exhaust piping Options

[99Celica]

I plan on getting 2.25in piping done and i'm able to get a good price since my buddy knows the owners of a muffler shop. They have a good reputation for their work but he said they don't do mandrel bending. Are mandrel bends important on exhaust piping?

Also I read that ebay mufflers and brand name mufflers sound alike but do they give the same performance gains?

Thanks

[_mikeE]

Well if you don't mandrel bend it, then you're going to have to buy pipes of different lengths and weld them all together and it's not the muffler that gives the power gain, it's all on how big your piping is because the bigger the piping = more air flow = more power.
Mufflers are just a decorative item and sound only (w/ stock pipe).

This post has been edited by _mikeE: Mar 27, 2008 - 5:07 PM

[bccentaur3]

To be honest, you won't really feel any difference between mandrel and compression bent. Yes mandrel is smoother, but would you feel the difference? More than likely no.

The real difference between ebay and brand name is the stuff its made out of. The cheap ebay ones you see, don't really do the job the brand name mufflers do. Another thing about the ebay muffler, they are coated with stainless steel, not made out of stainless.

[GriffGirl]

I think there's also a difference in the way the inside of the mufflers are made... I don't remember the exact terminology, but I remember there was something like glass-pack or something, vs. a different way the insides are made. I believe this is a primary difference between quality mufflers and cheap-o mufflers; mufflers tend to go bad from the inside-out, and the material used in cheaper ones will break down much sooner. Mufflers really don't cost all that much, so IMO I don't think it's worth saving a few bucks on.

Edit: I just realized you're in Cali. You might especially want to research this, as I know your emissions are super strict; the cheap mufflers might not even be legal for you.

This post has been edited by GriffGirl: Mar 27, 2008 - 6:45 PM

[99Celica]

Well if he does a great job but its not mandrel bent, will it still be obsolete to mandrel bending? If we're talking like 1HP then I won't care.

Ok sounds like the ebay ones aren't what i'm looking for.

Thanks for the input everyone.