Stillen or Nismo
 

Ok I want to do the cat back for my 370 but, not sure which way to go....

Nismo cat back - $1,665.00 + $250.00 install(discount price from Maroone Nissan)

Stillen cat back $1,099.00 + install ($250.00 if I can find a "good" shop here in South Florida)

Is it worth the extra $$$$ to keep my 370 all Nissan???:driving:

Those are both pretty decent exhausts, but have you considered the Greddy Spectrum Elite (SE) exhaust? It's within the price range that you are considering, is beautiful, and makes good power.

I would also check out Fast Intentions Exhaust as well.

Definately go with stillen imo, you'll actually get something for your money other than a name. Good Horsepower, good sound.

I too like to purchase the Nismo parts when they are available. However the nismo exhaust is not very aggressive sounding. More than the factory exhaust, but not near as loud as the stillen. However I added high flow cats (berk) and my nismo exhaust sounds great. I know a lot of people complain that HFCs & a stillen CBE are too loud. It ultimately cones down to what your looking for. Check out some videos on you tube before you buy.

The Stillen is supposed to be nice so I'd go with it out if those two choices. I heard the FI exhaust with Berks on KDOs car and it sounded nice. I also saw a thread about a new true dual exhaust for the Z in the works. Sounded real nice on the video clips.

I only have internet videos to go by, but so far the nicest sound I heard was the Borla. Anyone here have Borla installed? I really wanna hear the damn thing in person.

I've been hearing some folks on here complain about droning....maybe a new thread is needed for this but, anyone else have issues with aftermarket exhaust droning at highway speed? That would be a deal-breaker for me for sure. :shakes head: I imagine the Nismo exhaust would not have this issue as it needs to be manufactured to conform to EU noise specs.

I had bad drone with my stillen CBE. Mainly highway cruising in 5th or 6th gear.

Hey its your money you are spending and I would want the best bang for my dollar if it was me.As far as keeping all Nissan read and you can see by the few posts already answering your question that obviously after market is the way to go here.There are a few good exhaust systems out there for the new Z so read the reports and tech artilcles on this site.
Then make your decision wisely!

250 seems like alot for install. it should only take an hour to install a CBE. FI for me. nismo is ok but too expensive imo.

I have a Nismo and the exhaust on it certainly isn't worth that price tag. Go for Stillen, Berk, FI, Borla....something. Some of those say the CBE alone sounds great. Others say they want HFCs to go with it, while others say the CBE alone can be too loud at highway cruising (I believe the F.I. exhaust gave one reviewer's gf a headache!).

Unless you've already got the Nismo 370z, scratch the Nismo exhaust off your list.

very, very minimal drone with my Invidia Gemini and Berk test pipes, I could almost say no drone at all. With HFCs or stock cats, I would think it would have absolutely zero.

yah, even at 100/hr shouldn't take them 2.5hrs...

GReddy Ti-C.

Had??? so what did you do?

Argh? I have the Stillen CBE with no other significant mods and there is no drone at all. Overall, it's not really THAT loud unless you're flooring it through 4k rpm. The only time I've ever noticed any kind of drone was my last track day while I had the windows closed and a helmet on. The combo with the helmet made it really loud inside the helmet, but sans helmet it's just a fantastic sound that never drones and has no rasp. JB1 can also attest to this.

As for install price...I had a reputable installer put my Stillen exhaust on in 30 minutes for $47. $250 is a rip-off.

Nismo is heavier and doesnt improve Performance but does mean you can hear the engine note! I havent had experience of the Stillen but seeing as its cheaper, gives a decent note and slight performance improvement id go with that!

Doesn't improve performance? The NISMO has 18 HP over the standard with this exhaust and a tune. I'd assume it's close to 50/50 on where the extra HP came from. Doesn't match what Stillen gets but certainly does improve hp.

Sold the car it was on and ordered FI exhaust. Plus it rattled like hell, due to Stillen's bad fit and finish.

IIRC, those issues have been resolved in recent production, correct?

Correct.

The two choices that you posted will keep your Z with a stock look. The others are a little more obvious. The Greddy's are y-pipe back. HKS is nice.

Oh come on! I have the Stillen CBE and I'm a baby when it comes to drone. This exhaust doesn't even come close to droning. It's near silent on the highway except for a bit of a rumble when you accelerate in 5th or 6th.

If you truly had drone, you had something else going on.

Greddy TI-C drones. The other's don't drone. Maybe FI a little bit.

The Stillen 4.5" tips don't look very stock. The Berk, FI, and Nismo look more stock than Stillen. You'll see the mufflers with the FI though.

Yep, I can attest to this. Spearfish has the Stillen CBE with stock cats and it sounds really good, both from inside the car as well as outside. I the car at the track and it sounds great, not to loud but a nice, deep tone. The car should have sounded like this stock. And from inside of the car it sounds way better then my HFC's

if you would spend that much (1700) for the stillen one.. it has a stacked muffler setup... the big mufflers... you should go with MXP then... nice rumble and stacked round cans instead... there's also berks.

I can't be bothered reading through this thread, but I believe the nismo exhaust only had gains of ~4 hp.

nismo exhaust is a waste


http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s.../image0022.gif


Nismo 370Z
http://i576.photobucket.com/albums/s.../image0012.gif

nice diagram, im curious how the Stillen setup looks, can you do one of them?

The diagram posted is of the stock Z exhaust (in yellow) and the NISMO exhaust that comes factory installed from the dealership (in red).

According to Nissan, it is responsible for 50% of the 18 horsepower difference between the basic Z and the NISMO. This is a completely different exhaust then the NISMO S-Tune, that is available as an after-market add-on from the dealership, or from your local performance shop. The NISMO exhaust in the diagram (factory installed) is actually better designed then the S-Tune, because it is a true dual exhaust. Although this diagram shows a y-pipe configuration towards the front, this is just from an outward appearance. There is heat shielding on the outside, which gives the outward appearance of a single pipe, but in fact there are two separate pipes underneath.

The issue with the S-tune is that it still has a true y-pipe configuration that comes together in to one pipe, and then eventually branches out in to two again, just like the stock Z exhaust. Although the muffler on both exhausts (NISMO & S-Tune) appears to be a single unit on the outside, it has two internal chambers that are completely separate.

From what I understand, the factory installed NISMO exhaust is good for a nine horsepower gain. Because of the different configuration, the after-market S-Tune will add less of a gain.

If I were going to go with a NISMO exhaust, I would suggest you find someone on here selling their slightly used NISMO exhaust off of their NISMO Z, rather then buy the S-Tune. you will spend a lot less and gain more HP.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Get the Stillen, I love mine. It has never had drone, didnt when i had that alone, doesnt now with full bolt-ons. The Stillen has a different sound than the rest of the aftermarket exhausts out there...

If comparing STILLEN vs Nismo, STILLEN all the way. Nismo IMO is overpriced for the performance.

If your strictly looking for HP and not worried about the note or the price, get something other then the NISMO. If I hadn't gotten a slightly used OEM NISMO, I would have gone for the Borla. I've had Borla products in the past. All of which have been quality products.

I got a used OEM NISMO because I like the way it looks and sounds, and the price was right. It was a good fit for me, but may not be for everyone.