Top Speed Pro Exhaust - Installation & Review
 

This is a basic installation guide and review of the Top Speed Pro 1st gen sedan exhaust. I purchased the kit directly from John at Top Speed Pro for $240 shipped (YMMV). John was very helpful and professional throughout. The exhaust arrived quickly and was well packaged to prevent shipping damage.

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First Impressions
The build quality appeared to be good, especially considering the low price. The kit came with all the necessary installation hardware, a decal, booklet, and Top Speed Pro lanyard, but no instructions. However, It was pretty self explanatory and much of what I found on Youtube pointed me in the right direction.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert and this was my first experience installing an aftermarket exhaust. Follow these instructions at your own risk.

Step 1: Remove the stock muffler and mid-pipe.
First, I prepped the work area and backed the car up onto a set of rhino ramps in my garage. I disconnected the negative battery terminal. I hosed the bolts and rubber hangers down with WD-40 the night before I got to work to loosen things up a bit. Even so, the bolts were on there very tight and required some effort to remove the following day.

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The bolts between the mid-pipe and the muffler were relatively easy to remove. There was a grounding wire connected to the passenger side bolt. I removed it completely because the new exhaust parts were a different length, which made re-installation impossible.

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The bolts located at the front of the mid-pipe were rusted and required some serious effort to break loose. I ended up having to kick the wrench at full force to move the driver's side bolt.

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Once all the bolts were loose, I shifted my attention to the rubber hangers that hold the exhaust in place. I used a pipe wrench and pry bar to remove the metal from the rubber. The hangers holding the muffler were a PITA because they were hard to maneuver with my large hands. I recommend wearing gloves to avoid cuts and bruises.

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With the old exhaust removed, I called it a day because I was tired out. Removal was the hardest part. It was all downhill from here.

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Step 2: Install new exhaust
Having an assistant would have helped with this stage but I did it solo. I put an old pillow in a yard waste bag and positioned under the front of the mid-pipe section to cushion a fall.

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The factory bolts would not budge so I decided to use them with the new mid-pipe. I put the new gasket in place and crawled under the rear of the car with the new mid-pipe. I slid the mid-pipe onto the existing bolts and connected the single metal hanger to the rubber grommet. Next, I started the old nuts along with two of the new o-rings provided by TSP.

I lined up the muffler section with the rear of the mid-pipe section and threaded the new bolts (the smaller ones with the Allen key socket, nuts and washers. Don't forget the gasket! Once again, I didn't used the toothed washers, just the flat ones. I hung the back of the muffler first, then the front. Leave the cardboard on the exhaust tip to prevent scratches. The two hangers at the front were a pain again. Use lubricant and bend the heat shield back to get better leverage. Finally, I tightened all the nuts with my wrench as tightly as possible, making sure the gaskets were centered between the pipes.

I reconnected the battery, started the car, and checked for leaks. There was a small leak between the mid-pipe and muffler section, so I tightened the bolts some more. This fixed the leak.

DONE!

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Driving impressions:
The new exhaust is loud but not obnoxious or head-ache inducing. The tone is smooth. There is no rasp. There is some drone but it is not excessive. The exhaust is loudest at lower speeds around town, and while accelerating. Cruising on the highway (60-80mph), it is not very noticeable, which is a good thing. You can still carry on a conversation or listen to music. Loud music mostly drowns out the exhaust.

I plan on making a video so you can see and hear it in action. Besides a couple of low-res offerings from TSP, this specific exhaust was impossible for me to find a clip of.

I hope you enjoyed this write up. Feel free to post comments or questions.

EDIT: I recommend following the procedures on this page to avoid low idle/start up problems: http://www.6mt.net/forum/performance...rocedures.html

Videos:

Looks like you did a good job! I did the Megan racing exhaust on my car a little over a month ago, it required all the same work, looks like the new exhaust lines up with the car pretty good. I had to take the Megan racing one to the shop to get it lined up right...
I bought the Megan racing one because there were no good clips on you tube of the top speed one n a sedan, so I'd recommend you making a good clip of the exhaust, give it a good 20seconds of idle, then a couple revs one small then one big rev, and Finish it off with some interior shots so people can hear what they would hear if they were to get it.
That's just my two cents on the idea.

Looks good.

The stock exhaust is a joke! That big collector/muffler section is ridiculous lol I need to do G35 Y pipe or just go aftermarket already

I'm jealous, thanks to Canada and its horrible winters, the underside of my car hasn't looked that good since 2004...

:biggthumpup:Pretty good.

Very nice write-up, thanks. Looks like a nice system and for the price you can't beat it. I still prefer the dual tips though.

I was just thinking the same thing. screw u salt!


Posted from G35driver.com App for Android

Wow, that is a big exhaust!

This is what a torch is for boys!

Thanks for the tips. I made 3 videos. One stationary with start up and a couple of revs, one inside the car with the windows up, and one outside with a drive by. A Z was about to cut me off so I floored it, lol. Check 'em out. They should give people a good idea of what to expect.

Good stuff. Surprised how quiet it was while cruising, considering it sounds pretty loud when accelerating.

Thanks for the comments guys.

I noticed a minor recurring problem since switching out the exhaust. When starting the car when it's already warmed up, the revs dip rather low before returning to normal idle. Sometimes, the car stalls due to the lack of revs. Cold starts are not a problem. Any ideas?

Your exhaust tone will probably change once you break it in so doing a post break in video should be more accurate...

Sounds like throttle body, give it a cleaning. Exhaust sounds awesome

Thanks! I will try this tomorrow and report back.

Is it possible a minor leak in the new exhaust caused the problem? Actually, come to think of it, warm start / idle revs have been low for a while: ~500 rpm. Maybe the new set up just shone a light on it - less back pressure?

Might just be the car reacting to the new air flow. You could try resetting the ECU to see if that helps.

Could be a throttle body, but if the problem came up after the exhaust install, it probably isn't the problem.