Im looking for a good kit for my 250, kinda leaning toward the HKS one...however my concern is droning at freeway speeds. I want an exhaust that wakes up when the car is throttled, but is quiet...if not stock sounding while cruising.

 

I think you would want tanabe over HKS. I think HKS is louder. HKS you're talking about is the non-Lexus ones right? Lexus has their own HKS but they sell them as Lexus Sports Exhaut or something like that but HKS make them specifically for Lexus.

 

I just put on 2 magnaflow mufflers, with two matching tips and it sounds awesome....not loud at all

 

Actually I was talking about the Lexus HKS one.

 

I have the HKS and love it, but I would not say it sounds like the G35 nor the 350.

 

I have the HKS and when I drove it to LA I could not hear it at all...could be because the music was so loud but I drive about 70 around town and the Lexus HKS is only loud around 2300rpms to 3200rpms.

 

so the lexus HKS is the better choice that sounds the most like the G35/350z but is expensive as hell?? and the Tanabe sound very similar to the G35/350z but a little softer and is pretty cheap??

ohhh whats droning??? hahah sorry im not to familiar with that term

 

IMO, Tanabe has a deeper tone compared to G35/350Z.

 

Then Tanabe is what you want. IMO, HKS tips are too big for this car. Looks like coffee cans.

 

IMO the Tanabe Touring Medalion is the nicest exhaust out there for the IS350. The most tasteless mod that you can do to a luxury vehicle is to rice it out. And I think that this exhaust is the complete opposite. It is quiet (under 93db), has a deep tone, and has an elegant/mature look.

Heres a link so you can get an idea of the sound.
http://www.tanabe-usa.com/soundclips.asp

 

I really want to know how much the Tanabe drones under cruising speeds, especially on the freeway. I dont want the thing to be much louder than stock, if any, when cruising.

 

You are correct dojoman. the 350z is one exhaust muffler into two tips. that is how it get part of it's sound.

You nailed it. there was another memeber on here that did the same. If you leave the cats on, it will sound g35ish. If you take the cats off (which you wont) it will get droney.

I have had a lot of experience with the exhaust for the is350 and I don't think the tanabe sounds like a g35 at all. It sounds great don't get me wrong, but if you are ONLY after sound, it would be cheaper for you to buy to good quality mufflers such as flowmaster or magnaflow and nice tips and have a shop install. I bet you can get the parts online for 250 and the labor should be well under 100. Lets say even 150, you wont be going over 400.00 I think if you don't want to go that route and want to be quiet buy someone's lexus hks (not the high output one) off someone in the classified section. It's quiet. Not g35ish either, but I think you would be happiest with it. my order would be . 1. custom, 2. lexus hks, 3. tanabe. I am sure you can find someone that lives close to you with the tanabe that will let you take a listen. It's great, and looks fantastic. The flanges are a little cheesy but for it's price it's well worth it.

good luck!

 

At highway speeds, the Lexus HKS has almost no droning what so ever. Of course everyone has their own tolerance levels when it comes to droning. I took a road trip recently and couldn't tell I had an aftermarket exhaust while cruising the freeway.

 

You're right, people can get it cheaper. Lexus-parts.com has it for $1150 (when you use their Club Lexus 10% off coupon) plus shipping ($50-$75) & if you had a Lexus dealer install they shouldn't charge more than 1-hr labor (even though it'll probably take the technician 15-20 mins to take off the oem & another 15-20 mins to install the new one) which is around $100-$120 since it's only an axle-back exhaust. So worst case scenerio is around $1350 (assuming you have it installed at a Lexus dealership). Or you can ask your local Lexus dealership to match Lexus-parts.com's price.

I agree the HKS Hi-Power exhaust tips & mufflers are too big on this vehicle but IMHO the HKS dealership exhaust compliments this sporty car very much.

 

This is 100% correct. When all was said and done the Lexus HKS cost me $1210 (tax and everything). Sewell installed my exhaust for $130.