Exhaust System

[LChineze]

after replacing my fried transmission and getting more sticky tires, for some reason, my car is having trouble accelerating during uphill climbs on freeway on ramps. i already know the engine wasn't built to be powerful, but i never had as much trouble going uphill. i had 185/60/14s as my daily commuter wheels/tires and the car would be fairly quick while getting good gas mileage. now i'm running 195/60s on the same wheels and the car is slow. between 20-50 mph, there is a huge lag and the speed pickup is ridiculously slow, and no, my car is not turbocharged =P ...but nonetheless, its too slow and i'm pretty much backing up traffic when going on on ramps.

due to this problem, i bought and will be mounting 195/45/14 tires on my wheels to shorten the sidewall, possibly to reduce the wheel revolution, hopefully increasing speed. another possibility i am considering is switching my exhaust system.

currently, i have an Apex'i cat-back 3" universal exhaust with 2.25" piping. i went to a muffler shop where the owner advised me that if i wanted more low-end power, i would need to increase backpressure. i am considering either an borla or a magnaflow 2.25" or 2.5" oval (not cannister) exhaust with 2" piping. in terms of price, the price of the muffler plus labor and piping will not be expensive, so it won't deflate my wallet.

[big_fella6699]

is the engine just a 4afe or a 4age? if it is id say that ur exhaust it too big and not offering enough backpressure... the 4a series engines have been known to be rather temperamental when it comes to exhaust mods...

[freakinbox]

nah I'd say 2 inch should be fine, it's not that much larger than the stock exhaust. It's what I used to make the rear part of my exhaust. But as for them saying low end power... It's a 4 banger all the power is at the top end anyways. for instance I get my 91 hp at 6000 - 6300 rpm

[LChineze]

currenty i'm running the 4AC, its such a weak engine. i've been doing my homework and reading up on anything about backpressure and exhaust piping sizing. i've pretty much decided to replacing my exhaust piping from the current 2.25" to some 2" ones to increase backpressure for some low torque. i've also been thinking about switching my apex'i exhaust for either magnaflow xl turbo or a borla one, either 2.25" or 2.5." i'll be asking around for different opinions from different muffler shops to maybe pick their brains and see which is most optimal.

the 4AC makes most of its power (torque) below 3,000-4,000 rpm, yet it still has trouble climbing uphill. hopefully if i do go with smaller pipes and exhaust system, i won't sacrifice too much power in the higher rpms for low torque gain.