GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hey guys, i own a Matrix XRS. i check out this site, cuz we all got the same cars, just different looks. and i have question to ask you guys, what do yall think is the best exaust? catback or muffler. thanks yall, keep revvin high and smokin the competition. peace.

i see alot of people say Thermal R and D. why do you guys choose that? any particular reason?

A couple reason's are:*It's a do-it-yourself job. All you need is two sockets and a wrench.*Polished stainless steel. Very shiney and looks great!*Reputation. I've heard nothing but good stuff from import owners.*2.25" cat back.

After hearing the sound clips from the Thermal R&D the other day, i would have to say that Thermal R&D is the way to go !

What about the George Martin Design exhaust?I emailed him for info and haven't heard back yet...anyone have an opinion on his? Note to mods: I already have seen the thread with Martin's emails in it

Thermal is definitely far from the best.Thermal is one of the worst up there actually. I would choose Bassani if i got an exhaust, but i did custom exhaust. 1.It might sound good but they use garbage packing material that burns out after a while. 2. All the jobs are do it yourself, so that doesnt make theirs any better. 3. It's really really overpriced.

i know alot of ricers that have them on their civics and after a year or so the packing inside gets burnt out and it really sounds bad. It's also really over priced.

screw borla man do a custom exhaust http://www.summitracing.com has a million great mufflers and any shop will weld it up with bigger piping even if u want.

doesnt matter anyone can do it if they have proper equipment and itll probably still end up being cheaper then borla, and just as good.

anything can be done my friend go to any good performance shop around you.

do it!thats a decent price for using stainless piping actually. And, you know the guy so if somethings wrong etc you can bring it to him. Anyway a Borla is a while away, and its probably going to be more then that. go for it

u gonna do it?

I would recommend the Magnaflow because that is a TRUE catback exhaust system and you would get the best power out of that.Inder

Holy old thread, Batman!But yes, Magnaflow!

So wheres the soundclips?

Magnaflow has a sound and video clip for the base. here's the link:http://www.magnaflow.com/04sou...c.htmThat's the direct link to the actual video. Inder

Yeah I saw the video on Magnaflows site, doesnt sound too good.

Yeah, honestly though, I didn't really buy the Magnaflow for the sound, I bought it for the fact that it is the only true catback made for our cars. And yes, the exhaust doesn't sound good on their site. But when I bought it and installed it, I think it sounded great. Ask Merzbow. He's heard and driven my car.Inder

Any websites for Vibe parts?

I found the best price for my exhaust for $330 shipped was at http://www.performancepeddler.com . For my intake, I got that for $225 for the black intake. I got that from http://www.ultrarev.comInder

Um, my Magnaflow exhaust sounds awesome in person...that's all I gots to say

Let me add my 2 cents to this old/new topic. You guys and gals are no help at all I've been looking at exhaust systems/ mufflers for about a month now and no one can agree on one company. I have no problem spending the money but I want to be sure what I buy is the best for my car and doesn't sound like some 18 yr. old's civic. I had a Borla system on my Camino but when dealing with big cubic inches anything sounds great unless you go and put flowmasters on it IMHO. What to do? So many, mnay choices....AHHHHHH!!!

Just looked at the magnaflow clip that Inder posted, although I have a GT and not a base, listening to the sound clip. I don't think that is the sound I'm looking for.

Quote, originally posted by PhillyVibeGT »Just looked at the magnaflow clip that Inder posted, although I have a GT and not a base, listening to the sound clip. I don't think that is the sound I'm looking for.I want to make and post a clip of my Base with a Flowmaster cat-back. It sounds really good, but I don't know how to post it here when I make it.

I just put my new magnaflow exhaust on and it has a great sporty note. IMOH

I will get a sound/video clip when it gets a little warmer. It's been quite chilly lately.Inder

Quote, originally posted by PhillyVibeGT » I've been looking at exhaust systems/ mufflers for about a month now and no one can agree on one company. All due to personal preference really, I mean if you are willing to fork over the money just by a BIG axle back muffler and get the rest of the piping custom done, or you can go with the magnaflow which is already a full cat back (with smaller piping than say a custom job). So its all about what you want personally. We aren't going to decide for you, you just need to look at t he pros and cons of all the things people have said about the the exhausts and choose something you feel fits you best

Quote, originally posted by PhillyVibeGT »Let me add my 2 cents to this old/new topic. You guys and gals are no help at all I've been looking at exhaust systems/ mufflers for about a month now and no one can agree on one company. I have no problem spending the money but I want to be sure what I buy is the best for my car and doesn't sound like some 18 yr. old's civic. I had a Borla system on my Camino but when dealing with big cubic inches anything sounds great unless you go and put flowmasters on it IMHO. What to do? So many, mnay choices....AHHHHHH!!!I don't understand why you're even considering anything else . Borla's isn't even a true cat-back! Magnaflow's is the only "out-of-the-box" cat-back system I am aware of...the difference in sound is negligible. If all you care about is sound, why don't you buy one of those "fireball" mufflers and a turbo whistler to boot EDIT: Added "out-of-the-box" for Mr. Damron

Mine is a "cat-back", but actually they just cut off the whole exhaust after the resonator, ran new piping from there back with a flowmaster muffler and chrome tip. It looks and sounds great, though. The optioned to remove the resonator, but said it would sound 'ricier" which I didn't want, so I left it on.

