I get your argument here, but if it's gonna constantly be a tug of war of what automakers can get away with and what they want to give. For example, Honda considers sunglasses holders a luxury and keeps them out of lower trims (for some godforsaken reason), yet everyone gets a fancy infotainment...
It's come in handy a ton when it snows near me. Thinking back to my old Camry sedan, not having the wiper was a hassle at stop lights when the snow would pile up during storms.
See if you can find videos of people with a downpipe and a resonator delete. I think if you're already worried about noise (ie: if it'll be too much), then your best bet is to try it and see.
I believe they explicitly made the 19" wheels on the FL5 larger looking too, remember reading an article about how they are smaller but look just as big because the wheel goes over the tire.
Personally I'm a fan of the OEM look of the type R, I think once it gets under 18" it starts to look funny
I stuck a 70a 27juan motor mount on a CVT civic lol, I think at some point I stopped realizing the ride was harsh and it just became normal.
If you've already decided on the direction for the build and can handle it, I always think the ride change is worth it.
Maybe you should stop spending so much time wondering what women want, and wonder what YOU want. If you get a car, or do some other thing just for women, it will never get you women. You have to be content with yourself before you try to saddle someone else with your problems.
I think the conclusion is pretty solid here @Nikw91, buy the cheapest pipe you can afford from a reputable brand. The research you're doing is highly unreliable since you can't isolate every variable ?
I'm more so asking to see if theres a "binned chip" equivalent for the C1. Technically they're identical afaik, but there's also variation, and that variation could point to differences in which engines go in which car (de5 or fl5), or not at all lol
Have you ever quantified downpipe data graphically? Or even just specific mods data? Would be super cool to see average power gains across identical setups, I'm sure they would be a far better gauge for this thread.
Like what's the most common mod you've seen, or what's the average power gain...
Unless the exhaust causes a CEL which results in the engine choking to death, or something like that, it shouldn't keep dealers from voiding your warranty.
That's also the reason why something like a downpipe would void a warranty if it creates problems.