custom exhaust/ intake

[slipknot490]

Ok, guys....First off, don't laugh at me for trying so here goes.....
I want to make more horsepower on my xrs, but everything out there on the market takes away from the already low torque on my car. It's simple...bigger exhaust= more power but it also equals less torque. Bigger intake (CAI) = more power, and once again, less torque.
Here's my plan.... I want to open up the intake by adding a bypass air duct from the airbox to the front bumper slots below the headlight, but by doing this, I will lose what little low torque there is. So I am going to do all the "plumbing" of the hoses, cut the hole in the airbox, etc. but I am going to put an inline flapper so that it won't open till a certain rpm or till there is enough vacuum created by the motor. I have read that the xrs already has a flap that opens around 4000 rpm, so I will just be adding a little more flow to whats already there and maybe off the same vacuum lines to keep the flaps synchronized.
Second task...free up the exhaust. To do this, I am considering a "piggyback" exhaust system. This will work with the existing exhaust to keep the smog crap on the car and also to keep the low end torque where it is. I will be using a valve similar to a vacuum controlled wastegate from a turbo. This exhaust will run along with the existing exhaust, so it doesn't have to be enormous or even close to the stock exhaust size because it will be working with it and not a totally separate exhaust. Of course, it will have a muffler but a high flow muffler instead of the stock restricted one and no catalitic converter(yay!!!).
It seems like a lot of work but I don't see any other way of producing more power without losing the torque. I think I can do it.
Does anyone have any suggestions, comments, tips?

[cosmicbluexrs]

don't have the intake yet but will very soon. test drove another members (rice4life) and man did his ride ever felt like it had tons of low end torque......and sounded go too might I add.