well i see it as such:

the name-brand companies spend a lot of time and money engineering the parts which they sell. it is unfair for companies that merely copy these designs to make profit on a product which they did not design (and probably did not even test). think about it this way... what if you were the owner of a company that designs and sells exhausts. how would you feel if another company was copying your design and selling it for half the price, effectively destroying your potential for profit. the company copying you does not have to make profit to cover the overhead of the R&D process, they can just charge for the material and production costs. it is very cheap to sit there and weld metal pipes together per someone else's design, but it is another thing to engineer an exhaust, test it, buy quality metal, and mass-produce it.

furthermore, you have the assurance, when buying from a name-brand company, that the materials used were quality and not the cheapest, lowest quality metals available. many no-name companies will use cheap materials and crappy welders in order to achieve a higher profit margin.

i mean, sure, cheaper is "better", but i do not mind spending the extra money to promote the health of a company that furnishes me with a good product.

 

actually looks more like a skunk2. but knowing how stillen is they probably got this exhaust and then branded their name onto it, therefore doubling the price instantly

 

But you are assuming they copied someone else, and assuming that the bigger guys actually do some sort of R&D to justify their exorbitant pricetags. It's never that simple.

 

Apparrently, you only see two televisions: One cheaper, one more expensive. I see a quality television and a ticking timebomb filled with a possible lifespan of problems. Although both televisions will allow you to watch a particular show, I expect the tv with a lower price to develop a funny squealing sound and a rolling picture with pink spots. I'ts all about having piece of mind.

Let's discuss this further:

A decade ago, Hyundai came out with a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. We could pay $10,000 for a car knowing that our car is going to get fixed for free, no matter what. Or, I could pay $12,000 for a Toyota with a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty and their proven reliable track record. I know that I'll never be broke down on the side of the road with a Toyota, but in the rare case that I did, I would have to pay for it.

Most people would rather have the extra $2,000 in their pocket. But, some of us would rather not have the hassle of constantly bringing your car to the dealer for stupid little issues or be stuck on the side of the road, late for work, missing an appointment, or wasting your Saturday, while waiting for a tow truck. Most of those Hyundai's had three or four engines put in them before they hit the end of their warranty. Sure, the labor is free, but how much of your time do you value?

My friend just bought a cheap exhaust system off ebay for the 240sx she is fixing up. When she went to install it, it wouldn't go in. It was hitting the frame rail. Now, she's driving around without an exhaust. They didn't weld the one flange right, so she has to cut if off and reweld it. Sure, she only paid $150, but she could have paid a little bit more and probably not had this problem. Time is money.

 

With the amount of money people toss around in this community, I hope someone bites the bullet and tries this exhaust system and does a nice write-up. I'm curious how the material holds up through rain and snow/salt/road grime. I'm guessing the material cost is less than more expensive brands, contributing to the lower sell price. The lack of R&D may be a contributor, but how can we prove that.

I'm curious what kind of profit margin Tsudo makes vs. HKS?

 

im thinkin i might. Kinda tired of nismo but not really. Always up to put on my 8th exhaust

 

Wat!

 

I like the way it sounds and if it makes power then I say its a win.

 

im just wondering if 2.36' exhaust is gonna make power? whats diameter of nismo?

 

Y-PIPE



MIDPIPE

 

yeah im a big fan of the bassani exhaust too...starting to like the tanabe medallion touring exhaust too though...

 

your right, it is not that simple. but there are great exhausts systems out there with a beautiful tone and proven gains. these exhaust systems were def tested and you can tell by these factors. i mean try strapping on some 3" pipes as your exhaust... it might increase your hp/tq but your car is going to be loud as **** and unbearable. managing to get good gains and yet maintain the beautiful Z sound is key, which is why i love the bassani exhaust. i cannot wait to get mine .

 

i have never looked into it, the name throws me off because it sounds like it would have huge fart cans and a terrible drone. this is not really based on anything other than my personal opinion on the name lol... . ill check it out.

 

Thanks bobby. Im also wondering what a 3" y -pipe would sound like on Nismo. esp since the piping on the y-pipe now is like 2.25"

 

you guys wanna know what r&d is in the exhaust business? its making an exhaust that works/fits/looks good on the vehicle and then mapping/diagraming it so every bend can be recorded and copied. of course the original is dynoed on occassion, but ususally on their in-house vehicle, that is often not stock. and it makes power that way. if yours is stock and your throwing on a 3" system, your not gonna make power.
there isnt really anything wrong with the cheaper systems, but it probly wont be stainless. so if you live in a place where you have salt/alot of water/etc, you probly should spend the money on the stainless system regardless. or have one made. if you live someplace dry (west coast), you can opt for the cheaper system and get away with it.

 

 

I'm farly new here as you can see by my post count. I'm def. not new to cars and performance as I'v been doing this for a while.

I can see that about 80% of the members here sound like BMW owners. I'm sure you can figure out what I mean.

 

so you disagree then? whats your reasoning?

 

Arrogance.

 

I swear I've seen that vid with another exhasust as the star. I remember the guy saying "Nah, yur good". Dang