3.5 Exhaust options? Need sound but not buzz...

[AllenB]

This is a new realm for me; looking at performance items for something other than an American V8. I admit I am very biased since I have always been a self-professed V8 snob, so much so that my friends and family are stunned I actually considered a Nissan much less bought one! Not trying to pick a fight with die-hard import fans or even looking to compare domestic/imports, just giving a little perspective for the question...

One of the "issues" I have with my car is that it is way too quiet. I am researching bolt-on exhaust options including maybe adding a y-pipe (based on suggestions here) but I am hesitant since most exhausts I've heard on imports sound like a buzzy annoyance instead of a performance addition. Low burble - good. Buzzy, ricey fartcan - bad! So I'm humbly posing the intents and questions here...

My goal is a low, fairly subtle throaty growl with no buzz or rasp. Nothing is more annoying to me than an exhaust that is loud for the sake of being loud and sounds like a chainsaw. I have always had a preference for Magnaflow and some Borla systems, but comparing the Nissan application to what I am familiar with is tough since it is a V6 and I have nothing to compare it to. I am also a little confused with the Nismo exhaust since all I can locate is a single system- is the system the same for the 2.5 and 3.5?

Suggestions welcome and would really appreciate any vendor referrals too!


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Allen

[MetallicSlate]

The GReddy systems with the y-pipe usually sound pretty good. Also, take a look at the borla axle back. And the Artisan exhaust. Those are all pretty throaty.

Borla : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssJjly_KHpE

Artisan : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K5a-5Vi1B8

GReddy Spectrum SE : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQWdWwj0IwM

Those sound the throatiest to me. Hopefully this helps.

[AllenB]

I does help, and the reply is much appreciated!

Rasp (and tinny popping) is what I am trying to avoid but the problem I'm having is the clips tend to sound raspy regardless. I've learned over the years that a lot of that is due to the video and not the system so it is hard for me to tell. I am leaning heavily toward the Borla system but I am apprehensive since I know many of their systems for American cars (Chrysler SRT8 and Chevy LS1 applications) tend to be very loud and raspy compared to other brands. It seems like the system for the 3.5 A/C is a little mellower though...

Going back to the V8 systems I am used to, that is why I liked the Magnaflow systems over others like Flowmasters. A lot of folks really liked the Flowmasters because they are loud but I couldn't stand the popping and raspy sound. To each their own I guess...

Very interested in feedback- and many thanks in advance!


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[SHIFT_COUPE]

Love my Borla. I have it paired with the Y-pipe and it sounds quite nice. If you would like to hear it in person I'm sure we can work something out.

[AllenB]

Love my Borla. I have it paired with the Y-pipe and it sounds quite nice. If you would like to hear it in person I'm sure we can work something out.

Sounds like a plan and it would be GREATLY appreciated. I'm pretty flexible so let me know- I'm on the shoreline in Clinton. If nothing else, had you looked at the multi-car meet in Berlin on the 22nd? I know it was from another site but wasn't sure if you would have the chance to head a little east.


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Allen

[MetallicSlate]

You're best bet for getting something that fits your taste might be to look at having a custom exhaust built. Get some genetic piping for the mid pipe to some magnaflow mufflers. There are a couple of shops around I'm sure that can build you a custome 2.5 or 3 inch catback.

[funkee]

Love my Borla. I have it paired with the Y-pipe and it sounds quite nice. If you would like to hear it in person I'm sure we can work something out.

Do you have a stock midpipe? Since the Borla is an axle back, the midpipe is stock. I have the Borla exhaust and a ypipe waiting to be installed (as well as a k&n intake).

My shop guy has an exhaust bender and a welder, so we can custom make a midpipe easily. Any thoughts?

[sndtgr08]

Where are you located? I know the best way to find out what you like the best. Its so Easy.

COME TO CARLISLE!!!!!!!!!! There will be a tons of Altimas with every combo of exausts you can imagine, and you can listen to them all and decide for yourself =)

My 2 cents.

The Borla and the Artisan and Stillen all have good tone, but I didt think the were all that loud compaired to stock(sure the rev vids when they hit redline, hell everything is loud at redline....) The SOUND of your car going through town will not turn heads, unless your in the wrong gear doing 35-40 @ 5k+ RPM You sound like you want to HEAR your car. Me to.

The greddy EVO sounds a little ricy to me.

Greddy Ti and the Greddy Spectrum Elite Both sound loud and deep and sexy, EVEN at a DEAD STOP. Sexy rumble at idle.

