Did you by chance come into or already know any information on how much flow a straight pipe vs a muffled engine is. In other terms how restrictive is a muffler on average? Btw I'm loving all the info and numbers, about everything with this turbo upgrade!
Short answer:
it depends.
Longer answer:
Mufflers have different CFM flow rates depending on how they are made, the style, size, and sound level.
Muffler companies also measure differently using CFM or SCFM.
CFM - Cubic Feet per Minute
SCFM - Standard Cubic Feet per Minute
CFM is the flow rate at unknown conditions, while SCFM is flow rate at a give temp and pressure (if it's given to you) flow rate changes dependent on temp/pressure which is why it's not very specific without actually measuring using equipment while testing. Manufacturers will make all sorts of claims that their race muffler can flow up to 2000SCFM and support 2000HP (Dynomax Race) on a 2.5" inlet/outlet.
So a muffler will cause more of a disruption over just straight pipe, but it really depends on all the factors to how much it can actually flow. If you want a muffler, you just want to be able to flow as much as the pipe or more.
More info from a Garrett Turbo Engineer: As for 2.5" vs. 3.0", the "best" turboback exhaust depends on the amount of flow, or horsepower. At 250 hp, 2.5" is fine. Going to 3" at this power level won't get you much, if anything, other than a louder exhaust note. 300 hp and you're definitely suboptimal with 2.5". For 400-450 hp, even 3" is on the small side.”