BERK Catback Exhaust System installs/reviews
 

Hello fellow members,

I wanted to start a new thread dedicated to the BERK CBE. Anyone that has purchased and installed this system please post up pics, reviews, comments, etc. Also include any HFC or Test pipes you installed also.

I would start out but mine is on a UPS truck. I was one of the GB#2 buyers so you know I have been waiting for a while.

Here are a couple of links related to the BERK CBE.
http://www.the370z.com/berk-technolo...ming-soon.html
http://www.the370z.com/intake-exhaus...2-updates.html
http://www.the370z.com/group-buys/12...st-gb-2-a.html
http://www.the370z.com/intake-exhaus...n-exhaust.html
http://www.the370z.com/intake-exhaus...on-x-pipe.html
http://www.the370z.com/intake-exhaus...llen-berk.html

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...ZExhaust05.jpghttp://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...ZExhaust04.jpghttp://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...ZExhaust02.jpg

Berk CBE order date: 28 January 2010


Update 16 DEC 2010

I finally installed the exhaust today! Whoop whoop! It has been a long time coming. The worst part of the install was it was f$%king cold!!! HAHA! It would have been quicker with a second person but I did it myself in a couple of hours. The stock came off easy too. After I got it all up loosely I went back through and tightened everything up.

I noticed the left tip was a little lower than the right side. I went ahead and took the rear section off, measured the hanger to the ground so I had an idea of how much it need to come down. Then with one swing of my shop hammer it was perfect! I put it back up and it was spot on. I think the hanger was off due to shipping from Berk to my friends house, then from my friends house to my sisters house, and from there with me on a plane to Germany. It was bound to happen but nothing that I couldn't fix ;)

I wiped all the piping down before I fired her up to make sure there were no fingerprints left behind. Upon starting her she gave a deep growl and my jaw dropped! It was just like other described and after the long wait it was all worth while! I am very happy with the fit and finish. The sound is amazing paired with my Berk HFC's.

I recommend this exhaust to anyone who wants a deep mellow exhaust note and a stock finish.

Thanks to all the have contributed to this thread and thanks in advance to those who do it the future :tup:

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...y/DSC01571.jpg http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...y/DSC01572.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...y/DSC00870.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...y/DSC00869.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...y/DSC00872.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...y/DSC00868.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...y/DSC00875.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...y/DSC00876.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...y/DSC00879.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...y/DSC00874.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...y/DSC00885.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...y/DSC00883.jpg

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/s...y/DSC00880.jpg

You are still waiting for delivery after you ordered it over 1.5 years ago?

Or did you mean 28 January 2010? Even then, that's still a really long wait.

edit: 2010. Thanks :tup:

Also, if anyone is interested in why it took so long for the GB#2 guys, you can go here: http://www.the370z.com/group-buys/12...st-gb-2-a.html

For those who are interested, there have already been some reviews from the first batch that went out about 6 months ago. Just use the search function.

Well lets just say that it's Christmas on Guam...After Five months and traveling over 5,000 miles from California to Guam crossing the Pacific Ocean, my Berk's Exhaust finally arrived. :rock: I will start off with a review of the packaging and product followed by some pics....

PACKAGING
Let me just say that after traveling over 5,000 miles, I am suprised that this package had no rips or holes...Packaging with A+ The box looked like it just came straight out of Berk's Warehouse...LMFAO!!! A big thumbs up to Bryan and the crew at Berk for making sure that this package was built to take a beating...Also special thanks to my shippers the folks at Triple B Forwaders in Carson, Hawaii, and Guam for making sure that this package was well taken care of. The exterior looked great...It got caught in the rain on back of my truck on the way home, but a little rain never hurt anyone right?!!

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...lu/BerkBox.jpg

Once we opened up the box there was a cardboard box on top with tons of papers..
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...Unwrapping.jpg


I then sent in my son to test the packaging, and as you can tell by the pic he was a lot more excited to unwrap this thing then I was...

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...aiahVsBerk.jpg

I knew from all the paper, bubble wrap, and cardboard placed inside that it was built to face the toughest of shipping conditions...It was pretty much built as a box within a box. Especially after surviving the unpackaging conditions that my son put the box and all its papers through...Reminder that letting a kid loose on a package is the ultimate test to see how tough and well a package is actually packaged...Needless to say, the Berks survived:bowrofl:

After digging a few inches we came across the mid portion which had my HFC's, the X-Pipe (X-Caliber) and the bag of goodies containing the nuts, bolts, and gaskets.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...u/BerkHFCs.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5.../TopUnwrap.jpg

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...gofGoodies.jpg

Once these parts were removed, there was another ton of paper stacked in between, and after digging further we came across the rest of the exhaust with the muffler in the center region and both resonators on the side protected by foam wrap, bubble wrap, and several peices of cardboard to keep the resonators in place.

