CSGxMXP Touring Competition Catback Review
 

For those of you that are looking to go headers, and the whole nine yards and still not be loud, this exhaust is perfect for you :thumbup:



Anyway, I've been looking for a quieter exhaust since I've upgraded Tomei headers (probably just getting old).. my current set up is as follows Tomei EL headers, over pipe, berk high flow cat, and the CSGxMXP exhaust. Along with e85 flex fuel set up and jackson racing supercharger.



On to the review:

Disclaimer: for those of you who are looking at a loud exhaust, this is not for you (sorry!)



This exhaust is probably just a tad bit louder than stock, but doesn't sound like horrendous like the stock exhaust lol. On cruising, it has a a subtle but deeper tone to it than stock, and on WOT it is still really quiet, I probably hear more of my supercharger now than exhaust, which is great! I can drive more assertively( :burnrubber: ) and still not attract attention to myself. All in all, it is quiet but has a very smooth tone to it. It is almost like all in the details, people who don't know anything may just think you're barely modded LOL. Highly recommend for anyone that is looking to quiet their cars down/ not attract much attention to themselves.



Comparison to Perrin 2.5" Resonated:

The Perrin was barely louder than stock with just catback, but with a full set up, it definitely is on the louder side, was nice when I was younger lol but now I'm just over it. So far, no ragrats !



Install:

Really straight forward install, it is all slip fit, and has adjustable tips so you can line it up however you like. It also uses the stock donut gasket and spring bolts. My Only gripe was that the midpipe does not like up perfectly to my front pipe, but I suspect that the spring bolts will compensate, or I may have to adjust the front pipe.



Pics: This is what I have for now, I'll post more pics when I get the chance to, just been raining too much here in SoCal lol..



I may have left some stuff out, let me know what I can add to improve the review for you guys, thanks for you time! I'll also try to add some sound clips when I have the time.



thanks @CSG Mike and @CounterSpace Garage for such awesome exhaust :thumbsup:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7d312636eb.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f20a36bc08.jpg

Update: more pics

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Tips big enough to fit my fist in comfortably xD
They looked a bit big initially, but I think it complements the back end well after I get used to it :D

Reserved

ready for those sound clips!

As someone who like the stock sound levels with stock catback and an uncatted header, I too, am looking forward for sound levels. In an ideal world next to a stock 86 for reference.

Good review - thanks! This was the first time I had seen this exhaust and I prefer the simplicity of its design over the convoluted twin canister design of the MXP SP exhaust CounterSpace Garage also sells. The quality of the welds and the stainless steel look very good - I just wish it didn't use slip-joints, even if I understand the benefits.

It looks like a nice piece - thanks for sharing!

+86

This thread is worthless without a soundclip!
:thanks:

sound clips or ban

sub'd for sound clips

Looking good! Can't wait to hear it

Slip joints used to make the fitment dead on. Some cars have different bumpers and not all of them fit perfectly. This exhaust allows the adjustments at multiple points to make the exhaust fit "perfectly" given a specific vehicle. :)

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.

Wow I really wish I knew of this a couple days earlier. I already ordered my HKS exhaust :(

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

Curious about this as well.

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

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.

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

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

Says 70mm(2.75in) on their site.

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.

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.

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.


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.

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.

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. :)

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. :)

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). :)

That's very enticing. Can you answer my other questions though: is the muffler packed or baffled, and what grade(s) of steel is the system made from?

I'd love to hear a sound clip with a catless setup and ace header.

This exhaust intrigues me now that I'm boosted. My only real concern is actually the tips. They are so large, they seem too close to the bumper and I worry about deformation over time.

What is the pipe size where the tips connect to the muffler? Do you think swapping the tips for something like these DC sports tips is feasible/will fit dimensionally well? https://www.amazon.com/DC-EX-1013-St.../dp/B003D4KA32

How much does it weigh vs stock?

Muffler packed & baffled. Currently we have put 6 months on our boosted car and the muffler has not degraded despite some hard runs. The catback is SS409 (edited). We have secret sound clips that have terrible video quality but good sound from our testing, however, we'd like to get better videos out there in better conditions for better sound capture.

The tips don't touch the bumper and you can adjust the tip exits a bit farther out so the exhaust gases don't wrap into the bumper. Our exhaust setup has seen about 6 months of boosted life without degradation of the exhaust and any issues with the bumper. :)

Whenever our guys stop getting distracted with other projects, it will be accurately weighed. :paddle:

Quick short video. Enjoy!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8p93aPL4cE"]CSGxMXP TOURING86 - Competition Exhaust System - Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S / Toyota GT86 - YouTube[/ame]

awesome. any chance you can make a clip of just the csgxmxp exhaust with stock engine or with just jackson sc? i only have the jackson so really want to get an idea of what mine would sound like since i don't intend to do headers... :thanks:

On both OP's car and the white one in the video it looks like the exhaust tip on the drivers side is off center from the cutout in the bumper.

@CounterSpace Garage Any info on the resonator and muffler design?

It was posted above.

Don't worry, you can't never lose with HKS man. I'm pretty sure HKS is probably better sounding? :cheers:


I think most of us oldies are trying to look for a more quiet but still nice sound exhaust without the drones....... I just really wanna drive to cali without getting a headache if my radio isn't on 50% + or full blast. LOL....

Thanks, I read that, but I was looking for more than "packed and baffled." And to point out that they have not discussed resonator design. Is it perforated or louvered core? What is the resonator packed with? Rock wool, roving fiber glass? Etc. What is the baffle design, etc. There is a ton of info left out. As with most exhaust manufacturers...

I haven't installed it yet, but I agree about the noise and drone. I have the Q300 but it doesn't sound all that great with the nameless headers and front pipe. Also the hks seems pretty nice from the videos of their header and front pipe with the cat back.