Is a cat back on a 5sfe worth the money?

[Falloutkid90]

I just ordered a magnaflow street series for my 4 cyl 96. I bought it more for the sound and look since I know the power gains wont be much. The inlet size on the magnaflow is 2.25" and the piping on the camry is 2" I think. So question, is a custom cat back the only option in putting the magnaflow on and is it worth the money?

[Pvt-Public]

If making more noise and getting nothing else in return is worth it to you than yes it's worth the money. To me, It isn't worth a dime just for more noise.

[parkc96]

you can have a shop just cut off the muffler and weld on the new one with a little bit of piping, less expensive but wont do a thing, a new cat-back might get you a little more hp and torque but nothing that you would notice alot, its personal preference. the main reason you would feel a difference with a cat-back is the weight loss from the new piping over the heavy OEM stuff.

[N/A Camry Sleeper]

Invest in a 5SFE header and make it worth the trouble. WIth the header and cat-back you should see maybe a 10-12 HP gain above 3500 RPM or so

Best bang-for-buck mod I've done so far

[JimBowNut]

What he said.............plus don't forget that little bit of extra mpg !

Also you'd have a total net weight reduction w header......and that ties in with sleeper's (above) mission statement.........

[bigbird]

On the 5sfe, unless your willing to do the rest of the exhaust, NO. Catback will yeild very little if any gains on a stock 5s. The stock catback flows pretty good for being stock because other then the muffler, the catback is built for the V6.

[Falloutkid90]

Originally Posted by N/A Camry Sleeper

Invest in a 5SFE header and make it worth the trouble. WIth the header and cat-back you should see maybe a 10-12 HP gain above 3500 RPM or so

Best bang-for-buck mod I've done so far

The only headers Ive seen for the 5sfe camry are the obx headers for 97-01 camrys. Not sure if their any good or will fit the gen 3.

[N/A Camry Sleeper]

They'll work - except for a tiny bit of modding that will need to be done to get the exhaust pipe from cylinder #1 to clear the alternator. Any 5SFE header will work with a competent pipefitter - my work was kinda half-ass, but bigger plans are in the works anyways.

Look for MR2 (5SFE models) or Celica performance parts - most of them can fit a Gen3 and 4 Camry with little to no additional modding.

[bigbird]

Ive read in the past that the celica headers need to be modded at an exhaust shop. There is an issues with the down pipe hitting the frame or something.

[Falloutkid90]

Originally Posted by bigbird

Ive read in the past that the celica headers need to be modded at an exhaust shop. There is an issues with the down pipe hitting the frame or something.

Do the mr2 parts have the same issue?

[N/A Camry Sleeper]

This is what I had to have done in order for mine to work:



Not the best pic I know - the pipefitter heated up that runner with a torch and hammered it over a little bit leaving about 1/4" clearance for the alternator. Almost 2 years and 55000 miles later no trouble out of either part

Another issue I had early one (thanks for reminding me bigbird!) was the downpipe portion will run extremely close to the front (closest to the front bumper) engine mount. When I would let off the clutch and coast, the engine and downpipe would touch the front engine mount and cause a loud vibration, but it was a relatively easy fix and didn't have to pay a visit to the exhaust shop again I jacked up the engine about an inch or so after loosening the mounts and ground the front mount down about a half inch or so with an angle grinder.

I can post pix of this if you want

The MR2 5SFE header will most likely have the same issue since the alternator for an MR2 is mounted differently - it goes close to where the P/S pump would go on our Camrys. You could get the alternator bracket from an MR2 and relocate the alternator yourself, but it seemed like a shitload of work and god forbid it goes out - what a bitch to get to. Plus, if you have any sort of P/S leak around the alternator you can expect to replace that alternator pretty soon