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...ttomUnwrap.jpg

Beneth that was another layer of paper, followed by another peice of cardboard on the bottom.
:tup:

The Product Inspection
After going through the whole box I took out each part peice by peice to lay it out for some photos and here's a quick pick of what she looked like laid out...

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...austLayout.jpg

I then made a formal inspection of each part to make sure that everything was accounted for. There were no scratches, dents, or dings to any parts of the exhaust, and let me just say that this thing is "Blinging!" Welds are beautiful and there are no complaints thus far. All the gaskets and bolts were accounted for and everything came out the way I expected. Big Thumbs up again guys..

I am scheduled for install sometime this week or early next week...which ever comes first...I am one happy camper and can't wait to get the install done...I will be sure to post up a couple of vids...Until then, the only thing that I can say is GREAT JOB BERK! THANKS A LOT! AND YOU DID IT!!! :tiphat: IT FINALLY MADE IT TO GUAM!!!!!! :happydance:


Here's the link to my update of the install with vids... http://www.the370z.com/intake-exhaus...tml#post711446

well i talked to berk on monday of this week and they said that i was the last person on the gb#2 but it shipped out monday and i got it tuesday...i also installed it on tuesday...i will get pics up soon but i have never installed a cbe exhaust so i was a little worried but my friend has a full car lift so i took it over there, put it on the lift and it was the easiest mod i have ever done. I had help with it so it went faster but it was a direct replacement which i liked....i dropped the old one and then just bolted the new one up...it took about an hour....

i am happy with the sound and i feel the power that i gained...the only complaint that i have is that at idle it is a little quiet...i was hoping for a little bit more of a rumble while at idle but when i open it up it sounds great and there is no drone while driving which is nice...i cant wait to get my berk hfc to make it even better

Thanks for sharing...LMFAO...you were the last on the group buy but only waited a day to get it? Wow...I guess it pays to be last sometimes huh?...

BTW....the Berks HFC's will help the rumble at idle

yea i know it is really weird how that works sometimes...but maybe i just bothered them enough cause i kept emailing them haha...but that is cool and i want to get the hfcs but they r illegal for smog in cali so that is my only hesitation...prolly still get them tho

Wow...I heard that the Popo's in Cali are really strict in enforcing this thing....I love the way it sounds with the HFC's...I would probably do the same thing and say F--- it and slap them suckers on anyways....:happydance:

Looking forward to your pics and vids...put me down as subscribed!!!!:tup:

haha alright im kinda new to this and i couldnt figure out how to put the pic on here but i put one up on my page and i will get a video and more pics up prolly tomorrow....but yea im gonna say **** the popo and get em anyways haha

Spokin like a true Californian....Like NWA had laid it down on their record back in the day...."**** the Police!!!" :tup:

haha well im just saying we have all kinds of dumb *** laws out here and if i can find someone to smog it anyways then **** it...i want the power and the sound....**** em

Blastman5's BERK CBE
 

Very Nice...Hope you don't mind..but decided to help you out and posted up your pic on the thread....**BLING BLING**

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j5...ansBerkCBE.jpg

for pictures you just need a photobucket or similar account. Then you will have URL for the photo and be good to go!

Glad to here you like the sound. I can't wait to get mine!

I stopped by UPS on my way home and picked up my exhaust today. I am so excited but I will have to wait to install it. My car is at the dealer waiting for a new transmission.

But here are some pictures of how it was packaged and the system laid out on my garage floor.
I took these pick with my phone so sorry about the quality. If I had a nice camera they would be better.
Not surprised to see a hole in the box. I opened it up right there in the parking lot to check for damage. Even though the box had some holes in it the exhaust was fine. There are a few very small scratches on the mufflers but the tips are perfect. Over all I am very happy with the packaging.
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...ikes-again.jpg
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...hat-causes.jpg
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...e-looks-ok.jpg
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...o-bad-here.jpg
I don't think it'll fit.
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...-reference.jpg
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...looks-good.jpg
I removed a TON of paper just to get to this point
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...ure19747-a.jpg
It held up pretty good to the abuse UPS threw at it
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...ure19748-a.jpg
Plenty of room.
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...ts-out-box.jpg
I checked it over real well before I left UPS. Even though the box had a few holes in it the exhaust did not suffer for it.
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...-were-here.jpg
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...ure19751-a.jpg
NICE!!
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...s-gorgeous.jpg
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...nice-shiny.jpg
This just looks GOOD!
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...-beautiful.jpg
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...ure19755-a.jpg
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...ure19756-a.jpg
I'm pretty sure everything is here.
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...m-not-sure.jpg

I have NO idea what these are for and I hope nothing important was in that box.
http://www.the370z.com/members/dembf...re-box-not.jpg

So far I am very happy with the exhaust. The quality is obvious. The welds are gorgeous. I cant wait to get it on the car. I am supposed to get my car back on Tuesday or Wednesday. If that is the case then it'll be a Wednesday install for sure.
I will update this post with install pics.