I ended up going with the Greddy Ti clone from ebay, Topspeed Pro-1 catback exhaust. I was very happy at first. Then over the next month or two of driving the tone just got deeper and richer and I'm so glad I didt dump $800-$1000 on exaust. Hello rim and tire money! Where did you come from? For about $350 (not sure of price now) You cant go wrong. They also have Blued Angled tips now too that are so sexylicious......

All in all I belive is the design. The ones that get closer to strait lining your exhast out the back sound louder and deeper, the ones the funnel it in to a huge chamber and then splitting in to 2 pipes kills some of the good rumble.

[Jman0711]

Where are you located? I know the best way to find out what you like the best. Its so Easy.

COME TO CARLISLE!!!!!!!!!! There will be a tons of Altimas with every combo of exausts you can imagine, and you can listen to them all and decide for yourself =)

+1 !! All you CT guys should def come to Carlisle! On Subject though, i have the y-pipe + Stillen combo and i love it to not raspy and def a bit deeper sounding.

[AllenB]

Ok, os help a noob out here...

Where are you located? I know the best way to find out what you like the best. Its so Easy.

COME TO CARLISLE!!!!!!!!!! There will be a tons of Altimas with every combo of exausts you can imagine, and you can listen to them all and decide for yourself =)

Where and when the hell are you talking about?!


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Allen

[sndtgr08]

Ok, os help a noob out here...

Where and when the hell are you talking about?!


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Allen

aww man sorry here you go =) : carlisle-2012-official-sign-up-thread-5 ... 49034.html

Crap ton of nico nuts meet and rule the show and the track! We take over a hotel for the weekend and its awesome!

[Weimy812]

i personally think the greddy elite with the y pipe sounds the best...everyone that has heard it can only say great things about it. Sounds deep and crackle a little when you let off the gas. Also it has blue tips lol what else can you ask for!!

[sndtgr08]

i personally think the greddy elite with the y pipe sounds the best...everyone that has heard it can only say great things about it. Sounds deep and crackle a little when you let off the gas. Also it has blue tips lol what else can you ask for!!

+1 I had the Greedy Ti on my 350z and loved it. Just didt like the price, As far as I can tell the TS Pro-1 is nearly an exact copy of that (in stainless steel) at 1/3 the price.

+1 on that fak all awesome "crackle". For the rest, if you dont know, then you dont know what your missing. Down shifting to the red light is almost as fun as when it turns green!

[YoungCoupe]

sndtgr08, does your top speed exhaust have a resonator welded on? I've been planning on getting it but I've heard that it doesn't sound as great without a resonator

[sndtgr08]

sndtgr08, does your top speed exhaust have a resonator welded on? I've been planning on getting it but I've heard that it doesn't sound as great without a resonator

Not sure and never tried to mess with it. I read a post by another nico member that said he Removed his resonators. The effect was raspy and he did not like it, he then took it some where that installed baffles some how and now he said its better then before. Not sure if that helps, but thats all I got on that note.

[JdsCoupe]

Our cars actually don't have a flowmaster option, but i got a guy that took an 80 series for a camaro/firebird and did a 3" mid pipe and it sounds nice a deep. Little bit of a crackle when you let off the gas, but it attracts a lot of good attention. I've actually had a guy ask me if I had a v8. This is it on my car the day after installing it (not broken in). I've just about reached 500 miles since I got it so I'll make another video of it broken in and link you to it if you'd like. This is louder than a borla and just as deep (if not deeper) sounding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NITPZdu9LZg

[Hussain]

or the custom option

outside
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYp8sIrj ... ature=plcp

inside
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D7fK1b7 ... ature=plcp

electronic exhaust cut-out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihzZV5Yb ... ature=plcp

[sndtgr08]

electronic exhaust cut-out

@AllenB I dont think you want to mess with electronic exhaust cut-outs. Hussain is not the first to have issues with these. I read up on them a few years back when I had the 350z. If you track THAT much, maybe. Not really for a daily driver.

[AllenB]

Zero intention of using a cut-out...

I am leaning toward the Borla just based on the clips I have found, but want to meet up with SHIFT_COUPE before diving into it. No substitute for 1st hand observations...

Only trick now is getting funding approval from the War Department!


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Allen

[sndtgr08]

Excellent. The borlas I heard last year in person sounded good.

"War Department" = wife? Not sure if I should laugh yet but thats awsome.

