haha and it has a cat
im a n00b, too, in such respects, all i know is a few things in theory.
heres a little bit more to chew on, the major of the power gains on the intake side are realized because more air(and fuel) are able to be crammed into the cylinder. thus for us mpg nuts the only things that really matter are how the air/fuel mixture enters the cylinder with the rich and lean areas etc.
with exhaust however, things become more complicated, as the exhaust gains velocity leaving the cylinder, it will actually suck the piston up if the head/header is designed properly, thus creating a little more power in a very different way. however techniques in maximizing this effect are beyond me. it has a lot to do with primary(and secondary) length, thickness and to a lesser extent, tappering. also some simple things anti-reversion tricks will help. but mostly, the key is maintaining the 'ideal' exhaust velocity, whatever that may be....