Pics of a 2007 MDX dual exhaust setup, 56K warning...

[BoilermakerFan]

Hadn't seen pics of the actual exhaust and my dealer had this MDX on the lift. They were kind enough to let me snap pics for my exhaust shop to see. This will cover the '06-'08 owners, not sure about the '03-'05 models.

Tim can hook us up with the heat shield and all the hardware for the driver's side muffler.

I think it's an optical illusion, but the MDX piping looks to be smaller than the Pilot's single pipe, but notice how pinched down the piping is where the two pipes come together at the resonator. The single muffler Pilot exhaust will actually perform a hair better since it does not have that restriction point at the resonator exit. The resonator is the same as the Pilot unit. When I have my aftermarket MagnaFlow 22" resonator put on, it will be about 4" shorter than stock and they normally put it centered in the old location. I'm having it pushed forward so the 4" gain will allow room for a proper 2-1/4" Y-split with no pitched tubing. The MagnaFlow muffler is shorter too, so the tight radius bend with the flange connector on the second muffler won't be so tight to further improve flow.

On to the pics:

[casio]

thanks for the pics from inside mate, its really rare to see mechanics allow to take snaps so casual

[Scratch]

wow that is one heckuva pinch! it almost looks like the 2nd pipe was added as an afterthought... very interested to see/hear the install once you are done with you plans.

[BoilermakerFan]

You're welcome casio. There was a lot of interest in old threads and a lot of noise, but no action so I seized the opportunity.

Yeah, I was surprised too Scratch, but the service coordinator teased me and said my reputation proceeded me since they talked to my old VW/Audi service guys. I've been dealing with the V-Dub group for 11 years and they did all my service but I supplied the aftermarket parts as long as the wouldn't void warranties or break laws. I was one of the few customers allowed to come back in the service area on the V-dub side. Ten years of owning V-Dubs and an Audi means lots of visits to the service department...

After seeing it and realizing my system is way more efficient, I'm not planning to go dual exhaust unless it's just way to high pitched when the high-flow pre-CATs and J-Pipe are on it. The dual exhaust won't add power, it will only allow for a much longer tuning length on the exhaust. That cross brace might be replaced by a cross-tie pipe too for better tuning of the sound as well. It would probably cost $400 or so to add the second muffler, tip, hangers, heat shield, and such...

[browning4x4EX-L]

just curious has anyone takin any measurement to see where the bends are and then compare to other vehicles? reason for askin is that that looks like the y after my rear wheels on my 98 accord with a j30 in it. ps the exhaust on my accord (nopi brand) without the cans sounds damn ferrari like. with the cans its rather throaty.

[BoilermakerFan]

Originally Posted by browning4x4EX-L

just curious has anyone takin any measurement to see where the bends are and then compare to other vehicles? reason for askin is that that looks like the y after my rear wheels on my 98 accord with a j30 in it. ps the exhaust on my accord (nopi brand) without the cans sounds damn ferrari like. with the cans its rather throaty.

Well, the Pilot is an evolution of the Accord platform, so it's feasible, but most Accord exhausts put the Y-split under the spare tire. You could use the Nopi cans and resonator if you wanted that sound on a J35. The critical parts needed are the driver's side heat shield and mounting hardware.

[browning4x4EX-L]

Originally Posted by BoilermakerFan

Well, the Pilot is an evolution of the Accord platform, so it's feasible, but most Accord exhausts put the Y-split under the spare tire. You could use the Nopi cans and resonator if you wanted that sound on a J35. The critical parts needed are the driver's side heat shield and mounting hardware.

surely someone has a buddy that owns a shop that can do some bends..... maybe we can get a group of people to do a group buy and get kteller to come up with something. i would love to add some ponies and get a better throaty sound if possible. im thinking it could be done for about 4-500 ish

[BoilermakerFan]

Well, you'll get a few ponies, but the single pipe system on the Pilot is fine. Just swap out the resonator and muffler for MagnaFlow or Borla universal parts.

Seriously, unless you plan to boost or just hope to really lower the tone a little more, the dual exhaust is just for looks. The stock MDX setup won't flow any more, a CAT-back dual setup with full flow Y-split is still restricted by the 2-1/4" pipe from the J-Pipe to CAT,the pre-CATs and the stock J-Pipes.

I'll be going with RV6 high-flow pre-CATs and the new 4wd J35 J-Pipes when he has them done, but even then, I doubt I'll need a dual setup until I add a supercharger in 60K miles or so after the big 105K timing belt and water pump maint. and my extended warranty is done. Even then, I'm not sure it will need dual pipes after the resonator.

If you want the look and little lower sound, then the dual setup can be easily done by a good shop. If you guys want the part numbers for the heat shield and hardware, I have it. But TBH, the $400 or so extra bucks for the switch to duals just isn't worth it to as that $400 is better spent on the J-Pipe and high flow pre-CATs or even an Unorthodox lightened crank pulley.

