A-dub5513

I think I may need my exhaust replaced. A few weeks back while I was driving, it just got really loud. I mean REALLY loud. The car ran pretty poorly as well. And when I kicked the tailpipe, there seemed to be something loose and rattling in the canister. A muffler guy said that my exhaust was "blown" and cannot be repaired. What do you guys think?

Now, assuming I were to just replace the muffler, can I just buy an axle back exhaust and attach it to my existing piping of the same brand. In other words, will the Greddy SP2 muffler bolt on to my existing 1st-gen Greddy SP piping. Or are axle back systems a weld-on affair?

Thanks,
A-dub

Spec R

usually depends on the manufacturer's specs. I wouldnt know specifically if the SP2 fits the SP1 axle back, and if you were to purchase the axle back alone, its probably meant to mate to your stock B pipe, not the SP1 piping that you already have. your best bet is to call greddy tech support.

GSRRacer95

Spec hit the nail on the head. Call Greddy.

A-dub5513

Great response regarding compatibility...makes sense. So are 'universal' muffler/systems usually designed to be welded? I'm trying to figure out, since I don't have welder I can trust, if a half-assed weld job will produce much, if at all any, reduced flow characteristics. That or plunk down all $600 or so for a completely new system. Input on this? Will-do on contacting Greddy...thanks guys.

A-dub

Spec R

you're welcome!

universal mufflers always require custom welding, since 99% of the time its just the muffler itself. Good job looking for a good welder, most cheapo muffler shops just bird poop the welds enough to make them seal. if u've ever looked inside a crappy exahust weld, you can see the weld flash on the inside of the piping, interfering with a good chunk of the exhaust flow.

i see from your sig that you're supercharged, so maybe you're due for a 3" system anyway. you'll see some nice gains, that is, unless the SP2 system on your car was already the forced induction version with bigger piping

B20db7

i kinda have the same prob. i recently swapped to a itr muffler then a couple of days later it got a little louder. the noise is comin from the mid pipe or something. what could it be?

A-dub5513

[QUOTE=Spec R;4200908]

universal mufflers always require custom welding, since 99% of the time its just the muffler itself...most cheapo muffler shops just bird poop the welds enough to make them seal. if u've ever looked inside a crappy exahust weld, you can see the weld flash on the inside of the piping, interfering with a good chunk of the exhaust flow.

Exactly! That's why I wanted to get a little confirmation on universal systems and a crappy weld job is what I want to avoid. We on the same page...

i see from your sig that you're supercharged, so maybe you're due for a 3" system anyway. you'll see some nice gains, that is, unless the SP2 system on your car was already the forced induction version with bigger piping.

You're right about going with a system with larger piping since replacing the whole system may be a likely outcome. Although I currently have the SP1 on my car with 60mm piping (as with the SP2's), I'm not aware of Greddy offering an "FI" version of the SP2.

The collector at the header is 2.5", so I'm OK with the piping having that inner diameter throughout, which is currently slightly under with the SP1 as well as the SP2, assuming both the street versions are the same.

Since you brought it up, any suggestions as to which brand/type exhaust you prefer? Wanted to avoid that type of question, but hell, I bought this system back in '99, and TRD's produced the best flow, but just too damn loud!

A-dub5513

B20db7: What kind of noise are you hearing? Rattles? What other kind of mods do you have? I highly doubt that our situation is the same. The rattles I'm experiencing are obvious and originates from the muffler. And when I say that my exhaust is loud, I'm talkin' almost 3x's than normal!

You said that you suspect "noise" coming from around the mid-section. Check that the heat shields are torqued down and not touching any of the pipes. Bend the shields away from the pipes if they're too close. The exhaust might shift slightly when you're driving and be close enough to touch and cause a rattle. I've done this in the past when I heard a slight rattling sound around the mid-section of the exhuast. Still, turned out to be a small joint crack between the b-pipes and resonator.

That's about all the suggestions I can give you with the info I have. Hope they help.

A-dub

Spec R

[quote=A-dub5513;4203956]haha for a minute i was like "TRD? toyota racing development?", but it seems you're old school, and you probably meant thermal R&D. thats right with a s/c, its not "quieted" down by the turbo. hmmm maybe the greddy f/i will work for u? pretty much, i think they're all going to be too loud.

A-dub5513

Haha...old school! I guess that I am, since my memory caused a bit of misinformation. My DC 4-2-1 in fact has a 2.25" collector, and not 2.5" as previously posted. Along with the stock cat, I guess even upping the diameter piping won't be significant...being that Greddy's piping is 60mm (2.35"?). The collector and cat would just be bottlenecking larger piping anyway. Or would larger piping still yield some, albiet not much, benefit from the cat on back?

Been looking at HyTech's system, but that's bread! And again, if I keep the DC, which will likely be the case, there's no point in spending that kind of money, right?

While I'm still waiting on Greddy's response on the SP1 piping to SP2 muffler fitment issue, I'm now finding it difficult to decide what complete system I want to buy. I'd stick with Greddy because I like how the SP's sound, but as others have noted, I'm starting to agree about their lack of long-term durability. All the Greddy exhausts I've bought did seem to crack/leak and generally break down prematurely. Can anyone vouch for Apex'i's quality being better than Greddy's? N1 or WS...pros/cons between these two?