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Back in the day, changing the exhaust system on your vehicle usually involved a trip to the muffler shop, a torch and a welder. Getting underneath your car at home and doing that kind of job was out of the question. With the advent of cat-back exhaust systems a few years back, getting that new rumble from under your vehicle has actually gotten easier.
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But what exactly is the advantage of a cat-back exhaust besides ease of installation? Most factory mufflers are designed to be very quiet and especially non-intrusive inside the vehicle. The average car buyer doesn't want to hear their exhaust nor feel it inside the cabin. As such, the exhaust tends to be very muffled and restricted. This generally reduces the engine's ability to make more power much the way you'd feel if you had to breathe out through a straw while running.
A free-flowing exhaust also helps other bolt-ons, such as a cold air intake, perform better—more air in, more exhaust out, more power to make. Additionally, factory mufflers have gotten heavier in recent years due federal mandates that require exhaust and smog control equipment to last longer than ever, by law. Stainless steel (and lots of it) is heavy and any extra weight you can trim off your vehicle does add up to more performance.
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If after all this you still need a reason for a cat-back exhaust, how about the sweet sound your machine will make when you finally uncork it? We grew up with musclecars, Mustangs and V-8s, so the sound a performance car makes no matter what engine is music to our ears. Thanks to advancements in muffler design you can now basically choose what kind of sound you prefer and even how loud it is. Be forewarned, however, that many cities rigidly enforce exhaust sound level laws, so if you're in doubt about your local law enforcement, don't go too loud.
Most late model cars have a bolt-on exhaust system after the catalytic converters, so installing a new system that's engineered for your specific vehicle couldn't be easier. We performed the job on a late-model Acura Integra and found a system that perfectly replaced the original, sounds great and is much lighter than stock. The install took only about 30 minutes, and we really like the way the chrome outlet looks too. Many manufacturers now offer custom outlets, so you can choose one that matches your ride's exterior.
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