Need a little exhaust advice

[BavMoWo]

EDIT: Doing some more research and reading through my thread again, let me give just a quick Cliffnotes version. Looking for a deeper throaty sound that isn't crazy crazy loud, but I can't figure out how each component changes an exhaust system. How does the cat affect it? Do you use a muffler AND tips, just a muffler, just tips? Etc etc.


Currently my car has no cat, two pipes into one into some sort of resonator (no clue what it is, haven't found any markings yet. Last owner put it on...poorly.). It rattles a lot due to a loose pipe fitting, and while it sounds alright otherwise I'd like something different. I may have the opportunity to change to something nicer, but what? I've been browsing a bit, and it seems like maybe something from Magnaflow (14815 seems to be the number that I've found the most). But I'm a bit confused on HOW to set up an exhaust.

My car is stock right now with only a short ram intake and slightly upped compression ratio (if the PO was truthful, going to do a compression check in the next week or two). Like I said, no cat. What I want is a nice, smooth, throaty sound, sort of like in this video: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G3obwXCUpY[/ame] Buuut I also don't want to break the bank...OR the sound barrier :P It's a daily driver, and I do like the sound and so far haven't minded it on the interstate (got used to it pretty fast, can even listen to books on tape without an issue), but I don't want to attract police attention. I haven't yet, and I've been told my car is quite loud, so maybe youtube is just a bad example of noise :P It's hard to tell what things really sound like by browsing youtube videos.

Can someone point me in the right direction? You don't have to plan my setup for me, obviously, and I'm not asking that. But I'm very lost on how these systems work. Do I need a muffler and tips? Straight pipes and muffler? Cat or no? Blah blah blah. I be confused :P If you could suggest a couple models I may like too based on what I've said (I know it's subjective, but throw out your ideas), that'd be awesome! Give me a few directions to keep searching

I'd appreciate any advice you could give!

[Silverdogz]

A good smooth throaty sound would be supersprint.

[MadManInTheBox]

i've got a 24" cherry bomb glasspack on my e30, and it sounds like what you're after. Nice low, throaty, muscular sound, but not extremely loud (until about 5k rpm, then it howls like a banshee)

they're pretty cheap at autozone. best pf luck!