Hi Folks,
I'd like to create the ultimate dialog on 997 mufflers. We can add cats to this mix as well.

Price: Pcar mufflers are all "relatively" close in price, from $1,100 for AfterHours (AH), $1,500 for Fabspeed (FS), and $2,500+ for PSE, Tubi, or Cargraphic. The "Gundo hack" can be done to stock OEM mufflers for about $50.

Weight: AH are the lightest, followed by Tubi, FS and Cargraphic, then PSI as the heaviest.

Sound volume: quietest are OEM, followed by Tubi and CG, then FS, then AWE, then AH, then bypass pipes. I haven't heard the Gundo's in person, so would like to slot them in here with some help from you all. Some may disagree, but I've heard them all and this is my opinion. If you disagree, please be respectful to the relativity of my personal hearing.

Sound type: There are many "types" of sound, but they are most commonly described as either 1.) raspy 2.) growly 3.)howly, and 4.) plain obnoxiously loud. This is incredibly subjective, but my $.02 are as follows:
-FS: loud and howly
-AH: loud and growly
-AWE: growly
-Tubi: growly
-AWE: raspy and growly
-PSE: growly
-Bypass: loud and loud and loud
-Gundo: no idea, let me know and I'll update this

I hope this is a merely a healthy jumping off place for discussion. I'd add this: post vids of your setups, to make this the ultimate resource.
CATTMAN

 

What about exhaust hack?

 

I assume you mean the Gundo Hack.
Great suggestion!
Please, add your review now, using the format above including:
Price, Weight, Sound Volume, & Sound Type.
CATTMAN

 

What about Borla?
And to add some color, I've got FS's and like them alot - though I haven't really compared them to others. Grading on a curve, they may be louder than the ones you cite, but they are not unacceptable whatsoever. I'm not big on loud pipes and these don't get loud except at WOT over 5K rpm. Driven modestly in suburbia, they're gentle little ***** cats.
Finally, I've got them on a Cab, and I rarely ride with the top up, so I can't compare inside and outside sounds. But you may want to include those two items on your chart. Some claim that certain pipes drone more than others.

 

hey Catt, i've been seriously considering the AH pipes. Do you recommend them? what do you do about the tips?

 

I meant for this to be OPEN to all opinions, and just offered up mine as a jumping-of point. Borla's are extremely rare, and I've not heard them in person so I can't comment on them- perhaps you can fill that in?

As for FS: I've had 3 sets, 1 on my 996, and 2 on my current 997S. They've not been particularly consistent, and that's my only complaint. However, I do agree, they are a good compromise between OEM and over the top. They are certainly distinct, but not too loud in and of themselves, as they are quite modest, and at WOT, 5-7k RPPM's with an EVOMS CAI they scream. They didn't, to my ears, offer more than slight volume and growl increase. As I said, they were inconsistent. I'd not buy them again. For most newcomers to mods, they're a very safe choice, and very satisfactory. No one will hate them, that's for sure.

The AH I have on now have been awesome, amazing, ridiculous. Again, I can offer facts and editorial. Facts: they are louder than anything other than bypass pipes. They are feather light, the only lighter option is bypass pipes. Editorial: They are more growly than FS. They offer no rasp. They are indeed loud (perhaps drone at under 3k RPM's) inside. They turn heads and get either dirty looks or smiles. They shriek at over 5k RPM's at WOT. But they are not for the faint of heart. If you choose AH, your OEM tips will fit. But prepare yourself for a big change. After I installed them (with the help of Brando and ATLPorsche) I thought I'd made a mistake- it took some getting used to. At this point I love them, but most will think them too loud. If you are a buyer looking for LOUD, but afraid of bypass, they're just right. If you have OEM, and just want a little more, FS is a safe, cost effective, and modest choice. If money is no object, Tubi, CG, and Borla are there for you although they are more rare, and I've not heard many- hopefully others will chime in.
CATTMAN

 

Cattman, nice write up regarding these two mufflers. Price for either is "fair". Spending $2500+ for essentially metal tubing and sheetmetal challenges my rationale.

