Its not a consistent size on the 03-06 and as far a I remember it wasnt on my 02 either. On my 04 it starts off by the cats as 2.25" then by the time it reaches the muffler, its down to 1 7/8" They slowly decreased the size of the pipe as it reached th rear mufflers so they can be bent easier to clear the differential and make close to a 90 degree bend going into the mufflers. I had custom exhausts made for both my 02 and 04. Most people like the bigger piping, but as far as fitment issues, I would stick with 2.25". 2.25" gives better back pressure for the LS engine. It felt like when I did 2.5" piping on my 02 I lost a lot of torque. I did 2.25" on my 04 and I can lay rubber down the block. Also since 90% of the exhaust tips out there from good Manufacturers like Magnaflow are mainly 2.25"