Exhaust review and a personal dilemma: Exoticspeed R1-T
 

Yesterday I installed my long awaited Exoticspeed R1-T cat-back exhaust thanks to Brice at Fluid Motorsports (great deal and good service -- highly recommend).

Quality:
The exhaust appears to be very good quality. Welds seem good, materials are high quality and the finish is top notch other than one small scratch that came with it. It was well packaged and came with tip silencers, a gasket, hardware, t-shirts and a bunch of stickers.

Fitment:
The fitment was a bit tight to say the least. In order to get the rubber bushings over the hangers it was quiet a stretch and took a lot of strength (WD-40 helped a lot though). After i got it mounted i realized it was pressed very hard against the heat shield and at times this causes it to rattle really bad (EDIT: the exhaust does not rattle against the heat shield it rattles against itself, see post #38). One good thing about the fitment is that the tips don't touch the exhaust shrouds. This was a common problem on the first batch of R1-T's that came out a few months back and it appears that they've fixed the problem.

Sound:
The first time i fired it up i was completely stoked because it sounded amazing. It filled my garage with a throaty, deep purr. I let it warm up a bit, checked for leaks and then dropped the car down off the jack stands. I gave it s few revs to 3-4k and i was convinced this exhaust is completely bad ass and i had made the right decision.

I went for a test drive and i was surprised by how loud it was in the cabin. I didn't mind this much, but i didn't want it to drone so i was a little worried. I took it out on some back roads and gave it hell. It sounds like a million bucks. It's a very deep, full and powerful sounding all throughout the rev range. It's not too loud at full throttle, it's just right.

Update on Sound:
After about 800 miles of driving the exhaust really settled in and it was no longer too loud. Putting blankets in the trunk worked to muffle the sound a bit but they are no longer needed. It sounds awesome and i'm getting compliments left and right. Some by rotary folks and some regular ole car people.

My Dilemma:
IMO this exhaust is almost perfect. It's almost exactly what i was looking for, BUT, i'm pretty sure there are times when it's too loud in the cabin. When i'm putting around town at 35 mph, if i'm in third it's a little loud and if i drop it into 4th it quiets down but it's so deep that it's just booming inside. I almost prefer to leave my car in a lower gear so i don't have a constant bellow in the cabin.

When i was stopped on a hill today i had to give it a bit of gas just to get moving and i sounded like i was racing the minivan next to me. When i was leaving a parking garage i just about blew the doors off the parking attendant's little shack. Going down the freeway at 65 mph its not bad, just a few DBs over stock (i'm guessing) but if i touch the throttle at all or go up a slight incline i get this deep bark before it settles down again.

I think the tone is perfect, the volume just needs to be a little more "appropriate" in certain situations. I'm not sure if it's possible but is there any way i can quiet it down with out using the tip silencers. I hate tip silencers and i have a personal vendetta against them so that's out of the question. I was planning to get the BHR mid-pipe at some point but i think that will make it even louder. Can i have an exhaust shop weld on a resonator or silencer into the mid-pipe going from the mufflers to the cat? I want to keep the tone and volume above 4k but i just want to decrease volume under 4k.

After ~800 miles the exhaust is broken in... No more dilemma, it sounds amazing and is not too loud.

Ideas would be appreciated.

Pics for your viewing pleasure:

Install
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/6907/p1013482.jpg

Exoticspeed R1-T
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/2368/p1013488.jpg

Installed
http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/8417/p1013497.jpg

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9-85gEey_c

You may want to change out your CAI. I found that I had some drone with MS exhaust with the same intake as you and when I switched to Racing Beat's the drone as gone. Overall, Racing Beat's is quieter and and it may be just what you need to get teh sound you want.

Dang, i just got my intake too. I didn't really want to swap it out for something else but thanks for the tip. Maybe i'll find someone that will swap with me to give it a try.



Anyone have any ideas on welding in a resonator or something similar? I'm not sure if this would be a good solution or what to use.

I would do with a dual reasonated midpipe. That should quiet the exhaust down...but you might alter to tone.

I love how my race pipe has changed the tones of my greddy...but I like being able to hear the exhaust in the cabin.

If you want to knock cabin noise, a DR MP would be a good choice. I'd grab the gasket/flange sets. It really helps with fitment.

Turbo will quiet down the exhaust :)

i knew some one was eventually going to say that... :lol2:

thanks for this write-up. i am really interested in this exhuast. i was told by a exoticspeed employee that the new batch came out around the 1st this month. im glad they did well.

keep us informed about it. i wanna know if you have any weird problems a week or 2 from now.

edit...i like the placement of the engine cover...i did that back home last month. lol

a turbo will do the trick. haha.

i cant tell if you have the stock cat on or a supercat?

the stock cat will quiet things down. if you have it. wow, sucks for you. dont ride in a catless rx8 with the turbo xs. haha.

maybe add a pre-silencer in the tube that connects the mufflers to the cat? there is a good bit of straight section there.

I can tell you that the BHR and Mazsport/Fluid DR midpipes sound quite similar and they are only a few dB "louder" than the factory catpipe. Since you have the factory catpipe on your car right now, I don't see your car getting anything but louder from this point forward. The problem I see, and why I will be designing the BHR muffler in the fashion that I will be, is that straight-through mufflers seem to be darned loud on the RX-8. I have always found chambered/cross-flow mufflers to sound better.

Yea...a midpipe really isn't going to help your problem. I can say though that as an owner of an AP exhaust, same design as the ES, that you might want to shift into 2nd instead of 4th at 35 mph. Normally I don't keep my car in 3rd unless I am at or over 40 mph and don't have a drone. I only notice the drone when Im not carrying enough speed for the gear.

Mid-pipe is not the answer, CAI is :) Give Racing Beat a try.

Or you trade catback with me, my RB REV8 is quite ;)

It's not that bad. I'm starting to get used to it and i've changed my driving style now that i've learned where it's loud and where it sounds like pure sex.

the RB was my second choice but i'm not willing to give the Exoticspeed up yet. Like i said, it sounds really good, just a tad loud.

it's pretty ... loud. waka waka.

Try the tip silencers . I had a similar issue with my Trust Ti and I made my own tip silencers to quieten it down . Worked well !

Of course after I fitted the turbo - all was well again and it sound just right without the tip silencers or cat ;)

If you are trying to cut back on the sound level in the cabin when cruising & at low rpms, throw a couple blankets in the trunk. Seriously. Cheap & easy, and did the trick for me with the Corksport catback.

I have the Corksport exhaust and I think I will try this!

It does help. The trunk is basically a resonant chamber. I initially figured this out when I realized the car was quieter on the freeway when the trunk was full. A few cheap synthetic blankets in the trunk help reduce the resonance, and don't make any noise bouncing around in the twisties.

LOL then don't be a dick ;)

So you are saying it is not worth trying?

GeorgeH,

I see you are in Portland, OR :) What part of the city do you live? I'm in Beaverton.

I'm in Lake Oswego. But no, not one of those houses.:lol:

sorry,

just saw we were crapping in a off topic thread. pm me.


beers :beer:

I used to live in Lake Oswego in an apartment by the lake. I know of those houses :) I waited tables at the country club and Oswego Point and Grill (no longer there).

Not a vendor thread but we have jacked it and you are right we need to get back on topic.

Sorry JantzenRX-8 :)

Jerks...:lol2: