thermal r&d exhaust - Honda Prelude Forum

alphajesse · 06-15-2002, 11:25 PM

i'm looking at getting the thermal r&d catback, but i need to know this- does it come in two parts? seeing how my car is almost completely stock at the moment (type-s intake and k&n drop in) i don't think i'll be needing 2.25" piping all the way back. what i want to do is use the back portion as an axleback, and once i'm doing something more aggressive as far as tuning (no2, supercharger or turbo) i'll use the rest of the exhaust. of course, when i have this installed, the shop i'm taking my car to has a dyno, so i can make sure i'm not missing out by installing the entire system.
i'll dyno just the catback, and then the entire system, sticking with the most power producing setup. maybe i'll even try the thermal catback with the stock axle back piping

yay for stock muffler!

alphajesse · 06-16-2002, 12:03 AM

now where's cementups when you need him...

ThatPreludeGuy · 06-16-2002, 12:32 AM

The catback isnt' the same as the OEM for lengths of the sections. There's no way to bolt the rear section to the OEM B pipe. Why wouldn't you put it all on at once?

alphajesse · 06-16-2002, 02:26 AM

i have this feeling, that at least with the current state of my engine, just replacing the stock muffler will realize a gain over a wider section of the powerband (maybe even better peak hp) than converting to a 2.25" system all the way through. i could be wrong though, and that is why the plan included dyno testing both configurations. using the stock muffler and the R&D middle section was just a joke, though

alphajesse · 06-16-2002, 02:29 AM

btw, the shop where i'll get it installed has a dyno, and the owner is my roomate's buddy, so if dyno testing the two configs costs me anything at all, it will be very little

joflewbyu2@aol.com · 06-16-2002, 07:58 AM

actually, the thermal rear section is the same as oem stock. thermal sells both kits - a full cat back with mid pipe and a rear section without the midpipe. i would do the whole system, not just the rear unless $$ is tight. in that case i would go with 5zigen border rear section for $149 from autoption ( i think that is the online place with it on closeout). the thermal rear retails for $350 while the cat back is $599. usually you can get them for 17% off.

joflewbyu2@aol.com · 06-16-2002, 07:59 AM

actually, the thermal rear section is the same as oem stock. thermal sells both kits - a full cat back with mid pipe and a rear section without the midpipe. i would do the whole system, not just the rear unless $$ is tight. in that case i would go with 5zigen border rear section for $149 from autoption ( i think that is the online place with it on closeout). the thermal rear retails for $350 while the cat back is $599. usually you can get them for 17% off. i am very happy with my greddy evo. fit is perfect, finish of the can and tip is beautiful.

JoeW · 06-16-2002, 10:51 AM

I can see where alphajesse is coming from. I have the Thermal R&D catback and it feels like there is not enough back pressure. I thought about putting the stock pipe back on between the cat and axle. I might do that tonight after I get home from work. I'll post here or pm you about how it goes.

Joe

cementups · 06-16-2002, 11:41 AM

I'm not sure what you're looking to me for. i mostly just sell them. $492 shipped, instock ready to roll. I can have teh rear available pretty easy too.

personally i would go with the complete but that's just me and tha's what i have on mine.

pIOUs · 06-16-2002, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by alphajesse
i'm looking at getting the thermal r&d catback, but i need to know this- does it come in two parts?

Yes; two parts. I really think I remember the catback system not being sectioned off in the exact same way the OEM was. Even though they sell both I think the rear sections are not interchangable. I'm only saying this because when I put mine on I took notice of details like that, but it was 6months ago and I no longer have the stock one. I liked that it wasn't 3 pieces like apex was.

alphajesse · 06-17-2002, 12:26 AM

well cementups, i figured since you sell the things, you might be ablt to tell me if the rear section of the catback is the same as the axleback.
whatever happens, i'm planning on getting the whole catback system, just possibly not installing the entire thing. i'm curious if the stock midpipe will work out better for a (currently) almost stock application than the entire system
joew, let me know how it goes, when i do this i'll be dynoing both options, but i want to know if it will even fit. (don't want to waste my shop's time on things that don't work)

2Longfour · 06-21-2002, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JoeW
I can see where alphajesse is coming from. I have the Thermal R&D catback and it feels like there is not enough back pressure. I thought about putting the stock pipe back on between the cat and axle. I might do that tonight after I get home from work. I'll post here or pm you about how it goes.

Joe

I put headers and the thermal catback on in the same day and definitely noticed a loss in back pressure, which is what convinced my to do the pulleys within the week. After resetting the ECU and letting a couple of hours driving reset everything, the car came back to life in the lower end.

cementups · 06-21-2002, 05:44 PM

I didn't notice it personally when I put the exhaust on my car. I'm not a guy looking for torque. I personally like the top end power of the prelude. For the longest time I didn't want to put an intake on because I knew it would lose torque. Finally i broke down and put one on for show and was not satisfied with the performance gains on the butt dyno.

but as far as the exhaust, i did not see a loss in power.