Originally Posted by kannibul (Post 279228)

I installed mine tonight...did it without a lift, and just a pair of jackstands and a jack :)

I think I spent about 3 hours on it...most of that trying to bust loose the OEM exhaust. I didn't jack the car up very high, so I couldn't use a breaker-bar or really anything...lol. A couple times a bolt would come off one side, only for the other to be tight enough to have a molecular bond. :facepalm:

Originally Posted by cotizi (Post 280018)

lol same here. i used some penetrating spray to get the cat bolts loose(r), but it was still a b*tch. My stock y-pipe bolts were far harder to remove on my car.

Originally Posted by kdo2milger (Post 279826)

damn you finally got them :tup:

which ones did you get again? res or non res?

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang (Post 279822)

That's pretty much it. The exhaust sounds fantastic otherwise, but there are some RPM ranges that sound very deep or produce some drone depending on the load the car is under.

First, there is zero sound deadening in this car to begin with so it's already pretty loud (tire noise). Two, it's a hatch... so sound isn't really going to be compartmentalized between the cabin and trunk area. I'm sure this system sounds a lot more tame on the inside in a G37 even if it sounds identical on the outside.

That said, the FI CBE sounds fantastic... it's the best sound I have heard so far for this car. I have heard a number of others in person and think they sound either weak or just very ricey. The FI exhaust is deep, throaty, and powerful. It is not "hollow" at low RPMs... it has depth like an American V8. It is not ricey and raspy at high RPMs like a weaksauce 4-banger... it has the refined yet aggressive scream of an Italian exotic.

Aftermarket exhaust is not for everyone... that's a fact. But for those that want it, without a doubt I think FI is the best out there.

Originally Posted by kdo2milger (Post 280882)

nice...i got the non resonated...

i know what you mean by the drone in the 2100 to 2500 range...atleast thats where it is for me...but only in the upper gears like fifth and sixth...

Originally Posted by kannibul (Post 280961)

It's there on all of them, with an auto it's noticable since it tends to drop the RPMs to that range when it shifts early and often. Usually I'm accellerating enough to where it doesn't do it for very long, but it's certainly there. It's probably why Tony recommended the 18" resos for 7ATs, even if one didn't have HFC's.

I also found it interesting that I'm hearing either some kind of backpressure pop or something along those lines, when downshifting the 7AT and engine braking only - kind of a muffled sound...(hit the paddle shifter, syncrho-rev kicks the engine up, tranny enguages, boof...ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmm hit it again...vroom,grab,boof..ohmmmmmm) - I didn't notice it before, but, then again the exhaust was quieter before ;)

Originally Posted by kannibul (Post 280961)

I also found it interesting that I'm hearing either some kind of backpressure pop or something along those lines, when downshifting the 7AT and engine braking only - kind of a muffled sound...(hit the paddle shifter, syncrho-rev kicks the engine up, tranny enguages, boof...ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmm hit it again...vroom,grab,boof..ohmmmmmm) - I didn't notice it before, but, then again the exhaust was quieter before ;)

Originally Posted by XwChriswX (Post 282294)

LoL Is that the scientific sound effect recontruction? :icon17: :happydance:

Originally Posted by kannibul (Post 280961)

I also found it interesting that I'm hearing either some kind of backpressure pop or something along those lines, when downshifting the 7AT and engine braking only - kind of a muffled sound...(hit the paddle shifter, syncrho-rev kicks the engine up, tranny enguages, boof...ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmm hit it again...vroom,grab,boof..ohmmmmmm) - I didn't notice it before, but, then again the exhaust was quieter before ;)

Originally Posted by XwChriswX (Post 282305)

All I know is if I don't get the exact same sound, I'm sending my Z back to the factory till they get it right! :bowrofl:

Originally Posted by kannibul (Post 282312)

Actaully, I'd be happy with an OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM kind of sound.

Originally Posted by kannibul (Post 282312)

Actaully, I'd be happy with an OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM kind of sound.

Originally Posted by 370Zsteve (Post 282309)

Exactly! You are hearing something that was already there, just better muffled at the time. (Love the explanation btw vroom,grab,boof..ohmmmmmm).

I used to subscribe to one of those urban legends (for lack of a better term) that stated that if you change to a freer-flowing exhaust, you have to richen the fuel mixture to eliminate the backfire (mostly on deceleration) or else you will damage your exhaust valves from the detonation. Of course like most legends it was all BS.

On my BMW K1200RS, I installed a Staintune full exhaust, which eliminated the cat. It has a sweet, mellow sound, much louder than before (I like that on a bike, since the cagers can now hear me). But on decel, it backfires quite loudly. Fortunately it comes with an insert that screws into the tailpipe that muffles the backfire nicely while also giving it a sound that to my ears is not unlike a 911.