Exaust is alot more complex than many people think.
Backpressure is never good. No car needs even a single bit of it. It's about flow and velosity, and pipe size and length can greatly effect these factors. The size of the tube effects the volume it can handle. If you go to a smaller tube, the exaust gasses will flow faster, which will help low end alot, but because of the lower volume it can handle, it will not be benificail at higher rpm's where the volume is much higher. A large tube will fow better up top, but because of the larger volume, it will be harder for exaust gasses to be pushed through. A longer tube will have more exaust gas in it, but if that volume is moving faster, it will actually cause suction. This is called scavaging. It's hard to explain.
A muffler will often not just deaden sound, but the different chambers and passages actually increase power by maintaing the flow to a steady rate, which increases velosity.