I know there are more than a few threads like this but most of them are old, so I thought I'd make one in case any current members want to know....

I'll start at the beginning....

When I first got my Z I bought a HKS replica, wasn't a Godspeed though. I got it home, took off the stock and start to install....crap the Y pipe doesn't line up with the cat flanges, got pissed and sold it. I didn't even want to deal with it.

I then bought a Fujitsubo, very nice exhaust. Fit was perfect, justas good as stock. I liked the tone but wanted some thing a little louder maybe more aggressive.

Fast forward to last week. I came across a deal for a Godspeed exhaust, brand new. It was to good to pass up for the price. On Thanskgiving me and my so decided to install it. Fit is actually pretty good. I like the GS because the Y pipe is two pieces compared to the first one I bought that was one piece. Install was pretty straight forward, the only thing that sucks is that they use Allen head bolts, what a PITA....

After getting it all hooked up I excitedly fired it up, what a disappointetment. The sound is horrible. I mean it's an embarrassing tone. The sound in the car was unbearable. So right to to the computer and went to Amazon to order a Magnaflow X pipe.

I went today to get it installed. The mechanic got in my car to pull it in and he wanted to say how bad it sounded but he didn't. I said don't worry that's why I'm here. An hour later he fired it up after the install....this was me

The sound has transformed from complete garbage to a tone that is every thing I want out of an exhaust!!!! It has a nice grumble to it at idle and really opens up in the upper RPM range. I love it.

Bottom line....the Magnaflow X pipe is a must with this system. No ifs ands or buts. There can't be a person on earth who would think the standard HKS rep exhaust sounds good.

Any way. My .02.

 

yeah i was going to get a godspeed exhaust but i thought to myself there is probably a reason why it is so cheap and a lot of them are on sale...its probably not that great. I also saw youtube clips and it didn't sound like anything special.

I bought the momentum single exhaust system with the y pipe it should be coming sometime this week.

 

^^^

smart man...you'll fill the soul/ears of everyone around you with joy

 

I heard mangaflow exhaust on a Z before and it DOES sound good to my surprise. I always thought the brand mangaflow are for domestic so I passed up a really good deal on CL. I paid double the price for my Greddy Evo II and very happy with the purchase, I waited and finally found the exhaust I want. Fujitsubo and Nismo were next in that order but Greddy looks better imo and they all sound the same.

EDIT: reading fail - youz haz magnaflow X pipe wif Gawdspeed exhaust... I see.

 

hahaha....yeah the exhaust is so loud that i think I will have to drive slow or else i can get pulled over by the cops...the guy on youtube said he sold it because he kept getting pulled over.

I wanted something super aggressive....for 780 bucks you cannot go wrong for an entire new momentum exhaust system with the y pipe

 

I also have the GS rep exhaust. It sounded HORRIDDDD.. But I too just installed a magnaflow xpipe. OMG, the sound.... Eargasm everytime I drive it!

 

I loveeeeeeee the sound of my GSP with X pipe mod!

 

So anything True Duals with X pipes sound nice on the Z I think.

 

for DE yes but not for HR.. i guess a bigger Y pipe is better for the HR than an X

 

I have to agree with the magnaflow X-pipe! I bought my E-bay exhaust and it sounded like GARBAGE!!!! Once i got my X-pipe put in i LOVE the sound. Only problem i have with the Exhaust is fitment it rubs on the underside of the car "trying to resolve this..."

Just incase anyone is wondering the X-Pipe part number is 11386.

 

I had a similar issue but the mechanic made some adjustments for me...no more rattle.

 

I plan on taking it back to the exhaust place to see if they can make some minor adjustments, the rubbing is SUPER annoying!

 

Dude I dont know what you're smoking but my godspeed sounds great. I have heard so called HKS replicas and they are not all the same. Did you order from DNA motoring or speed daddy? Some of the godspeeds are knock offs of godspeed which is weird.

I had a guy in an s2000 follow me and pull up and ask me what kind of exhaust it was and people give me compliments on it quite a bit. It's very deep and not raspy. i was also going to do the magnaflow xpipe mod but didn't end up doing it bc the drone went away.

