I have had an exhaust cutout on my car for quite some time and although I felt a difference when I installed it, I didn't hold my breath for long either.

My question is, I was speaking to some "aquiantances" of mine and uh, one of them said that cutouts is essentially the same thing as having an aftermarket exhaust.

Although cutouts in my opinion do make a difference, I have to say that what this guy said is false? I may be mistaken, but I don't know which way to believe really.

I really want to order a catback for my car, but I am not expecting a difference between what I have on there now, and when I get the catback installed...

What do you all think?

EDIT: Or is it one of those things where you combine the cutout with an exhaust to make more power? Meaning I can get the most out of a cutout that way.

 

A cutout when open is like running open headers. Unless of course you put it behind the muffler, then it would be pointless.

You do mean you see a diffrence when you open it, instead of noticing a diffrence after you installed it and havent opened it.

Srry for the stupid question but you dont seem to get the idea of a cutout.

 

not quite sure I understand your question but...

powerwise, a cutout is going to deliver the same or better gains than an aftermarket catback. Another advantage is that you can place it where you want for the perfect tuned length for the powerband you want.

Most guys who are serious about going fast on a budget stick with the stock cat-backs and just have a cutout after the Y-pipe, it accomplishes the same thing, just better. With your TBI intake, I'd suggest putting it somewhere in the I-pipe to help give you the best powerband for your car.

 

Um, well its been opened since day one and probably only closed once for about 3-4 days before I realized how much I miss the sound.

What my question was in simpler terms is, if cutouts perform the same gains as an aftermarket catback does, and if I do end up getting an aftermarket catback, would the gains be more noticeable or result in the same?

 

I guess I could see wanting the cat-back if you were forced to not run the cutout much...but it sounds like you run it all the time, so buying a cat-back would be a waste for you i think, unless you've done some work to your engine and need the exhaust tuned to match your powerband a bit more. My guess is, putting a cat-back exhaust on your car will make you lose power up top and quiet-down the car, which are two things I bet you don't want.

 

well then the response I got was pretty positive.

I got mixed opinions from some friends but I was always willing to believe that there would not be much power gained from up top.

I guess the next choice now is to buy me some headers.

We'll see how it all turns out though.