M50 swap exhaust options

[Wh33lhop]

Alright, so the swap car needs an exhaust and I'm weighing my options. I'd be running OBD2 manifolds.

1) adapt stock M20 "i" exhaust in decent condition to OBD2 manifolds, much cheaper and probably a nice smooth sound but possibly a bit restrictive
2) get a custom 2.5" exhaust fabbed. I couldn't spend more than a few hundred bucks.

Requirements are the usual
1) about stock M20 volume at idle and when cruising
2) a bit louder when at WOT
3) I HATE gnarly rasp

I'm afraid a custom exhaust would be too damn loud and raspy if I didn't pepper it with resonators, but I don't want to choke up the M50 and further limit its already meager power gain over the M20. I have heard plenty of custom exhaust equipped DOHC E30s and they have all been raspy (and loud) as hell. I've heard dual exhausts help keep the sound nice and smooth (although they're fundamentally more restrictive) when compared to single.

Comments and insight welcome.

[MikeDE]

I'm in the same boat you are, I've decided to keep my current dual "i" catback, run the M50 donor's cat section with the Raceland Headers(most likely). It's perfect right now, but I think it may get a bit louder post-swap.

[5KWattson]

i was running the m50 mani's to the m20 cats to a IE copy SS rep cat back exhaust it was nice barely louder on the inside VS stock almost no raspyness and outside was a small amount louder VS the stock cat back muffler...yesterday i put on my SS headers reps, mid pipe(no cat or res) and the IE copy SS cat back it is not super loud but it does have alot of rasp so i think im goin to add a X pipe to remove the raspyness and it should have a good sound

[Wh33lhop]

Well I wound up doing option 1, and the only exhaust shop in town RAPED me to the tune of Three Hundred Fucking Dollars. Fuck that douchebag--never go to Grossi's Muffler if you're in Buellton.

OBD2 manifolds to stock dual M20 exhaust, I dig it. It's even got some burble on decel, but that might be because I don't have an O2 sensor hooked up yet.

[416stroker]

Ouch!

[Wh33lhop]

Ouch!

Tell me about it. I think it's been over a month and I still get pissed off whenever I think about it.

[416stroker]

What all did they do? Fuck that's a lot it better have included a cat.