It has been a little over a year since the new 2009 997.2 DFI cars have been out and a lot of us have put on aftermarket exhaust systems (and very few have been available until more recently) and I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread to share our observations and thoughts about our particular systems so that others may benefit from our experiences. Again, this is just for 997.2 cars and if possible I would like to limit the discussion to CAT Back systems (I am guessing most of us don't want to void our new car warranty and most Porsche dealers will do just that if you touch the headers or CATs). Here are some things to comment about and include in your thoughts:

1. What were you looking for in an exhaust (sound quality, HP gains, looks, price)
2. What model do you have (3.6 or 3.8) and which system/manufacturer did you go with (side mufflers and/or center muffler delete)
3. How much did you pay.
4. Installation/quality of product (any problems).
5. Experience working with manufacturer/dealer (good or bad).
6. Results/observations/recommendations (sound quality, any drone/resonance, HP gains, any dyno information, any video/sound clips, overall satisfaction).

Well, here is my story. I got my 2009 C4S in Jan 2009 and wanted a system to give at least as loud and deep and raspy a sound as the PSE on my 2003 C4S (weight savings and HP/TQ gains would be nice too). I wanted deep and loud and no drone. Very little was available then and I went with the center muffler delete Fabspeed X-Pipe (video sounded good and they promised +13HP/+23TQ). It cost $995 then. I had it installed at EVO Motorsports here in PHX. Quality was good and no problems on install. But I was very disappointed with the sound - barely louder than stock (I think Fabsped's website video was very misleading, but audio is very subjective). I can't verify the HP gains but I think Fabspeed's numbers are very inflated. And there was no drone. I have put on another 5000 miles since then (no change in the sound) and have looked at all the other muffler options that have become available since then (Tubi, Cargraphic, FVD, Rennsport-1, and Fabspeed's Dual Tone Side mufflers). I decided to add the Fabspeed Maxflo Side Mufflers (set on Loud) so I could keep the Fabspeed X-Pipe and now hope to get the deep sound that they promised and also benefit from their promised combined (X-pipe and side mufflers) performance increase of +32HP/+36TQ (at 4500 RPM). LOL!!! I added those side mufflers in Nov 2009 (cost $1745) and although they improved the sound somewhat I am still very disappointed. It is still way too tame. I would call it higher pitched and refined but not deep and loud and raspy (what I was looking for!). I still think the Fabspeed's claimed HP gains are very inflated (I felt some gains in the seat of my pants but no dyno to verify). And there is absolutely no drone. I haven't done any video clips but I will do some soon and post them.

Overall I am disappointed with the Fabspeed set-up for what I was looking for. I think it is a very good system if you are looking for a slightly louder than stock system with a very high pitched/refined sound with no drone. But I need something louder. I am currently looking at the FVD side mufflers (Export/Loud version) and center muffler delete (X-pipe with no merging of the exhaust flows). They can custom make the side mufflers to any sound level you want and I think this just might be the answer for me (I just put their FVD muffler on my 2009 Boxster S and it is absolutely outstanding - couldn't be happier!). Details and update to follow. If you need any more details on my set-up then please PM me.

 

I'm not a big fan of Fabspeed products... Some of the fellow members here have had problems with them in the past. Just a heads up.

I would buy an exhaust from FVD again, they are really great exhausts and that company is legit, especially their service...

-Alex

 

Very good topic. (I'll post up my results in a few hours). One item I'd like to comment on is, I've noticed some clips of the car started when COLD which has (IMHO) a huge misleading sound of what you really end up with. That is why when I did my comparison posting I made sure it was past the cold-start cycle.

