Aftermarket stainless steel exhaust questions

[cems70]

My experience w/ all Hondas I've owned is that the exhaust system is a weak link on Hondas, requiring replacement about every two years if the car is not driven daily (because the condensation on the inside rusts it out).

I'm considering an aftermarket stainless steel exhaust (including muffler) for both my '95 Civic DX h/b and my wife's '98 Civic HX the next time they need a new exhaust. But I hate the loud, non-original sound of these systems I've heard on so many 'tuner' Civics. Does anyone know:

1) If any company manufactures a stainless steel exhaust for the Civic (A pipe, B pipe and muffler) that's not noisy? I've listened to a number of audio clips from some manufacturers' websites, and I haven't found a quiet one yet.
2) Will these free flow systems do any damage to the engine from rediuced back pressure on the valves? (I've read conflicting opinions both ways)
3) What % FE improvement can be expected?

[Bill in Houston]

Have you tried a boring old muffler shop like Midas? They might be able to get you something very close to factory in stainless.

[lca13]

Just go to your local exhaust shop that bends their own pipe and have them do a cat back setup for a few hundred $$. Pick a quiet muffler.... some flow throughs's are fairly quiet... some are adjustable. Stick with stock pipe diameters to maintain exhaust velocity at low RPM's.

The whole burned valve thing is an old myth. There probably was some fact to it before the days of O2 sensors but not today.

And you likely will not see any mileage increase unless you muffler is plugged :-)

[Bill in Houston]

Do the pipes rot too, or just the mufflers?On my wife's Mazda Protege, the mufflers were fine, but the pipe in front of the muffler rotted out. It seemed to be along the longways weld.

[Ryland]

I bought my muffler from a honda dealer who said that it had a warenty for as long as I owned it, it was also extreamly easy to install, as honda uses flanges with springs behind the heads of the bolts that hold it all together, alowing some flex, and easy replacement of any damaged parts.
my exaust system is almost exactly two years old now, and still looks solid.

[cems70]

Bill: Haven't tried Midas.

Clencher: The muffler and B pipe rot with the same frequency. The A pipe might last about a year longer.

Ica: Thanks for debunking the old wives tale about burnt valves.

Ryland: Maybe that's why my exhaust systems don't last long. I've always replaced w/ Bosal or Walker. And BTW, they are indentical to Honda exhaust for installation purposes. Strange though, I think Bosal is listed as Honda OEM supplier for new cars, so not sure why the aftermarket ones would rust out sooner unless they're not made to the same specs. My friend, a former Honda mechanic, told me Honda stopped their lifetime warranty deal on exhaust systems several years ago. Maybe he was wrong. In that case I'll pay the extra 50% for a genuine Honda exhaust next time and make it the last one I ever pay for. The appealing thing about a stainless steel one is not having to crawl under the car ever again to replace an exhaust piece.

Tks for all the feedback.

[thisisntjared]

i have had 15 year old oem exhaust systems do just fine... i dont know how its the weak link...

[88HF]

Ansa is an Italian exhaust manufacturer who makes exhausts for Lamborghini and Ferrari. They are a little pricey. Mine was 180 for my crx. But they are tuned specifically to each application and produce a low tuned rumble that is really nice, really only noticeably at all at start-up and heavy acceleration. Its definately nicer than anything else I've heard. Pretty quiet especially on my HF. They look good too. I had one on my 89 civic hatch I wish I had kept it cause I bet its in the junk yard right now (guy i sold the car to trashed it) and I could use one for my other rex. I'll be buying Ansa products (when needed) until I can't get them anymore.

[mrmad]

Ansa is an Italian exhaust manufacturer who makes exhausts for Lamborghini and Ferrari. They are a little pricey. Mine was 180 for my crx. But they are tuned specifically to each application and produce a low tuned rumble that is really nice, really only noticeably at all at start-up and heavy acceleration. Its definately nicer than anything else I've heard. Pretty quiet especially on my HF. They look good too. I had one on my 89 civic hatch I wish I had kept it cause I bet its in the junk yard right now (guy i sold the car to trashed it) and I could use one for my other rex. I'll be buying Ansa products (when needed) until I can't get them anymore.

Where did you get your Ansa exhaust and do you have any photos? I'd like an aftermarket exhaust, but most of the ones I see are to loud and/or sound like fart cans.

[88HF]

I bought it online can't remember where, wasn't the same place the second time. I just searched on google for it. If you find the one for the crx mine looks just like it but with soot on the tip. I'll snap a picture in the morning.

[88HF]

ansa sport exhaust model number: HD4987 for CRX

http://www.gassavers.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=628&stc=1&d=1182829809

[88HF]

for 95 civic dx should be HD8027 or HD8037, not exactly sure.

http://www.gassavers.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=629&stc=1&d=1182830035
http://www.gassavers.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=630&stc=1&d=1182830035

[VetteOwner]

so hondas exhaust only last 2 years???

lol do they make it outa tin foil?


i have a large portion of my s-10s factory origional exhaust and its solid as can be.

stainless steel will cost out the yang to do....

[cems70]

i have had 15 year old oem exhaust systems do just fine... i dont know how its the weak link...

15 yrs from the OEM exhaust in your Civic? How many miles per year do you drive? And do you drive the car every day? Even when I was driving my former Civic 150 highway miles roundtrip each day, I was still replacing the exhaust about every 4 or 5 years.

[88HF]

I think thats what the Toyota add with the little kids is talking about when they say "your mufflers busted, better get your wallet". But I'd rather buy a new muffler than drive a Toyota. I had a 94 accord back in 2002 and it had the original muffler/exhaust with no signs of damage. Might be a civic thing.

[ffvben]

Nissan exhaust wear quick too, I'm guessing the salty air from shipping them corrodes them fast. my cousin had a 3yr old vw, the muffler had holes in it already. my ford 125000 and no rust through yet( and i still have a extra cat back exh. that a ford dealer removed for a Ev ranger conversion on another truck ;)

[ma4t]

My '04 Mazda is showing signs of serious rust. But we use a LOT of salt in MI.

In fact, I've been doing a bit of looking around underneath while trying to get this hitch off, and I ended up sanding and coating some potential trouble spots.

m

[VXrunner]

I still need to introduce myself, but i have the APEXI worldsport II exhaust, cat back with a OBX cheapo header, and i get tons of compliments about the sound... it was expensive but it's 100% stainless, muffler and all... i have it on a 94 VX that my best mileage was 47MPG, i have never gotten higher than that, but i refuse to run without my stereo, and AC, plus i'm usually running late, so i have to push my speed everywhere i go, plus in S Fla, everyone travels 10mph over the limit, and those are the slow people...

[Telco]

On the burned valve thing, the issue is an open exhaust like headers open to atmosphere, or just manifolds, or no mufflers and a quick dump. And then, it can be prevented by letting the engine idle a short time to cool down before shutting off the engine. A hard run will cause the exhaust valves to be hotter than they are at idle, on shutdown. What causes the problem is when the engine is shut down, cold air is sucked back up the exhaust and hits the exhaust valves. If the exhaust goes to the back of the car, or you are running a cat, no problem. You just need to have an exhaust system long enough that on shutdown, the reversion air that gets sucked back up the exhaust has time to be warmed by the exhaust system before reaching the valves.

[bobski]

Interesting theory. I assume the exhaust reversion would be caused by left over manifold vacuum?
If it's just a matter of blowing air over the hot valves, how is this any different than letting off the gas and coasting? Modern cars all shut off the fuel injectors under those conditions, so the valves will get bathed in nothing but air.