since the turbo is the primary exhaust, i decided to eliminate the second cat (where most of the restriction lies, outside of the rest of the down pipe) and the muffler. i retained the factory resonator for now, but that may to go as well. work took about 2 hrs, and fabrication cost was $400...which included the need to buy a few feet of 3" pipe, make a couple new sections, get the angles right and buy a new tip. it burbles, but is not loud.....short clip attached.




2nd cat removed


muffler removed, angled pipe and tip welded


close view of downpipe to resonator section


view from tip to resonator


tip isn't quite big enough, but hey, it was available

 

Your exhaust has a great tone. Careful about removing the resonator because a straight pipe can "pop" really badly when decelerating (think Semi engine-brake). Already looks/sounds like a great setup as-is.

 

it's about as close to perfect as i think you can get and not over power the stereo, if you're into that sort of thing. ditching the HK speakers/amp is next for something with actual power and drivers. if that works out, then the resonator is either going to be dropped or replaced with another, less restrictive model. as for the popping, there has been no discernible difference in extent from stock until now. removing the 2nd cat made them slightly louder, but did not increase their number. it remains a very quiet car.....but then, i come from a long history of street monsters and race cars.

 

i should have said in the original post, that the turbo is the primary muffler. it does most of the noise attenuation heavy lifting.