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I have had the exhaust for about a month and have driven around 1500 miles.
The car has an APR ECU flash and a Sachs 2.5 clutch, but is otherwise stock.
I like loud exhausts. I started with a B&B on my E36 325i back in 2001, and things just got worse from there. My first NSX ran an RSR exhaust followed by a custom Anytime race-exhaust. I put a Borla on my E46 M3.
My current E28 M5 has a B&B exhaust. Rumbly and low, with great burble on deceleration.
My current NSX has Cantrell equal length headers, Taitec straight pipes and an aggressive ARK DT-S exhaust. The sound ranges from high-pitched exotic to nasty race-car, and can be heard for 2-3 miles.
I did a lot of research and watched a lot of videos before I purchased my exhaust. I was initially going to buy a used twin-can design, but fell in love with the exotic sound of the X-pipe design.
I liked the reviews and the modular, upgradeable design of the Speedtech exhaust, so when they put a demo 2.5 x-pipe for sale up on 6speed it was too good for me to resist.
Before the exhaust was installed, I was worried that it might be too quiet for my tastes. I was pleasantly surprised. I should have known an exhaust with no real muffler would not be quiet, even with 100 CEL cats.
The cold-start is mean, with a crackle and pop that settles into a low rumble not unlike a large displacement sport bike.
The overall sound is louder than I expected, given the smaller 2.5 design over the 3.0. That is a good thing. There is no real drone, but the sound is greatly amplified and not quiet at lower revs. It is not quite as loud as my NSX, but few things are.
I was very surprised at how exotic and high-pitched the sound is at certain RPM. As with my NSX, it plays a beautiful high-note at around 2700 RPM and sustains and raises it until around 3500 RPM.
It sounds far more like a naturally-aspirated 911 than I could have imagined possible.
I love the ability to hear the turbos as they spool.
At full throttle there is a nasty bark and the expected monstrous whoosh.
My butt-dyno can feel a decent increase in power as to be expected with such a free-flowing exhaust and 100 CEL cats. I would estimate that with the APR tune the power is something in the range of 530hp/540tq at the crank. It certainly feels like a car that could run mid 11s and trap in the low to mid 120s.
A friend of mine came over last Saturday for a car play-date, as my wife likes to joke. He has a long-hood 912 and a 996 C2. I took him out in the NSX and then the Turbo, letting him drive each after a short ride. He had a great time and was very impressed with each.
The Turbo literally scared him the first time I hammered it through the gears.
Before long he was giggling like a schoolboy as he unleashed full boost and re-calibrated his sense of speed.
Last edited by M BADGER; Apr 24, 2014 at 03:35 PM.
Again, thanks for the feedback and positive words, Ryan! Our 2.5 X is a really great pipe.
I'm glad to see you sensed the exotic nature of the sound because I always tell customers that we engineered our 2.5 and 3.0 X-Pipes to create a high end, very exotic type wail. It's unlike any I have ever heard on a Porsche before....and it's reassuring to see you echo those words!
Glad you are enjoying it.
We just made one for a somewhat local customer and he really loved it, too...
For anyone new to this forum or unfamiliar with the SpeedTech line, I thought this would be a good opportunity to explain the differences in our 996TT exhaust systems.
Below are pictures of our Competition X-Pipe like Ryan reviewed above and our standard SpeedTech "quiet" X-cellerator cross-flow exhaust. Both are available in 2.5" and 3.0" (quiet and loud models) and both sound fantastic, while providing the quickest turbo spool due to the Hi-Flow 100 cell cats.
The X-Pipe Ryan reviewed has no muffling, just a pure X-Flow sound for those that enjoy hearing the car really sing.
Our muffled X-cellerator version (most popular) has the same X-Pipe internally with the pipe being perforated and stainless steel wool packing for substantially reduced volume and ultimate cabin comfort.
If anyone would like to discuss the sound levels of each model or would like advice on choosing the proper system for their car and sound goals, please feel free to contact Chad or Myself...from mild to wild, our 996TT "X"-systems offer it all and they are fully modular and interchangeable should your sound goals change over time.
Also, our testimonials link below has countless 6speed Member reviews of our 996TT systems and the YouTube link has lots of videos to enjoy...