This isn't my car but it's a pretty good representation of what a true godspeed sounds like. chose that over the greddy.

You get the VQ gurgly sound back if you magnflow x pipe it though but I like it deeper sounding

 

All the replicas w/o the x pipe mod sound like ABSOULTE chit

 

Yes, absolute CHIT

 

Are you asking me if Im smoking some thing?? The answer is no, because the only way you could think it sounds good is if you are smoking some thing..

I bought mine from a seller on eBay that claims its a Godspeed...is it really, I dont know. None of them have any thing on them to prove it is a Godspeed. I know the fit is much better with this one than the first one I had.

Sorry dude, it really is the worst sounding exhaust Ive ever heard. Maybe if youre 17 and this is your first real car with an after market exhaust...maybe.

I dont want all the haters to get me wrong about this exhaust, does it sound like a Motordyne...no way. For a sub 500.00 system I think with the X pipe its a great exhaust with a real nice tone.

 

Everyone has a different opinion but "absolute chit" is not what this exhaust sounds like. The reason why I feel like you got a crap exhaust or something is because it sounds amazing and I've had more than 4 people over the course of the time I've had the exhaust tell me how amazing it sounds. One at an autocross event, another guy in an s2000 pulled me off the street to ask me about it, and 2 randos. Trust me I did a lot of research before I bought it and I narrowed it down to the godspeed or the greddy evo II dual or the fujitsubo but i specifically chose the godspeed because there is no other exhaust that has that deep growl. Maybe I have different taste but it's hard to believe some people think it sounds like pure crap.

Did you see the video I posted? Did yours sound like that at all? If so then maybe we do have different tastes. Some people like the more high pitched exotic gurgle that the VQ has. if you do an magnaflow mod you get that back. But if you want a really deep throaty sound, the godspeed is the only one that offers this without blowing out your ears, or by removing your mufflers with straight pipes.

I'm actually curious, did yours sound like this?

Best way to describe it, is that it sounds like a subaru wrx/sti's deep rumble. But that's the sound I was looking for.


Here's an in cabin sound clip when i went autocross. Its also weird, the reason why I was comtemplating doing the magnaflow mod was because it was a bit loud when I first installed it. But after a month the drone is gone. I think once all the metal cakes with soot and dust it mellows out a bit and sounds a lot smoother.



Hey, if you're ever in the orange county area, let me know! I'd like to hear your magnaflow modded exhaust, maybe I'll end up doing it if it sounds that much better in person. But I really still think the godspeed alone sounds b-e-a-u-tiful!


EDIT:
Here's an example of a "Godspeed" or HKS replica from DNA motoring (also sells under speed daddy) that sounds completely different. Could be the camera but it sounds like crap

 

Your right we all do have different tastes in sound. Mine sounded like the first video. From the out side it sounded ok at best. It did have a nice grumble up to about 3500 rpm then rasp city. The drone in the car was unbearable!! I still have some but its nothing like it was before.

 

Ah gotcha. By no means am I saying the magnaflow mod sounds bad, far from it. (just to clarify)
It's definitely a cleaner sound, you don't get the rumbly sound and it moves the pitch up a bit higher.

But I will guarantee you this. It will get quieter. I think I made a post here about how when I installed my godspeed the drone was really loud. So loud that on the way to the muffler shop I was determined to do the xpipe mod but they didnt have the part in stock. I distinctly remember someone on youtube saying there was no drone and thinking "no drone my ***!". Especially if you're in a high gear like 5th or 6th @ 40mph and step on it (like you would test to see if the clutch is slipping), the drone was really loud I couldn't hear my radio. I started up the car at 2am after the install and was worried my neighbors would be pissed cause it was really loud.

But.. fast forward 1 month and it's noticeably quieter now. I can't hear it on the freeway over my music unless i step on it. As you can see in my autocross video, it's not really existent and sounds very similar to engine noise when you step on it.

Make a video if you get a chance! How much did the xpipe mod end up costing you with the part and labor?

 

I totally agree with the db level, its probably half the volume now. The x pipe was 128.00 from Amazon and 80.00 to install it. Ill try to get a video up in the next day or two so keep an eye on this thread.