CSGxMXP Touring Competition Catback Review

[BRZ FTW]

Originally Posted by Calum

I didn't even know this existed. How does this compare to what you guys are doing with ace?

Curious about this as well.

[Wes]

Originally Posted by RJasonKlein

I certainly see the benefit, and it really does look like a nice piece. While we wait for sound clips, @CSG David can you tell me a little bit about the sound? Can you describe the sound when paired with a header, over-pipe, and front pipe, and is it crazy loud or does it keep noise levels at a livable level? It uses a pretty compact muffler, so I'm basically curious about the quality and level of sound it produces.

Regardless of your responses to my questions above, I think its compact and low-profile muffler design will be excellent for aerodynamics! That alone may be a big deal for some of us.

Very liveable, I have Tomei EL headers paired with a high flow cat which was pretty loud with Perrin Resonated (one of the most quiet exhausts out there with stock components). It still sounds modded, but very mellow. Quality of sound is still good, though my exhaust is still breaking in, should be broken in by the time I can get some sound clips this week

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by RJasonKlein

I certainly see the benefit, and it really does look like a nice piece. While we wait for sound clips, @CSG David can you tell me a little bit about the sound? Can you describe the sound when paired with a header, over-pipe, and front pipe, and is it crazy loud or does it keep noise levels at a livable level? It uses a pretty compact muffler, so I'm basically curious about the quality and level of sound it produces.

Regardless of your responses to my questions above, I think its compact and low-profile muffler design will be excellent for aerodynamics! That alone may be a big deal for some of us.

The primary goals of this catback exhaust are clean sound production, capacity for NA/FI usage, clean exhaust design, aerodynamics, and price point. What we got was something that improved throttle response, optimized piping size for NA/FI usage, excellent sound quality, significant reduction in drone compared to other exhaust systems, and a proper price point.

Originally Posted by Calum

I didn't even know this existed. How does this compare to what you guys are doing with ace?

The ACE exhaust has been commissioned by CSG to provide a legitimate high quality baffled catback exhaust system perfect for 90dB use or lower. Laguna Seca is a pain when it comes to sound limits and cloud cover makes it that much more challenging to achieve this feat. ACE is the premier exhaust developer of the GT86 platform and thus that project was commissioned. The result is a clean, low restriction exhaust that provides a very low dB output.

Then there are the other guys who don't need the absolute lowest dB exhaust sytem, which is the CSGxMXP TOURING86 competition exhaust. For those seeking a competitive exhaust system, clean exhaust note, good aerodynamics characteristics, nice looking tips, great adjustability to a variety of bumper setups, and a strong price point. The dB output is not a huge concern for these users, however, the dB output has been defined as very acceptable and not loud at all.

[Calum]

Originally Posted by CSG David

The primary goals of this catback exhaust are clean sound production, capacity for NA/FI usage, clean exhaust design, aerodynamics, and price point. What we got was something that improved throttle response, optimized piping size for NA/FI usage, excellent sound quality, significant reduction in drone compared to other exhaust systems, and a proper price point.



The ACE exhaust has been commissioned by CSG to provide a legitimate high quality baffled catback exhaust system perfect for 90dB use or lower. Laguna Seca is a pain when it comes to sound limits and cloud cover makes it that much more challenging to achieve this feat. ACE is the premier exhaust developer of the GT86 platform and thus that project was commissioned. The result is a clean, low restriction exhaust that provides a very low dB output.

Then there are the other guys who don't need the absolute lowest dB exhaust sytem, which is the CSGxMXP TOURING86 competition exhaust. For those seeking a competitive exhaust system, clean exhaust note, good aerodynamics characteristics, nice looking tips, great adjustability to a variety of bumper setups, and a strong price point. The dB output is not a huge concern for these users, however, the dB output has been defined as very acceptable and not loud at all.

Would you, please, take a dB reading using the same techniques as you use with the ACE/CSG exhaust, using the CSGxMPX with an ACE header and front pipe? Or could you give any information on the dB difference between the two, something quantitative? What's the MPX muffler makeup? Is it packed or is it baffled, and what material?

I want my car to remain quiet. But if I'm only giving up a couple of dB I might go for the MPX setup considering it's about half the cost.

[Timmy_Jones]

Is this a full 2.5" ID setup? Any power gained over the stock catback, with a header installed?

[BRZ FTW]

Originally Posted by Calum

Would you, please, take a dB reading using the same techniques as you use with the ACE/CSG exhaust, using the CSGxMPX with an ACE header and front pipe? Or could you give any information on the dB difference between the two, something quantitative? What's the MPX muffler makeup? Is it packed or is it baffled, and what material?

I want my car to remain quiet. But if I'm only giving up a couple of dB I might go for the MPX setup considering it's about half the cost.

Curious as well. I'll be choosing an exhaust for my car soon.

[BRZ FTW]

Originally Posted by Timmy_Jones

Is this a full 2.5" ID setup? Any power gained over the stock catback, with a header installed?

Says 70mm(2.75in) on their site.

