It totally depends on how much air you are flowing and the other parts your exhaust has to work with.

So what would I recommend? probably a 3"

But not because

3" at the very minimum on a turbo car

or

Your car is turbocharged therefore 3 inch would be a much better choice

It's because almost everyone ends up upgrading components until they actually NEED a 3" exhaust, and a second upgrade would obviously be more expensive than initially going with a 2-1/2. And with your setup, boost creep probably won't be an issue unless you try to run fairly low boost.

Something else to think about is with a 3" you'll lose a bit of ground clearance, and you could theoretically lose some of the benefits of the larger pipe if you have more/tighter bends. The main reason I went with a 3" system is because I wanted a tight tucked exhaust instead of one hanging under the car...and with the extra bends and jogs needed to do it, the larger pipe would compensate a little (at least it made sense to me back then .

And BTW

Whichever one sounds best to you.. The muffler is all about sound preference

Sure... so just slap on a really nice deep sounding twin outlet muffler. Don't worry about whether or not it's matched to the rest of the exhaust flow-wise

I'm just trying to point out that there are no "simple" answers. If you want the best performance, match components...don't just slap on any old muffler and "Go big or go gome".

 

[teamdriven]

I went with a 3" on my talon. There is a huge difference in price going from 2.5 to 3 unlike 2.25 to 2.5". But the rarity of a 3", the sound of the turbo through the exhaust, and the power is well worth the money. And with a 3" cat and full exhaust race gas is like nitrous on a turbo car.

F.Y.I.= They can swell a 2.5" pipe on one end to connect from the muffler to the 3" pipe. I have a 2.5" inlet apexi N1 muffler as well.

 

[93blueGS]

He said he was looking for a 3" muffler, there is not going to be a noticeable difference in power between 3" mufflers..

Also, I never proposed the 'bigger is better' theory..

 

[Calan]

F.Y.I.= They can swell a 2.5" pipe on one end to connect from the muffler to the 3" pipe.

Ummm...yeah. I'm aware of that. It's not a matter of whether it will fit; it's a matter of whether or not the muffler you slap on the exhaust causes a flow restriction due to a smaller total cross-sectional area of the pipe.

As an example, here is an interesting thread with the math behind the calculations for a dual-tip muffler on a 3" pipe. My point is...there's a bit more to it if you want to do things right

He said he was looking for a 3" muffler, there is not going to be a noticeable difference in power between 3" mufflers

Ok.. I'll mostly buy that... as long as we're talking about a muffler that matches the exhaust size. But the muffler design will also affect flow regardless of inlet/outlet size, and could still be a limiting factor.

Also, I never proposed the 'bigger is better' theory..

Never said ya did ... that sarcasm was aimed at post #2

 

[93blueGS]

Never said ya did

Just clarifying since it looked like the last sentence was aimed at me..

 

[kottyking]

2.5 has done just fine for most of any of our needs. Go big or go home? If you want 3 inch get it but unless your car is gonna be 400 hp+ 2.5 will sufice. Especially if you have a 16g. Boost creep can be a pain in the arse with 3" exhaust and a 16g.

 

[Calan]

2.5 has done just fine for most of any of our needs. Go big or go home? If you want 3 inch get it but unless your car is gonna be 400 hp+ 2.5 will sufice. Especially if you have a 16g. Boost creep can be a pain in the arse with 3" exhaust and a 16g.

Thanks...I don't feel so all alone and vulnerable now...

 

[pboglio]

At 350 h.p. there is a difference between 3" and 2.5" exhaust. From a roll the 3" exhaust makes more torque and hits more violently. The noise level of the 3" takes some getting used to so that is probably a consideration.

 

[kottyking]

Thanks...I don't feel so all alone and vulnerable now...

No worries. I'm speaking from personal experiance. Went from 3" to a buschur 2.5 and it cured my boost creep on an evo 3 16g. Bigger isn't always better when you have your goals set in mind. If you aren't gonna be over xoxo amount of horsepower, whats the point? Notice I said IF YOU KNOW.

 

[Calan]

At 350 h.p. there is a difference between 3" and 2.5" exhaust. From a roll the 3" exhaust makes more torque and hits more violently. The noise level of the 3" takes some getting used to so that is probably a consideration.

True...but if the OP's mod list is accurate, he's nowhere near the airflow and fuel needed to hit 350 hp...not at the wheels anyway

 

[l3igl3ang]

Well the car is doing 20psi right now with 950cc injecters and i belive its a 16g turbo in my car so i will go with the 3" i guess and get a muffler off ebay.

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

you can get a full 3" turboback from ebay, full SS piping for about $250 shipped (this is both downpipe and catback, 2.5" before flex, 3" after, necks down to 2.75 where the downpipe connects to the catback, new gaskets and bolts) for FWD 2gs. it has apexi n1 muffler with removable silencer. this is mandrel bent too, i believe most exhaust shop will be press bent, and not SS piping. search "ebay exhaust" and you will get more info on it here

 

[tkelly27]

It has always been my experience that the more restrictions I take out of the exhaust the faster I go. From 2.25 to 2.5 to 3, to 3" with an open cut out, just faster and faster. This has been on my 16g talon, and my turbo dodge. There are people who will tell you that without the back pressure on a small turbo you will feel a torque loss. That is their experience, I've never had it. I will always advise towards the larger side, although anything over 3" is overkill for a majority of DSMers. 2.5 may work for your situation, but if it's going to be the same price (or close) for a 3" there's no good reason not to go with a 3"

If I remember right, a while back someone set an AWD automatic record with a 2.5" exhaust.

 

[Calan]

There are people who will tell you that without the back pressure on a small turbo you will feel a torque loss.

Back pressure is never good. Period.

there's no good reason not to go with a 3"

Yes there is (actually a few...depending on the individual's goals). Boost creep, noise, lower ground clearance, cost, etc. Did you read this thread?

 

[habitatguy187]

I've decided I want a 2.5 inch exhaust (sound and clearance reasons) but I'm wondering if a 3in downpipe to 2.5 inch back would be better than just 2.5 all the way back.

 

[Calan]

I've decided I want a 2.5 inch exhaust (sound and clearance reasons) but I'm wondering if a 3in downpipe to 2.5 inch back would be better than just 2.5 all the way back.

No. If you are going with different size pipes, you want to go from small to larger; gases expand as they get further from the engine and cool. A smaller (or in your case same size) DP will help keep the velocity of the hot gases up and improve flow.

That is why a 2.5" DP into a 3" exhaust is common and works well.