ARK GRiP Exhaust Review - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

UnOvertime · 04-20-2013, 04:05 PM

I ordered the exhaust on 4/1 from FT86Speedfactory and received it a week later. Finally got around to installing it a week ago and now I have had the chance to enjoy it and post a review for those of you wondering about this exhaust.

A little about my search: I wanted an exhaust that complimented the looks of the car while being quiet enough to not wake the neighborhood when I leave for work and not attract any unwanted attention. However the most important thing was for no drone at highway speeds since I drive around 100 miles a day for work. After listening to the entire exhaust thread here, I was between the ARK GRiP and Lachute catback. I decided on the ARK from the few reviews here and more vendor support.

*Note* I have capped off the sound tube into the cabin so all I hear is exhaust.*
First off the sound is amazing, a deep rumble (if a bit loud) at cold start which quickly goes away. Under 2k RPMS and at idle, you cannot even tell you have an aftermarket exhaust. This may be a plus for some, but a negative for others. WOT is where this exhaust really shines. When you jump on the pedal, a deep rumble hits and sounds amazing. I often find myself waiting at lights for enough space to open up before I go just to hear the exhaust note. The biggest plus is the NO DRONE at highway speeds. You still hear the low rumble of an aftermarket exhaust, but no annoying high pitched noises which was a must for me.

Installation was extremely simple. Everything is included in the box, new gaskets and bolts. Thank you to @peteralfonso for helping me install this bad boy. The only problem we had was we did not align the tips before we bolted everything back up which resulted in the passenger side tip being slightly lower and not centered in the cutout. Thank you @Ironsquid for helping me get them aligned properly so it doesn't drive me crazy whenever I knew they were off.

After a week with this exhaust I cannot say enough about the quality of this exhaust. I love the sound and the look of the canisters. I have only received compliments on sound and appearance. I was skeptical about the burnt tips at first, but after seeing them with the Firestorm I have really grown to like the contrast. I highly recommend the ARK GRip exhaust to anyone looking for a cool looking and awesome sounding exhaust.

Ironsquid · 04-20-2013, 04:16 PM

Glad it came out well!

usptwins · 04-20-2013, 04:19 PM

Very nice man, i also plan on getting this exhaust when i finally get my car. Good to hear that it doesn't dissapoint. Keep us updated as to the condition of the exhaust as time goes on, such as, rust or whatnot.

LeeMaster · 04-20-2013, 06:55 PM

Post up a video whenever you can. You should take a picture of the whole exhaust system, it is a catback correct?

UnOvertime · 04-20-2013, 07:52 PM

Yes it is a catback. I can try and post up a video soon.

efactor84 · 04-20-2013, 07:56 PM

Looks great, my buddy in his MS3 (Mazdaspeed 3) is enjoying his Ark DT-S Catback.

UnOvertime · 04-20-2013, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by efactor84

Looks great, my buddy in his MS3 (Mazdaspeed 3) is enjoying his Ark DT-S Catback.

The DT-S looks great as well, but I heard from reviews that it was a bit louder than the GRiP. ARK seems to make quality stuff.

usptwins · 04-20-2013, 08:07 PM

I thought it came with the midpipe also??

20valvewynn83 · 04-20-2013, 08:08 PM

Happy to see you enjoy your new exhaust system. I would also recommend the ARK test pipe. It is not loud and its performance is great. Aslo still no drone with test pipe

UnOvertime · 04-20-2013, 08:12 PM

It does come with the midpipe. It has the midpipe and the axle back muffler. I looked into the test pipe, but ARK's site says "Manual Transmission Only". So I am SOL on that one.

usptwins · 04-20-2013, 08:46 PM

Ok cool, and you might have to call and talk to them to see whats up.

Kelbyat07 · 04-20-2013, 09:00 PM

Looking forward to hear this bad boy

20valvewynn83 · 04-20-2013, 09:31 PM

Yeah that sucks and on Monday when I was at ARK they told me they had no interest in making a test pipe for the auto.

continuecrushing · 04-21-2013, 01:30 AM

Nice review, this is the exhaust ill be getting!

