I am very excited. This is the nicest car I have ever owned (I bought it 3 weeks ago), and I just put a Z-tube in, which is the first mod I've ever done on a vehicle that I have owned. I am technically retarded with minimal patience, and it took me 10 easy minutes!

My next addition will be a catback exhaust (I'll get the shop to do this one). From my extensive searches and reading on this and other forums, I have narrowed it down to Stillen or HKS. I like a deep sounding, loudish exhaust. Unfortunately, there is no one in my town with an aftermarket exhaust on the coupe, so I can't listen first-hand.

Thing is, I DO NOT want any droning noises inside the cabin while cruising. I've heard that this is a potential problem with the stillen for the sedans, but maybe not so much for the coupes? I like the looks of the Stillen better, more like stock. I also like their lifetime warranty. extra 10lbs of weight doesn't matter to me. However, if I installed it, and it droned badly, I'd have to remove it and sell it.

I know that there are multiple posts on this topic, but any fresh advice would be appreciated.

BTW, does anyone know the link to that magazine article that compared all the various exhausts with dynos, etc? I cannot find it anywhere....

 

"Droning" is very subjective. What may be a drone to some is deep/mellow to others. Any aftermarket exhaust will be louder than stock at certain frequencies, so there is some risk in all of them. But since you have a 6MT, you will have more flexibility than a 5AT owner to avoid the RPM/load zone that is offensive.

But actually, there is not much bang for the buck with coupe cat-backs as far as power gains (0-10HP). If you have no tolerance for "drone", then it would be safest to stay stock and save $700-1000.

 

Thanks for the link, MillersG. Very useful. I would assume that the Z and the G would sound similar with the various exhausts...

Ballisticus, how do you like your Stillen exhaust?

Regarding the Z-tube. I don't notice any difference in power (I guess even if I did get a few extra HP, 1-2% would be pretty hard to detect). Slightly louder when I accelerate, which I like.

 

How about the Crawford HF cats with the HKS exhaust? It's my favorite combo.

 

It is great. One of the best dyno proven sedan cat-backs. Excellent build quality and fitment. Had it over 2 years and no leaks, no vibes, no problems.

 

I'm with ballisticus. My Stillen has been rock solid since install. Yes it is loud but to me it sounds like a performance exhaust. You will get some droning but you can avoid most of it by dancing around the RPM range and load that creates it. A quick downshift or blip on the accelerator and the problem is solved.

Honestly it rarely bothers me. When I notice it most is when there's someone else in the car. If I were hauling clients around I probably would consider something else. Fortunately 90% of the time I'm solo in the G or with non-adults.

Punch the revs anywhere over 3500 and you'll get a nice kick in the pants. Sounds awesome at the track.

 

Does the Borla exhaust have serious drone to it too? This is what I'm considering.

 

I've had the Borla for my coupe for bout 9 months now. No Droning. There was a burning smell coming from it though when for a bout a week after I got it. Appparently it was just some of the heavy grease they use on the mid-pipes burning off. I love the exhaust, to me is sounds a little quieter than the stock when in idle. Push it past 3500rpm the sound is just lovely.

 

Even though I have the Stillen (and it produces great gains) I like the Fuji. No matter what car it is on the Fuji sounds good.

The Z, the Coup or the Sedan. The Fuji sounds good on all of them.

 

What kind of power gains do you get out of a borla exhaust on a 6mt coupe?