Now that I have had some time behind the wheel with my new Speedtech 2.5” X-pipe and Softronic tune, I can now give my honest opinion and review of this combo for the 996TT. Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Speedtech in any way… just a happy customer.
Before I go any further, I would like to comment on the service at Speedtech. I cannot commend, thank and compliment John (and Chad) enough at Speedtech for their EXCELLENT service, knowledge and expertise. John spent hours on the phone with me over the course of a year helping me pick the system that was right for me. Because I am somewhat local, he drove his Turbo almost an hour to take me for a ride so that I could hear the system in person. What a guy!
When choosing an exhaust system, I watched YouTube videos and searched 6SO for countless hours trying to decide on what I would want. I was very nervous about making a mistake and getting something “too loud” or “too much drone” or “not loud enough.” I was very apprehensive and almost nervous about making the purchase. If you plan on going with Speedtech and you share my feeling about an exhaust system… do not be worried… if you get something that isn’t to your liking, John will make sure you get you what you want.
Speedtech’s 2.5” X-pipe (with 100 cell cats) completely transformed my car. I was able to drive the car with the exhaust system installed before and after Softronic tuned the car. Before the tune, I could definitely notice a power increase, quicker spooling turbos, better throttle response and (possibly) the weight savings. After the tune… well that is a different story, which I will mention later.
First off, cold start may be one of my favorite things about this exhaust system. When the secondary air pumps are running, you get the meanest, deep-sounding crackle, pop and rumble. The sound is so great I start to laugh. When the cats are warm and the pumps are off, the car idles only slightly louder than stock.
When driving, the system provides a completely different driving experience when compared to stock. This X-pipe is absolutely amazing. I have to say, there is no drone with this 2.5” system. I know drone as my brother has a 997S with FabSpeed Superdrone Pipes. Speedtech’s 2.5” X-pipe is refined, smooth and totally comfortable when you need it to be. When driving aggressively, it is a complete beast. I refer to it as the “axe murderer in a tuxedo” (my car is black). It absolutely wails at WOT. It has the growl of a GT3, turbos are audible at all RPMs, it has a deep, almost diesel motor sound at low RPMs, and screams normally aspirated sounds at high RPMs. I now find myself winding out gears now, as opposed to stock where I would want to get out of gear because the engine sounded over-stressed. Now that I can hear the motor, it changed the way I drive the car.
For those on the fence between X-pipe and a muffler system… why muffle the incredible sounds that our engines and turbos make? I was very apprehensive about going with X-pipes because of the potential drone or the fact that it would be excessively loud. I felt that being conservative would be the best route when choosing an exhaust, but now that I have experienced this system for some time, I can safely say I would not want anything quieter.
After tuning the car, I cannot stress enough how the combination of exhaust and tune transform the car. I have read it a million times on 6SO and Rennlist and I have to agree 100%. Throttle response is better, engine idles smoother, the car just wants to jump out of its’ paint. I scare people, and myself, when I drive the car. Best part is that it is totally comfortable and easy to drive when I am just cruising. The cost was worth every penny and then some.
It has been a pleasure having you as a customer and thanks for the kind words regarding Chad, myself and our products! We are always very pleased to hear back from one of our customers enjoying their SpeedTech exhaust so much.
As you now know, that 2.5 X-Pipe you have is a real winner in terms of sound and comfort for the 996TT. I wish everyone could hear it because IMO, it really is something special...Enjoy it and I hope to maybe see you and hear it in action at a PCA event soon! I would love to drive behind you for a while and enjoy the SpeedTech sound from a different perspective :-)
On our 996TT systems, we fabricate our own catalytic converters using substrate cores produced to our own specifications, which we developed in house. These substrates are produced for SpeedTech in the USA and our converters are subsequently custom fabricated by SpeedTech. We do not use an off the shelf converter of any specific brand. They are our own proprietary converter. That said, we can use HJS/Emitec cats on our 996TT systems by special request, however, with several years and hundreds of thousands of test miles on our own cats, we do not feel it is necessary to substitute cats. All our systems for the 996TT are produced in house, so the cats can be specified to order if desired.
Guys, we are doing another production run of our proprietary X-Pipes (both 2.5 and full 3"), as well as several X-cellerator mufflers over the next 2 weeks. Join in on this run and save with special 6speed member discounts.