04-20-2013, 04:05 PM	#1
UnOvertime Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Drives: Firestorm FR-S AT Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 302 Thanks: 12 Thanked 144 Times in 91 Posts Mentioned: 7 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	ARK GRiP Exhaust Review I ordered the exhaust on 4/1 from FT86Speedfactory and received it a week later. Finally got around to installing it a week ago and now I have had the chance to enjoy it and post a review for those of you wondering about this exhaust. A little about my search: I wanted an exhaust that complimented the looks of the car while being quiet enough to not wake the neighborhood when I leave for work and not attract any unwanted attention. However the most important thing was for no drone at highway speeds since I drive around 100 miles a day for work. After listening to the entire exhaust thread here, I was between the ARK GRiP and Lachute catback. I decided on the ARK from the few reviews here and more vendor support. Note I have capped off the sound tube into the cabin so all I hear is exhaust.* First off the sound is amazing, a deep rumble (if a bit loud) at cold start which quickly goes away. Under 2k RPMS and at idle, you cannot even tell you have an aftermarket exhaust. This may be a plus for some, but a negative for others. WOT is where this exhaust really shines. When you jump on the pedal, a deep rumble hits and sounds amazing. I often find myself waiting at lights for enough space to open up before I go just to hear the exhaust note. The biggest plus is the NO DRONE at highway speeds. You still hear the low rumble of an aftermarket exhaust, but no annoying high pitched noises which was a must for me. Installation was extremely simple. Everything is included in the box, new gaskets and bolts. Thank you to @peteralfonso for helping me install this bad boy. The only problem we had was we did not align the tips before we bolted everything back up which resulted in the passenger side tip being slightly lower and not centered in the cutout. Thank you @Ironsquid for helping me get them aligned properly so it doesn't drive me crazy whenever I knew they were off. After a week with this exhaust I cannot say enough about the quality of this exhaust. I love the sound and the look of the canisters. I have only received compliments on sound and appearance. I was skeptical about the burnt tips at first, but after seeing them with the Firestorm I have really grown to like the contrast. I highly recommend the ARK GRip exhaust to anyone looking for a cool looking and awesome sounding exhaust. Attached Images __________________

04-20-2013, 04:16 PM	#2
Ironsquid King of Kiwi Palace Join Date: Aug 2012 Drives: Faster than you Location: Everywhere Posts: 585 Thanks: 184 Thanked 578 Times in 264 Posts Mentioned: 33 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Glad it came out well! __________________

04-20-2013, 04:19 PM	#3
usptwins Toyota Soul Join Date: Aug 2012 Drives: 96 taco Location: Louisiana Posts: 528 Thanks: 725 Thanked 99 Times in 78 Posts Mentioned: 3 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Very nice man, i also plan on getting this exhaust when i finally get my car. Good to hear that it doesn't dissapoint. Keep us updated as to the condition of the exhaust as time goes on, such as, rust or whatnot. __________________ No replacement for Displacement??? Tell that to the people with a 2JZ.

04-20-2013, 06:55 PM	#4
LeeMaster Red wine Join Date: Oct 2012 Drives: Subaru BRZ(R.I.P) Location: Denied Posts: 1,176 Thanks: 1,268 Thanked 342 Times in 240 Posts Mentioned: 13 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Post up a video whenever you can. You should take a picture of the whole exhaust system, it is a catback correct? __________________

04-20-2013, 07:52 PM	#5
UnOvertime Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Drives: Firestorm FR-S AT Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 302 Thanks: 12 Thanked 144 Times in 91 Posts Mentioned: 7 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Yes it is a catback. I can try and post up a video soon. __________________

04-20-2013, 07:56 PM	#6
efactor84 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Drives: 2015 Scion FR-S Location: North Carolina Posts: 160 Thanks: 0 Thanked 19 Times in 17 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Looks great, my buddy in his MS3 (Mazdaspeed 3) is enjoying his Ark DT-S Catback.

04-20-2013, 08:07 PM	#8
usptwins Toyota Soul Join Date: Aug 2012 Drives: 96 taco Location: Louisiana Posts: 528 Thanks: 725 Thanked 99 Times in 78 Posts Mentioned: 3 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I thought it came with the midpipe also?? __________________ No replacement for Displacement??? Tell that to the people with a 2JZ.

04-20-2013, 08:12 PM	#10
UnOvertime Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Drives: Firestorm FR-S AT Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 302 Thanks: 12 Thanked 144 Times in 91 Posts Mentioned: 7 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	It does come with the midpipe. It has the midpipe and the axle back muffler. I looked into the test pipe, but ARK's site says "Manual Transmission Only". So I am SOL on that one. __________________

04-20-2013, 08:46 PM	#11
usptwins Toyota Soul Join Date: Aug 2012 Drives: 96 taco Location: Louisiana Posts: 528 Thanks: 725 Thanked 99 Times in 78 Posts Mentioned: 3 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Ok cool, and you might have to call and talk to them to see whats up. __________________ No replacement for Displacement??? Tell that to the people with a 2JZ.

04-20-2013, 09:00 PM	#12
Kelbyat07 Poor College Kid Join Date: Mar 2013 Drives: ~.~ Location: Chicago Posts: 2,801 Thanks: 246 Thanked 2,182 Times in 1,249 Posts Mentioned: 32 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Looking forward to hear this bad boy __________________

04-21-2013, 01:30 AM	#14
continuecrushing Join Date: Mar 2013 Drives: 2013 Firestorm FRS Location: Lake Elsinore, CA Posts: 2,707 Thanks: 1,231 Thanked 2,144 Times in 1,003 Posts Mentioned: 73 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	Nice review, this is the exhaust ill be getting!

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