Exhaust
 

I have a 03 Protege that i just put a magnaflow catback exhaust on it. It does not have that big muffler that you see on a lot of other cars. I want to know what the difference is between a regular looking muffler and the big can looking muffler. If there is a big difference can you just buy a axel back muffler system with the big can to fit my magnaflow system

??? I'm confused...is there something you don't like about the Magnaflow?
I'm not sure I understand..why would you buy a cat-back that you didn't like?

i think he's asking about performance from the can style vs. the traditional style....the answer is yes and no....it all depends on the flow characteristics of the two mufflers...IM sure your Magnaflow is just fine....
but if you want the ricer...er I mean big can look then buy a gerneric coffee can, cut off your nice ss magnaflow muff, weld on coffee can and perk away

that is exactly what im asking. My friend who drives a civic with an apex catback system thinks i wasted my money. I dissagree, i like the magnaflow system and think it perfect for the car

Ok, now I understand...no, I think you should keep what you have. I heard & read good things about the Magnaflow. I don't think adding a big-ass coffee can is gonna give you better performance. Anyway, I've never heard a big can muffler that sounded anything but annoying!

i had a magnaflow muffler on my car (pre-cat back exhaust) and it was fine. we had our local muffler guy weld it on and he gave us a nice looking tip too. it's not bad if you're wanting to save some $$

Magnaflow exhaust
 

I have a Magnaflow muffler on my 03 Pro ES. I love it. It has a deep tone to it. It growls when you turn the car on. And it doesn't sound like an annoying $15 muffler you see on the ricers. Now you asked about a bigger looking muffler. A bigger muffler will not sound as deep. Bigger mufflers are not as loud as smaller ones. Ask anyone with experience installing them.

sound aside will a bigger muffler give me better performance?

If it's a muffler only your gains will be minimal! Nothing you'd notice. Even a good catback system will only get you 4-5 HP.
Anyway (correct me if I'm wrong, people!) a BIGGER muffler will not give you any gain. A smaller, more straight-though muffler will give you the best gain. BUT, more noise too!

As i understand it if you´re car needs the extra flow, which a stock protege doesnt the bigger more open exhaust will not give you more performance, possibly a slight gain on the top end but the small system which preserves some backpreasure should be better for you´re purposes.

Dammit, I was about to buy the Magnaflow CB but....$350 is too much for the small amount of money I make at 17 yrs old. Why don't they have an Ebay exhaust that works just as well and it just as cheap as their intakes?!

yes im looking for the best flow out of the exhaust. But backpressure is a big deal too so i think that i prob have the best comb i can get for now

I'm running Magnaflow CBs on our 03.5 ES and 03.5 P5. Both gained about 4WHP dynoed. The sound is a deep, mellow purr. Not loud, but obviously not stock. No rice, like the sound of a fat guy farting.

The muffler and resonator have been designed for maximum flow with minimum restriction for a street-legal system running cats. They fit perfectly.

There are a number of excellent CBs available besides Magnaflow out there. None are cheap. There's no cheap way to get a dyno-proven stainless steel CB. You usually get what you pay for if you shop carefully.