Bundle your exhaust with a flash, Y-Pipe or SpeedTech Hi-Flow Plenum (a great performance mod) and save even more...This is the time to do it - get ready for spring now - it's just a few short weeks away!
Nothing like firing up your car in the spring with a new SpeedTech system installed! I know we are looking forward to it...
Another glowing review for the guys at speedtech, I've had several and I mean several exhausts and I couldn't be happier with my 2.5 x pipe.
I was chasing the minimal drone more exotic sound we all hope to find in aftermarket exhausts....sometimes I think finding a unicorn in my sock drawer would be more likely, but move over mystically horned creature cause this muffler free beauty beat you to it.
My last exhaust before this one was a speedtech xcellerator 2.5 which I love. Almost no drone and great sound. If you search you will find a review I wrote up about it a couple years ago. But my taste started changing and I wanted something more mean sounding. I wanted to make the tones I love about the xcellerator system more pronounced.
Knowing that the system is modular and the stellar customer service I got the first time around I sent john an email with my thoughts.
He goes on to tell me about his new x pipe and how he himself would run nothing else now, and because I already had his xcellerator system all I need is the x section. I'm apprehensive about running a non mufflered exhaust as I'm a bit of a whiney ***** when it comes to drone but John promised me I'd love it. And it didn't hurt that it was way cheaper than having to get a whole new system thanks to speedtechs modular design.
So I pull the trigger and damn!!! He was right again, I don't see myself pulling this off......ever.
It's everything that the above guys said, the whistle of the turbos, the burble, the roar. I've never got such bad gas mileage as I find myself hanging in the gears longer listening to the wail.
It's just awesome.
Anybody with an xcellaretor already or if your on the fence... Do it. It has renewed my love of driving.
Thanks John and gang.
^ Agreed! I was an apprehensive and conservative guy when selecting an exhaust system. I love the 2.5" X-Pipe so much, and I have driven behind John's 996TT with the 3.0" X-pipe, that I think that would be the only other exhaust I would ever consider. There is no going back to a muffled system... ever.
It's just awesome. Anybody with an xcellerator already or if your on the fence... Do it. It has renewed my love of driving.
Thanks John and gang.
Our pleasure! I'm so pleased to hear you are enjoying the pipe now and I know what you mean about that high RPM X-Pipe wail. It's really addicting - Enjoy!
John
PS- I enjoyed working with your wife to "surprise" you with this gift! One of the more memorable deals :-)
^ Agreed! I was an apprehensive and conservative guy when selecting an exhaust system. I love the 2.5" X-Pipe so much, and I have driven behind John's 996TT with the 3.0" X-pipe, that I think that would be the only other exhaust I would ever consider. There is no going back to a muffled system... ever.
It won't be long before we will be doing it again! Rallies start up again in April...
UPDATE: SOLD - For anyone interested, we have a brand new 996 Turbo 2.5 "QUIET" exhaust with 100 cell cats and OEM tip outlets, in stock for immediate shipment. It's discounted off list price due to a barely noticeable, very small ding from handling (pictured). It will have no effect whatsoever on performance or sound and when installed will not be visible. Normally we have a several week lead time, but this one is ready to go. Includes the SpeedTech lifetime warranty. Contact us for details.
I have to say thanks to John for setting me up with this 2.5 Quiet system........ again. Yes this will be my second system that I have purchased from him. The special deal helped a lot as well. I've been communicating with John today, yes on Sunday, about the system. He has even given me some tips on removal of the OEM exhaust. I'm going to have a friend help me with that because at 71 it can be a bit difficult doing it alone. We will install the new system in my 04' turbo. I can't wait. I hope to do some videos of the before and after if I can and maybe some removal and installation videos as well. I don't believe I've seen any SpeedTech 2.5 Quiet install videos as of yet.
So I can tell you that this is the way a 996 turbo should sound from the factory. Hearing the turbos spool up is music to my ears. This will be the first mod to my almost stock '04 Turbo. I've had the car for about four months and I loved it on my '02 turbo so I'll do some more mods as time goes on. Thanks John for such a great product and a great deal and service.
Congrats on the new car and thanks for the kind words! I love to see repeat customers, it lets us know we are doing things well on our end. Enjoy the new car and the new exhaust!
