View Poll Results: Is a CAI worth the money?
Yes
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1
33.33%
no
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1
33.33%
Did you not see the other 8,000 threads on this?
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1
33.33%
Voters: 3. You may not vote on this poll
FINALLY ANSWERED: What is the best __________ ? (Intake, Exhaust, headers, etc)
#322
350Z/370Z Tech Moderator
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The primary advantage of a single exhaust is weight savings. In race trim, it can save 30-40 lbs, depending on which exhaust and material (steel vs. titanium) is being used. The car will need to be tuned with that exhaust to maximize output, but a single offers maximum performance for a race car.
On my street Z, I still prefer the Stillen TD for it's combination of appearance, sound and looks. Purely a subjective decision there.
On my street Z, I still prefer the Stillen TD for it's combination of appearance, sound and looks. Purely a subjective decision there.
Performance wise, depends on how you're using your car and what supporting mods go with it as terrasmak and dkmura mention. If you are tracking AND you get it tuned properly after install, a good dual system with X-pipe would most likely be your best bet since you're running elevated revs most of the time.
However, if your primary use is on the street, the large piped (like the 3" system mentioned in another recent thread) true dual WILL affect driveability with some pick up on the high end at the expense of low end torque - which is where your car operates in street/canyon driving and needs the additional torque. Lots will try and tell me otherwise but I guarantee you this will be the case. BTDT, BTST many times. (On everything from small block hot rods to S30s to Z33s....)
All said and done, I concur with the comments made above other than thinking the Stillen TD is still too big at 2.5" for street use but.... I trust dkmura's advice so maybe that works just fine, I don't know from actual use. I "only" have S-Tune and stock Nismo exhausts.
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#323
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Op exhausts are purley choice subjective at best. Do your research and get what you like. Imo dual looks better. They both can sound nice singles weigh less as David pointed out.
#328
Registered User
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Alright, so about a month ago I got my 2006 350z Touring Edition. One of my #1 things I want is either a new muffler or a new catback exhaust system (I read somewhere that there is only 1 non-custom axleback made for Z's). If I had a little bit of extra money, I would go straight for the Invidia N1 Dual Catback Exhaust as my friend has the same brand/model (except it's not dual) for his '01 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS. I obviously realize that they will sound different, but he has spoken highly of it and from the videos I've seen, it sounds nice on a Z. However, I am really only looking for a louder and nicer sounding exhaust for the time being rather than for a performance boost. The catback costs ~$600 and a muffler (would probably be a Flowmaster) would be ~$200 or less including a welded install by Midas or something (I don't have access to welding tools). Also, I don't know the laws for California smogs and catback exhausts, so that may be something to take into consideration too. If anyone has any suggestions as to a cheaper catback (that isn't some ebay crap) please leave it as a reply or any other opinions/suggestions as well! Thanks!
#330
New Member
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Take it to an exhaust shop that focuses on tuner cars, they will weld you up something simple and custom for much less. And that you can tell people about with much more pride as opposed to I run an Invidia (blase at this point).
My personal recommendation is an x-pipe with dual straight pipes back similar to the tdx v1. If you want the cheapest get them to do a muffler delete using the stock tips. You lose about 3hp without a tune but it sounds great.
No need to spend more than necessary on a simple part, if your priorities arent ultimate power and quality (nothing wrong with that if you just want the sound).
My personal recommendation is an x-pipe with dual straight pipes back similar to the tdx v1. If you want the cheapest get them to do a muffler delete using the stock tips. You lose about 3hp without a tune but it sounds great.
No need to spend more than necessary on a simple part, if your priorities arent ultimate power and quality (nothing wrong with that if you just want the sound).
Last edited by guitman32; 07-16-2015 at 06:43 PM.
#333
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Before you guys all try and flame me for asking "what is the best exhaust" and all that crap, just hear me out. I don't care about what the "best" is. I just want some opinions on how to take my exhaust to the next level. It is currently stock and I want something that wont sound fartty. Guys around my area seem to straight pipe their z's but I'm not sure if that's the way to go. And I can't really trust youtube for what exhausts really sound like. So what exhaust do you guys have? Or what is your experience will different systems?
#334
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Two choices for the deepest aggressive sound ive heard on the z33. One is single its tomei expreme single titanium exhaust. Hands down the best sound.
The next is a dual. Motordyne tdx exhaust very deep sound both do not rasp and stay deep through redline.
If you pair them with test pipes you will loose the deep tone. Itll retain down low but as you climb rpm itll.get higher pitch.
The next is a dual. Motordyne tdx exhaust very deep sound both do not rasp and stay deep through redline.
If you pair them with test pipes you will loose the deep tone. Itll retain down low but as you climb rpm itll.get higher pitch.
#336
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I recently bought a 2004 Nissan 350z and I have no idea what kind of exhaust to put on it. It has stock exhaust at the moment. I don't want it to sound like a monster truck, fart cannon, or civic. I would like to get something that has a nice purr. Even though it's a 350z I don't want to break my bank account. Hopefully other engine modifications to come.
#337
350Z/370Z Tech Moderator
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I recently bought a 2004 Nissan 350z and I have no idea what kind of exhaust to put on it. It has stock exhaust at the moment. I don't want it to sound like a monster truck, fart cannon, or civic. I would like to get something that has a nice purr. Even though it's a 350z I don't want to break my bank account. Hopefully other engine modifications to come.
For sound only, I'd suggest you go to YouTube and listen to as many of the systems as you can and base your decision on what YOU like.
The systems that offer pretty decent power gains are mostly going to be large singles (Tomei Expreme and such) and true dual systems such as HKS at the high end ($$wise) or at the mid-high range (Motordyne TDX2), and just below that, the crowd favorite "on a budget", Invidia Gemini.
Keep in mind that any system you buy is going to have certain acoustics characteristics that will change with system changes.... most notably, adding HFC (high flow cats) - Berk being the closest thing to a "gold standard" - or test pipes, of which, Motordyne ART pipes are pretty much the de facto go-to.
If you go to a true dual system, would highly recommend a center resonator or X-pipe to reduce drone and/or aid in scavenging efficiency.
Finally, there's the Nismo devotees who all "love their Nismo S-Tunes" which provides a low tone pretty much throughout its range but being a factory provided system, is pretty quiet and too tame for many who really get off on the loudness of their systems. They'll learn better over time.
![](https://my350z.com/forum/images/smilies/icon17.gif)
![](https://my350z.com/forum/images/smilies/icon17.gif)
![](https://my350z.com/forum/images/smilies/icon17.gif)
Bottom line of this spooner is go to the Intake/Exhaust section and read up on all of the systems people are using. Despite the fact that 99% of the posts discuss "sound only"....
![](https://my350z.com/forum/images/smilies/icon08.gif)
And that's about as short an "Exhaust brands 101" as I can make it.
Mic
#338
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No one else can tell you definitively what type of exhaust to put on unless you define your parameters. Good sound improvement or REAL performance? Obviously, the optimum solution is both, right? Well, you have to be real careful because most of the exhaust systems out there are crap... offering plenty of noise (some arguably "sweet sounding") but offer very little in the way of real power gain and longevity.
For sound only, I'd suggest you go to YouTube and listen to as many of the systems as you can and base your decision on what YOU like.
The systems that offer pretty decent power gains are mostly going to be large singles (Tomei Expreme and such) and true dual systems such as HKS at the high end ($$wise) or at the mid-high range (Motordyne TDX2), and just below that, the crowd favorite "on a budget", Invidia Gemini.
Keep in mind that any system you buy is going to have certain acoustics characteristics that will change with system changes.... most notably, adding HFC (high flow cats) - Berk being the closest thing to a "gold standard" - or test pipes, of which, Motordyne ART pipes are pretty much the de facto go-to.
If you go to a true dual system, would highly recommend a center resonator or X-pipe to reduce drone and/or aid in scavenging efficiency.
Finally, there's the Nismo devotees who all "love their Nismo S-Tunes" which provides a low tone pretty much throughout its range but being a factory provided system, is pretty quiet and too tame for many who really get off on the loudness of their systems. They'll learn better over time.![](https://my350z.com/forum/images/smilies/icon17.gif)
![](https://my350z.com/forum/images/smilies/icon17.gif)
![](https://my350z.com/forum/images/smilies/icon17.gif)
Bottom line of this spooner is go to the Intake/Exhaust section and read up on all of the systems people are using. Despite the fact that 99% of the posts discuss "sound only"....![](https://my350z.com/forum/images/smilies/icon08.gif)
And that's about as short an "Exhaust brands 101" as I can make it.
Mic
For sound only, I'd suggest you go to YouTube and listen to as many of the systems as you can and base your decision on what YOU like.
The systems that offer pretty decent power gains are mostly going to be large singles (Tomei Expreme and such) and true dual systems such as HKS at the high end ($$wise) or at the mid-high range (Motordyne TDX2), and just below that, the crowd favorite "on a budget", Invidia Gemini.
Keep in mind that any system you buy is going to have certain acoustics characteristics that will change with system changes.... most notably, adding HFC (high flow cats) - Berk being the closest thing to a "gold standard" - or test pipes, of which, Motordyne ART pipes are pretty much the de facto go-to.
If you go to a true dual system, would highly recommend a center resonator or X-pipe to reduce drone and/or aid in scavenging efficiency.
Finally, there's the Nismo devotees who all "love their Nismo S-Tunes" which provides a low tone pretty much throughout its range but being a factory provided system, is pretty quiet and too tame for many who really get off on the loudness of their systems. They'll learn better over time.
![](https://my350z.com/forum/images/smilies/icon17.gif)
![](https://my350z.com/forum/images/smilies/icon17.gif)
![](https://my350z.com/forum/images/smilies/icon17.gif)
Bottom line of this spooner is go to the Intake/Exhaust section and read up on all of the systems people are using. Despite the fact that 99% of the posts discuss "sound only"....
![](https://my350z.com/forum/images/smilies/icon08.gif)
And that's about as short an "Exhaust brands 101" as I can make it.
Mic
#339
Registered User
iTrader: (6)
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I've got a Tomei Ti Y pipe back portion that I'll gladly sell, it's definitely a nice exhaust but damn is it outrageously loud...even with my ART pipes, XZY + resonator. Mine is deep, but I'd go back to the TDXv2...better overall sound and allows for conversations in the car (if you're into that kind of thing).