schrute's journal

schrute

^Haha OK!

Tim, are you sure you sold me a used CBE? I think Tony may have switched your "used" one and sent me a new one. From the condition of the exhaust to the way it was packaged - looked new to me! Tony included a new bag of hardware/gaskets/instructions, etc. Two to Tony for treating me just like a customer who bought directly from him. I'm impressed!

I spent a few hours in the garage today installing my new CBE and listening to college basketball on the radio. Doesn't get much better than that

F.I. TDX vs. stock


I need a bigger garage


Sound - 10/10

Holy ____! This is exactly what I was hoping for. Sounds fantastic! My car sounds like a sports car should, alive! I love it. Perfect. The first cold startup after installation was deep and loud. Out on the road it has just enough sound in the cabin - not too quiet, not too loud. Drone at 3k RPM on the highway is minimal, I've had much worse with other aftermarket exhausts on other vehicles. I told my wife it's a little louder than I expected and she asked if that's a problem, I said not for me, she said not for her either - good!

Another unexpected benefit from the added volume is I have a better feel for my engine speed - my shifts tonight while testing out the new exhaust were as smooth as they've ever been - nice.

I'm still on the fence about adding HFCs, it sounds so good now I don't want to mess it up. If I do get HFCs I'll go with resonated HFCs from Tony.

Performance - 10/10

The butt dyno approves. Definitely feel the gain with these. I'll try to get it on a real dyno sometime but it's not a priority right now. I forgot to reset the ECU before going out for a test drive and I could tell the car wasn't used to the CBE, on/off throttle was a little jerky. Right after install I cleaned up then drove with the wife to the hospital to visit my Dad (knee replacement), so I kept it pretty tame except for opening it up once or twice. Can't wait to get some more miles on these to get a better feel for the gains.

Installation - 10/10

The hardest part of this install was breaking the nuts loose on the stock exhaust. I had to use some penetrating oil and hit the socket wrench with a rubber mallet to break a couple of them loose (air tools didn't work). Once the stock exhaust was off it was super easy thanks to well-written instructions (with photos) and a complete set of necessary nuts and bolts. Trimming the heat shield was no big deal, very simple. Anyone on the fence about installing these yourself should feel confident. Although I would recommend a lift, my two jack-stand method didn't give me a lot of room under the car . No shims were necessary to align the tips - they were spot on.

Looks - 10/10

While under the car installing the CBE I was impressed with how good these look. The mirror finish polish on the mufflers, resonators and tips looks fantastic. The tips in particular look great and my wife agreed - she likes 'em.

Clearance - 5/10

This is the only negative for me. When I pulled out of the garage I was not happy to hear my new CBE scraping at the bottom of the driveway. My driveway is a little steep, with a taller than average lip at the asphalt/gutter edge from a recent repaving. When I pulled back into the driveway tonight I took it at an angle and didn't scrape, which is good, but plans to install the eibach springs I already bought are on hold until I figure out how this is going to work. Somebody on here had Tony weld on some skid plates - might be a good idea if you have a steep driveway.

All in all I'm happy, now if I can talk the wife into a new house with a bigger garage and better driveway

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