Exhaust suggestions for 2019 Honda Civic LX hatchback

[BringTheCows]

Hey guys. So a little backstory. My Honda Civic LX is the basic trim model. When you look underneath the car towards the rear you'll notice that the dual exhausts that it has are hidden so you cannot see them when you look at the rear bumper. With that being said, I went to a shop in my town and they offered me some options. The guy said I could either remove the dual exhausts and swap it for a single pipe or simply delete the muffler and do some work on the resonator (I don't remember exactly what he said because to me it all just sounded like gibberish). In my head when he was telling me my options, I was just waiting for him to say "whatever whatever rally sound" so that I could say nothing but "yes". But it seems there's a lot more to it than just slapping on a couple of pieces and calling it a day and obviously having some form of background knowledge is recommended to have than just not really understanding the benefits of each route I could take thoroughly. I suppose that should be obvious. (rip)

I referred to this post here: https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/exhaust-suggestions-for-my-2019-civic-hatchback-sport.50821/
Some people were mentioning different exhausts that they bought into for their builds. I'm aware that these are Sport trim models. So they're not really options for a basic trim, just simply put, possibilities. I'd imagine the fabrication they would have to do for my car in particular would be just to shave off a little bit of the rear bumper behind the scenes (not anything to do with what you'd see if you were standing behind the car and looking at it that way but work to be done if you were laying on the ground and looking upwards).

Now, this post I provided, people were asking if there was room for the exhaust to breathe without burning the rear bumper and I fear that that could be a problem for my model in particular because like I said before, the exhausts are hidden behind the bumper, rather than being below it and sticking outwards like on the Sport trim and Type-R. I'm sure that could be fabricated and all that but... Is it worth it?

Should I go single pipe or should I just delete the muffler? I told the guy I wanted it to sound like a rally car and I guess to him that just means an excessively loud car. He said a single pipe could could deliver that sound. But the thing is, the car comes with two exhausts. I wanted to retain that no matter what. In these videos and pictures you find on the internet, some people prefer the way it looks first and then the sound of it second. Or the other way around. But it seems that isn't going to matter for my car because you cannot even see them unless you lay on your back and intentionally look for them.

In this video, though the car is a completely different model of Civic than what I have, and maybe it didn't have two exhausts to begin with. It seems he went with (I could be wrong, so I apologize in advance) a single pipe, ending with two exhaust tips. And if that's the case and I'm actually right, I'd imagine that's what the guy meant when he said something about a single pipe. But. I simply can't go that route. The car comes with two exhausts. I want to keep it that way.

In this video:
It sounds good. You can actually hear it. It's not obnoxiously loud. But it's not a stock sound either, IE, no one can hear it. I would like mine to be audible enough that people in traffic can hear it at a red light. Turn some heads. Make people appreciate the engineering that goes behind a Civic. The stock sound it makes when I am in the driver seat sounds orgasmic. To make it sound even better would make me spill my reproduction fluids all over the place. Perfect.

What do you guys think? Keep it stock, Delete the muffler, or go the single pipe route. The cost of the labor and parts comes out to be about half a grand. Reviews for the shop were pretty decent. It looked like a family-owned company. ASE certified. Professional. Etc. I wanted to get some thoughts from you guys as to what I should do. I'm not a car guy. I don't really know much about my car. What should be done, what shouldn't be done, what can be done, etc. It's why I joined this forum board in the first place. People know about their cars, build on it, have owned multiple, etc. And then at the end of the day I just come out knowledgeable rather than never really knowing anything, and it's made possible by you guys.

The guy suggested I do research on what I want in particular. Just saying "rally" wasn't enough to get my idea across. I guess what he wanted me to say was the type of pipeline I'd want to do, and whether or not I wanted exhausts tips, or whatever. The end result is "sound that can be heard" but not knowing how that can be achieved is what makes it difficult for me to explain to a mechanic when they ask me "what are you looking for".

Thoughts, suggestions, concerns? Let me have it.
Thanks!

Sponsored

 

[dt10g]

So you want LOUD and you want RAW ?

Are you concerned with disturbing your neighbours?
... do you commute early or arrive late home?

Are you concerned with it being loud ALL THE TIME?
Let me tell you that 4 hours on a highway with Loud AF drone is pretty wearing.

