honestly, i dont know how it wont pass emissions test. . the only thing controlling emissions on it are the cat converters. . it will definitely make it louder, because it will be freer flowing. however, one issue. i dont believe you can do a traditional straight pipe, i dont recommend it at least. if you get up underneath your truck (i have an 05 h2 as well) you can see the exhaust layout.

there is a turndown next to the rear diff on the passenger side, then it spiders up and around the rear diff, and back to the cats. so, if you straight pipe it, you have to go under the rear diff i believe, and that would affect your clearance and stuff it you ever choose to go offroad (like me). i have been thinking for a week or so about just ripping it all off cat back myself, and taking it to a mufflerx, and having them put some straight pipe on basically(they said less than $200, which is a great deal).

no offense to the people who say it is too loud, but. the point of this truck is kinda to make some noise/splash whatever. its not supposed to be quiet like a prius

 

Yeah, I hate the exhaust set up. Why is there a flat section past the driver side cat going towards the passenger side? Thats getting cut and adding a round piece for better flow. I might even add an ORY-pipe. Then it goes to a dual in HUGE *** tank muffler to a dual out retarded small y-pipe to a single exhaust pipe. Who made this crap? Why didn't they just make a y-pipe up front to a single in/dual out or better yet keep the dual out all the way out. I wonder what I can find that will bolt up to my shorty headers????

 

The flat spot it not factory. This is what happens if you offroad an h2 with stock undercarriage protection. The factory protection bends easly and flattens the cross pipe. Mine is like this too. So if you plan on offroading again don't waste your money on putting a new piece of pipe there unless you plan on purchasing new undercarriage protection from rubberduck4x4.

Also on the muffler you have to remember that this truck was a $55K+ offroad luxery machine so the exhaust needed to be kept quiet. If you want to do a strait pipe just keep in mind that you will only want to delete the muffler and use a Y connector and straight pipe only for this section. Your factory setup from the muffler back is designed to allow room for articlulation, deep water fording and better departure angle. I would in no way put a straight pipe on an H2. IMO its a little too redneck for me. Also an H2 is not a pickup truck meaning that the exhaust will be much louder inside of the H2 than it would be if on a pickup.

I would get a magnaflow muffler and add it. Or a flowmaster bigblock series muffler.

I run a stock muffler and its all dented to hell and back from all the offroading that I do.

 

i had a straight pipe for a few months and then just couldnt take it any more aI drive on the highway a lot and its just annoying

 

was the straight pipes too loud or something?

 

Well I did it. I did my exhaust with a 50 series HD Flowmaster and intercooled tips. It looks bitching!!! Its not very loud inside which is ok since wife called while I was at shop and voiced her opinion on the issue. AirDoc arrives this week and hopefully i can modify the box so I'm happy adding a cone k&N filter. I already tore that honeycomb crap of the outside where the air goes in (pointless) and shorties should get installed as soon as I have time. I wonder if I can cut the ERG tube that goes in the intake too while Im at it like on the F-Bodies. I'll check it out.

 

sounds like this is right up his alley!

 

i'm not so sure with new cars but all the headers I've installed from past cars do not bolt up in the existing exhaust. Sometimes, they do bolt up but not the rest of exhaust pipes. They sit a bit lower.

 

I have the B&B Headers an they bolted right up to the stock exhaust. I then had the cat back system with dual tips installed. It sounds great and works well with everything I have done. I do want to say that B&B has been a great company to work with. I had the inlet pipe into the muffler crack at the weld. I took pictures and sent them to B&B and put up a deposit on the new muffler. They sent it out and I returned the old for my credit back.