THERE U GO!

thanks voodoo!

Damn! those are some flames! Mine should be hear next week.


Nice

nice vid,, very nice..

is it true that it can be done with the stock exhaust?

I know that I have heard the off throttle pops (quiet but definitely there) with the stock exhaust but at the time I never thought of looking for flames. Why don't you try it out and let us know what happens. :)

I wonder did any of you who got borla installed go to get a dyno?

Not yet, but at the very least, I'm planning on getting a Gtechpro, Beltronics Vector, or Escort GTimer -type device to ballpark it, AFTER I get Canzoomer's ECU mod.

when will his ecu mod be ready?

mine should be here next week too... can't wait...

We are now busily assembling parts, making packing boxes, have a bunch more bits on order, and so on.
We are trying to get a batch ready by the 12th.

awesome possum
 

sounds really nice and deep. really tempted to buy it, but i recall a previous post of a dyno result or something of the borla how it only has it hp or torque gains over the 7000rpm range? are there any other exhausts out there that still have a near rotary sound and with a low-high range in hp/torque gains too?

i tried it but for some reason i can't see flames.. maybe because i can't see the back of the car while i am inside the car?:confused: :p
it seems a lot harder with the factory one and it requires to burn gas like crazy.. its bad enought for normal driving.. i will end up getting 150miles per tank.. i tried a couple of times in the last tank and i ended up with 190 in that tank when i usually get 220..

Borla Exhaust Mini-Review and Install Notes
 

My friend helped me install the Borla exhaust last week and after having driven with it for about a week now I must say that this is the exhaust system the RX-8 should have come with from the factory.

Seeing the photos of the Borla exhaust, I was worried the pipes would be too close to the plastic trim and would melt it. However, it's very hard for a photograph to convey that geometry--there seems to be just as much clearance as the factory. The tips come out farther and are larger, but they taper so they're really not much closer to the trim at all. I suppose if the exhaust got really hot, it would melt, but I think the factory exhaust would do the same thing.

MPG does seem to be a little better, maybe 1 or 2 MPG. It's tough to say since driving conditions vary so much. But the trend after a week's driving (two road trips, plus a week of normal driving) is on the up side.

It's not too loud, I'd say it's still quieter than my old Mustang Cobra was. But it does have a very nice low pitched growl now, as you can hear from the various clips that have been posted. The exhaust pops are actually audible inside the car now (you can hear them from outside with the stock system). Aside from that, it's mostly deeper and a little louder under load but just as quiet when cruising.

Then there's top end of the tach... until I put this exhaust on, I never felt a surge as the 3rd injector turned on--if anything it felt like a sag or slight fall off. Now there's very noticable boost on the top end. The low and mid ranges feel about the same, maybe a little stronger in the mid range (certainly, nothing has been lost), but the high end is noticeably improved.

Now for my installation observations:

A) The box, at least as shipped from Vivid Racing (who were excellent to deal with, I highly recommend them), won't fit in the car. I didn't expect it to, am pretty sure that it won't. Also, we couldn't get the factory exhaust to come apart and so it won't fit in the car either. So, plan accordingly.

B) We did not remove the rear wheels or any trim except the two exhaust ports in the rear bumper. Mazdatrix's instructions for installing the exhaust finishers (http://www.mazdatrix.com/faqrx8/exhfinish.htm) are exactly what you need to know to remove these two plastic pieces.

C) For us, the spring bolts went pretty easily, but the hangers were very difficult. We used 3-in-1 spray oil and pry bars to remove the hangers (for those who haven't done this before, a hanger is a small block of stiff rubber with two holes in it--one hole goes through a mount on the car, the other through a mount on the exhaust). The 4 hangers in the back were pretty easy, the hanger on the diff was very difficult--we didn't find a good way to get leverage on this one but did eventually work it loose. We were able to re-use all of the hangers.

D) Once the factory exhaust was off, installing the Borla exhaust went very quickly--the exhaust hangers were all well lubed at this point and slipped on pretty readily. We put the muffler up first, then the pipe. We could see where the diff hanger might hit the diff (giving it a firm side-to-side shake it would hit the diff) so we decided to trim about 1/4" off of tip of the hanger bracket on the Borla pipe. After trimming, it was still easy to slip into the hanger, yet it had some extra clearance such that a firm shake would no longer hit the diff.

E) The exhaust did not come with a nut for the grounding strap (as has been noted previously). You'll need to provide an M6 1.0 nut. The various companies selling this exhaust might want to consider taping one into the box--would save the customer a trip to the parts store where we can never buy just one nut.

So, in summary... :D

--SL01

Great post! I concur with all of your comments -- except -- the box from Vivid does fit in the car. You have to put the front passenger seat all the way back and lay it flat. Slide the box in angled up towards the drivers seat. Close the doors -- then you need to prop the box and balance with your right hand (so you can shift) :D Believe me -- it was easier to do this than it was to remove those dang exhaust hangers!

I must say I love my Borla exhaust -- the sound will actually change a little once it is seasoned -- doesn't seem quite as loud and less burbling when backing off the accelerator.

Borla install pics.....
 

Just finished my Borla install, and have some pics....

Borla.....
 

Pictures of the clamps from Borla, and the stock....

Borla.....
 

A view of the catalyst connector, before and after.....

Borla.....
 

Man, that 3" pipe is huge...(or is it just my delicate little hands? ! ?)

Borla.....
 

The ground wire was a little small, so I made my own, carbon fibre covered wire

and big connectors, with Nylok nut......

Borla.....Borla....Borla....
 

Before and after 'tips'......
and some install hints;
1 - I worked under jack stands, and could not get the original out 'in one piece',

had to remove one of the plastic tip surrounds. A lift would have made it much

easier.
2 - If the mid support touches the diff, you have pushed the mid-pipe too far into

the muffler piece, there is no 'stop', just pull it back out a bit.

sweet.......the 3" looks just about right.

lookin good... :D

StealthTL...

Great pictures! The tips really dress up the rear of the car and the sound clips provided on other threads are outstanding! My concern is the rapping off/back firing/burning off of excess fuel in the exhaust, whatever it is that occurs when you let off the throttle. Is it acceptable/manageable?

Tom

i am curious if that sound clip was done while the car was cold, that was a classic sound on all my moded cars if it wasnt up to temp.

Do the tires have to come off to do the install? Has anyone started the car without any muffler on it?

StealthTL,
Nice job on the step-by-step install. The pictures really add another level of detail that was missing from my rushed review. ;)