Racing Beat Intake--What's in Store?
Mod Edit: This is a 9 year thread bump
This is a merged thread, so please scroll down for my Racing Beat exhaust review. Having just installed my Racing Beat exhaust with great pleasure(see below for details), I am now even more curious about the impending intake. I know that the good folks at Racing Beat are taking their time to get it right, and I would not be surprised if it's not in production until next year. That's OK with me. I also understand that Racing Beat is reluctant to make promises, such as release dates or horsepower claims, until it is sure it can keep them. What's bugging me, though, is the fact that, unlike the people who have visited the Racing Beat facility lately, I haven't had an opportunity to see the prototype system that others have alluded to. And I have yet to read any descriptions of it, other than general statements that it is very clean and impressive. So ... is it still a secret, or (assuming Racing Beat doesn't object) can anyone out there please give us at least a general description of the intake system? Photos would, of course, be even better. Since you're showing it to people who visit the facility, it can't be a real secret any more, can it? And I know it's asking for a lot (and contradicts what I said above) but if there is any hard information about CARB certification, estimated production dates, horsepower gains, etc., I would like to see that, too. Thanks. |
Well I don't know if we're allowed to say exactly what it looks like; I was part of RB's focus group so maybe that's why Jim showed me the photo. I can tell you that he said it should be ready for sale in roughly 3-4 months; maybe sooner if everything goes well. They're working on getting the mould made for the box. Without going into any great detail, it's a 2-piece system with an intake box and a filter that will be inside the box. It will obviously be high performance, washable, and give a nice sound without being too loud. The metal prototype in the picture looks great; the production unit will be molded plastic. It impressed me enough that I'm willing to wait for it.
He didn't have a price yet, nor any numbers as far as performance gains. He said he doesn't want to say anything until they start getting some pre-production units for final testing. Both he and Jim Mederer said not to expect any huge gains; 3-5 hp being probable. Combining the intake with an exhaust will give a modest boost; adding an ECU programming mod along with intake and exhaust should be pretty nice. The ECU mod is still in the works; no eta on when it will be ready. I love my RB exhaust; the more I live with it, the more I like it. How do you like yours? |
Well I love my RB exhaust, and my RB springs, and when I get home from Iraq, I'm going to love putting on my RB sway bars and flywheel...and I'm standing by every day for their clutch to be available...guess you could call me a groupie...their website shows "Late Summer 04" as the projected release date for the Intake...That's about when I'm due to be home, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed...and holding my breath for the ECU as well...which brings up a question...assuming I get the RB intake, exhaust, ECU package (which I will), do you figure adding either the CZ or SR High Flow Cat into the mix will throw a wrench into the fuel mapping? Guess I could email the Jims and see what they think...
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Thanks for the information! I really like my exhaust, although I could wish for a throatier note. Please see the review I'm posting in a minute.
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My Racing Beat Exhaust Review (with Pictures)
I installed mine last week. Below, I will post pictures.
The kit itself is extremely clean and I wouldn't change a thing. It is awesome. It weighed in on my bathroom scale at roughly 38 pounds, versus 40 for the OEM kit. On the installation, I wound up removing the frames around the tips instead of the studs. It was a pretty easy (maybe 90 minutes, going slow) one-person job using Rhino Ramps for the car and a floor jack under a board to support the parts. The hardest tasks were getting the exhaust hangers off, and getting access to torque the cat bolts (for which I used several socket extensions). The instructions, which are very good, would be slightly better, IMHO, with the following minor changes and additions:
The tips look simply wonderful at the back of the car, and underneath, the polished cannisters look sweet. Perfect fit and finish. I have only driven the car with the new system a few times, since I was driving out minivan last week. Just driving it off the ramps, it sounded stock. Later on, I opened it up a few times, and it had a kind of rotary roar; hard to describe. It is not the deep, macho bellow of, say, the G35 Coupe, or the throaty roar of a V8. Rather, it's the hollow buzz of a rotary , but not too loud. At idle there's just a hint of it, then under throttle you hear the stock engine and exhaust note, but it's overlain with the buzz. Not exactly what I expected, but it's growing on me. Certainly not too loud. And now for the photos. First, the stock exhaust: |
Now the Racing Beat (please don't reply until I say I'm done):
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Can we see a pic with it on?
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No problem. Now here's the tip without the frame on:
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With the frame on:
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And the full butt view:
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Finally, a half ass (now I'm done):
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Looks great !
Installing an exhaust is so fun, I loved installing the Borla |
Cool looks good man...
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any sound clips? I'm dying to hear it so that I can make up my mind on which exhaust to get.
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Looks really nice man, congrats! :D And I too would like to hear sound clips.
