After a long amount of research, hunting, and waiting for good deals, I finally got around to installing my exhaust. As the title may suggest, the following parts were swapped in: Motordyne ART Pipes, Motordyne XYZ w/HFC, and the TopSpeed 3" (no silencers)

I'll address the first issue that most seem to think of when they see TopSpeed, the sound. Yes, it's louder than stock obviously, but not at all what I though the worst case could be. I'm sure the HFC in the Y-Pipe combined with the ART Pipes (which seem to be rated by multiple sources as being a bit quieter than HFCs) are really helping out in this area. I can hear my radio just fine, at any speed, in any gear, windows up or down. And it's the stock Bose. There is a slight, soft rattle in the back for about 1 1/2 seconds (between 2k-3k), just long enough to think "Oh hey, a ra- hmm, gone." Can't complain. At Idle, I can't tell the difference, and if I keep it under 2K I don't have to worry about the neighbors complaining.

Drone/Rasp? No rasp, anywhere, as far as I can tell. It's deep and rumbly under 4k... There is some drone between 2200 and 3000, if I give it gas, but it is not annoying or headache inducing, pretty mild to me. That tapers off quickly to 4k, and after that...

I don't know what to say. Beautiful. Exotic. Amazing. I've had my Z for about two years, still get excited everyday I get into it, and suddenly I'm falling in love again.

I will get a video up when I can, but I doubt it will do it justice. There is a subtle note under the rumble before 4k, something I'm not sure how to describe. A whir? Almost like what I imagine a flying saucer in a movie would sound like. I have some friends in local bands that have access to good recording equipment, so I might try to play that card.

Now, what of the ol' ButtDyno, you say? Can I feel it? Yes, absolutely, yes. I knew that I should expect some torque loss down low removing the cats, even with the wonderful ART Pipes doing what they were designed to do. Again, I have the feeling that the XYZ w/ HFC is also helping in that area- I don't feel any type of loss. She's just as ready to jump as she ever was, if not more so. As far as the top end, the pull from 4k to redline is noticeable. It used to feel... reluctant? when hitting the throttle after that point, as if it had to sign forms in triplicate to relay the message. Now she seems eager to reach the next gear. To be honest, I didn't get to play as hard as I wanted today, and was really too busy just enjoying the sound and cruise. I'll try and put her through the paces on video, and I imagine I'll have more to say about the "feel" then. I think I'd like to set up an UpRev appointment with Injected Performance next.

In a related note, the car smells a bit like a campfire, which I can only assume is the underbody paint adjusting.

Here's some pics, sorry for the quality and darkness; It was light out when the install was done... but not when I finished the two hour test drive.

XYZ Close-up

TopSpeed shot 1

TopSPeed shot 2

The HFC module

ART Pipes

 

Congrats! ART pipes are definitely on my to-do list

 

Motordyne is a bit on the expensive side but I think you made a quality choice.

 

I guess I should also say, never dyno'd the car at any point... not really in it for a numbers race. Besides, it's an 03 and it's 2010, I think we've all got the general idea where a stock Z will land on the various types. I know Injected uses the "heartbreaker," so whenever it's tuned, I'll at least post that.

 

@davidv - well, everyone seems to say on here "you get what you pay for." The dyno comparisons I saw certainly sealed the deal for me. And, of course, meticulous persistence allowed me to finagle some good prices.

 

Any updates on vids?

 

@archangel72 & all viewing - no, i'm looking for a window to do it soon. it rained all day here on thanksgiving, and lightly snowed today. on top of family functions and school/work my schedule has been pretty tight, not to mention that this weekend is what it is. it's kind of sad to think i won't get as many chances to cruise for the next few months, really.

as a minor note, the mild drone seems to be shifting to the 2500 - 3200 rpm area. i'm guessing that's part weather and part "breaking-in," but i'm no expert. i'm trying to pinpoint the actual apex before it tapers off.

 

Sorry about the wait, today was a nice day here and I had time to get out for a bit before work. I used my little cam, so I apologize for both the video and audio quality, although some of sounds came through much better than I thought they would.

First up is just the "start-up"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbhoKnfUiPU

Then a little low-end cruising, might want to turn down speakers right before 1:30 because I hit some wind... anyhow, you can really hear the "trill" in this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I-yWJprJ08

Two passes at a distance here, second pass sounds the best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oCSLGB-MRM

Just a bit more cruising here, revved it twice, and then some WOT at the end.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUFPbq_EHRo

As I said, vids don't do it justice... a weird clicking sound can be heard in some of it, and the mic is tiny so it sounds muffled compared to the real deal, and also some wind interference. I'll try and get some better stuff up later on!

 

Sounds great! Glad the XYZ worked out for you.

 

please do a proper flyby. Im sure it will sound great.

 

I promise I will as soon as I can, I just got a message from a friend who said he saw me leaving a parking lot today and had a better cam he could tape with.

 

great news. please keep in mind. Proper flyby= 100% throttle for 2 gears before cam and at least 1 full shift after lol. try and do it in the country so there are no buildings etc ricochet noise

 

sounds good, but ughhh the big mufflers of the topspeed is a throw off. you should get a custom muffler rewelded, then it'll be good

 

They don't seem big to me... more like, they hang a bit low. The tips are just as big around as the stock exhaust, and the mass is obviously much smaller. I might get an aftermarket bumper that is a bit lower than stock, at least on the sides, sometime down the line, but I'm not really bothered by it. Besides, I really love the sound and I don't want to change it.

 

this is flyby 101

 

Finally got out with my friend and his camera w/mic today, pretty spring day here. Going to try and find a better stretch for some longer pulls soon, but these came out pretty good:

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lgovPu3h3n0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aKCPyluza3c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/r43TZpL0_R8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

I use to have the same set-up but the drone inside the cab was too much.

 

I liked it better inside the cabin :/

 

Really? Do you mean similar, or exactly the same? I mean, granted, the exhaust is louder than stock all over, but I only experience a minor drone in the 2500-3000rpm range. With the windows down it's negligible.

@0jiggy0 - Well, can't please er'body. But to be honest- I love the way it sounds most when I'm sitting in the driver's seat, too. This was really the first time I've been able to hear the car from outside because no one drives it but me. Not that I don't love it. The next time I'm out I'll try to get a better quality vid in-cabin, it's certainly changed a bit since I first installed it.

 

Is that an auto?