[Vital]

I am curious about this as well isnt 2.75 inch too much for NA power? Thats almost 3 inches

[Summerwolf]

Originally Posted by Vital

I am curious about this as well isnt 2.75 inch too much for NA power? Thats almost 3 inches

Three inch systems have shown proven gains, so I'm sure 2.75 is just fine. Plus CSG is standing behind this so..... there you go.

[churchx]

Gains are also there in loudness, so one should double check going 3" route, IF car's exhaust will stay still within tolerable loudness levels for those extra .. hmm, 5whp?

[Calum]

Originally Posted by churchx

Gains are also there in loudness, so one should double check going 3" route, IF car's exhaust will stay still within tolerable loudness levels for those extra .. hmm, 5whp?

This.

I want an exhaust that will be honestly quiet while not causing more restriction than stock, but being able to put up with the abuse of a header and front pipe. We've all heard how bad the stock exhaust is with a header and free flowing front pipe. I highly doubt there will be any noticeable power gain from this, though.

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by Calum

Would you, please, take a dB reading using the same techniques as you use with the ACE/CSG exhaust, using the CSGxMPX with an ACE header and front pipe? Or could you give any information on the dB difference between the two, something quantitative? What's the MPX muffler makeup? Is it packed or is it baffled, and what material?

I want my car to remain quiet. But if I'm only giving up a couple of dB I might go for the MPX setup considering it's about half the cost.

We do not have a quantitative comparison yet. Environmental and ambient conditions can change dB output as well. As noted, some cars who pass under the 90dB radar on a clear day at Laguna Seca may get flagged on a partly cloudy day so it's not ALWAYS 100% guaranteed that aftermarket exhaust systems will pass, but a quick qualitative comparison indicates that the ACExCSG will pass quite easily and the CSGxMXP may be capable of hitting that limit or just over it with a full catless system and supercharger.

We do have some plans in the future to acquire a special dB meter for quantitative comparison of the two exhausts, but please keep in mind, the CSGxMXP TOURING86 competition exhaust was never developed or commissioned to be a sub-90dB unit.

Originally Posted by Timmy_Jones

Is this a full 2.5" ID setup? Any power gained over the stock catback, with a header installed?

70mm / 2.75 inches. We generally do not consider catbacks as a powerhouse modification, but for high output NA and FI engines, it can potentially free up a couple ponies due to less restriction. We have noticed the throttle response opened up quite nicely on our 395hp JRSC powered BRZ.

Originally Posted by Vital

I am curious about this as well isnt 2.75 inch too much for NA power? Thats almost 3 inches

No. On other platforms that we have extensive testing with, the 70mm is a good compromise between 2.5" and 3" (obvious) in terms of power delivery, throttle response, exhaust note, and fitment. Again, our aim is not for absolute power maximization or exhaust sound output minimization. The CSGxMXP TOURING86 is designated strictly as a solid option for clean exhaust note but not stupid loud enough to kill your date.

Originally Posted by churchx

Gains are also there in loudness, so one should double check going 3" route, IF car's exhaust will stay still within tolerable loudness levels for those extra .. hmm, 5whp?

We generally do not consider catbacks as a powerhouse modification, but for high output NA and FI engines, it can potentially free up a couple ponies due to less restriction. This low restriction exhaust was purely for good aero and excellent sound production.

Originally Posted by Calum

This.

I want an exhaust that will be honestly quiet while not causing more restriction than stock, but being able to put up with the abuse of a header and front pipe. We've all heard how bad the stock exhaust is with a header and free flowing front pipe. I highly doubt there will be any noticeable power gain from this, though.

The guys going to this exhaust are coming from stock OEM, Perrin, Invidia, GReddy, and T1R single. There will be more, but it has been noted to be more pronounced than OEM and quieter than Perrin and GReddy on full catless.

[churchx]

CSG David: two extra questions:
- How tolerable are cold starts with this (yes, i know cold starts can be tuned out in ecu tune, but still, interesting to know)
- What is it's ground clearance compared to stock? (saw many aftermarket exhausts at least in pics having much lower then stock hanged pipe portion that goes below rear axle. Don't want even slight increase of scraping on occasions when i have to drive/park over kerb again given low even as stock car height :/ )

[CSG David]

Originally Posted by churchx

CSG David: two extra questions:
- How tolerable are cold starts with this (yes, i know cold starts can be tuned out in ecu tune, but still, interesting to know)
- What is it's ground clearance compared to stock? (saw many aftermarket exhausts at least in pics having much lower then stock hanged pipe portion that goes below rear axle. Don't want even slight increase of scraping on occasions when i have to drive/park over kerb again given low even as stock car height :/ )

1. It is an aftermarket exhaust #1, but cold starts without the ECU manipulation is very bearable. Residential neighbors don't seem to have any complaints yet. 3rd party testers and clients have mentioned a surprise in lower sound output, possibly due to past/present aftermarket experiences.

2. We have not had issues and the beauty of MXP is that they did put effort into making sure clearance was perfect for us (our requirements are borderline OCD which sometimes drives many people crazy). Most of our clients generally run lower. Our car sits at near OEM height due to the APR body aero to clear stupid drain dips, ramps, and speed bumps. Our car is generally used for the everything test and we have ran this car to ultra slammed at one point too (locals know).