Seems you have a 1.5T engine and your exhaust should currently look like

What related mods do you have already?

e.g.
do you have an Intake?
do you have a Downipe?
do you have a Frontpipe?

You know that you can get a different rear bumper or diffusers right?

Check this post?

https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/anyone-with-a-lx-hatchback-wanting-center-exhaust-exit.46159/

also

https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/center-exhaust-on-an-ex-t-is-it-possible.38295/

Check this guy's videos

https://www.youtube.com/@AztecLeo

 

[dt10g]

https://www.twostepperformance.com/...burnt-titanium-tips-for-2016-honda-civic-1-5l

 

[BringTheCows]

So you want LOUD and you want RAW ?

Are you concerned with disturbing your neighbours?
... do you commute early or arrive late home?

Are you concerned with it being loud ALL THE TIME?
Let me tell you that 4 hours on a highway with Loud AF drone is pretty wearing.

Seems you have a 1.5T engine and your exhaust should currently look like

What related mods do you have already?

e.g.
do you have an Intake?
do you have a Downipe?
do you have a Frontpipe?

You know that you can get a different rear bumper or diffusers right?

Check this post?

https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/anyone-with-a-lx-hatchback-wanting-center-exhaust-exit.46159/

also

https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/center-exhaust-on-an-ex-t-is-it-possible.38295/

Check this guy's videos

https://www.youtube.com/@AztecLeo

I live in an apartment complex. For the most part, no one around here, especially with all the different kinds of cars, some of them being cars that people would modify if they could and some of them just your average commuter car; don't have exhausts on them. There was one guy with one of the newer generation Accord that had a loud AF exhaust on his car. But he moved out it seems.

I work part-time. My job is outdoors. I have like a 10-minute commute at best, maybe 15 minutes if you factor in heavy traffic. The drive itself is about 1.5 Miles from home. I'm lucky that I don't have to put much mileage on my car. I objectively drive my car but try to enjoy a drive here and there. I got my car at 0 miles as a lease and now I own it entirely with only about 18k miles on it so far.

When I turn the car on, the interior noise is very minimal. I wait a few minutes for the line to drop below 1 before driving, usually, depending on how much time I have. Sometimes when there's ice on the windshield I just let the car defrost most of it so that I can drive safely and the line doesn't usually fall below 1 and I can't wait for it to do that without risking lateness. My job takes being late and not being there at all, very seriously.

The picture of the exhaust is correct. The car is 100% stock. After doing work, if I decide to at least on the exhaust, I plan to do an intake next. And that would be it for performance unless you consider aftermarket brakes being performance heavy then... yeah. That's probably 3rd on the list. no front pipe, no down pipe. I have no idea what those are.

I did not know I could replace the rear bumper for something else. I'm not sure where to look for that, or how to make sure it is fitted for my car. From the picture a guy posted on here: https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/center-exhaust-on-an-ex-t-is-it-possible.38295/

I am wondering if they replaced the whole real bumper or just the center piece of plastic in black. Where would I even look for this? My concern is, assuming I did replace the rear bumper, is it the whole thing or just a piece of the bumper, and what about the paint color? That's gonna be a whole extra cost to get it to match with the rest of the car. It's a hassle I don't want to deal with. I kind of have to consider the cheapest route I can take without running into cheap parts and big costs.

Also for that YouTube, clicking on it just takes me to youtube. I tried doing the full url ending with /user/aztecleo but nothing showed up.

 

[dt10g]

The picture of the exhaust is correct. The car is 100% stock. After doing work, if I decide to at least on the exhaust, I plan to do an intake next. And that would be it for performance unless you consider aftermarket brakes being performance heavy then... yeah. That's probably 3rd on the list. no front pipe, no down pipe. I have no idea what those are.

I did not know I could replace the rear bumper for something else. I'm not sure where to look for that, or how to make sure it is fitted for my car. From the picture a guy posted on here: https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/center-exhaust-on-an-ex-t-is-it-possible.38295/

I am wondering if they replaced the whole real bumper or just the center piece of plastic in black. Where would I even look for this? My concern is, assuming I did replace the rear bumper, is it the whole thing or just a piece of the bumper, and what about the paint color? That's gonna be a whole extra cost to get it to match with the rest of the car. It's a hassle I don't want to deal with. I kind of have to consider the cheapest route I can take without running into cheap parts and big costs.