Quote, originally posted by Smokin’ Rubber »All due to personal preference really, I mean if you are willing to fork over the money just by a BIG axle back muffler and get the rest of the piping custom done, or you can go with the magnaflow which is already a full cat back (with smaller piping than say a custom job). So its all about what you want personally. We aren't going to decide for you, you just need to look at t he pros and cons of all the things people have said about the the exhausts and choose something you feel fits you best Isn't 2.5mm piping sufficient?

Quote, originally posted by damronjr »Mine is a "cat-back", but actually they just cut off the whole exhaust after the resonator, ran new piping from there back with a flowmaster muffler and chrome tip. It looks and sounds great, though. The optioned to remove the resonator, but said it would sound 'ricier" which I didn't want, so I left it on.Cool. FYI though, Magnaflow's comes with a replacement resonator, so yours is more like a reso-back exhaust (just pokin' fun bro)

Quote, originally posted by Psychobroker »Cool. FYI though, Magnaflow's comes with a replacement resonator, so yours is more like a reso-back exhaust (just pokin' fun bro)No, you're right, but it still sounds good. I'll try to record and post it tonight. I still need to install my rear spacers!

What a terrible quality video for selling a product based on sound! That clip sounds a whole lot different than mine. I think the Vibe in the vid was a 1zz..right?Here's a vid of my XRS (GT) with the Magnaflow cat-back:mase94736.wmv

Awsome vid Mase! the second portion (lift) is just lovely. Gotta love 70mph in 3rd gear I think this clip should settle the "sound" arguement.EDIT: Magnaflow's dyno sheet on an XRS:

Yeah probably, but none the less you will probably get more horsepower from slightly larger pipes (and don't say anything about back pressure cause I have never seen and evidence supporting that and every source I trust like the most recent encyclopedia for mechanics, howstuffworks.com, as well as our own MadBill do not believe in back pressure )

Quote, originally posted by damronjr »No, you're right, but it still sounds good. I'll try to record and post it tonight. I still need to install my rear spacers! Ok, so I recorded it this morning in the parking lot and will try to get it posted tonight after I get off of work as my digicam USB cable and program are on the comp at home. Still didn't get the spacers installed either Oh well, I will surely do it right after work!

I would say magna flow is the way to go. great sound, easy installation, and well it looks pretty good

Gravedigger.But I think I'm going to go with Magnaflow too when I get my exhaust. The two shops I went to to get prices both said Magnalfow is the way to go.

I bought the borla for mine! And have loved it from the time it was bolted on!Picked up throttle response aswell simply because they are a tuned exaust for that engine. Borla does some amazing work!Plus the Stainless finsih was amazing aswell.Not that i have any gripe with magnaflow on the vibe the Borla i thought sounded and performned better for my hot rod went with the magnaflow 3" again just personal prefrences, for the hot rod!

What size tip is the borla? Is it cat-back? and if so what size from the cat-back?

The Borla is an axle back design with a 4 inch tip.

The Borla sounds awesome IMHO,better than magnapoo.BTW guys,this is a 2zz exhaust thread,just so ya know.

I did Borla on my 03GT and Im not really happy with it. Its not THAT much better/louder/different sounding than my stock was,but it dosnt sound horrible or anything just not purrrrfect which is what I'd expect for the price which was way more than I paid for the magnaflow setup I have on my SVT Focus. I personally love their(MAGNAFLOW's)stuff great quality perfect fit not too loud or "ricey" just purrrrfect and holds up well in these WI winters.

Couldnt be happier with my Borla on my 03 gt And i have to disagree about the purrrrrrr this unit is a tuned exaust and is fairly mellow at idle but seems to help the torque and pick up off throttle and really comes alive and screams at 3,200 rpms and up is were you really here it sing.Im a big fan of magnaflows but for this particular car and engine was more happy with the borla. and as for the money they are pricey but always remember!Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten!

I currently have no muffler. It's rather quiet, and not too raspy. You can hear it in a video I posted in the Michigan roll call.

I had a thermal on my Matrix. Then i changed to magnaflow to see the difference. In my opinion the thermal catback sounds ways better than the magnaflow but the magnaflow sounded mean too

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004LH8COO/re ... _ttl_sol_0

Sounds and looks great. Very affordable. See a video here of the same setup as mine https://youtu.be/VCtvce4vvOo

What comes out of an exhaust system depends very much on what goes in.
A 4 cylinder will NEVER sound like a 6 or 8.
Just keep that in mind.

Zipperzeppa wrote:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004LH8COO/re ... _ttl_sol_0

Sounds and looks great. Very affordable. See a video here of the same setup as mine https://youtu.be/VCtvce4vvOo

I barely wanted a 4in tip on my turbo Supra's exhaust and the rest of it's exhaust is much larger diameter than almost anything you'll ever need for the Vibe. I couldn't imagine how silly I would feel w/a 4in tip on my Vibe's exhaust. IMO, of course.