F1nALMSfan

Hey everyone,

I'll be posting up my thoughts on the new exhaust after I get enough seat time with it. The exhaust install went smoothly, the most time taken up getting the exhaust tips to match up left to right. I will plan to paint the mufflers black in the future, but first wanted to make sure I'm keeping the exhaust.

First impressions. This exhaust is loud but sounds awesome. Hitting the start button, a new car awakes. It has a very deep rumble growl to it, that climbs with the revs. Based on all the videos that are out there, the sound surprised me. I would peg it to be slightly louder than my ISF was with PPE headers and Borla catback. Hitting a tunnel on the way home was incredible though.

When on the freeway coming home, as long as the revs were kept fairly constant, it wasn't any different than the stock exhaust. There is some "drone" or resonance in the cabin when slow accelerating in highway cruising speeds, such as going from 65 to 75, mostly in the RPM range up to 2,200 or so. Not sure how I like that yet, but I only had about 15 min of highway time with it.

As for seat of the pants feel, the car felt more responsive and obviously the sound makes it feel faster too. More detailed feedback to come.

Vid clips:

Swacer

When you get the chance, can you post a good audio video? Every time I've listened to a clip of this exhaust, I have felt that it is too quiet and is too "refined" for the raw v8 sound I'd be looking for.

My Camaro is a very raw, very loud car. I've hit well over 110dB with 1 7/8" headers to a 3" exhaust with 3.5" mufflers. I'd like my RC-F to sound similar.

Z3NK1

iTrader: (2)

Congrats! Still my favorite looking exhaust, and you're right about it being louder than the videos suggest.

kareemRCF

Louder than your previous isf with headers? The exhaust sounds very tame on videos...

LexISguy

Any before and after Dyno Numbers?

F1nALMSfan

I think so, but to be totally honest it has been a while since I have driven that car, so I can't be 100% certain. The sound through the total rev range under WOT seems louder to me. Very deep, but an awesome sound. The videos don't come anywhere close to the sound of it in person. I even tried to capture some with my iphone 6+, it seems like it levels off the audio or something. I have a nicer camcorder I will try, maybe this weekend.

F1nALMSfan

Unfortunately, no before dyno numbers. I may get a chance to dyno it later this fall, but nothing for now, and no pre/post numbers here.

F1nALMSfan

Thanks! I was really surprised the first time I started it up and took it for a short spin. It sounds deep, throaty and mean. I really like it so far, and this mornings 45 min commute, done at a pretty constant 63 mph, had none of the drone/resonance I was getting at 75-80. Carried on a BT phone conversation, they couldn't tell the difference at all.

Did you have any issues with aligning the mufflers for height and angle? We have to adjust the hangers by adding a few washers to them to allow the exhaust, left side, from hitting the rear bumper. All good now though.

F1nALMSfan

I will try. Not sure how good the audio pickup will be on my Sony camcorder, but I have to believe it is better than the iphones. I would guess though that this setup will still be much quieter than your Camaro is, but the sound clips really do not sound like it does in real life.

With headers though, it will get louder for sure.

I will try to capture some more sound by this weekend if I can.

Swacer

How easy were the headers to install on your IS-F?

F1nALMSfan

I didn't install them personally, but did help my friend do it in his garage. I will ask him again what he thought of the install and how long it took us. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary to it, and it all went smoothly. The only issues I had with the headers was the O2 sensors would go out, causing a CEL and disabling TC. That was sort of a pain, but replacing all of them seemed to fix the problem. These were the PPE headers btw, looked incredible.

Z3NK1

iTrader: (2)

After install I had issues with the pipes banging and vibrating on the cross member underneath the car, and one muffler stuck out about 10mm more than the other. I had another shop make some adjustments for me and now it's perfect. I also took the opportunity to paint the back of the cans black and add some poly hangers.

RCFormante

iTrader: (1)

Nice! How much did the dealership charge for the install?

F1nALMSfan

No dealer charge, we did it after hours!

F1nALMSfan

I don't think I have issues with the mufflers sticking out, at least not that I could initially tell, but we installed some washers on the top side of the cross member to ensure no rattling. Also bent back some of the hangers to ensure the left side look aligned right.

Do you happen to have a picture or two you could post up with the blacked out mufflers? I am wondering how long that would last in Wisconsin with the winters and all. I am thinking of doing that when I install my springs wthin the next few weeks.