Sorry about the YT link,
try this one, and then you can check out the rest of his videos that look interesting to you



Sorry the "downpipe" is the big pipe that connects to the engine's exhaust port and it has your catalytic converter. One can replace the downpipe with a more performance oriented one, and they may have a catalytic converter ("CATTED") or may come without one ("CATLESS")... just if you hear people use those terms.

The frontpipe/midpipe is the next piece in the chain of the exhaust system. In the Honda diagram , it corresponds this part which I have circled

One can also replace this part for something with bigger diameter or better airflow...
Sometimes you can buy a combination one-piece downpipe + frontpipe part, but I don't believe that is as common for folks to do.

You could check eBay for diffusers, but if it turns out to be the case that you can use a Honda diffuser from another trim hatchback, then you can look up the part on hondapartsnow.com for that trim ... you would choose the Civic model you want parts from and jump to the page for the rear bumper and find the diffuser.

I agree a full bumper is probably overkill if you can just clip in a new black plastic diffuser...

e.g. I believe this is YOUR car

https://www.hondapartsnow.com/parts...nsing-ka_cvt/interior_bumper/rear_bumper.html

and this is an example of a SPORT

https://www.hondapartsnow.com/parts...nsing-ka_cvt/interior_bumper/rear_bumper.html

So offhand it seems like you would get this part and perhaps some of the other smaller pieces. But you'll want someone with a Hatch to confirm, so maybe some of those other forum links will get you that info, or someone will be along shortly with the exact answer

71502-TGG-A50
Garnish, RR. Bumper (LOWER)

If you want a dual-exit diffuser, then I think you have to go aftermarket, check eBay, Alibaba, ... I know www.racingbees.com up here had some diffusers ... I think there's also www.primitiveperformanceauto.com ... but dual exit diffusers may be hard to come by for the Hatch (vs. a Sedan)

 

[BringTheCows]

Sorry about the YT link,
try this one, and then you can check out the rest of his videos that look interesting to you



Sorry the "downpipe" is the big pipe that connects to the engine's exhaust port and it has your catalytic converter. One can replace the downpipe with a more performance oriented one, and they may have a catalytic converter ("CATTED") or may come without one ("CATLESS")... just if you hear people use those terms.

The frontpipe/midpipe is the next piece in the chain of the exhaust system. In the Honda diagram , it corresponds this part which I have circled

One can also replace this part for something with bigger diameter or better airflow...
Sometimes you can buy a combination one-piece downpipe + frontpipe part, but I don't believe that is as common for folks to do.

You could check eBay for diffusers, but if it turns out to be the case that you can use a Honda diffuser from another trim hatchback, then you can look up the part on hondapartsnow.com for that trim ... you would choose the Civic model you want parts from and jump to the page for the rear bumper and find the diffuser.

I agree a full bumper is probably overkill if you can just clip in a new black plastic diffuser...

e.g. I believe this is YOUR car

https://www.hondapartsnow.com/parts...nsing-ka_cvt/interior_bumper/rear_bumper.html

and this is an example of a SPORT

https://www.hondapartsnow.com/parts...nsing-ka_cvt/interior_bumper/rear_bumper.html

So offhand it seems like you would get this part and perhaps some of the other smaller pieces. But you'll want someone with a Hatch to confirm, so maybe some of those other forum links will get you that info, or someone will be along shortly with the exact answer

71502-TGG-A50
Garnish, RR. Bumper (LOWER)

If you want a dual-exit diffuser, then I think you have to go aftermarket, check eBay, Alibaba, ... I know www.racingbees.com up here had some diffusers ... I think there's also www.primitiveperformanceauto.com ... but dual exit diffusers may be hard to come by for the Hatch (vs. a Sedan)

Honestly, I think I am just gonna go with the delete after watching a handful of videos with people in different 10th gen civics that have just gotten the delete alone and then I would add on an intake. The sound the delete makes is good enough. And the cost is only $400. Better $1.1k for a whole new pipeline.

