hi everyone.. i was wondering what is the visual differences between these two exhaust.. i'm in the market to look for a used HKS but dont want to end up paying for an X02, which is half the price. anyone know how you can tell the difference between the two? i think this thread can be helpful to all.. thanks!

The welds, crappy color on the tips, and the canisters are a little different.

Easiest way to tell is the tips. HKS has burnt tips which are bright blue with no holes on them, X02 has brown looking tips with multiple holes on the side to allow for adjustment. Also an easy way to tell is if the exhaust either

1) comes with "extension" pipes
2) no extension pipes but is sunken in when installed

Then it's X02, because it was originally designed for the 350z.

How much difference is in the sound?

here you go...

there are many different types of x02's now that look much better than the first x02's on the market. so don't count on "ugly brown tips" as your only marker, my x02's tips aren't brown at all.

If you're buying an auuthentic HKS for the G35, it will not have extension pipes. All the replicas do.

The extension pipes are a gimme.

When mounted, im not sure if this applies for all replicas, but the exhaust doesnt really line up perfectly. One side is a bit lower than the other.

they are identical in length. i've seen them both on a rack at the same time. 1 car with a clone and 1 with an authentic. they are IDENTICAL in length.

hks has welds on the dead chambers.....doesn't matter because you can't see them anyway.

difference is that the Clone has it's holes drilled near the exhaust tips outlet whereas the authentic HKS has the holes drilled near the exhaust tips inlet. What this does is make the clone look as though it is not sticking out far enough.

Simple fix, either drill new holes in the clone's tips so that they can stick out farther, or just buy some HKS tips or another brand's tips. Size is 2.5 inlet to a 4.5 outlet.

As for sound, the Clone sounds MUCH better IMO. It's deeper and sounds stronger. The HKS has a higher pitched sound. I've always thought the HKS sounds ricey....almost like a loud civic.

The Clone exhaust is well built and more versatile. It can be installed on either car, 350z or G35, sounds nice, and costs a fraction. If HKS rebranded the clone as theirs and the authentic as the clone, i'd buy the authentic. IMO, this exhaust performs like an exhaust that I WOULD pay $1500 for.

Everyone that hears it loves it. I've had numerous G35 drivers get the companies number from me to go pick one up. I paid $250 in El Monte.

Again, there is NO DIFFERENCE in length. The ONLY difference is where the mounting holes are drilled on the tips. Are the HKS tips worth $1000 to you? lol

To clarify, there is a difference in length but it's made up by the extension pipes which are included, as well as tip adjustment.

Also some people don't like cutting corners so having the real deal instead of a knock-off is worth a premium to them. I'm not trying to start a fight here, just saying you either get it or you don't when it comes to authentic. But as long as everybody is happy with what they have it's all good.

there is a noticeable sound difference. i've listened to them side by side in person. the people that were there preferred the sound of the deeper exhaust (clone). neither of them knew which one was authentic but by hearing the sound, they guessed my clone was.

No doubt, I agree. A lot of people prefer the sound of the X02 because it is deeper than the HKS. I wouldn't mind if my HKS sounded like it.

Does anyone know where to buy the X02 exhaust? For the price im very interested. sounds like its worth it.

pm me....i know a guy here in el monte that sells them. you can pick it up or he'll ship it for like 100. it's like 280 picked up. buy one and get some better tips or just drill new holes in the tips.

IMO the best way to tell from first glance is the large welds that the HKS has.
Hope this helps.