What would be the best route and why? Trying to see if it would be a better buy for the extra $200. Thanks in advance...

ART pipes, bigger gains.

well ART pipes are twice as much but you won't get twice the gains. Still substantial improvement and more torque over TPs. Really depends on your budget. If you get TPs will you regret it later?

Definitely ART Pipes, if you're cross shopping both. Test pipes sound obnoxious (loud, raspy sometimes even when resonated), not to mention the obvious low RPM power loss.

ART Pipes are about the same volume as HFC's, or so I've heard, or some say even slightly quieter. And you gain a ton of low range TQ and even gains throughout the powerband which is what 99% of us will be using in day-to-day driving.

I'd say ART pipes all the way. I'm not really even into performance and I'm considering buying them for myself as an Xmas present this year.

Thanks for the input. I just wanted to see if there is a big enough difference to make it worth the extra $200+ for them. From what I have been reading the best 2 mods are the 5/16th spacer and art/HFC's. A cat-back exhaust helps but the cats are the worst part when it comes to restriction in the exhaust system. Is the stock muffler to restrictive compared to aftermarket ones?

ART pipes hands down. From personal experience: lowers drone, slightly quieter than my F.I. HFCs, zero rasp, huge torque gains in the lower rpms, adds a unique sound to the exhaust. Aside from LTH's, theyre the best performing TP's you can buy.

Edit: changing the muffler won't do much, if anything, aside from a different sound.