The other thing to consider is that depending on what mufflers you are using, this will also change the chart around as well-
As a straight through 2.5" muffler will support more power then a chambered 2.5" muffler-
At Magnaflow, this is what we usually go by- this is for a N/A motor, no converters - with an X pipe
These are crank hp numbers- and would be an exhaust for a street driven car with light track duty, for a race car, I would go to a bigger exhuast sooner-
With forced induction, depending on power adder- you could also go to a bigger exhaust as well a little sooner-
0-225hp 2.25"
225hp- 550hp 2.5"
550hp- 900hp 3"
For a chambered exhaust- there are numbers I see some of our competitors use-
0-200hp 2.25"
200hp-475hp 2.5"
475hp-800hp 3"