With a 1997 car you will have cats?
The options for cat-equipped cars are slightly more limited, but the best route is the Librands manifolds to start. The old type used to cross over under the sump (the benefit being much longer primary pipes and so better torque , the big negative being the hot gases under the sump making the oil hot which is no problem in winter , but not good in summer) The newer type exit through the chassis rail on each side which is doesn't loose a lot and is better for the sump oil. This is quite an expensive piece of kit , but well worth it , due the release of power and the cleaner look inside the engine bay.
Then you have the cats , you could swap these for sports cats , but this will shorten their lives and make more noise . The standard cats do provide quite a lot of silencing in themselves.
Now form the cats back you have more choice , firstly the silencers , Librands make them in loud, medium and quiet (or at least they used to ?) , if you want to tour then only go for medium or quiet, loud is really very obtrusive.
From there, the tail pipes are almost a free option. Richard's suggestion of side exit pipes is worth exploring and is definitely the cheapest and does away with the clearance problems around the rear wheels and chassis. Otherwise straight tail pipes could be made up by almost any exhaust manufacturer with the right equipment. Do not go for resonators as tail pieces, they are not necessary and will rob the system of some of the nicer exhaust notes, a simple flared tip is much better.
The only ground clearance issues come from the tail pipes extending back too far , the rest of the system is above the gearbox crossmember.
Last edited by MOG 615; 13/10/21 08:14 AM.