[hondamaint]

I agree with everything boilermakerfan has said and we have tested to prove it for ourselves. The J-pipe when Rich gets it done and the Unorthadoz lightened crank pully are in my opinion the BEST bang for the buck,great products both of them.
We actually did some testing on this. We did the dual setup with 2 Magnaflow mufflers on an Odyssey and a setup with the muffler removed and we left the resonator with regular pipe the rest of the way and the single setup worked better all around. It sounds GREAT also and we are currently running this on an Odyssey we have.
I will see if I can dig up the dyno information we have on it but the single was the way to go with the stock J-35 and stock ECU, best I can remember the dual actually hurt performance and way VERY heavy. I know we are talking about a Pilot and an MDX( with a J-37 ) here but really they are pretty close .
Paul Street
Honda Manufacturing of Alabama

[BoilermakerFan]

Originally Posted by hondamaint

I agree with everything boilermakerfan has said and we have tested to prove it for ourselves. The J-pipe when Rich gets it done and the Unorthadoz lightened crank pully are in my opinion the BEST bang for the buck,great products both of them.
We actually did some testing on this. We did the dual setup with 2 Magnaflow mufflers on an Odyssey and a setup with the muffler removed and we left the resonator with regular pipe the rest of the way and the single setup worked better all around. It sounds GREAT also and we are currently running this on an Odyssey we have.
I will see if I can dig up the dyno information we have on it but the single was the way to go with the stock J-35 and stock ECU, best I can remember the dual actually hurt performance and way VERY heavy. I know we are talking about a Pilot and an MDX( with a J-37 ) here but really they are pretty close .
Paul Street
Honda Manufacturing of Alabama

Thanks for jumping in this thread Paul. You know, I totally forgot to factor the weight gain! Insert Face Palm Smiley here.

But I'm glad to read that it didn't help performance and I'm not surprised it actually hurt. There are too many restrictions in the MDX setup.
Are you using the heavy stock resonator or the MagnaFlow resonator?

I'm going to weigh the two and see how much lighter the MagnaFlow is next week when it goes on my Pilot. My gut feel is a 2-3 weight difference between the two.

Paul, I really think you need to fit a Vortec V-5 supercharger into the RallyCross Pilot and have Hondata do the tuning for it. Say 8 psig boost? Should add about 70hp if we, I mean you, run it through a FMIC. If you can draw up the bracket, I can have my company mill the brackets and make the oil lines for you. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

I don't remember which wheels you are running on the Pilots for racing, but if you can get the TL SH-AWD 18" wheels at no charge, the parts database has them listed at 16.4 pounds each. Shod with decent tires and they top out at 48-52 pounds so your at or below the stock 16s total sprung weight.

I consider the Odyssey/Ridgeline/Pilot nearly identical. It's a global platform and things just get stretched a little in the middle. The front end clip difference on the Pilot vs. Ridgeline stung a little since the K&N intake won't fit with the stock 8" long cone filter and the missing lower intake extension, but I can make it work with custom sheet metal. The nice thing is, I gain almost 2" in width since the Pilot's battery is further in to the center line so I'll be able to run a straight 8" diameter, 7" long canister air filter after the custom air box baffle is fabbed.

[aberdeenpilot]

I'm def interested in a dual system, dont care much about more noise I prefer no more noise at all but extra horses would be ok and the look (most important to me) would be great, 4-500 would be ok with me as well I love the symmetry of dual exhaust

[BoilermakerFan]

Originally Posted by aberdeenpilot

I'm def interested in a dual system, dont care much about more noise I prefer no more noise at all but extra horses would be ok and the look (most important to me) would be great, 4-500 would be ok with me as well I love the symmetry of dual exhaust

Then your easiest solution would be to pull the dual setup off a front wrecked '04-'06 MDX. Realize the MDX chassis leads the Pilot by 2 years, so your '08 is equal to an '06 MDX. The '07 MDX is like the current '09-present Pilot, so make sure you pull an older MDX. Should be able to offer a junk yard $450 for the whole exhaust assembly. Just be sure to grab all the hardware and the heat shield on the driver's side.

If you reread hondamaint's comment, you'll see that you will actually take a performance hit, the stock MDX exhaust hinders power. Even with a custom full-flow Y-pipe, I don't think it will make any more power with stock mufflers. You'll add a fair amount of weight to get the symmetry.

You can go full custom and have an exhaust shop add in a full flow Y-pipe and add the second leg to the stock Pilot setup. Then you would just need the hardware, heatshield, and MDX driver side muffler.

If you don't want the system any louder, but still want aftermarket cans, you might check with a Borla shop. I think Borla has a line of mufflers that flow a little better, but they aren't much louder than most stock systems, especially if you keep the stock resonator.

If you want the MDX parts diagram, send me a PM with your email addy and I'll forward it on to you.

[diezel604]

dual custom exhausts installed magnaflow 14816's on 03 pilot

[BoilermakerFan]

Nice. Looks like you went full custom. Is the Y-split even so there is no restrictions like the stock MDX setup?

I've had a couple of financial set-backs so I haven't been able to get the high-flow pre-CATs and J-pipe yet.

But It's in the plan and as soon as my Pilot hits 110K and is out of extended warranty I see a date with Vortex Superchargers and a modded or new torque converter.

Looking for 425HP-450HP at the flywheel and 300-325HP at the wheels. I kept the Ridgeline CAI so that I can use it's sheetmetal as a guide for mocking up the new airbox when I do.

[leo38cheng]

hey boilermakerfan, no time no chat. Hope everything is going well. How's your pilot doing? THe dual custom exhaust looks sick.. can we can a sound clip going on how the exhuast sounds?