I've been doing a lot of reading and have learned that a cat-back system "opens up" the exhaust so the engine doesn't have to work as hard to get the gasses out.

My question is this: On my 05 civic ex, aside from the giant muffler (which I understand clogs up the system), the actual exaust piping from the cat to the muffler is completely straight already. Do I need a whole bolt-on system or would I get the same resuts just by replacing the actual muffler?

Sorry if it's a stupid question - don't know if the piping is a different diameter or something on the cat-backs.

Also, does anyone know if the Tsudo Fireball extreme is any good? I'm having trouble finding kits that fit my year, although I've heard that anything for a 2002-2003 should fit fine.

 

Are the 05 exhausts crush bent or mendrell bent? That's what a catback basically is, a wider pipe with no crush bends in it so its a smooth non bent diameter all the way through.

 

The only places it seems to have any bend at all is where it joins the cat. The cat is on an angle, and the pipe just goes straight back to the muffler.

The pipe looke like this: CAT--------------------MUFFLER