I'm going to start off by saying that I have searched endlessly for answers to my questions and have turned up very few, so here it goes.

I have a 3.5 altima and will be going with a true dual setup. It would be this weekend, but baseball tryouts are going to push it back another week(which is fine because I am still trying to get all my parts together)

It will be a 2.5" setup run through an x-pipe to 2 glasspacks to 2 borla mufflers.

My question is this:

Will a plain x-pipe offer any performance advantages over a resonated x-pipe(muffler style)? Obviously there will be a sound difference, but what about performance? I am looking at a these x-pipes
http://www.dynomax.com/mufflers.php?muffler=ultraflox
http://www.jegs.com/i/Magnaflow/642/10791/10002/-1

The reason I am wanting a resonated x-pipe is that the price I was quoted by the shop included the borlas and the glasspacks, and a resonated x-pipe will give me 3 mufflers total which(including the glasspacks) should be quiet enough, and if it sounds good without sacrificing performance, then it's a win win because it will save me some money because I will not need to purchase 2 resonators....see what I am getting at?

But if the dynomax muffler I linked will perform substantially worse than the magnaflow I will go with option B which is the basic x-pipe, 2 22" magna resonators and the borla muffs.

What are some of your opinions on the possible setups? pros/cons?

Thanks
Matt

edit for mods: custom short ram intake, headers, etc., and a 75 shot sitting in the closet

 

use the resonated xpipe and leave out the glass packs. that way you still keep the nice vq sound. glass packs are going to sounds like crap on a v6

 

so there won't be much of a loss(if any) of power between a regular x-pipe and a resonated muffler style one? I guess the difference will probably be negligible anyways. It will still be fairly loud with only 3 mufflers though correct? I was thinking of going with 2 18 or 22" resonators to kill the drone. It seems everyone is against the glasspacks lol.

thanks for the help kram

 

Wow Tuner, I can got to Maxima.org and those quys won't give me any trouble with engine or exhaust questions.. And I drive a Sentra with a VQ35 in it! As long as you have a VQ35, they're willing to help you out. Your best bet is to go over there.

 

I thought I was using the forum correctly by going to the Engine & Drivetrain, and NA builds section for information on building my VQ35. I mean, that makes the most sense to me on where to go for info and to ask any questions I may have on building my VQ.. Sorry, I didn't know that information was exclusively for people who drive 350Z's. Maybe the Toyota forums will have the information I need on building my VQ, because the section you were talking about dosen't have much of what I'm looking for.

 

The difference between a non res x pipe and res one is so minimally different you wont feel it. I would say with the stock cats glass packs and borla mufflers you wont need it but thats up to how quiet you want it. If anything the sound will be very clean.

 

Question looks legit. It's not a Z, but given the nature of the question, engine type, and make of vehicle, this is probably the best suited section on our forum to host it. Stay on topic or move along...



VO

 

thanks jiggy. Because I am running headers I do not have any cats to kill the rasp, which is why I am looking at the options I am. It looks like I will be ditching the idea of glasspacks because the reaction to them for the vq has been overwhelmingly negative. SO I am now looking at the resonated x, borla muffs, and magna resonator(18-22") or dynomax bullet muffs.

For the guys who are offering your help and advice, it is greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Matt

 

What king of sound are you looking for because even without stock cats. I would think a resonated x pipe and 2 mufflers would sound great, any more might be too quiet but thats just IMO.

 

I think the borlas will give me a deeper tone than I have now, which is headers + nismo cat-back and sounds a little high pitched for me under wot

The only thing I am hesitant about with only 3 mufflers and no resonators is the highway drone. Just like most people with aftermarket exhausts, the drone around 2200 rpms can suck for people in the back seat(not that that's a problems you guys have to worry about) I am thinking a non resonated x-pipe and 2 magnaflow resonators and 2 mufflers will be the sound I am looking for while also cutting down on the drone....sound about right?

 

Be cautious. What works for the Z may not transfer over to the Altima. Cabin volume differences may have an affect on cabin drone. Drone is cabin specific, and usually hard to eliminate. It's not the exhaust thats actually loud, it's the cabin resonating and amplifying the sound at a particular frequency. It's "in-cabin drone" since it's only really offensive to the people inside the car, it's not that bad from a listener outside. A couple ways are to either decrease overall exhaust volume(dB) or put a really large muffler as far back in the system as possible (OEMs do this).

I don't see how a "glasspack" is that much different than a standard perforated core straight-through resonator. The design might be slightly simpler, but they practically do the same thing.

For all practical performance purposes, the resonated X-pipe and standard X-pipe will probably only differ slightly, if at all. Acoustics will be different though, so let that guide you instead.

I wouldn't ditch the idea of resonators or the glasspacks. Given a particular setup, sometimes the only way to get rid of rasp at certain RPMs under specific load conditions, is to strategically place a resonator somewhere along the piping.

 

Thanks TK. In cabin drone is a major concern, which is why I have pretty much decided on the non resonated x-pipe and 2 decent sized magnaflow resonators. I do not think I can get away with opening up my exhaust more than it is and have less devices in place to kill the drone. as it sits now I have 1 resonator and two mufflers. new setup will be 2 resonators and 2 mufflers. If that is not enough, or doesn't yield the results/sound I am looking for, I will go to a resonated x-pipe.

Once again, thanks for the help guys and I will post a clip of the exhaust when I get it installed

 

lol listen to some sounds clips of any exhaust on you tube. the borla with a resonated xpipe, hks with a resonated xpipe, or even the injen with a resonated xpipe. the sounds is night and day. especially with test pipes. i have heard borla and the injen with the res xpipe and it sounded so much better. just heard a sound clip of the hks and it sounded a lot better also.