After a slight delay in the delivery, the exhaust has finally been installed. It’s a stainless steel, true dual, CATBACK exhaust system with H-pipe, polished stainless at the rear section only. It is not smog legal due to the removal of the 2 rear catalytic converters. The front cats are still retained. The exhaust comes with two resonators.


Although this is marketed as a simple bolt on, installation is not as easy as you would hope. The fit was very tight, and has to be maneuvered EXACTLY into place. The front/H-pipe just bolts up to the front cats. The only tricky part about the H-pipe is removing the oxygen sensors. You will need to unbolt the stock front Y pipe from the cats and lower it far enough to use an oxygen sensor socket with a slit on the side to accommodate the wire for the sensor. You will not be able to use an open end or box wrench on the oxygen sensor due to the shielding around it. The mid pipe with resonators have to be slipped onto the front H-pipe and hammered into place. Be careful not to damage the flange.
The exhaust hangers on the mid pipe are designed to have one pulling up and one pulling down. This will hopefully eliminate the excessive movement the stock exhaust had. We were told by LMS that the supplied exhaust clamps are optional. It would also make removal of the mid pipe easier if/when you needed to put the stock exhaust back on. At this point installation gets trickier. You will need an assistant to help manipulate the rear sections to the proper location while you tighten the fasteners at the flange. This might take a couple of tries to get it just right.
Another little issue with my car is that the left tailpipe is not completely center, possibly due to the fact that I have the factory body/ground effects kit on there. The original test car did not have the body kit.

One last thing, the piping for the left rear section will come close or come in contact with the big washer for the bolt on the sub frame. You will need to loosen the bolt and turn the washer so the tang on the big washer clears the piping.

A baseline dyno was already impressive with horsepower readings of 254.6 (to the wheels) and torque of 223.6. Readings after the exhaust showed maximum horsepower of 263.7 and torque of 236.4. There were reported gains of 22 rwhp. This however was reported with a prototype. I know for a fact the resonators had to be redone (due to the fact that they were too loud), and I haven’t seen any other dyno sheets with the production model. Depending on many variables (different dyno machines, temperature/humidity, etc.), the results will vary.


Sound: Unfortunately I do not have any sound links. Definitely growls on WOT and when you romp on it to about 4500-5000 rpms. If you are just cruising, it has a nice low grumble. Of course sound is very subjective and since I’ve been around modded cars for over 20 years, I don’t consider it loud at all. For others that are not used to it though, they may consider it a little too much. I was concerned that it might sound tinny or ricey, but was pleasantly surprised when I heard it in person. All the sound clips in the world will not provide the real world experience.

Personal opinion: I love the way this exhaust sounds! Just throaty enough and without a lot of resonance. Kind of reminds me of how a Ferrari sounds! If you are worried about smog checks, etc., you will have to decide on your own whether or not it’s worth the trouble. New cars sold in California do not need to be smogged for the first 4 years (unless there is a change in owner). Therefore, I’m gonna have at least 3 years of very vocal driving before I have to worry about that. I wasn’t too concerned with the round canisters since you can hardly see them anyway. There’s just enough shine peeking through to let you know it’s not a stock exhaust.


Keep in mind that this is all for informational purposes only. Everyone will have their own bias or opinion on whether or not the cost justifies the gains or aesthetics. A lot of members have tried certain products and found out later that these products were not worth the time, money or trouble. It’s those members willingness to use their cars as guinea pigs and provide feedback to the community at large that makes these forums invaluable when deciding what or what not to do to your car.

BTW, the car has also been lowered (slightly) with the Eibach Pro-kit . They were put on about a week after the exhaust. Didn’t want to take pics right away since I was waiting for them to settle.

For those of you that live in Northern California and would like to see it and hear it in person, stop by the NorCal Beginning of Summer Meet (https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=217857). So far, I’m the only Matador Red IS showing up, so it should be easy to spot me!

 

Thanks for the great write up. Looks good, I would like to hear it in person before deciding on which exhaust.

 

Great write up. Very nice MR IS350

 

Very great write-up, power gains are pretty impressive. Not impressed by the pure aesthetics of it, from the tip look to the fact that the left one isn't centered. Would love to hear this though! Your digitial camera doesn't have any sort of movie function? :P

 

Progress! It's looking good. The car sounds good at freeway cruising speeds and also at WOT. Kinda scary to drive it around Old Town Pasadena at night when they were down here a few weeks ago. The deep sound resonates from the taller buildings hehe.

 

Looking good! I would love to hear some clips of the exhaust.

 

r6z9r,
We'd love to have you come to our Begining of Summer meet. Check it out here. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=217857 You can hear it in person then.
Also, thanks for all the complements on the write up. It took alot of time and effort to gather all the facts that we have presented here.
I would also like to thank Steve and his crew at LMS for all their assistance.

Ryan,
Cruising around Pasadena was alot of fun. That was actually the day we got the exhaust on the car. The springs were put on a week after.
Will

 

Sorry, but as of now, we currently don't have any sound clips.

 

Wow, looks nice! I'm debating between this exhaust and the Fujisubo.

 

LDYNRED! Ive heard your muffler before. Sounds mean!

Is that event only for modded cars? How much does it cost to attend? I'm interested in going before I leave for Asia.

 

It does not matter if you have a heavily modded car or bone stock. Everybody is welcome to attend. It won't cost you anything. You'll get to see first hand what some of us have done. You can gather alot of information before deciding on any mods. You can talk to some of the vendors and veteran members. The NorCal crew is very tight knit.
Hope to see you there,
Will
Btw, here is the link to BOS meet. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=217857

 

Looks like your left exhaust tip needs to be adjusted a bit. Power gains are impressive.. might take off my cats now.

 

Don't really mind it being off. Just enjoying the exhaust. Install was done by Steve and crew at LMS.
At least it does not rub on the bumper cover or anywhere on the body of the car for that matter.
Will

 

are these your actual dyno sheets or are these from the LMS prototype car?

 

left tip is a bit close to the paint, hopefully it wont damage it from radiant heat

lucky cali doesnt have to smog for 4 years on a new car, texas is only 2