Chiubacca

Hey Club Lexus,
What I'm looking for in an exhaust : Deep Growl at low rpms, throaty and deep sound when I push the pedal, low drone, and a rumble at idle.

(skip to next paragraph to skip the back story) Let me start off on how I acquired the exhaust and when I had it installed. As many of you know, ARK Performance was offering partial sponsorships from their Instagram page for the 2014+ IS350/250 models. I was lucky enough to purchase the exhaust with burnt tips from Erick(he was very kind and helpful) at ARK Performance. The shipping took about 2 days to arrive at my front doorstep since I live in the Bay Area which is relatively close to their headquarters. I had the exhaust installed from a friend around Wednesday.

I have to admit I was very skeptical at first because there aren't much videos of the exhaust on YouTube and I was afraid the recordings weren't portraying it's true sound. And I was right, they weren't! The ARK Cat-back exhaust is BETTER than the videos! This thing is crazy ! I didn't believe it when people said it could set off car alarms on cold starts but it really can! The first time I started the car from my friend's shop, it blew my eardrums away. It's loud but it won't give you that nasty "ricey" or an American muscle(no offense to the muscle lovers) sound to it. At low RPM's it will growl at you and ask you to push the car to it's limit so you can hear her scream. But don't let that be a turn off for you owners who like a quiet ride. If you just keep your pedal at a steady position when you're cruising on freeways or just on the normal road, it will be silent. Now let's talk about the drone. Is there drone? yes. Is there a lot of drone? depends on how you're driving. You won't hear it unless you push the pedal but as I stated before, it's silent if you're cruising. For the idling, you can faintly hear the low rumbling which I think is perfect for this car. There's one thing that might get some time to get used. It's the vibration from the exhaust. You can feel it while you're driving but I'm used to it by now.

My final thoughts : GET THIS EXHAUST! It's well worth it ! Those of you who are tired of your stock exhaust and wishing it has the sound it really deserves, make this purchase. It will not disappoint!

JM Auto Racing

iTrader: (1)

This is great exhaust system. You will be happy for years to come. The guys at Ark have a really nice product.

Chiubacca

They really have made an exceptional exhaust!

corradoMR2

A review of an exhaust system with no vid?

Chiubacca

I have a video from my phone and it's not the best with all the traffic around. You'll have to turn up your volume to hear it

Chiubacca

Short Video of the revving since I haven't found the time yet to record full acceleration or in cabin driving.

corradoMR2

^^^ That's better Sounds deep yet smooth. Nice!

varium103

very nice. I actually really love the stock exhaust since its super quiet during regular driving, but once you hit 5k then it's loud. But this....man...now I'm re-thinking lol. Damnit!

how much did it cost you counting installation?

anthonys2r

iTrader: (1)

To say there's no drone when cruising is absolutely wrong... if its between 63-70 mph in 8th gear then yes, there is droning. Any higher speeds 70+ in 8th or cruising at those speed in 7th will minimize the droning.

Chiubacca

You should really consider this exhaust! In my opinion, I didn't like the whirring or high pitched sound that came from the stock exhaust but hey, to each his own right? About the price, I can't say much since I did receive a partial sponsorship from ARK cutting my cost down to a little more than half. The MSRP is $1999. However, they have a discount for $1399.30 at the moment. I really suggest you purchase this exhaust if you want that nice deep growl.

Chiubacca

I did not say there was no drone whatsoever. Everything that I've written down was from my own personal experience. If I keep my pedal at a constant level, it's pretty quiet unless you push the pedal then you'll hear the drone. Perhaps we have had different experiences.

Chiubacca

Here's a better quality video

tC2IS350

I'm super happy with my Ark Grip - sounds fantastic and I have received several compliments. Sure it drones a little bit on the highway, but I just turn up my radio a bit and I don't notice it anymore. The sound driving around town is exactly what I was looking for.

Chiubacca

Same here! I let my friend drive my car just so I can hear what it sounds like from the outside haha. Today, I had a guy walk up to me and said it sounds mean!

ramlawih

this ARK catback Exhaust is just perfect, ive had it for a year now and i cant get enough of it especially the morning cold start.

PS: if you want to hear it more, open the rear seat to the trunk of the car and regret it