[AllenB]

"War Department" = wife? Not sure if I should laugh yet but thats awsome.

Yea, after over two decades in the Navy have realized I can have all of the battle plans I want but until it makes it thru appropriations it's just an exercise!

I think I have found a setup just need to work out the details- still in the planning phase, classified and compartmented for now. Will declassify when the mission is complete!


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Allen

[2010alticoupe]

Our cars actually don't have a flowmaster option, but i got a guy that took an 80 series for a camaro/firebird and did a 3" mid pipe and it sounds nice a deep. Little bit of a crackle when you let off the gas, but it attracts a lot of good attention. I've actually had a guy ask me if I had a v8. This is it on my car the day after installing it (not broken in). I've just about reached 500 miles since I got it so I'll make another video of it broken in and link you to it if you'd like. This is louder than a borla and just as deep (if not deeper) sounding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NITPZdu9LZg

I personally like the way your flow master exhaust sounds. Very unique for the coupe.

[JdsCoupe]

Our cars actually don't have a flowmaster option, but i got a guy that took an 80 series for a camaro/firebird and did a 3" mid pipe and it sounds nice a deep. Little bit of a crackle when you let off the gas, but it attracts a lot of good attention. I've actually had a guy ask me if I had a v8. This is it on my car the day after installing it (not broken in). I've just about reached 500 miles since I got it so I'll make another video of it broken in and link you to it if you'd like. This is louder than a borla and just as deep (if not deeper) sounding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NITPZdu9LZg

I personally like the way your flow master exhaust sounds. Very unique for the coupe.

Thanks! The only thing I don't like about it is how close to the ground the mid pipe is. I've yet to have it touch the ground going up/down steep hills, but I hold my breath every time I do.

I'll be making another video of the sound tomorrow now that I've broken it in. I think it sounds even better now than it did when I first got it.

[SanoSuKe]

Just a heads up here since everyone is talking about Greddy. Both the Ti-C and SE are discontinued, so you won't be able to buy them off Greddy. I've tried looking for either of them on other websites and they go for 1.2k+

Personally, I'd go for a Magnaflow.

[MetallicSlate]

Aren't they coming out with an RS GReddy version for our cars now SanoSuke? I wonder how that will sound and if I'll regret not waiting a little longer.

[Weimy812]

greddy is coming out with new exhuast systems that will fit the coupe. The Ti-C and SE are discontinued but the only thing they are changing is the blue tips on the exhuast. They should be out later this summer. Also, i got my greddy SE off ebay last one from the seller and he gave me a little discount cuz they were discontinuing it. I know its expensive for an exhuast but totally worth it.

[SanoSuKe]

Yea, they're coming out with a new one, no dates yet. Atleast that's what I was told in their email.

[AllenB]

I'd also be curious about a head-to-head comparison for performance gains. I realize just a bolt-on axle-back system won't have much impact but would still be interesting...

Waiting to hear back on shipping/pick-up options for some items- will see....


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Allen

[JdsCoupe]

I'd also be curious about a head-to-head comparison for performance gains. I realize just a bolt-on axle-back system won't have much impact but would still be interesting...

Waiting to hear back on shipping/pick-up options for some items- will see....


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Allen

Mid pipe is where most of your gains from an exhaust will come. My boy got a 3" custom magnaflow and he dyno'd +17 hp. I got a CVT so I can't give you any insight on the flowmaster and I think I'm the only person with it (shouldn't be too much more/less than the magnaflow).

[AllenB]

Have the Racingline Y-pipe and Borla axle-back installed!

I expected a change in sound, but not as much as actually realized! Full disclosure- I'm yet sold on the sound. I know that may come across as negative, but it is a bit louder in the cabin than I had expected and actually though I may have had a leak initially. Not really a bad thing but I was imagining a lower burble type note whereas the RL/Borla combo has a slightly higher note. I'm not sure if my ears are just more accustomed to a larger displacement engine and that's what is throwing me off. Another thing I've noted is a bit of a "drone" on the highway ~70MPH; not loud but noticeable. I say all of this realizing (again) that I may sound negative but I am actually pleased with it! I was initially complaining that the stock A/C was just way too quiet and you couldn't hear anything so the change is pretty radical!

On the plus side, it seems like the engine revs easier thru the mid-range. My calibrated butt-dyno seems to indicate some real gains but that may be due to playing with the far-right pedal more!

Last step is getting the K&N Typhoon intake installed, hopefully later this week!


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Allen