In order to understand what I am talking about you must first understand my definition of the following terms

Definitions:

Rasp: that sound that comes out of an e46 m3, bbs in a can, a hornets nest, this buzzing sounds is really ****ing annoying and should be avoided at all costs.

Drone: that noise that is associated with many performance exhausts who boast a "deep sound". this din, which occurs in the cabin is the cause of many a headache, and also should be avoided at all costs.

Air mods on the vehicle:
Pop charger
Rt Cats


Hks performs as follows:

Idle
Rasp: none
Drone: none
Very conservative idle, cant even tell its there
2k
Rasp: none
Drone: this is probably the closest this system comes to droning, but it is in no way worse than my stock system at the same rpm.
Deep rumble that says dont mess.

3-4k
Rasp: still none
Drone: none
Think Porsche mixed with supra, with a pinch of wrx, thats what it sounds like.
Pull: same as stock (about)
4k-5
None across the boards
The fun continues
Pull: hard

5- redline
None
Screams like a Ferrari at these rpms, add a little hiss, not bbs in a can. and thats what you have. Still no rasp.
Pull: much harder than stock

Street:
Goes unnoticed by passengers who dont know its there, esp when driven conservatively

Freeway: road noise is louder than the exhaust at freeway speeds.

Canyon: you'd swear you were driving something with a 1 affixed to the front of that 30k+ price tag.

Conclusion: DonÃÕ buy this exhaust. I donÃÕ want everyone to have it! This in my opinion was well worth the 1000+ price tag because its quiet when you need it to be quiet, and loud when you want it to be loud. Now if I could only get the girls I date to be so predictable. =)

 

+1 well written.... I just got mine a month ago - and I strongly agree that this thing is quiet driven conservatively. However, I am making it roar as much as I can... I guess in time, I will settledown into stealth mode.

Also, IMO the exhaust sounds more aggressive at idle after driving the Z hard for a while.

One drawback: when washing the car, I now need to get under the bumper and wipe down the exhausts and canisters. And the tips do sit a little lower than stock. So, when I park (reverse) at work I have to make sure to not back up into the curve.

 

Matt where are the pics???

I agree on the tailpipe cleaning being a b1tch. My neighbors probably wonder WTF i am doing lying on my back under the car after just washing it.

 

ok guys i took the pictures for matt yesterday i helped him install it wow the hks stuff is great you get what you pay for man everything so fit well it better then oem ahaa any ways here is the pictures if matts new hks exhuast

 

hey matt i hope the pictures are good enough i took it at night so it not that great sorry guys new day time pictures coming soon with matts car and my

 

so the exhaust just paid for itself... kind of

i was in westwood where the cops bust anyone with rims i guess, and low and behold a cop pulls up beside me, but behind and is looking at my big rear end. the light turns green, i slowly give it some gas, he follows listening, then in a pissed off fury, floors it and speeds away, realizing that he cant do anything. oh the smile on my face.

 

If every exhaust review was written as detailed as this, I think we wouldnt have as many questions on how each of them sound in comparison. Very good review!
I think there needs to be a group buy on this exhaust. If there was, I would be down!
Jon

 

this system at first was sluggish on my car, and i thought i must have botched the install somehow, well i used technosquares reset tecnique, and VIOLA, theres the power i paid for. feels as amazing as it sounds now. ( i did this the day after i bolted it on, but am finally writing about it)

 

Isn't the technosquare reset instructuions kind fo confusing?

 

it took me a few tries, but it eventually worked. when i get around to it i will post some video of the system with my RT cats. it sounds HOT!

 

thx for the info

 

i have this exhaust too......it is a b*tch cleaning the exhaust....but i was just wondering if any you r running resonated test pipe or non resonated with this exhaust? i ordered a set of resonated ones. would you think it will make the car sound more deeper? let me know wassup guys

 

very cool exhaust, unique design.

is it me or does this thing make the car sound kind of deisel/tractor-like? i'm not too sure yet if i love it or not.

also, for that price tag, i wonder why they went with a 60mm (2.36") piping diameter as written in their website (http://www.hksusa.com/products/?id=715). is this kind of a bottle neck? i'm sure HKS has done their r&d, since it is a very well respected japanese brand.

 

i have rt cats, as i said, and they sound awesome, a little rasp when they are cold, but it did the same thing with my stock exhaust so not HKS's fault at all. i would assume that resonated test pipes would be similar to my RT's considering their flow rate is about the same, edge to the test pipes. so yes, deeper and louder.


also about the diameter, you have to remember that it is a true dual, no x pipe here, so correct me if i am wrong, if it were a single using the 2 pipes condensed into one it would be a 4+ inch midpipe, which is pretty big. also smaller pipes would help retain a small amount of back pressure so you dont lose all your low end grunt torque.