I've been poking around on the site trying to do some light weight exhaust research and saw a few mentions of swapping out the OEM exhaust for light weight but obnoxiously loud one either at the event or the night before. Is there anyone doing this?
Would it be practical to swap the OEM unit for a CAT back system by yourself? How long does it take the first time you do it? How long after you get the hang of the swap out procedure? I'm of course referring to a low tech job with jack stands and standard tools (no lift).

The other option I've seen is to have a muffler shop add some flanges to the OEM pipes to allow for the removal or swap out of the mufflers (again either at the event or the night before). Anyone with this setup? Again, how big of a pain is it to do this on a regular basis and can it be done by yourself or do you need an extra hand?

I am really very happy with the looks and sound of the OEM system since the car is my daily driver but would like to shed the weight for autocross. This mod is going to need to be done on the cheap, probably <$800 with the goal of shedding a much weight as possible with no regard for sound quality or levels.

 

I do it, takes about 30 mins of course it's not on a S2000. My advice is to get a V-band clamp or something that can quick disconnect to make it easier.

You can build a custom lightweight autocross exhaust for under $300 easily. Buy some Mandrel U bend piping, a single lightweight Magnaflow muffler from Ebay and have someone local weld it all up. Should save a ton of weight, sound pretty good and be cost effective. I went from a 35 pound stock exhaust to a 10 pound race exhaust for $150. I just swap it out for national events.

 

It's not too bad, if the nuts and bolts you need to undo aren't rusted on or stripped. I would imagine that you could get it down to 15 minutes or so after doing it a couple of times.

If you have a hitch, you might find some issues putting on or removing the stock exhaust. My Dalan doesn't allow the stock exhaust enough movement to remove the two rearmost exhaust hangers.

When I did mine, I just backed it up my rhino ramps, took off the subframe brace (4 bolts) unbolted it from the cat (3 nuts), supported the exhaust with a floor jack, took it off the hangers and rolled it out from the back of the car. If I wasn't struggling with bolts and I had realized sooner that I couldn't get the rear hangers off with my hitch on, I think even the first time would have only taken me about 25 minutes.

 

I like the idea of a v-band clamp. I did a search on the web and saw a few options with verying prices. Any experience with a specific brand?