CBE w/no or least drone?
 

Finally have a line on a car in the US soon, numbers are agreeable, etc.

What CBE should I put on it? How much whp will this give me?

I want a nice tone, and NO drone. I hate drone with a passion.

Drone is subjective, some people say one exhaust gives it to you, another group will say another brand will give you drone.

Are you looking for just a CBE or a HFC/TP combo as well? I can tell you keeping the stock cats will remove any drone.

Fast Intentions gives you a multitude of options to look through:

Long Tube Headers
HFC's/(R)TP's
12" Resonators
18" Resonators
CF or SS Cans

All of which can be mixed and matched to produce exactly the performance/sound you want. With no drone. :tup:

Others to look into would be ARK, or HKS. Very similar designs to achieve the same purpose. ARK also has the ART Pipes which if you'd like a Test Pipe without rasp, they are a great option to get.

I am leaving on the stock OEM cats, and just changing the cat-back, and putting in drop-in K&N filters.

What kind of whp am I looking at for that setup, and what about BERK? I like their sound, but wanted other advice before I threw their name in the mix.

The stock cats will muffle out any real drone/rasp you might get. So it's basically whichever one you prefer. I honestly like the look of the Fast Intentions/ARK/HKS design over Berk/Stillen/Nismo. But that's personal preference. Power numbers have been proven that FI nets the highest gains. But 1/2 hp difference is up to you if it's worth it. No exhaust is going to be leaps and bounds better than others of similar design.

Have you been to any meets to hear different setups in person? Or watched any vids?

I watched some vids, but get the impression that vids suck. Cameras enhance tiny noise and deaden loud noise, making all things sound nearly the same. No good. I liked the Berk, though, and like the stock appearance. Is Berk good? Will the Berk and K&N drop-in filters put me at 295-305whp on a dynojet?

Yeah vids are horrible for exhausts, even high end ones. It's just not the same as in person, but you get an 'idea'. Berk isn't bad, and if it looks the way you want then that's important. Those two mods should get you there. You could also look into some Post MAF Tubes as well. They aren't very expensive and are a good pair with drop in filters. Those should get you to your 300whp mark. :tup:

Link to post MAF tubes? Purpose? Effect on A/F?

ETA: NVM, looks like $200 for @ 10hp/10#tq and A/F is markedly unchanged if I get the filter/tube combo, plus the Berk, should have me at 295-305whp?

http://www.z1motorsports.com/g37_370...oducts_id=5292

Yeah, it's a cheap mod, I think I got my tubes and filters for $250 for the total. Not bad for half the cost of Stillens with almost the same path of airflow. Made it worth it in my book.

Z1 Silicone Post-MAF Intake Hoses

I plan on doing this plus the BERK. How is fitment with BERK?

I have the Z1 hoses myself. Looks good.

For the Berk, their first batches did not fit well and had some problems. As far as I know their current product fits as it was supposed to. But I don't know for sure, haven't seen a lot of people getting them currently. With other vendors coming on board with CBE's.

Hrmmm...I have heard the FI has some drone to it, makes me nervous. I looked at AAM True Duals, any impression?
AAM Competition True Dual Exhaust System (370Z)

I don't know of a lot of people that have them off the top of my head. So I can't say anything about the AAM honestly. However based on the price of the AAM, if I was going to spend that much, I would go F.I. or ARK or Motordyne since they just released theirs, or BERK as a last option.

If wouldn't hurt to give Tony at Fast Intentions a call, he'll walk you through what setups he has and how to best get what you want out of your system. He won't try to push product on you if you're not interested, but help you figure out exactly what setup you want, even if it's not an F.I. system.

I currently have the Drop-In Filters, MAF Tubes, F.I. LTH's and CBE (18" resonators and SS Cans). I have No drone. I love it. The LTH's make it just unique enough that it doesn't sound the same as other F.I. setups that are around me.

Also, the F.I. CBE matched with BERK HFC's like Triple's has, sounds grrrreeeeaaaat too. :tup: Although I know HFC's aren't what you're looking for, just trying to give you the most options/combinations.

Fast Intentions looks good and is "cheap".

How much difference is there in the 12" and 18" resonators, and which would I want with otherwise OEM exhaust? I am past my need to have the loudest car out there, I just want something that will give a little more feed-back off idle than the OEM.

