To run cutouts or not run cutouts, that is the question.

Such haters on the exhaust cutouts. If you think that open cutouts on a built motor sounds like an exhaust leak and you think the police are going to come get you for loud exhaust, YOU ARE F.o.S. Yeah if you put them on a stock motor, of course it's going to sound like crap. Regardless, do you think they are any louder than a Harley with straight pipes? Give me a break people! Those Harleys are WAY louder and do they get in trouble? No, they don't. I open my electric cutouts nearly every time I drive my car. I've yet to have a cop pull me over for having a loud exhaust. My buddy drove his car for a full month, 600+ miles with open headers on a 505" motor (no exhaust whatsoever). Guess how many tickets he got? ZERO.

To the OP, if you're going to do it, I would go electric. I love the fact that you can open or close them in 3 seconds while you're driving. Manuals, well you know what a pain that would be. Are you going to see performance gains? Maybe some, depending on how you set it up. For straight up noise, I'd put them right after the header collectors. For performance, I'd put them after your H or X to take advantage of exhaust scavenging. Not fact, just my opinion. That's what I did, but it does cut the sound down. The cutouts after the X are much tamer than the open headers (although people don't believe me when I tell them that open headers are way louder than what they just heard). But it's fun as hell to open them up and give her the throttle. Even my wife prefers to ride with open cutouts to mufflers. I have the Summit brand cutouts. I do not recommend these personally. I had the switch go out after a couple uses and one of the cutouts leaks a little bit now, but hardly even noticeable as far as sound goes. But you can feel some air getting past. Probably fixable. I would spend a little more money next time and get some good ones. Would I put cutouts on another build? If the motor is built, you bet I would! If people are putting electric cutouts on their cars and using them once a year, wow is all I'm gonna say about that.