OK, so I think I'm getting a small hole in my exhaust. And following my though of "upgrade it when it breaks" philosophy, I'm going to look into a a full system exhaust. I've been researching for a little while and I'm thinking about going with this set up.

surewin header
magnaflow high flow cat
vibrant ultra quiet resonator (unsure about length)
magnaflow muffler
All with 2.5" piping

Now, I know you get the header from ebay, but what about the rest of it? Is there a good site that I can order them from and take them to an exhaust shop to fab up, or should I just get them all from the shop?
Also, If I get them online somewhere, then what are the model numbers or part numbers that I'm looking for?

Also, I've read conflicting things about wrapping the header. Does it cause cracking? If so, is it worth it to send it out to get coated?

I personally recommend a 2.25" exhaust system unless you have cams. When I switch to a full 2.5" with header the loss of low end torque was a big dissapointment to me and no it really did not make up for it in the upper rpms either.

Not sure if you want to go with the specific brands named above, but don't forget about the flex pipe. I would strongly recommend sourcing a majority of the parts yourself as the shop will most likely charge you a premium.

Utilize Summit Racing, Jegs, Nopi websites for better prices on the pieces above - hell your local cheapy auto part store usually charges less than the muffler shop.

-Terracar

I'm not necessarily set on the brands, but reading through the exhaust thread, it seems like most people liked that set up. that's why I'm leaning that way on the brands. Plus, I really don't like the look of the canister mufflers. So if anyone wants to talk me out of one brand and into another, I'm open to suggestions.

I forgot about the flex pipe, I'll need to look into one of those too.

Just bring the muffler and resonator to the shop and have them do a cat-back. Shop around for possible shops, you don't want a half-ass job. IMO canister looks much better slanted, which is what I went with. A high-flow cat is probably a waste of money, the secondary cat you're replacing is already pretty tiny and flowing.

As for the header, I heard jethot coating is a great service but not worth the money in our cars especially if no major HP mods are done. It does get hot under there though. I wouldn't take the chance of heat-wrapping my header, especially since I have to remove it every couple years for smogging.

Thanks for the advice. so probably 2.25" piping, just replace the header, leave flex pipe to cat, replace cat back? it seems kinda odd to me to leave that small section as stock.

Nothing wrong w using 2.5" exhaust. As for the exhaust getting done, shop around like 99 said. I was recommended a shop by a friend, the guy does fantastic work for cheap got my exhaust welded and fabbed for 110. 2.5" Does make a diffence in N/A power IMO. And unless your state has emmisions test don't even bother replacing the cat. I would recommend get at least one resonator, I have 2..

Muffler is your choice in brands, I went w Borla and its a great brand!!! A little bit more on the louder side but sounds great, I have a clip up in the official exhaust thread. Check out that thread if you haven't already.

And as for the last post, Make sure to buy a flex pipe and just get the whole thing done, don't bother w just cat back.

yes, I have emissions to pass. They're just not as strict as Cali.

I've been listening to exhaust clips and yes, your borla set up sounds good. I wish there was a site where you could select different cars and put on different exhaust set ups to listen to what they sound like.

Keep in mind a resonator is not just a round muffler -- which unfortunately people often label as resonators.

A resonator is an echo chamber; tap it and it will ring like a bell. It bounces soundwaves off each other to cancel them out, while a straight-through muffler is a perforated pipe wrapped in insulation to absorb sound. Tap it, and you get a dull thud. A resonator will do a great job smoothing the tone of your exhaust, and somewhat reduce the volume. A straight-through muffler will somewhat smooth the tone, and, depending on length, greatly reduce the volume.

I might suggest looking at a Car Sound (MagnaFlow's parent company) cat with a resonated core. You get the benefits of both pieces in one, which makes it easier to fit under the car.

another question...

is there any difference in suppliers for the flex pipe for the exhaust? my thoughts are that a flex pipe is pretty much the same no matter which one I get. but I was looking around and most of them are around $30-40 and then I came across stainless works flex joints on jegs.com and they're going for $75. Am I right in thinking that is unnecessarily high?

depends on if you want stainless or not.
the stainless ones will cost more, but will last longer, the only bad thing ive found is alot of them have mild steel flanges, or welds that end up rusting anyway, although i still prefer the stainless, cause they definetly do last longer than a normal one.