3.3TT Advice needed: Exhaust

[dkmalloy]

From what I understand (and I'm not an engineer so take this for what it's worth) the primaries on the GT are more restrictive than the secondaries, and while freer flow post-turbo is always a good thing for performance, on our cars there are indicators that aftermarket high flow primaries will cause additional oil burn and perhaps be wearing out the turbo faster. We aren't seeing those problems with other exhaust upgrades, so while you'll certainly see gains, do it at your own risk.

Yep, I'm definitely not touching the primaries. It seems kinda pointless to tamper with the primaries anyway, cause (correct me if I'm wrong) the ECU will intervene and throw the engine into "limp mode" long before you see the benefits of removing that restriction.
Plus, this is my daily driver. I'd just like to get it performing the way it should've from the factory. They've got these cars tuned waaaaay below what the stock components can handle, so I'm feeling pretty comfortable about sprucing it up a bit without jeopardizing reliability in the long run. I'm pretty nice to my vehicles and don't abuse them; I just like to have some fun now and then.

 

[YeaStung]

Hey fellas!

I've had my new Stinger for a couple weeks now and I'm trying to get some feedback and thoughts on a particular exhaust setup... I'll get to that shortly.
I've got K&N intakes in place now, windows scheduled to be done next week (15% all around), jb4 piggyback w/mobile app + hks plugs ordered and on their way, hood and wheel emblems replaced (apologies, Sal... I ordered them elsewhere before finding you guys here), catch can is on the way as well as body colored replacements for the rear reflectors.
Now then, exhaust. I'm not a fan of ricey, raspy, pop/crackly sounds and don't want anything obnoxiously loud. I'm looking for something slightly louder than stock, and I love a smooth, low grumple. Something that'll free up air flow a bit and simply sound better than stock without ruining the "sleeper" status that drew me to the car in the first place.
I think I've settled on a combination of the Magnaflow catback + Ark secondary catless DPs. The sound of the Magnaflow is what I'm after, but it seems a bit quieter than I'd like. From what I've read, the addition of DPs will get the sound about where I'd like and obviously open things up a bit more and facilitate slightly better gains. I've only been able to find one very short clip of this setup (see link below).
What do you guys think? I'd greatly appreciate any advice you have to offer. I'd hate to pull the trigger on this stuff and have it turn out to be completely different than expected.

Thanks!
-Daniel

I wish I had just done my catless OBX mid-pipe first to see how that felt. I got the MBRP cat back and installed at same time (also have K&N Typhoon cai, and now HKS45 plugs). It's not to bad around town but can be a bit loud on highway, but mainly just up steep grades. Had a Stillen high flow cat and cat-back on Q50 3.7 and it was loud, but so worth it!

 

[cncBilly]

I love it! That sounds great to me. I nearly went with MBRP's catback, but I'm obsessed with getting rid of the secondary cats as they (from everything I've heard and read) are perhaps the most restrictive part of the stock system aside from maybe the mufflers. Catless DPs paired with MBRP's catback sounded a bit over the top for my taste.
A lot of people complain that the Magnaflow catback is too quiet, so I'm counting on the combination of catless DP's and their exhaust stacking up to be a good combo of less restrictive air flow post turbos and a sound that doesn't make me want to kick a kitten.

Ya might want to do some more reading on secondary gains. Or should I say no gains.