just picked up an 11 R3 and HATE the exhaust
 

I just picked up a 2011 R3 and it has a greddy exhaust system.
Words cannot describe how much I hate that stupid euro fart can sound....
Not to mention I have heard gains from swapping the air box, exhaust system, etc are negligible at best.

What are my chances of finding stock mufflers for this thing that somebody took off because they actually like this ridiculous sound?
I have to quiet this thing down for my own sanity and self respect... thx.

People do sell them, but they are a pain to ship, so local may be your best option.

Have you looked under the car? Does it still have its factory cat with resonator or some other resonated midpipe? These cars NEED that resonator, as it dampens some pretty harsh frequencies. If it is missing, adding it back may make the Greddy actually sound good.

car-part.com can find the stock setup in the junkyards near you.

But as Steve mentioned, check your mid-pipe. Lots of the cheap mid-pipes use stainless steel or glass wool inside the resonator and they will melt and get blown out by the stupid hot exhaust gas.

Thanks for the reply, we put it up on a rack at a buddies shop this morning.... it has long tube headers, and a very small cat... my buddy is pretty sure it is not the stock one... then from there it goes back to two greddy mufflers and the tips... its horribly loud and obnoxious, you think im missing a resonator?

We need pictures of under the car if possible to see what you have

A picture would help us see what it is.

there is only one long tube maker (apart from home made hacks) and if you think that it makes the rotary sound bad you're gonna be in for a bad time

here is the oem layout if its a long tube header it would go just past the cat bulge
https://www.rx8club.com/attachments/...c-jack-rx8-jpg

Thanks, I definitely don't have that cat or the bulge past it...
i'm trying to get some pics copied over that i can upload ....

The cat is the big cylinder with the heat shield. The bulge past it is the resonator.

Sounds like you may have a BHR long tube header, which is good for power, but loud.

not having the bulge doesn't mean long tube
long tube
http://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/59...537/l7Dgcs.jpg

long tube next to aftermarket header and midpipe
http://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/59...908/pvYXcZ.jpg

I'll wait till you upload some pics, but BHR has a really good silencer that you could have a competent shop install that might bring the greddy catback down to enjoyable sounds

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...ee662d0005.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...d4dcc69a56.jpg
not good pics I know, and am sorry, but in the second pic, right after the flange coming off the headers, is the start of the "cat", and its very small, and only about 8" long...

This isn't a long tube header, since the flange is pretty close to the front AFR sensor. It's the stock length.

That "cat" could just be a crappy resonator then. It's probably empty now if it sounds like crap. Or it is a cat and the pipe doesn't have a resonator to begin with.

Thanks,

Thanks, so what options do I have to quiet this thing down?

yeah normal length aftermarket header, and if I had to guess it's probably a shitty ebay header and midpipe.( hard to tell from the pics)

you can either get good quality resonator again check out bhr and have it wielded in line, or you can try the oem cat back, or one of the quieter aftermarkets ( read racing beat)

Well, you can get a used OEM cat. Might be good to get the stock header along as well.

Otherwise you can get a BHR or Racing Beat mid-pipe. I went with BHR because I also wanted a cat so my car doesn't reek of burnt gas all the time.

Sonic: pretty sure BHR doesn't just sell the resonator anymore.

this definitley has a strong exhaust / burnt gas smell as well... what do you think my chances are of finding a stock cat? and any suggestions on sources to look? thx again for all the help

I'd see what's going on in that cat. Like people said, it could even be empty. The whole thing looks home made. If it were me, I'd source a stock cat and midpipe (which includes the resonator) and keep the Greddy catback.
Just make sure the cat your source is healthy.

no, its not, but when we scanned it in showed in memory the evap error... so he says when it runs that check again (approx every 40-50 starts) if its between 3/4 and 1/4 tank of gas the CEL while likely come back on and put that code back in memory. he said something about that when the tank is over 3/4 or under 1/4 that system check wont run... not really feasible to keep it above 3/4 though, haha i need to find the right cat for this thing.