But for the sake of understanding the parts. What would be the benefit of a performance-grade downpipe and catalytic converter? In the video he seemed to have replaced the whole pipeline and it offered him a better sound overall. I don't really like how the exhaust themselves stick out though. I almost prefer to have them hidden than seen. If I had a Sport trim rear bumper where the exhaust sit in the middle, maybe it'd look nice to see them visually out and about but it's not the case with my car. And also an important thing to note was how the angle of the exhausts were made to go underneath the bumper; they didn't have to cut any of the plastic/metal for the exhausts to fit. That's dope. That's really one of my bigger concerns because another user made it apparent that it's possible for the exhausts to have no room to breathe if not done right. Leading to burning/burned parts.

I did some research on an intake as well to better understand what it does and I recall a friend of mine having a manual transmission coupe that had just an intake on it and the way the v-tec kicked in when we were driving the car was impressive. The same way we breathe in and out; the car did the same but you could hear it and it sounded pretty sexy. When you drive a stock car, the experience feels bland and very lackluster. Almost like you wish it could "do" something different but you just don't know what. Well an intake and some exhaust work seems to do the trick.

 

[Mr365truck]

Honestly, I think I am just gonna go with the delete after watching a handful of videos with people in different 10th gen civics that have just gotten the delete alone and then I would add on an intake. The sound the delete makes is good enough. And the cost is only $400. Better $1.1k for a whole new pipeline.

But for the sake of understanding the parts. What would be the benefit of a performance-grade downpipe and catalytic converter? In the video he seemed to have replaced the whole pipeline and it offered him a better sound overall. I don't really like how the exhaust themselves stick out though. I almost prefer to have them hidden than seen. If I had a Sport trim rear bumper where the exhaust sit in the middle, maybe it'd look nice to see them visually out and about but it's not the case with my car. And also an important thing to note was how the angle of the exhausts were made to go underneath the bumper; they didn't have to cut any of the plastic/metal for the exhausts to fit. That's dope. That's really one of my bigger concerns because another user made it apparent that it's possible for the exhausts to have no room to breathe if not done right. Leading to burning/burned parts.

I did some research on an intake as well to better understand what it does and I recall a friend of mine having a manual transmission coupe that had just an intake on it and the way the v-tec kicked in when we were driving the car was impressive. The same way we breathe in and out; the car did the same but you could hear it and it sounded pretty sexy. When you drive a stock car, the experience feels bland and very lackluster. Almost like you wish it could "do" something different but you just don't know what. Well an intake and some exhaust work seems to do the trick.

I've looked at doing a muffler delete on my Si (very similar engine) and while I think it sounds good it is unacceptably loud. Tested 95 dB during the standard (20 inches, 45 degrees) test, which is very illegal, at least in Cali. A performance downpipe (the catalytic converter is located in the downpipe) would give you better flow through the exhaust, on our cars it is by far the most restrictive part, netting you a couple to 15 hp depending on how you tune or don't tune, but it will also make it loud. I've considered going DP on my stock exhaust to make it louder, but because nobody makes CARB DP's it would also illegal in Cali. If you're going to get a DP anyways, do not cut off your mufflers, it will probably be unbearably loud. Your car doesn't have VTEC, but an intake will definitely let you hear your turbo much more than stock. I'd try and find a proper cat-back exhaust or get a downpipe.

 

[Longislandcivic]

If it's a cvt, don't do it. No amount of YouTube video will convey how annoying they sound and drone.

 

[BringTheCows]

I've look at doing a muffler delete on my Si (very similar engine) and while I think it sounds good it is unacceptably loud. Tested 95 dB during the standard (20 inches, 45 degrees) test, which is very illegal, at least in Cali. A performance downpipe (the catalytic converter is located in the downpipe) would give you better flow through the exhaust, on our cars it is by far the most restrictive part, netting you a couple to 15 hp depending on how you tune or don't tune, but it will also make it loud. I've considered going DP on my stock exhaust to make it louder, but because nobody makes CARB DP's it would also illegal in Cali. If you're going to get a DP anyways, do not cut off your mufflers, it will probably be unbearably loud. Your car doesn't have VTEC, but an intake will definitely let you hear your turbo much more than stock. I'd try and find a proper cat-back exhaust or get a downpipe.

