Hey guys, I've been thinking about this lately, and was looking for some input. What are the pro's/cons of having the Thermal R&D 3" exhaust, a Greddy header, and a Catco high flow cat on a N/T? All I have on my car right now is a custom intake. I plan on putting a completely rebuilt engine and tranny in this year and was wondering if this would be too much flow for my currently stock setup. Should I just wait until I decide what route I'm going? I'm not sure if I'm gonna push N/A all the way, or prep for Turbo. Please give me your thoughts.

for n/a, its not worth it. you will loose power. There is not point. our cars flow good enough in stock format. use the money on other hp INCREASEING parts. dont spend that much to loose power.

I planned on going turbo so I ordered my 3" Thermal at the same time I ordered my turbo kit. The exhaust came first so I went ahead and had it installed and I had a horrible low end power loss. There just isn't enough back pressure and it was as if my powerband began at 6k.

Also, at about 4k it'll give off this horrible rasping noise. The noise went away once I installed the turbo kit but on an NA application it sounds like crap at around 4k and up.

So all in all, if you're dead set on going turbo then many will argue that this is one of the best exhausts you can buy. If you're going all motor stay away from the 3".

Originally posted by EclipseRST
I planned on going turbo so I ordered my 3" Thermal at the same time I ordered my turbo kit. The exhaust came first so I went ahead and had it installed and I had a horrible low end power loss. There just isn't enough back pressure and it was as if my powerband began at 6k.

/me twitches unncontrollably
Backpressure is ALWAYS bad.
But the answer is good asside from that. You can't keep up good exhaust gas velocity and exhaust gas temperatures on NA with 3" You loose low end torque. You're better off with 2.5" for NA

Originally posted by EclipseRST
Also, at about 4k it'll give off this horrible rasping noise. The noise went away once I installed the turbo kit but on an NA application it sounds like crap at around 4k and up.

The turbo muffles sound, so turbo cat-backs rarely have a resonator. NA you want a resonator to reduce the raspyness.

Originally posted by EclipseRST
So all in all, if you're dead set on going turbo then many will argue that this is one of the best exhausts you can buy. If you're going all motor stay away from the 3".

On a turbo 3" will be your friend. The extra power and flow of the turbo, make the 3" great.


Basically decide what your set up will be. Unless you only do mild bolt ons the stock exhaust is not adequate.




Exile Racing Technologies: http://www.exileracing.com
una salus victus
It's holding down the garage floor right now.

i wouldnt recommend a 3" exhaust unless your turbo. i had a 3" atr that i bought before my turbo showed up, sounded like ass being n/a and sucked to loose power off the line. thumbs down to that idea.

I have a 3" Apexi N1 on my car now...I can feel the loss in the low end power...

Turbo will come in July so it's all good :)

If you are eventually going to turbo the car, then just before you do the turbo, put on the 3 inch exhaust, otherwise I wouldn't bother with an exhaust that size.

Thanks for the great responses Guys. This was something people should know. I'll go with the Thermal setup for the non-turbo then. I'm never going to turbo it. Seeing how fast I can get it N/A is going to be more fun! Props to VX100 for your continuing efforts in pushing the 420A!

Originally posted by 95dsmrsproj
Thanks for the great responses Guys. This was something people should know. I'll go with the Thermal setup for the non-turbo then. I'm never going to turbo it. Seeing how fast I can get it N/A is going to be more fun! Props to VX100 for your continuing efforts in pushing the 420A!

Thanks, it's still a work in progress. One piece of advice if you really want to push the car NA: a bunch of people will tell you to turbo it, or sell it for something faster, blah blah. You'll need to thicken your skin a bit and just keep going on your path, knowing you're doing it for fun and to learn, not to try and see if an NT eclipse can run 11s in the 1/4 mile. Just keep learning, modding, doing the right mods, and keep your own pace and you'll find it rewarding.

Originally posted by VX100

Originally posted by 95dsmrsproj Thanks for the great responses Guys. This was something people should know. I'll go with the Thermal setup for the non-turbo then. I'm never going to turbo it. Seeing how fast I can get it N/A is going to be more fun! Props to VX100 for your continuing efforts in pushing the 420A!

Thanks, it's still a work in progress. One piece of advice if you really want to push the car NA: a bunch of people will tell you to turbo it, or sell it for something faster, blah blah. You'll need to thicken your skin a bit and just keep going on your path, knowing you're doing it for fun and to learn, not to try and see if an NT eclipse can run 11s in the 1/4 mile. Just keep learning, modding, doing the right mods, and keep your own pace and you'll find it rewarding.

That's exactly what I'm shootin' for. This time next year, I hope to be major competition for those who haven't went the turbo route, and some that have...Muhahahaha...lol. Big Plans coming soon!