ive been very afraid of getting an exhaust for my car for a while now, because the L15A engine +4000RPMs the thing sounds like shit. the reason im afraid is because once i buy it, then pay to get it installed, theres no going back. and if i get to that point and the thing sounds like every other honda douchebag im gonna be a little upset. so i was hoping somebody with experience could guide me. im looking for a deep exhaust; subtle but still noticable that i have one. also trying to keep the price range at around 500 (or lower obviously). i know making a 4 banger sound deep may be tough so im not expecting much but if anybody has any prior knowledge or experience id appreciate your advice.

thanks for any info,


kable

 

Are you trying to do a cat-back or axle-back?

 

Correct me if wrong but axle-back exhausts usually dont pass inspection correct?

 

Cat delete or test pipes usually don't pass inspection. Where Im at I don't have to worry about such things.

If you are going for sound plus cheap I would say get a t1r or megan mid pipe and megan axle back. not super loud, has a deeper note to it, even has a sleeper look.

Or do a custom 2.25" custom cat back exhaust with a big resonator and a magnaflow muffler from an exhaust shop.

I guess it really depends on what your end goal is though and future plans. Just want a better sound? More power? Will you be racing in the future?

 

Exactly where I was going with that. What is your end goal?

 

its my daily driver right now, but im swapping for a k20 in the future. im just getting the car to a point where im comfortable riding around in it, while i save some money.

i appreciate the information and im gonna check some prices. im much less worried on the sound now.

thanks again

kable

 

Chambered mufflers, resonators, and decent piping material are your friend if you want to keep the sound deeper and subtle. Keep the exit piping size down a little bit too, nothing huge.

 

For now 2" would be fine. MR product is 2.25".

 

The exhaust is just going to be a noise you are constantly going to hear. Save your money or upgrade the audio instead.

 

Judging from all the Honda Fit aftermarket exhaust clips I've seen/heard, I'd save your money unless you like driving around in something that sounds like it's being propelled by farts.

 

The lack of power will do that to most Honda's. There are a few Fits that sound good. Its all on the exhaust system (including header, cat, mid pipe, axle-back).

 

I simply replaced the muffler with a 2" straight pipe. A muffler shop charged me $50 for to do it. They just cut the flange off the muffler and welded it to a piece of pipe and bolted it on, whole thing took about half an hour. It's not farty at all, the tone is pretty much the same as stock, kind of mellow but throaty, not fantastic but nice, it's surprisingly quiet, but adds just enough sound to make the car a little more interesting to drive. It's not loud at all, and the plain and relatively thin exhaust sticking out from under the bumper is not at all flashy, I can't imagine even the most hard assed cop pulling me over for it. If you want to know what it sounds like, just take your muffler off, the pipe doesn't change the sound all that much, but I added it because it seemed kind of crude to just have the exhaust end by the rear axle.

California has strict smog laws but even here they don't care what you have past the cat. I've had several cars with aftermarket exhausts that had to be smogged. They take a close look at the header to make sure it's CARB approved, but they never so much as look at the muffler. That's CA, I don't know about other states. Best thing to do is call some smog stations and ask.

 

Technically, you are still required to have a muffler in CA.

You may be able to get away with it if it's not that loud, but you can be cited for it by a cop having a bad day that knows his vehicle code (don't make me pull out the code please lol)

Lots of people do the straight pipe thing though, the Fit has so many cats and resonators I guess it doesn't sound that bad/loud.

 

Even after running no cat and a 2.25" piping all the way back its still not unbearably loud. There was some droning at specific speeds but nothing some music can't fix.

I'm eager to hear the new exhaust system i'll be running for the 2015 SCCA season.

I wouldn;t worry to much with CARB laws or cops busting ya on the exhaust unless you're being an asshole. Then they'll get ya. The new SMOG machines are AWSOME!!! All it takes is plugging into the OBD port, reading the monitors for codes and how the look, and a visual. No running on the rollers or a sniffer. Done in 5 mins.

 

You should learn to install it youraelf, that way you save money and can swap it back if you wanted to. To be honest though an axleback doesnt make it much louder! Maybe because Im used to loud cars but I think it could be louder. I wouldnt remove cats either, unless you have means of putting stock equipment back on.