Strong exhaust or fuel smell tells me that cat is destroyed/gutted, or its a cat delete pipe. It doesnt look like theres a rear resonator. So generic header + generic cat delete pipe = raspy and tin sounding in the cabin, no matter what catback.

uncorked rotary is best rotary

Is magnaflow junk? I see they make various cats and mid pipes...

Magnaflow is good, but rotary EGTs are higher than what your average cat is built for.
OEM or HJS cats are the way to go, if you're serious about this.

Do you want to run a cat ?

http://www.racingbeat.com/RX8/Exhaust-Down-Pipes-Presilencers/16221.html

https://black-halo-racing.myshopify.com/collections/rx8-exhaust/products/bhr-resonated-midpipe

Magnaflow is normally not junk, but their cats do not stand up to the heat of a rotary and fail quickly. Your only 3 options are: OEM, BHR midpipe with their cat, BHR midpipe with HJS cat welded in.

If you need to pass inspection, a Magnaflow cat is good for that. Just be sure to take it off before some spirited driving.

Environmental concerns aside, even from your personal health's perspective, it's not that dumb.

You just gotta pay for a good one like an HJS, which has to be imported from Germany nowadays.

It's really worth it IMO because this means I don't have to leave the car in recirculating perpetually or have the gasoline fume ruin my lungs.

Thanks for all the additional info... in a perfect world, I would like to leave the headers on, simply for the sake of avoiding a large bill to replace...
I am wanting to accomplish two things - pass inspection, and quiet this car down substantially...
So that said, im guessing my better route might be (as steve dallas mentioned) to get a BHR midpipe with their cat or HJS cat welded in....
As long as I can pass inspection and quiet this down - i'm down for either of those options...
Looking at the BHR site, this is all I see....

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...1d9f545cd2.png

So I am guessing Steve is referring to the $479 option...?

Where can I find info on a stand alone midpipe, and getting an HJS cat to weld in?
Is it possible if I go that route to use my midpipe and cut out that tiny little cat and replace it with the HJS?

Thanks for all the info, you guys are a fantastic help here and I really appreciate this.

BHR makes the best midpipe with the best sounding and most durable resonator, IMHO. That is what you get for $479. You can add a cat on the item page for an upcharge. That cat is not durable enough for autoX nor track days, unfortunately. Only one cat is proven to stand up to that abuse, which is the HJS.

If you only engage in street driving and keep the ignition healthy (which you should do anyway), the factory cat is fine, if you can find a good one. New ones are around $1200, but used ones go for much less--just be sure to inspect the hell out of it to make sure it is clear. The BHR cat is also fine for street driving.

You can order an HJS cat and have it drop-shipped to BHR. BHR will weld it in to one of their catless midpipes for a reasonable labor charge, but it may take several weeks.

Or, you can buy a cheap cat for the purposes of passing emissions and run with a BHR catless midpipe the rest of the year. I did this for several years, until I got sick of the stench and had an HJS cat welded in.

If the header is from Racing Beat, it will have their logo on the flange. If it is an RB header, you are good to go. If not, it is probably an eBay header, and you should replace it before it fails.

Side note: the restrictions in the RX-8 exhaust are mostly in the exhaust ports. You do not gain much by upgrading the exhaust, generally less than 5%, so many of us don't bother, as the cost to benefit ratio isn't there. (And, if you are thinking about porting the engine, there isn't much metal that can be safely removed, so very little to gain there (and it requires an engine rebuild to do it).

Steve, thanks so much for the information....
So, this car is NOT going to see track days... its going to my 20 year old son so I would be naive to think that it wont be driven kind of hard once in a while on the street, but nothing more than that.
Im just looking to be much quieter, and pass emissions at the most affordable cost. so that said.... would the BHR mid pipe and cat be OK and not introduce more issues?

Sounds like the BHR midpipe and cat is all you need, although I would definitely check out that header.

Thanks for all the help Steve.... OK, so I am going to order the BHR midpipe w/ the cat and start there.
What do I need to look for regarding the header? Also, one last question... since it looks like the header thats on there is standard length....
If I start with the midpipe, and cat as previously discussed, and then find out I need to change the header, if I get a hold of a factory exhaust manifold, that should mate up to where the header ends, now right? maybe, hopefully? Thanks...