NA2 exhaust upgrade?

[fastaussie]

i have a '96 stocker with 40k miles, and i'd like to upgrade the exhaust with an NA2 OEM system. i like the stock sound and want to keep the car as original as possible. i understand there's a bit of horsepower waiting inside the '97+ headers and muffler. so a few questions?

should i only upgrade to newer NA2 headers and keep my NA1 muffler, or upgrade both? i'm not worried about every last 1/2 horsepower increase, but if there's a significant amount to be gained from changing the muffler also, i certainly will.

is there a difference from the '97 to '99 headers/muffler combo and the 2000+?

will the headers and mufflers from each of those year frames match up or is it best to stick with a matching set from one or the other? is there a difference in airflow or sound from one to the other?

thanx for the help boys...

my NSX in motion: http://youtu.be/Cvla7uiCWIw

p.s. anybody got a decent set of NA2 exhaust in the southeast, near Florida?

 

[Timpo]

You will need an exahust adaptor for sure...or get it custom made.
NA1 and NA2 exhaust are different and it won't be bolt on kind of thing.

I have no idea why you would wanna STOCK NA2 exhaust...it's tuned for 3.2L engine, not 3.0L. Unless someone is selling it used for super cheap?

Also you should take your stock exhaust off and try lifting it up, and feel how HEAVY stock exhaust is. I'd go for aftermarket.
There are a lot of stock-ish exhaust with very subtle increase in sound(or loudness). But whole a lot lighter.

 

[Timpo]

maybe consider getting something like this?

 

[bullithollywood]

A set of NA2s on a NA1 has gains of conservatively 10+HP, some people dyno'd as much as 14HP. The NA2 exhaust might be worth a couple more.

NA2 headers will bolt right up to the stock NA1 exhaust on the 95 an 96 cars, nothing special required except some extensions for the front O2 sensor, which if your handy with a soldering iron is easy to splice.

Besides, its a sin for a car like the NSX to have those big heavy cast iron manifolds connected to that beautiful engine.

 

[kenjrbanga]

I have a 95 nsx. I recently swapped out my original headers for na2 headers w/ NA2 cats and a Dali exhaust which came on my 95NSX. I also purchased an exhaust/muffler from a 2002 nsx. I thought my Dali exhaust would not fit because of na2 cats. The swap really made a difference. It feels like the engine can breath easier. My car feels quicker and it sounds much better now. I still have the NA2exhaust in storage if you want like to purchase it. I'm located in Florida near Disney if you are interested.

 

[Timpo]

I have a 95 nsx. I recently swapped out my original headers for na2 headers w/ NA2 cats and a Dali exhaust which came on my 95NSX. I also purchased an exhaust/muffler from a 2002 nsx. I thought my Dali exhaust would not fit because of na2 cats. The swap really made a difference. It feels like the engine can breath easier. My car feels quicker and it sounds much better now. I still have the NA2exhaust in storage if you want like to purchase it. I'm located in Florida near Disney if you are interested.

so stock NA2 exhaust is better than Dali?

 

[Timpo]

Besides, its a sin for a car like the NSX to have those big heavy cast iron manifolds connected to that beautiful engine.

That's why you need a GT-ONE set up!

 

[s2kNSX]

How much are GT-one headers

Zaid

 

[Timpo]

GT-ONE Titanium
10.56 lbs (stock: 29.92 lbs)
380,000yen

GT-ONE F1
Stainless Steel: 320,000yen
Titanium: 700,000yen

 

[Timpo]

GT-ONE exhaust and header

 

[Timpo]

stock header: approx. 30 lbs
stock exhaust: approx. 48 lbs

Total: 78 lbs

so by changing them to titanium exhaust and header...

Arc Titanium: 7.7 lbs
GT-ONE header: 10.6 lbs

Total: 18.3 lbs

That's 59.7 lbs of weight saving right here!

Arc Titanium Exhaust

 

[Ric]

Just curious: is this exhaust available and how much damage will it inflict on my wallet? Is it a catback exhaust?

stock header: approx. 30 lbs
stock exhaust: approx. 48 lbs

Total: 78 lbs

so by changing them to titanium exhaust and header...

Arc Titanium: 7.7 lbs
GT-ONE header: 10.6 lbs

Total: 18.3 lbs

That's 59.7 lbs of weight saving right here!

Arc Titanium Exhaust

 

[Timpo]

Just curious: is this exhaust available and how much damage will it inflict on my wallet? Is it a catback exhaust?

oops that exhaust is 12.1 lbs

This one is 7.7 lbs

 

[Timpo]

anyways, the price of ARC Titanium exhaust is 398,000 yen + shipping in Japan.

I don't know the price in the US.

 

[NetViper]

I have never heard of a gain from a na2 exhaust swap. I would go with comptech gen2. You will see 10-12 gain and better sound without drone.

I have been thinking of going with comptech headers but the gains are minimal on na2.

 

[Nukem]

I didn't think the muffler from NA1 - NA2 made much of a difference. I always thought the power gain was from swapping to NA2 headers.

 

[fastaussie]

thanx for all the advice guys, i appreciate the insight.

like i stated previously, i like the car quiet and stock, and shaving 50 lbs. from a 3000+ lbs. street car isn't gonna make any discernable difference in performance, at least not for me. i just want to let it breathe a little better. i've got a higher flow air filter and a set of RDX injectors to go in it too, and she'll be right for me. when i feel the need to go faster, i always have a 400 lbs. motorcycle with 170 rear wheel horsepower sitting next to the car in my garage, so that's covered.

so i've found a NA2 exhaust. anybody got a set of headers? should i be looking for NA2 cats also? is there a difference between those and my '96 NA1 cats?