Just to throw this in there. I have a Berk CBE on my car and the fitment was superb and the quality was top notch. Not just myself but my mechanic was extremely impressed by the system and he works on cars worth more than houses in my area.

FI has drone, Aam has drone. Most owners will confirm, I've heard both (and both versions of the AAM, and there is definitely notable drone.


Berk and invidia are both (essentially) drone free options. They sound the same because they are (basically) the same.

Thanks for saving me some serious irritation. Which is better? Why? How long would it take to get one? Are they in stock type things?

I was in the same position as you trying to decide between the Berk and Invidia. I did a lot of reading and ultimately the Berk has better build quality IMO. But, finding them in stock is another issue. I just want to point one thing out about the Invidia that totally turned me off to it, I don't know if they've remedied it... A lot of guys I've seen have had problems with the flex joints cracking and have had to have them replaced. Now, it seems Invidia has stood behind their product and replaced the parts, but I didn't even want to be bothered with that issue in the first place...

Invidia is cheapest (I think) and readily available. I think FBNissan has a really good price on them.

I do love the Berk sound, though.

I had the Berk with HFC's and there wasn't a hint of what I would consider drone. Sure it was louder than stock and there were a few RPM's where if you let it hang there it could get "droney" (<-new word :D) I'm sure it would be even quieter without the HFC's. It's a good sound and will keep you sane on the highway.

I loved my Berk but now that I am TT I felt that I needed the bigger exhaust. That's why I went with the FI 3" non resonated. Now I know that will be droney.

Anyone know where I could find a berk in stock?

Get in touch with Jomer over at FBNissan. I got my exhaust from him and he was extremely helpful. Let him know you're on the forum. You could also PM him as well, he's on the forum. Username FBNISSAN

The cracking only happened to people that forgot to reinstall a support bracket. It will happen on any exhaust.

For all intents and purposes the berk is a US /handmade Gemini. $1200 for the berk, $650 for the Gemini. Sound about the same, welds are a little cleaner on the berk, consistency is better on the Gemini. Both are fantastic exhausts.

There are two for sale in the classified section.

I might actually be getting the Invidia Q300 for the S.

Unless prices have gone up, I got my Berk for less than $1200...

I thought no mechanical mods steve! +1 for fast intentions CBE w 18" resonators

:( :icon17:

I knew it couldnt last long.. Who buys an S and doesn't mod it!?

I left mine stock.
:|

:bowrofl:

My pricing could be off...it's based on cost for each shipped to a southern area code

Factory freak zed? Aha sorry for the hijack guys..

I saw those Berk's in the FS section, one was $1100 local only, and one was $1200 + S&H or something I think. I would rather just buy new for within $75 or so.

yes, $500 is a petty price to pay for a better quality system. I have played that game with crappy exhausts like BBK and MAC and Flowmaster back when I had a 5.0. No thanks. I want OEM quality.

It will not drone being TT! Your turbo's are going to act as primary mufflers.

Thanks, Tony

Ha ha. I know you told me that and that's why I went non res. but it's still hard to wrap my brain around it. I trust you but I am setting myself up to be pleasantly surprised. :tup:

I recommend seeing if you can get your hands on each.

Like many things in life, the perception of quality is different and separate from actual quality.

The berk has some big, fat, hand welds that look fantastic. From a functional perspective, they don't offer substantially different integrity. They look damn sexy though.

As stated before, the cracking is an install issue, not an exhaust issue. There is a support brace for the cat that a couple people failed to reinstall.

If you are going to retain your OEM cats, our exhaust will sound just like.



Also, FI is right. Twin turbo is quieter than NA in regards to resonance and volume of an exhaust.

The turbine is actually a very effective muffler/resonator.

Mine is 99.9% drone and rasp free, louder than stock, but will not wake the neighbors or attract cops.

I have S-tune CBE + CNT resonated TP's with the flex joints welded in alternating locations to cancel out the harmonics each produces (i.e., one is welded closer to front of pipe, the other closer to the rear of pipe -- works beautifully! Even the dreaded rasp on decel is canceled out!)

you might want to read up on the K & N's, in the diesel truck world they are well known for how much dirt they flow routinely verified by oil analysis. If you never see any dust it may not matter as much, but many are blind to this issue. They don't have near the OEM micron ratings like other worthy filters do.