So im thinking of doing an exhaust upgrade and im between an axle back exhaust or straight pipe the whole thing. I want a mean growl and want my gl to sound mean. I have a 1988 Subaru GL 4WD 5 speed wagon

I myself did a hack job of cutting off the muffler and straight piping it from there with 2". Sounded pretty darn good to me. If you do end up straight piping it the whole way, I'd probably put a high-flowing turbo muffler at the back to get rid of a little bite. But it's all up to you. 

 

This may help give you an idea of the direction you want to take it:

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/31437-how-loud-is-a-na-ea82-with-a-presilencer-straight-pipe/

I put some 1 /3/4" into 2" Unequal length headers on on my EA81 powered 77 two door, sounds pretty angry to me :-)

 

 

I installed 2" from "Y" pipe back with a Magnaflow stainless steel muffler. I like it a lot, it sounds nice but not obnoxious.

Mine has a borla Y pipe, and then a single 2 1/4" running all the way back to a thrush turbo muffler with a turndown at the end.

Its got a nice burbly idle, and is kinda loud at speed, but not so much that you cant have a conversation with a passenger while accelerating.

If i had to do it all over again...id do it exactly the same way

I installed 2" from "Y" pipe back with a Magnaflow stainless steel muffler. I like it a lot, it sounds nice but not obnoxious.

^^^^^^^^^^^ This.

 

I bought a coupe with this set up already on it, and liked it so much I put it on my hatch too.

 

One word of advice, if you do a lot of extended highway driving, whatever you put on the back will be resonating through the cab on a wagon or hatch.

 

Be mindful of that before you go nutty on noise :-)

 

Dan

Place a glass pack in the mid pipe in place of the resonator, and repace the muffler with a piece of straight pipe. Do all of your exhaust mods in the mid pipe and back, leave the factory header and cats alone so you don't compromise performance.

I myself did a hack job of cutting off the muffler and straight piping it from there with 2". Sounded pretty darn good to me. If you do end up straight piping it the whole way, I'd probably put a high-flowing turbo muffler at the back to get rid of a little bite. But it's all up to you. 

 

This may help give you an idea of the direction you want to take it:

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/31437-how-loud-is-a-na-ea82-with-a-presilencer-straight-pipe/

Hey i know that Guy!,.. i have converted my Car to a side exit exhaust behind the drivers side rear door, larger pipe and it sounds much better the my earlier you tube clip 

^ This guy isn't showing you the wax plugs that he puts into ears, every  time he goes for a drive.   Just kidding.   But try talking on a cell phone in this Subaru.  You will end up saying "what?" a lot.  lol

I'm running open dp at the moment. Making a custom dp at work too. Then I'm gonna run a 2.5 or 3" exhaust through a porter muffler to a takeyari pipe.