Also FYI, I've merged the two threads about this together... no reason to have 2. |
Thanks for the great pics and install notes. Looks nice and I'd like to hear a clip too if possible.
rx8cited |
nice job.. i kinda want to hear it to.. has anyone here in CA drivin down to RB can i hear it in there store ?
do they do installs? |
They don't do installs unfortunately, although Jim said adding that ability is a high priority and they're working on it. They have an 8 at the R&D facility which is just down the street from the sales/showroom facility. I don't know if they'd start it up for you to hear it but you could certainly ask.
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Any noticable increase in performance?
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Originally posted by JoeRX8ter Any noticable increase in performance? rx8cited |
Originally posted by JoeRX8ter Any noticable increase in performance? I don't have any good way to make a sound clip, but do a search; they're out there. |
Mazdatrix.com has a pretty good sound clip/video of the RB exhaust.
My RB cat back is being shipped on tuesday. Once its installed I will make a video that will compare the stock sound and the RB exhaust sound. |
I haven't noticed any performance difference at the bottom end, but at rpm's above 7k it feels a tad bit stronger on it's way to redline. But that could just be because it sounds better; sounds great in fact. :D
It definitely looks better. The sound level inside the car with the windows rolled up is quieter than I expected; which is not so bad since half my driving is freeway and it would get tiresome quickly if it was too loud. When you first start the car, it purrs like a big jungle cat....very nice, deep, throaty sound. With the window down and accelerating, it sounds great; especially at the higher revs. I'm quite happy with mine. :) |
Does anybody have the racing beat system with a midpipe, I'm curious to how it would sound.
I'm running the BB midpipe with my stock exhaust, I had it on with the catback, but it was to loud. I'm looking for another catback that I could run with the midpipe that wouldn't be to loud. |
Originally posted by Omicron Looks really nice man, congrats! :D And I too would like to hear sound clips. Also FYI, I've merged the two threads about this together... no reason to have 2. I love the way this thing looks. It is so sweet. The sound still seems a little too quiet to me, but it continues to grow on me. |
I finally got my RB exhaust installed today. I ended up not going to work and trying to tackle the job myself, but I think I'm at the point in my life where if things aren't very easy, I'd rather pay someone to do it...so I did. I tried using Hard 8's instructions along with RB, and it was just too cumbersome for me. Plus, I didn't want to break any of the clips on the exhaust thinga-majig (the plastic thing around the tips), so I said screw it. Shop did it in 20 minutes.
In case you do want to tackle the job yourself, here's just some additional notes to point out: DON'T try to remove the 17mm bolts that hold the catalyst to the midpipe like it says in the instructions. After failing miserably to do so, I looked at it more closely at the shop where I took it and the shop guy pointed out how it was welded on. The clips are pretty easy to break to remove the plastic whatchamacallit around the tips. After trying to remove it, and pushing from the inside as Hard 8 suggested, I gave up because I didn't pay all this money for my car just to break shit on it. And those rubber grommets that hold the hangers for the exhaust. Those things are almost like steel...WD40 or not. I can't imagine the car not falling off according to the 4 jack stand instructions. Aside from my failed installation attempt, I LOVE the exhaust. Subtle but there when you need it. Not at all ricey (and I know rice being of the Pacific Islands myself).:D |
word to the wise, on those rubber hangers, use a pair of needlenose pliers to pry them off, works like a champ every time, with wd40 of course
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Originally posted by Silverarrow word to the wise, on those rubber hangers, use a pair of needlenose pliers to pry them off, works like a champ every time, with wd40 of course I'd seen mention of using a screwdriver to get the hangers off - have you ever tried that? rx8cited |
I used a screwdriver and some PB Blaster to pry the hangers off and it worked like a charm. Literally took 5 minutes to get the exhaust off all 5 hangers (4 muffler/1 on connecting pipe).
good luck |
The directions that come with the exhaust tells you to use a screwdriver so I guess that should work too. The guy at the shop used a crow bar of some sort. It was definitely a lot easier for him to work on it with it elevated vs. it just being on ramps or jack stands.
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My RB showed up last night by UPS. I just realized that we sold my jack stands several years ago before we moved. I have no way to get the rear of the car up in the air to do the install. Do you think I could do it without lifting the car up??
If not, I'll be making the trip down to the dealer or the muffler shop around the corner to get it on the car tonight. |
In case anyone was reading through looking for the sound clip, Here ya go. http://www.rx8web.com/videos/mztxracingbeat.wmv
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i think u gotta lift the car up dude.... i suggest go buying some new jack stands... cost ya around 75? theyll charge u about that much a little less to install it... Might as well do it yourself and get to know your car better
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Originally Posted by Nemesis8
.....Do you think I could do it without lifting the car up??..
rx8cited |
Are you saying that even with the better rear exhaust, the forced air induction, and the Racing Beat exhaust headers, that there won't be any noticeable increase in horsepower, speed, or acceleration for a 2004 RX8?
Mod Edit: This is a 9 year thread bump |
Blue, how about taking a look at this thread: https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discuss...rx-8-a-233937/
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