Cali is known to be very restrictive on car culture. I've looked all over the internet for mods that could be done to a car, performance wise, and then was lead to half of it being incredibly illegal in California. That didn't matter all that much to me unless I considered a road trip from East coast to West coast.

The mechanic specifically said if I wanted it to be "loud" then I would swap out the downpipe. If I wanted it to be heard like at a red light, the muffler delete and resonator swap would do the trick. I guess the end result varies on the car and what parts you install on the car but I am willing to take the risk on the end result. I'm definitely gonna shake them down on some additional information before I get the work done but I am excited to do it. The bolt-on catback from MagnaFlow is simply too much money to even consider. There's no way I am gonna drop $1k on an automatic. I love my car a lot. I think Civics are dope and I'm proud to be a Civic owner but dropping stacks on it in mods is not something I planned to do. Even half a grand is a lot in general. But after owning the car for 3 years and only dropping about 18.5k miles on it I came to the conclusion that I wanted to do something to it. A Muffler delete sounds about right. As long as it doesn't sound like a dubstep soundtrack, I'll be fine with it.

Thanks for the warning. And I'm sorry your car sounded loud. If mine turns out the same way... Live and learn I guess. But I will come to love it more than hate it. So. Idk.

 

[BringTheCows]

If it's a cvt, don't do it. No amount of YouTube video will convey how annoying they sound and drone.

I've watched a couple of videos from "Gears and Gasoline" YouTube channel regarding their road trips that they take in different types of cars. And they ran into "droning" and other downsides to having aftermarket builds. I didn't really understand what people meant with droning until watching those videos and seeing/hearing what that sounds like. As long as the end result isn't a raspy printer on printer noise maker, and more of a deep tone, I'll be fine with road noise.

I've had the car for 3 years so far and I've noticed that the interior noise is very minimal. Road noise beyond bumps and uneven road terrain like highways aren't as bad as it seems. I once pushed my car to 90MPH on the highway in Florida, by accident actually, and the road noise was so minimal and engine or the exhaust sound was so quiet and sexy.. I ultimately want my car to resonate sound that others can hear without being so loud that you can hear it a mile away. There's a lot of hate towards CVT transmission but I've grown to appreciate it quite a bit. The turbo lag when you accelerate and then that initial acceleration to get to 40 and 60 mph is very sexy. As I'm sure it sounds about the same in standard automatic transmission cars too but... I don't know. Maybe I am just crazy. I'm gonna go through with the muffler delete though. I've settled on the idea and now I want to make it a reality.

Thanks for the warning though.

 

[Longislandcivic]

Sometimes it's best to learn from your own mistakes, sometimes it's best to learn from others. YouTube videos don't leave your ears ringing after 15 mins. Lol enjoy.

 

[BringTheCows]

Sometimes it's best to learn from your own mistakes, sometimes it's best to learn from others. YouTube videos don't leave your ears ringing after 15 mins. Lol enjoy.

I think part of owning a car and driving it everyday comes down to whether or not you enjoy that experience. I see people who get fancy cars without really getting to know what's underneath or inside the engine bay. They just get it because it costs $100k and has a wicked engine with a turbo in it, etc. But what comes along the way with being a car owner is, what could I do to the car. Some cars it's not a whole lot and other cars there's a whole culture behind it. So I'd like to think there aren't any or many regrets that come with doing something to a car that will only improve its original performance. And if my ears need to ring 15 minutes a day per drive, so be it I think. Because at the end of the day the car is running good, it's getting me to places reliably, and most importantly sounds like what a car should sound like. And I get to be part of an insane culture because of it too.

 

[BringTheCows]

BUMP

The shop I went to did a beast of a job. Only took them 2 hours. Here's what it sounds like:

 

[dt10g]

How are you feeling about it?

Wasn't sure if your "My God" at 0:31 was ... "This is awesome" or ...

Sounds rumbly!

 

[Xernive]

BUMP

The shop I went to did a beast of a job. Only took them 2 hours. Here's what it sounds like:

Is that muffler delete with stock exhaust etc. & also I'm assuming it's the 1.5L Turbo, CVT & Automatic?

Did you have them mess with resonator or anything else? Sounds nice!

Sponsored