 

1. What were you looking for in an exhaust (sound quality, HP gains, looks, price)
Looking for sound similar to my 2004 C4S with PSE.
2. What model do you have (3.6 or 3.8) and which system/manufacturer did you go with (side mufflers and/or center muffler delete)
Have a 09' C2S w/3.8
3. How much did you pay.
Current price listed on Fabspeed for X-Pipe.
4. Installation/quality of product (any problems).
1st unit was 1" off on right side header too high. FS had to send a 2nd out. (2nd unit
needed some slight force to mount). Quality could be better on fit.
5. Experience working with manufacturer/dealer (good or bad).
I'd deal with them again, although at first not happy they did not listen to my problem at first versus
somewhat talking-down to me like I've never turned a wrench before.
6. Results/observations/recommendations (sound quality, any drone/resonance, HP gains, any dyno information, any video/sound clips, overall satisfaction).
I have another posting that includes a very good before/after sound clip in stationary position. No drone,
sound a tad louder, bit more rasp, car "feels" a bit quicker to react, for the price I guess its not
bad. Overall satisfaction... Considering I was expecting a bit more in the sound area I would
not purchase it again as the single "correction" for sound. (Probably will work nicely when I
get the secondaries replaced. Not sure with what yet, may end up with PSE, unless AH comes up with a Gen2
solution similar to their Gen1 which sounds nice)

(Here was my vid, car warm, 0-4000rpm revs, stationary)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvILI8WYnAg

 

If you guys are looking for a louder exhaust why not keep the center muffler and just get the side muffler by-pass pipes from fabspeed. They are cheap, you will loose a heck of alot of weight by ditching the two side mufflers and it seems loud. And how can you not get a performance gain.

 

You should search for my review of the Rennsport 1. Only exhaust that I think compares to it is the FVD and Tubi. But I give the nod to rennsport because of the weight savings. They basically replace the center muffler with a larger, more free flowing version, and delete the side mufflers. Sound is unreal....

 

Thanks Greek.

Great write up Bonerwall. We've certainly put our 997.2 through the paces when it comes to exhaust choices and experimentation. So far we've used:

-Sharkwerks Center bypass with stock side mufflers (great sound, but a tad too quiet)
-Our in-house designed RS1 system (great sound, nice volume, deep tone)
-Tubi (excellent sound, but a bit too tame on the volume)
and last but not least, our current setup, which we are most happy with:
-Cargraphic Super Sound Export Side mufflers with RSS non-merging center X-Pipe. (perfection)

While designing and testing all of the systems above, we had one goal in mind. We wanted our 997.2 to sound as close as possible to the higher pitched "pure" sound of a .1 cup car. We found that with all of the other systems we tried or tested, the sound was just too deep and subdued. If we managed to get it loud enough, along with that would come too much drone. We thought we were happy with our RS1 system, which I still think sounds penomenal, but it still wasn't quite that race car sound we wanted. That lead us to the Cargraphic Super Sound Export side mufflers which we originally paired with our Sharkwerks center bypass. The sound is just great. At idle or highway cruising, it's absolutely tame and very well-behaved. Stomp on the throttle and the sound is just perfect. It has a great sound, truly.

Here's a video of that setup:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX22IzmIhgk

The last change we made was adding the RSS non-merging center exit X-Pipe when we did our 997.2 GT3 rear bumper conversion. The RSS pipe accented the existing sound very well by adding just a bit more volume and raising the tone just slightly. Finally, we were happy!

Here's a video of that final configuration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvFOXWDx1Qk

 

hey tom... that set up sounds really trick. I mean both actually... you've got the cargraphic sides with our center (still good for a daily driver) and then your own one for the more aggressive guy Love it!

 

This muffler is really good sounding. I did a lengthy review on it months ago.

 

Thanks Sharky. We LOVED it with your bypass, but when we decided to go center exit, we had to take it off.

 

Yep I hear you... gotta go center exit:P

 

I currently am waiting for the RS-1 center muffler to be delivered, ill make sure to write a review once i install it.

 

Once my business gets out of the red again (should be in a few months), I plan on treating my 997.2 (well, treating myself) to a louder exhaust, so I'll be watching this thread with interest!

 

KaamaCat,
Great point about the Cold Start sound (even on a stock exhaust). I guess the ECU plays with the Variocam exhaust duration/timing/air pump/mixture which results in a very hot/loud wxhaust sound for a short period to warm up the CATs quicker. Very misleading for the true sound of the exhaust. A Warm Start is much more representative. Thanks.

 

Did you ever do those dyno runs before and after your Fabspeed X-Pipe install to verify what HP/TQ gains you were getting?