 

BTW, I weighed the stock 997 S mufflers and the Fabspeed. They were identical!! No weight savings!

 

I had Fabspeed on my 06 and 07 and they sounded really great. I would not call them raspy at all. To me they had more of a wail or howl at the mid range to upper RPM's. They were smooth.

 

I installed my Tubi's today.

the Tubi mufflers were noticibly lighter so i took them to a scale to measure and they came in 12 pounds lighter than the carrera S mufflers.

Tubi ~ 12 lbs per muffler
Stock S ~ 18lbs per muffler

saved 12 lbs of the rear of the car. Tubi's are physically smaller than stock cans by a good margin

growl and some rasp. modest volume in normal driving. VERY civilized

 

These observations are excellent, but the story changes COMPLETELY if you add sports cats into the mix - everything becomes about 40% louder and some mufflers (e.g. Tubis) suddently go from sounding amazing to dreadful. Also the quieter mufflers (e.g. AWE) will suddenly come into their own. Headers will also alter the quality (but not usually the quantity) of sound significantly, as they even out the exhaust pulses.

Add to this that systems including cats will give you a nice power bump (997S) where just a change of mufflers won't do much. The 997 3.6 doesn't seem to benefit so much from sport cats however.

What we should be comparing is systems, not mufflers. Cost, power increase (or otherwise) sound and weight are all factors to consider. Then it becomes a proper value judgement - Is a superb sounding exhaust that gives little or no power increase as 'good' as one that sounds 90% as good but gives you a +25BHP power bump? We also need to consider the likes of Cargraphic that offer quiet, medium and loud systems with or without cats - impossible not to find a combo that would work for you, I guess! Another consideration is whether the exhaust manufacturer offers remaps specifically designed to match their systems.

An example from personal experience. I originally put Tubis on my car with Fabspeed headers. This combo sounded unbelievable (I still think it's one of the best possible sounding combos you can put on these cars). Despite this, I now have a full AWE system on the car that sounds good but not as awesome as the Tubi/Fabspeed combo. But.... I do have a noticeably faster car (when the gearbox isn't in pieces!!) as a result and for me, that's the more important outcome.

 

I took a ride in fellow 6Speeder's 997S with AH as I am looking at purchasing an aftermarket exhaust. I agree with Catt -- the AH has more of a growl (which I like) than Fabspeed, AWE, Tubi, Borla, Milltek, etc. Its not like a musclecar V8 but like the flat 6 on steroids with no raspiness. It makes the car sound as if it has some *****. The system is very civil IMO at cruising speed. We had the radio off and were able to carry on a normal conversation. The second you are on the throttle, it kicks in. At between 2,700-2,800 rpms there is a bit of reasonance but once you hit 2,900+ it's gone. It isn't that annoying IMO compared to the Borla I had in my C6 Vette....that actually tickled my ear and I ended up taking the sytem off. This small level of drone/reasonance isn't like that. I don't shift or cruise in that 2,700-2,800 range anyway so it would rarely kick in on me. Even on the interstate (which is rare), I cruise in 5th gear most of the time and the RPMs are north of 3K.

I personally love the sound of the AH and will be getting it very soon... no headers for me.

 

Excellent feedback, keep it coming. I've update my first note to include Gundo hack. But I need more info on it to slot it in in terms of sound volume and type.
CATTMAN

 

I've a sound clip from my Tubi below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxqhS1Tbu2A

 

Great thread, but we need to also establish with each post whether we are talking about a 997.1 or a 997.2. There are still relatively few muffler options available for the 997.2 (I am looking for one) and what system/manufacturer sounds great on a 997.1 might not sound the same on the new 997.2 DFI engines due to the different exhaust plumbing/design.