Just installed Borla Exhaust, did not notice ANY power gains?!?!

[djtmalta]

Hey I just installed the Borla Exhaust that they sell on their website for the 08 Coupe 3.5 Automatic. I think I saw a dyno chart with HP gains of up to 12 or so on the Borla web site.

Well to my surprise I did not notice any horsepower gains at all. Just a deeper exhaust note.

Was I wrong to expect a gain in horsepower? Does the exhaust system need to break in?

ps. The other day I installed the Injen intake and noticed a significant gain in power!

thanks,david

[AltiCoupeDriver]

I will be able to solve your problem if you post pictures and videos of the exhaust.

[SHIFT_COUPE]

Welcome David!

Typically a break in period on an exhaust might yield some minor differences but not much IMO.

Replacing the exhaust system on your coupe isn't going to warrant dramatic gains but it should give you some. Keep in mind you also purchased an Axle back system, a cat-back system would have given you slightly better gains because of the larger diameter piping before the muffler section.

Give it a few and lets see what you think.

[adidas2go]

Yea your not going to notice much. Exhaust is mostly for sound, unless your running straight/resonated test pipes. the noticeable difference from the Injen you feel is mostly in your mind. Just because its much louder than stock it makes you think its faster, also the freeing of throttle response stationary, isn't affecting much during driving. All in all, your not going to get much at all from intake, exhaust, high flow cat, etc because they are just freeing the flow of air. Maybe 5 whp from the combination, but nothing you will really fell in a 270hp car

[rjdmmfl1]

Yea your not going to notice much. Exhaust is mostly for sound, unless your running straight/resonated test pipes. the noticeable difference from the Injen you feel is mostly in your mind. Just because its much louder than stock it makes you think its faster, also the freeing of throttle response stationary, isn't affecting much during driving. All in all, your not going to get much at all from intake, exhaust, high flow cat, etc because they are just freeing the flow of air. Maybe 5 whp from the combination, but nothing you will really fell in a 270hp car

i agree.. in my 1.6L V4 1995 Nissan 200SX, I definately noticed a difference performance wise with a intake, header, cat back exhaust combo... but that was on a 98 whp car

[djtmalta]

That kinda blows.... but thanks to everyone for the info.

If I change the pipe to a larger diameter from the cat to the new Borla exhaust would it increase the horsepower? If so, what would be a good size pipe? 2 1/2", 2 3/4" ? I am assuming that stock is 2 1/4".

Also, I wouldn't want it to be obnoxiously loud.

thanks,david

[generic808]

The only bolt-on part that you'll see noticeable gains in power is a header. Intakes, exhausts, etc. will only yield very small, if any gains at all. For some odd reason though, a lot of the ricer Honda drivers do not know this. They'll pop on a soda can exhaust, add an intake, and cut their springs and all of a sudden believe they have a race car

Exhausts "may" add "up to" 20HP under controlled environments. And the same goes with intakes. Realistically though, it just ain't happening in the real world. Some will swear by the manufacturer claims and believe they get 12WHP from a simple short-ram intake To each his own, I guess.

[mcheddadi]

I will be able to solve your problem if you post pictures and videos of the exhaust.

I second lol

[Robs_altima]

Even if a system adds 10whp, you won't feel it in a 3200lb car. In my opinion it's all in the head of those who say they feel it. I put my old car on the dyno to tune base map on my turbo setup. Basically brought the fuel up around 11:1 and gave back about 1 degree of timing on the piggy back (pulled out 4 degrees). The tune all in all gave another 13whp, which I was completely let down because to me it didn't pull any harder but the dyno doesn't lie.

There's a reason why some will only make an axel back for certain cars. They don't feel the added cost is worth a few (2-3whp example). This is probably do to the restrictive setup on the manifold. You can open up the piping all you want after the cat but the flow will still be the same. Give Stillen a call and they'll tell you like it is. The demand for the catback is there so they'll make it. It'll just benefit you more down the road.

Just as previously posted, the real gains won't come untill the header is reworked without the cats and crazy bends. Ony a matter of time before Stillen get the header going. I didn't dyno the a/c bafore the borla and intake but will do a before and after of a catless header and midpipe on the dynojet.

[tommy314]

Hey DJTMALTA, would you be able to post a video of your exhaust? The only Borla exhaust i've heard was adidas2go's, which sounds great, but is not the production axle back. I'm just wondering if they sound similar. Thanks

[Robs_altima]

If he doesn't I will....

[tommy314]

Nice

[djtmalta]

Hey thanks to everyone for the input and advice. Unfortunately I do not have a video camera so I can not post a video of the exhaust. But I can assure you that it DOES NOT sound like the video clip that's floating around on youtube.

It rumbles like the youtube clip, but just not as deep or loud. That dude altered something else in order to get that sound.

Once again, thanks for everyone's input.

-david

[johnny_d]

Hey thanks to everyone for the input and advice. Unfortunately I do not have a video camera so I can not post a video of the exhaust. But I can assure you that it DOES NOT sound like the video clip that's floating around on youtube.

It rumbles like the youtube clip, but just not as deep or loud. That dude altered something else in order to get that sound.

Once again, thanks for everyone's input.

-david

uh, maybe because he has the catback and you only got the axle-back?

[adidas2go]

But I can assure you that it DOES NOT sound like the video clip that's floating around on youtube.

It rumbles like the youtube clip, but just not as deep or loud. That dude altered something else in order to get that sound.

"that dude" would be me, and I altered nothing. Make it into a cat back, and I bet you get the same sound

[vkyolv]

"that dude" would be me, and I altered nothing. Make it into a cat back, and I bet you get the same sound

[Robs_altima]

"that dude" would be me, and I altered nothing. Make it into a cat back, and I bet you get the same sound

Mine is pretty loud, especially at WOT. I don't know how much louder you want it to be.... You're going to want to leave some room for volume with the stock cats in place. Once you put a header on the car and bypass those things it's going to get much louder and maybe even raspy. Adidas does have a 2.5" straight pipe from the cat to the axel back. I wouldn't bet on it getting that much louder at all seeing how there is no resinator to delete. The thing you'll gain would be flow once the header is reworked.

Do one thing with your Borla if you haven't already …. Have someone else rev the car and you stand behind it. The muffler they put on that thing keeps all the noise behind the car.

[Dexion]

The only bolt-on part that you'll see noticeable gains in power is a header. Intakes, exhausts, etc. will only yield very small, if any gains at all. For some odd reason though, a lot of the ricer Honda drivers do not know this. They'll pop on a soda can exhaust, add an intake, and cut their springs and all of a sudden believe they have a race car

Exhausts "may" add "up to" 20HP under controlled environments. And the same goes with intakes. Realistically though, it just ain't happening in the real world. Some will swear by the manufacturer claims and believe they get 12WHP from a simple short-ram intake To each his own, I guess.

Its not just manufacturer's though there's owners posting dyno's as well. I just don't know what its gonna take to convince you... controlled environments or not since my intake is never warm because I ripped off the plastic behind the grille giving the whole engine bay cold air I'm sure its giving somewhere around what others are saying.

[adidas2go]

Your intake is warm, simple as that. Its sitting 3 inches away from an engine block and transmission. Its getting hot. It doesn't matter that you "ripped some plastic out" behind the bumper. No convincing needed. Your not going to convince a real tuner, that a shorty intake, and axle back, yield significant power gains. Its just not true. Sorry.