Parameters are:
- I don’t want to change the exterior look of the car. Ideally it fits the stock tips that I can weld into the exhaust
- I would like more sound. But not crazy. I’m in my 60s. I don’t want to drive around sounding like a teenager
- want to improve performance. I’m ok to upgrade header, cat and exhaust.

recommendations on brand : model.

also should be bolt on but leant from experience with an Acura rebuild that fitment is critical. So any install tips are welcome.

 

Don't worry about the tips. I have no doubt a competent exhaust shop can fit your OEM tips to any exhaust.

I hated the oval "Accord" sedan exhaust tips on my 2006 S2000 and chose the Tanabe Medalion Touring exhaust with proper round tips to clean that up. As for sound and responsible smog compliance (even though I've never had the car where that's required) I fitted a Berk 63mm high flow cat between the OEM header the the Medalion Touring. Aftermarket headers have negligible power increases if that. Sound has been described as Gentlemanly Performance and I agree. You'll not have to guess when VTEC engages.

This cat will allow you to tune your 2006 DBW car's VTEC engagement down to 3600rpm for increased midrange performance power and not just performance sound. My tuned VTEC-to-rev limiter range now spans 3600 rpm to 8400rpm. I submitted the car to voluntary smog testing a couple of times and it passed. YMMV.

The round tips are my only visual non-OEM "mod" and they look like they belong.

-- Chuck

 

I'm in your demographic. You may find virtually all aftermarket exhausts too loud. I sure do.

Also realize, there is no power to be gained from an exhaust on this car. If you go crazy, single exhaust, super laege pipe, high flow cat, and just the right header, you can unlock precious few ponies. But I'm certain you'd find it too loud and too juvenile.

I should also mention most headers on this car actually lose power, not gain it. That is mostly true for mostly all aftermarket parts for this car. It was just so damn optimized from factory.

So its really just a sound mod, and a few less pounds.

The good news though is what you're looking for exists and keeps the stock look. Its an exhaust mod, called around here the UK mod. A simple bypass pipe welded to back of both mufflers.

It allows a regulated amount of exhaust flow to go straight through muffler, bypassing most of it.

Any exhaust shop can do it just from seeing a pic of one. You can go from mild to wild here, based on size of bypass pipe.

The problem is most doing this are after max noise,so they go big. And this mod starts to sound less and less automotiveorgasmic the louder you go.

A 1" (25mm) is probably just right for what you want. I wouldn't go more than 1.25" (32mm). Cost should be less than $200.

Exhaust will look identical to stock, cause it still is. Bypass pipes you'd hafta get all way under car to see em.

Sound is gonna be like what you'd expect a factory option exhaust to sound like.

As for adding power, there are basically three options:

- forced induction (turbo, supercharger, etc. Budget about $10k all in (kit itself, important upgrades, tuning). More if you pay to have it installed. But you're talking easily 2x stock power. Of these, sc is closest to stock personality, just turned up way past 11, into insanity.

- go down rabbit hole of cams, header, independent throttle bodies, and all sorts of normally aspirated power mods. This is not for the timid.

Both above make the car less, daily get in and drive. Increase what can go wrong, etc.

But then there is the third option. And oh man, this one has your name on it.

Since ypur model year can use flashpro,it can easily be tuned. You'll need a high flow cat to really make this worth it.

Not bc stick cat is restrictive, its not. But there is this resonance thing that happens due to...maybe its shape? Anyway, you lose power w stock cat if you do this next part, but gain big time with HFC.

Tuner will lower vtec rpm. To around 4k rpm or maybe even slightly less. He can safely boost redline to around 8400 rpm, and still have piston speeds around what stock ap1 has.

This is only when you floor it. Driving around normally there is no change. Highway you'll still be on normal cam until you floor it and hit 4k rpm.

These two changes by themselves open up the power band hugely. So now shifting always stays in power band. Taking off and just driving around is transformed. Vtec engagement is smooth, but just as loud and engaging.

Tuner will also maximize fuel and timing, so you'll pickup around 10hp give or take on top end. But the real magic is what happens in midrange.

All this for around $1.5k. FP around $700, tune maybe $300 or so, HFC around $300.

Tune can be remote, aka road tune, or dyno. Remote, they just send you files to load into your FP. Then you turn on logging, drive around, send them logs. Tuber updates tune, and this goes back and forth several times. In a few days you have your perfected tune.

I should also note, any exhaust, aftermarket or uk mod on stock, gets louder w HFC. So if you test listen to any, you always gotta ask, w stock cat, or hfc, or test pipe? TP = loudest, HFC almost as loud, stock = least added sound.

Stock exhaust unmodded, adding hfc barely noticible. But even modest uk mod its noticibly louder hfc vs stock.

I mention this in case you go in stages. UK mod now, hfc and tune later. Its gonna be louder when you do the hfc. Just keep that in mind.

You can literally keep everything stock except hdc and fp w tune, and get 100% of gains. UK mod is just for sound.

 

...and on topoc of sound mods, there is the airbox mod.

Try this, remove airbox lid, drive around. Wow, that intake sound!

This actually loses power, as you're sucking hot underhood air. So this is just an experiment to see what it sounds like.

That is pretty much what a k&n intake is gonna sound like.

At first its addicting. But soon enough you're probably gonna be like, this is too much to live with.

Enter airbox mod. Some have called it LHT airbox mod, bc they did a video on it. But I did it years before that video, and I did it based on an even older post here. So they didn't invent it. But video is very good?

Basically, you cut a large hole in side of airbox next to fender, route an aftermarket intake hose to fender opening (cold air).

You get about 40% of the sound of airbox lid off. Just enough so you hear it when you want to, not so much normal driving is impacted.

All intakes on this car are spund only. Or visual of you're into that. Most lose power vs stock airbox. So might as well keep stock airbox and mod it.

Looking under hood its not at all obvious its been modded. You have to look to see it.

For mine,I added a bulkhead connector to hole, so hose has something to slip onto. Much more oem like.

The mod also involves removing a snorkel on bottom of lid, and cutting down an interior wall.

These are meant to add water ingestion protection. Like if you drove through a flood up to intake height. So what I did is left about an inch tall wall. Carefully cut ot down and shaped so still looks stock, like they designed it that way.

Now I at least have some water ingestion protection, and all the un inhibited flow needed to make the sound mod work.

Some also suggest plugging the hole to the resonator chamber inside box. I did that initially, but undid it later. Its not blocking good sounds, its blocking ugly ones. Resonance. Keep it unplugged.