I'm guessing that Lexmex will answer this.

tomorrow, well actually today in a few hours, i'm planning to take my rx to an exhaust shop and have him i guess cut off the pipe from inbetween the headers to the muffler. good idea? bad idea? opinions? I guess that the guy will know what to do...all i want is a straight pipe/free flow to the stock muffler, and ill buy a different muffler later on. hmm, well i'll ask him opinion when i get there, but are there things i should leave on aka precats by the headers or w/e (since i know nothing about my exhaust) and if i have a free flowing straight pipe are there certain things i should leave on so that i dont a)blow smoke or b)have a sound that is way too loud/annoying

if someone could get back to me asap before i go there, that'd b awesome!

 

You can cut everything but two you must have, a reasonable sized resonator (Magnaflow 22") and a high flow catalytic convertor that is attached to the OEM pipe with oxygen sensor. See Youtube link on the sound effect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onqBXPPUruc
Cat allows you pass emission, resonator allow you to drive with human bearable noise level, not to others but to yourself.

 

TunedRX300 is right.

My experience tells me you need the catalaytic converter below the vehicle or you can toss a P0420 CEL. The precats are the ones I don't have and if you ditch precats, you need a Maganflow or other brand of high flow cat.

Some resonator is needed or the rumble/rasp will be too noticeable.

 

i replace my resonator with a regular round magnaflow muffler (PART# 10416) and then the stock muffler with an oval magnaflow muffler(PART# 12216).

the exhaust tone is much deeper then the 4 cylinder cars with exhaust and its not too loud in the cabin.

 

FYI:
Florida State Law, if the vehicle came equipped with a catalytic converter, it is a $300.00 fine if found running without one. In Texas it is $10,000 fine to the muffler shop that altered emission part of exhaust.

 

I'll let you keep something in mind. Most of the 1st gen. Toyota Solaras using 1MZFEs don't come with precats, California Solaras do. The gains from running catless, unless you are in a high boost situation are minimal. I have a few friends that race test pipes until emissions time (naturally aspirated) and they claim it's cool, but it makes perhaps .1 difference at best in the 1/4 mile. Moreover, most of the cars have a noticeable rasp sound under WOT most of the way down the track.

 

so i did it. haven't taken pics but i'll explain what the shop did. Place is called Mad Hatters, it's down on Dixie like right north of Cypress Creek Rd.

good guys haha..they know their stuff...

the guy told me to leave all the cats on because he felt that I didn't want to mess with the computers. then he cut the pipe right after the first muffler thing. he said that the first huge muffler thing is really just a straight pipe. without anything (if he wouldve left that and put a pipe straight back) it sounded too bumble bee like and he said it would be even louder and more annoying in gear.

so final decision was to weld that back together and cut off the "muffler" in the back. he said that the muffler that we all think of as a "muffler" was really just acting as another resonator. so anyway, he cut that off and welded on what they call a "Texas Turbo Exhaust"...um...yea, it's no magnaflow, but it does have a very nice sound to it. I may go back and tell him to cut off that first muffler and put just a larger pipe so i get even more flow, but my rpm's go down slower now, meaning the backs a little more free. I guess you could say it sounds more like a tuner than one of those crappy pick ups with straight pipes...which is what i was looking for

so i'm happy, he's happy, you'll see pics and possibly sound soon, so everyone will be happy.

i guess you could say that i've finally started modding my rx in a real way!

 

Good to hear. You might want to consider a y-pipe like mine after the resonator (that is that big thing after the catalytic converter).

BTW, no precats and the computer get along quite well.

However, best to do anything one step at a time. See how you like this setup and then play with it again if you want.

 

Personally, I want to hear the sound. Can you film it and put it on YouTube?

 

congrats! im glad everyones happy! i cant wait to see the pics!

 

No, you also want to hear the sound!

 

Exhaust modification is always very rewarding because both you gain performance and sound enhancements.
The muffler thing after the main catalytic convertor is called resonator, which absorbs sound by cancelling sound waves with careful design. Muffler mostly uses absorption and restriction to reduce sound level, that is one hanging below rear bumper.
For RX300, I doubt resonator is really designed for 1mz-fe, and restriction is a cost effective way to achieve Lexus quietness, at the expense of performance.