Or you can just create an album on here and link it up that way. :tup:

What are the diameters of the oval tips? Or better yet does anyone have a picture of this with a Nismo rear bumper?

Very nice pics! those welds are really nice! Good luck with the install. I hope you find out where those pieces go :)

The tips are about 4 3/4" x 3 3/4"

Just ordered this exhaust today hopefully ships on Monday. Pics and comments on exhaust and install pending

haha nice thanks...yea it was super easy to put this exhaust on...so good luck everyone and i hope everyone gets theirs soon

congrats! :tup:

Reserved spot....mine arrives on 8/17. Will post pics and thoughts at earliest opportunity.

i ordered mine first week of january group buy 2 it showed up in the first wave of shipping, and it fit fine, sounds good much better with my GTM testpipes though, and no CEL or reasonance or "drone" as you people call it :p

Thanks! It actually did ship yesterday so it should arrive sometime next week for sure. :tup:

Edit: Should arrive Thursday.

Shipping weight: 87.0 lbs :ughdance:

Get with Matt (Forum member)...He's the only one that I can recall that has this exhaust on his Nismo

It's great and reassuring to hear and see that everyone is getting the exhausts on their door steps/installed...I am still patiently waiting...Although I was one of the first guys that were shipped off, I am out in the pacific...My exhaust was delivered by Berks to my shipper in Carson on August 6th but did not leave California until August 10th...It is currently being shipped and will port on August 24th or 25th...Wouldn't be surpised if Holiday gets his before me... :roflpuke2:

Looking forward to some Vids from you all...Berks is one of the exhaust systems that have a limited amount of Vids up

:icon18: Yo Dave!!! Great pics...When I saw the box lined up behind the Saturn I was wondering how in the hell you were gonna get that box to fit in it...I guess the box won't fit in the Z then.... :roflpuke2: I know that the guys from the 1st GB were able to fit the box in their hatch...but this box looks a lot bigger...

I'm glad to hear that there was no damages to the exhast...That has got to be the biggest hole that I've seen on any of the boxes....

yea there was so much paper packed in there and other stuff that those things will take a lot of damage....i actually kept my box and all the paper that was in it and it is a perfect archery target because all that stuff that they pack in there stops the arrows...hahah...so i got an exhaust and a target :D

It's a race! HAHA! I was the first to get mine shipped and I very well could be the last to get it! My freind had to repack it in three boxes to ship it to my military APO. I am having it shipped Parcel post also. I Should have it by the end of September if all goes well! :tup:

Congrats on the install onzedge :tup:

Nissan 370Z Forum - onzedge's Album: Berk CBS Install

Got mine installed this morning, took about 2 hrs. This is my first experience with an aftermarket exhaust so i can't comment too much. I will say that the fitment is great and i love the sound. I don't hear what i would perceive as drone at the cruising speeds and at idle its not much more noticeable than the stock. Here is quick photo from phone.:happydance:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2074721_n.jpg

I was part of GB #1 so I've had mine on since April. I'm happy with the fitment and especially the sound, sounds so much better than stock - like a real sports car even. One of the guys at auto-x mentioned that it sounded like finely tuned trumpets, LOL.

Only drone is at low RPM's while with partial load going up hill, not bad at all.

My only complaint is that the rear bend that goes under the chassis brace sits a little lower than stock and if I'm not careful it scrapes when going over bumps now that I'm lowered about .7". If they could get that bend a little more snug it would be perfect.

I love the alignment and style of the tips on this exhaust! I think that is what attracted me to this system. Plus it having a tame exhaust note.

You guys sure are making me jelious! I can't wait to get mine:happydance:

I have to say, from this angle I really like the looks of it. Thanks for posting pictures.

I've got mine sitting downstairs waiting for Friday to be installed. I can't wait!

Yes, the low key looks of the exhaust is actually perfect. Besides FI you can really only make tips/exhaust look good. Definitely not "fart can" status and certainly fits well with the sports car attitude of the Z. Not to mention it's great for ground clearance... it actually looks very similar to stock and I already like the way it looks.

I'd say the berk cbe coupled with the hfc really transforms the car and the exhaust is -- like someone else said -- no longer a sound but a tone

At least that's what I'm heard from videos until I get mine installed... either thurs or fri!!!! :happydance::happydance::happydance:

:iagree: This is what also attracted me to this exhaust...That whole "Sleeper" look...I LOVE IT!!!! Having the growl behind the stock look adds an extra YEEEEHAAAW!!!!!!! This combo gives me the opportunity to say "Got Ya'" and..... "Made you look!" :roflpuke2: Like Holliday...I am jealous...and can't wait to get mine...Seven more days baby!!!!!

yea now i just need to get my hfc and im good to go