UPDATED EXHAUST VIDEO https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ml#post4237905

UPDATED EXHAUST REVIEW https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ml#post3937410

UPDATED WITH VIDEO http://s28.beta.photobucket.com/user...haust.mp4.html

I've been rocking a stock exhaust with gutted cats for about a year now. While it's a really nice, drone free setup, it really didn't seem to match the look of the car. And WOT left a lot to be desired. All I could hear was the rush of air from the turbos; no exhaust noise at all. Nice for daily driving, but since my car is a weekend toy I wanted something a lot more aggressive.

So after a ton of research I finally settled on a 3" X pipe with mufflers and slant cut tips from Unobtainium Welding. I saw some of Chris's (owner) other work on this forum and was really impressed with his attention to detail and the quality of his exhausts. Plus there were pictures on his website of a 996tt exhaust he did with the best slant cut tips I have ever seen. Not to mention he was also the cheapest option, even with shipping and exchange rate from Canada. After weighing all my options and drooling over those pictures I contacted him to see if he could make an aggressive sounding X-pipe that had two mufflers to keep it a little more tame than straight pipes.

This is the finished product








His welds are beautiful







Inside the X pipe - purged and penetrated




And installed on the car





Hopefully I'll get some more pics of the car (outside of the garage) before they salt the hell out of the roads up here and I put her into hibernation.

It sounds absolutely amazing. Cruising around it pops and crackles like crazy. WOT is beautiful. I just want to rev the hell out of it all the time now. Definitely the sound, outside the car, that I was looking for. Plus it weighs less than 20lbs!

Now the bad - I may have been a bit overzelous in wanting an aggressive exhaust and probably should have driven in a car with one before I going that route. I was in Afghanistan when decided I wanted a real aggressive exhaust and all the youtube videos of the minimalist X-pipes really got me excited. But I obviously couldn't go sit in a bunch of Porsches to figure out what I liked. I also figured I'd be able to deal with a little bit drone since I only take the car out to go on spirited drives.

Apparently I'm more of a wuss than I thought... IMO the drone is pretty bad. Between 2k rpms and 3k rpms it feels like it vibrates my brain. Light throttle at 2krpm and under it's actually pretty quiet. And it quiets down again above 3k rpms. But that 2-3k rpm range is just too much for me. The cold start is pretty ridiculous as well and IMHO a little embarrassing. But it sounds like most free flowing exhaust are very loud on cold start, so that's just the nature of the beast I guess. Plus it quiets down to almost stock levels when warm. So not a huge deal (until the neighbors start throwing things at me).

While not super accurate, I downloaded the Decibel Meter Pro app for my iphone and took readings with my stock exhaust and with the Unobtainium Welding exhaust. The difference is actually not as significant as I thought it would be but I don't really think the drone is dB/loudness issue.

Stock w/ gutted cats

Exterior:
Cold start: 95-100 dB tapering to 90-95
warm idle: 80 dB

Interior:
2000-2200 and 2800-3000: 60-65 dB
2200-2800: 65-70 dB
Highway: 70 dB on old highway (mostly wind and tire noise)

Unobtainium Welding


Exterior:
Cold start: 100-105 dB tapering to 95-100 dB
warm idle: 80 dB

Interior:
70-75 dB cruising at 55mph

I talked to Chris and he's going to work with me to try to keep the aggressive tone outside the car but reduce the drone inside the cabin. He's a mad scientist so I'm sure he'll figure out how to wuss the exhaust down for me I'll update everyone when I get it exactly the way I like it.

 

Looks great! Hopefully the sound will grow on you

 

Thanks Tony! I friggin love this car. I have a 45min - 1 hour loop on some backroads that just puts a permanent smile on my face for the rest of the day. So much fun.

Once I get the exhaust the way I like it I'll get some logs to make sure the boost is where it's supposed to be at. I *may* throw on some cats to quiet it down so I don't want to waste your time until the exhaust is finished :-)

 

Nice looking exhaust.
I dont think on ANY 3'' X-pipe that 2 free flowing mufflers will do that much in quieting down department..
Just my opinion.

 

I agree. I certainly didn't expect it to be quiet. I was just surprised at the drone. I'm sure I can learn to drive around it, so to speak. But I'd like to try and minimize it as much as possible while keeping the aggressive exterior tone.

 

I tell everyone you need mufflers on the Xs but they think that it's not going to be loud...
then just like yourself they learn after the fact... now you know why some X exhausts are more then others... we make them from scratch and do not just throw on off the shelf stuff... result is much less drone bet. 2 and 3K.. I even refuse to make 2 muffler version as they rattle inside cabins too...
looks good... enjoy
markski

 

The whole thing is custom made. Those aren't off the shelf mufflers. They are handmade, baffled mufflers. The problem is not the company. I asked for this specific setup not realizing how bad these cars can drone. I've had loud, straight pipe exhausts on my S4 before and it wasn't nearly this droney. I admit, I was dumb for not finding a similar setup and listening to it before deciding on my setup. But there weren't too many local 996's floating around Afghanistan...

 

I Wasnt referring to Your mufflers. I was making a general statement. However those are like 5" long if that. Even of you add 2 more of those small ones it will still be scary inside. You need mufflers not small cans. And I'm not putting your product down. Just saying

 

just wondering, would you say your setup is as loud as straight pipes?

 

Can you post a video so we can hear it?

 

I thought it was so fitting that it ended up being a white car...I only buy white vehicles. Looks killer, and you don't see many.
Yeah, love to hear a vid if you can.

 

I haven't heard straight pipes in person yet but based on the dB levels I'd say it's definitely quieter than pure straight pipes. While those mufflers are small, they are baffled which is a very effective way at reducing noise.

 

I'll definitely grab some video for you guys. I already scoped out a nice road that I can drop the wife off to video tape It might be a little while though since I'm traveling for a few weeks. But it's definitely on the to-do list.

And a pic for 9bells

 

Looks badass and well made...I have a very similar exhaust and yes sometimes the drone sucks and I wish it were quieter!

 

i guess it just me but i cant feel the slash cuts tips . they just dont fit the outline of the exhaust on the turbo cars. for me the drone was eliminated by dropping the slash cuts and neck down the end of the exhaust to fit the stock tips. sounds great outside but quiet in the cabin form 2500 rpm to 3000 in 6th gear