 

[goldNSX]

I'm not astonished to see the typical direction a thread on prime takes (south).

I'm in the same position of the OP. I hope the thread I've started here http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php?t=157840&highlight=goldnsx helps you out a bit (see #19 or so).

A 97+ exhaust is said to be more free-flowing but there are only guesses for how much for the exhaust alone. Maybe you can find a complete 97+ exhaust system...

For the ones who think the OEM exhaust is heavy: For being that silent it weighs pretty low. I've seen aftermarket exhaust that weighted up to 50% more than the OEM one, an overpriced Fujitsubo (30kg) or a Remus (26kg) for example as the OEM unit is 'only' 20 kg. the CT I had was 16 kg but was load as hell for my taste, so I went back to a more silent one but it was necessary for the registration of my CTSC.

should i be looking for NA2 cats also? is there a difference between those and my '96 NA1 cats?

I don't think there's a difference in the internals of the cats. Both have 400 cells.

 

[02#154]

There's no single "NA2" exhaust (system). Depending on year, NA2 exhausts are different.

I'm not sure but I think there's only one type of NA2 exhaust manifold ("header", if you prefer). I may be wrong about that because there are different part numbers for '97 manifolds vs '02 manifolds. But there are at least two different cats sets (different clocking of flange for sure and possibly a different length) and therefore at least two different muffler sections, to match the different cats. If there are three different cats used, then even greater care needs to be taken to assure the right retro-fit parts are acquired.

J

 

[Honcho]

I didn't think the muffler from NA1 - NA2 made much of a difference. I always thought the power gain was from swapping to NA2 headers.

Almost no difference. The 95+ exhausts use slightly larger internal piping with velocity stacks, but it's probably not worth more than 1-2 hp. That's well within the statistical noise on most dynos. The power gain from NA1 to NA2 was indeed almost totally due to the headers. The extra displacement was done to improve torque.

thanx for all the advice guys, i appreciate the insight.

like i stated previously, i like the car quiet and stock, and shaving 50 lbs. from a 3000+ lbs. street car isn't gonna make any discernable difference in performance, at least not for me. i just want to let it breathe a little better. i've got a higher flow air filter and a set of RDX injectors to go in it too, and she'll be right for me. when i feel the need to go faster, i always have a 400 lbs. motorcycle with 170 rear wheel horsepower sitting next to the car in my garage, so that's covered.

so i've found a NA2 exhaust. anybody got a set of headers? should i be looking for NA2 cats also? is there a difference between those and my '96 NA1 cats?

Smart man. That is definitely the way to go, as all "free-flowing" exhausts will drone- even the comptech. I have a 91 exhaust with 98 headers and it is a great combo.

 

[bullithollywood]

should i be looking for na2 cats also? Is there a difference between those and my '96 na1 cats?

no,

 

[02#154]

should i be looking for NA2 cats also? is there a difference between those and my '96 NA1 cats?

I don't think there's a difference in the internals of the cats. Both have 400 cells.

This answer is mis-leading. It implies that the OP does not need to acquire different cats. While they may be similar in their emissions qualities, they are different shapes and are physically different.

no,

the OP needs the matching cats for his new NA2 muffler. Trust me, I learned this all the hard way.

18160-PR7-A30 CONVERTER, FR. (HHE993) 1996
18190-PR7-A30 CONVERTER, RR. (HHE993) 1996

18160-PBY-A00 CONVERTER, FR. (AHE9F0) 1997
18190-PBY-A00 CONVERTER, RR. (AHE9F0) 1997

18160-PR7-A50 CONVERTER, FR. 2002
18190-PR7-A50 CONVERTER, RR. 2002

J

 

[fastaussie]

Almost no difference. The 95+ exhausts use slightly larger internal piping with velocity stacks, but it's probably not worth more than 1-2 hp. That's well within the statistical noise on most dynos. The power gain from NA1 to NA2 was indeed almost totally due to the headers. The extra displacement was done to improve torque.

alrighty, so to recap. and please forgive my ignorance, i'd just like to learn all i can. you're saying the headers make all (or just about most) of the gain? something i already figured. and the '95+ mufflers have superior flow characteristics than the '91 to '94 models? so switching to an NA2 muffler wouldn't really contribute anything more than a horsepower or two? and that the displacement bump from the 3.0 to the 3.2 was to improve the engine torque (as the headers increased the HP output)? all interesting things to know. from the sounds of it, i needn't worry about cats either?

thanx again for the info and suggestions guys. like i mentioned in the original post, i'm not looking for every extra 1/2 a horsepower i can find, i just want to let it breathe a bit better...

 

[goldNSX]

like i mentioned in the original post, i'm not looking for every extra 1/2 a horsepower i can find, i just want to let it breathe a bit better...

This is a contradictionary.

 

[goldNSX]

This answer is mis-leading. It implies that the OP does not need to acquire different cats. While they may be similar in their emissions qualities, they are different shapes and are physically different.

the OP needs the matching cats for his new NA2 muffler. Trust me, I learned this all the hard way.

Depending on which muffler you go you're right. But changing the cats is the most expensive way to go while remaining stock. And their flow-rate didn't change I guess. They may have change the material but most likely just to suffice stronger pollution standards. If you keep your existing cats every exhaust shop should be able to adapt this or that exhaust to them, no?