I have a 94z and when i started modding it I thought exhaust first right, but when I looked under the car the exhaust coming out of the cat was almost three inches in diameter (may less than a cm off) with mandrel bends. so why do people buy cat-backs when they can just buy a muffler and a cut-out.

 

Because, it makes us feel better

 

I had always wondered the same thing... I guess it could be compared to having a name brand item compared to an off brand item? Plus with catbacks, you get the exhaust tips...

 

Because an open cutout sounds like an older pick-up truck with a big hole in the muffler.

Some of us don't care for the sound of a cutout and prefer a muffled or refined tone of a cat-back system that is all its own that will perform better than just a muffler replacement. I know the difference in size between the stock I-pipe (2.75") vs an aftermarket I (3") is very minimal, but it does make a difference for those of us who choose not to use cutouts. Especially once we start going beyond the bolt-on level...

Buy hey, the cutout is cheap and definitely works...Not to mention it is LOUD...But like I said, I just don't want my SBC to sound like that nor do I want the exhaust to dump under the car (I like the exhaust exiting out some good looking tips from the rear). And the cat-back systems I run on my cars have routinely dyno & track proven to flow nearly as well as open cutouts (even on high horsepower applications).

Mike