between stillen and F.I with 18" res
 

:bowdown::bowdown:I would like to know which one of the exhaust between stillen and FI w/18 res on stock cats will have quieter interior for talking and so forth on long 3-4 hour drives.
watched interior vids but like to hear from the owners

Well, the owners of each can only speak for what they have.

You basically need someone who has ridden in Zs with one or the other (one with STILLEN and the other with F.I.).

My Stillen with Berk High Flow Cats is very quiet while driving at highway speeds. Only comes to life when you get on it. I think this is the best combination for tolerable cruising interior noise.

this'll be a thread i'm gonna follow. i'm looking into the F.I also with 18" also.

Stillen is the only exhaust I've heard about so far that doesn't drone. I love it, partial throttle on the highway and its barely noticeable.

Check out my review

Drone would be a concern if you are taking long highway drives. The Stillen cbe has a better reputation in that department then FI. Berk has the only other drone free exhaust system. In my opinion the perfect exhaust would have the looks and light weight of FI with the sound and horsepower of the Berk.

I think this would be the order
 

I have only heard Stillen and F1

The order of those from loudest to quitest at cruising speed as well as a few others from what I have gathered is shown below. It also depends on what speed and RPM because even the F1 at some Highway Speed was very quite but the Stillen seemed to be quite at all cruising RPM. The only one that may be like stock which is nearly silent at cruising speed is the Nismo CBE.

I immediately liked the Stillen because I was looking for the same characteristics as you. Ultimately I choose the Invidia because it has much better build quality and fitment and is a little lighter than the Stillen. It appears from reviews and clips as well as a few responses from owners I spoke with to have a slightly mellower tone. ( I will be getting the Invidia Installed next week)

F1 is the class of this field as far as weight, power and build quality but you must live with some drone at certain throttle input and RPM ranges. It has the deepest tone of this group and that is what some people like while others do not.

Cruising Speed 70-80MPH
F1= 10
Stillen= 7
Invidia= 6
Nismo= 2
Stock= 1

Horsepower
F1= 21
Stillen= 18
Invidia= 12
Nismo= 5.8
Stock= 0

Wide Open Throttle
F1= 10
Stillen= 9
Invidia=7
Nismo= 4
Stock= 2

I know my opinion based on what I heard will not be what others may feel because how one person perceives sound can be different than another. If there is anyone who has heard in person 3 or more of these CBE only who disagrees with my thoughts please chime in. I would not even try to get into how they sound with High Flow Cats because the comparison becomes far to complex.

IMO, the Stillen is probably a bit quieter than F.I. in terms of loudness. On the other hand, the two sound very different so it's a matter of personal taste. I chose F.I. for the smoother and deeper sound that's like a transformation of the old and subdued sound. Loudness-wise, the sound is there, but it is very quiet beyond 3k RPM.

my previous setup was Stillen CBE w/ berk HFC's and now i am running FI 18" reso SS w/ berk HFC's.

The performance nor sound wasnt a big factor for the change... it was actually the way it looked to me. It was just so damn ugly.

Well onto the point, the stillen combo has NO drone on freeway drives, but with the FI combo, i would have to drive it up to like 80+ to get the rpm high enough (around 3.5ish) to get out of the drone zone.

So yeah if you want something with no drone stillen is the way to go.

Haha leave it in 5th gear and you're good to go. :tup: That's what I briefly tried this morning.

having invidia exhaust and berk HFC's, I can comment that at cruising speeds it is hardly noticeable. You CAN hear it, but barely, and it's definitely not intrusive. If you give it gas at 65 mph in 6th gear, you get a little drone, but it's not bad at all. Under WOT it sounds awesome, I love the way it sounds when I get on it. The problem is the small rpm-range that has a drone when daily driving, which is there on MOST exhausts.

I can't comment much on the stillen vs FI, as I've only heard mine, nismo, and Berk recently. For Quality I would say FI hands-down.

What RPM Range
 

My Invidia Gemini Catback is on its way and will be installed next week. What RPM at 65 do you think the drone would be at its worse. 1900-2400 or say 2400-2900. Do you think without HFC the drone would still be there or be as loud. I puchased the Catback because everyone I spoke with said the Invidia was the quitest outside of Nismo and HKS Legamax

2400-2900 for sure. I can't comment without HFC's, as I had my HFC's on long before the exhaust. I bought it for the same reason, but am probably going to switch to Nismo.

lol yea, i do that sometimes too when my girlfriend is in the car or i'll try to cover it up with the speakers :/

I'm torn between whether to go carbon fiber or not. How do you guys think it will hold up to scratches with cf?

since you had both, i am putting stock on your PM. it looks like I gotta go with stillen with ugly looks and all. do you think you will still have drone without your HFC's thks

just did a 1500 mile road trip from El Paso, TX to Ohio, barely noticed my exhaust whatsoever. Power gains are real, nice low grumble at idle, screams like a banshee at WOT, and looks great. Both systems are great, but I love mine and wouldnt want any other setup on my ride.

btw, nothing ugly about the stillen exhaust at all, i've heard nothing but great things from people that have driven behind me or seen the exhaust on the car in person, the stainless steel mufflers underneath look great behind the car.

The Stillen tips are fugly as hell... they stick out way too far.

Other than that it does sound nice and is probably the best choice for the person who wants better sound than stock but not necessarily louder.

Not necessarily true, mine do, but thats because I like the way it looks. The mufflers can be adjusted on the hangers and can be pulled in significantly for a more OEM look.

did you have any fittmen issues or any cutting on your stillen install.

none. Had to reposition one of the hangers because my right tip wasnt centered correctly but that was an installation problem, not a problem with the manufacturing. Buy it, you wont be sorry.

I love Stillen, in fact my G3s should be here tomorrow :eekdance: but there is absolutely, positively no drone with my Berk CBE. None, Zero, Nada.

why the stillen if you have Berk that you like

He has stillen intakes with a berk exhaust.

Oh yes, the HFC definitely makes things louder. It was nice to keep the stock cats handy. The rasp went away, and it is much quieter. I'd personally get the 18" and keep the stock cats if I were to do it all over again. :tup:

duh :rolleyes:thanks for the correction, I am going to order the stillen, i think from all the post, that is what i am looking for. thanks for all the post

Sounds like it's the perfect CBE for you! Enjoy :tup:

agreed, enjoy your new found raucous, grandma next door waker-upper.

I have heard a Stillen CBE in person here....It sounds nice and is hella quite at crusing speeds...Only growls when you get on it....Other than that if you're just crusing you wouldn't be able to tell that the Z was running an aftermarket exhaust..Like m4a1mustang, I really don't like the tips of the stillen, but if Red370 is right and you can readjust them, then it might make up for the fugly look!

Just installed Stillen CBE only on 7A and it is exactly what I wanted, There is
just enough more tone when you drive normally to know it's there. Dead
quiet unless you are on it. My wife has very sensitive ears to any drone
and she has no problems with this exhaust. By the way it is not ugly like
someone else stated. If you like the NISMO exhaust looks you like the Stillen. I may-----try the HFC which I know will make it more aggressive
but right now I am very happy with what I have.

haha to be honest one of the reasons I want an exhaust is because I'm tired of listening to the tires on the highway...seems like the Fast Intentions is the best best as far as price/looks/gains/sound....