Approach to Aftermarket Exhaust Systems
 

Hello, I"m starting to do my HW about the selection available to this car. After listening to clips after clips of audio and reading reviews, I think I finally got a clue about what I like. At this point, some guidance would be greatly appreciated.

My priorities for an exhaust are in this order:

1. Build quality, craftsmanship, fit and finish; no drones or rattles.
2. Desired sound - smooth, clean, and higher tone without too much added volume. Not deep growls. And no snap crackle pops.
3. Functional attributes - mainly, weight reduction compared to stock



With those in mind, I found myself leaning toward a couple. To my chagrin, a lot of the threads I was reading were several years old and it seems the landscape has changed. Here was what I had in mind:

1. Blitz Nur-Spec C-Ti dual tip - First choice but unfortunately, discontinued. Mainly made of SS but real titanium tip justified the burnt tip look. Awesome.
2. Blitz Nur-Spec VS - All SS and cheaper than the above. However, no one carries it in the US. Japanparts have it but shipping makes it cost prohibitive.

3. Blitz Nur-Spec VSR - Same as the VS but with burnt tips even though it is entirely SS. I'll have to begrudgingly settle for this one if I can't pick up the other two.
4. Fujitsubo Authorize R - far "second choice" if I can't pick up any of the above three. This one is more expensive and the sound seems to be on the deeper side, but still has that smooth character.

Here's a clip of what I'm looking for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U48V9f3l7IY

Does anyone know if there are other exhausts that have similar characteristics that I can look into?

Also, I noticed that Blitz makes a few exhausts and even an intake but confusingly, they don't seem to have a header for the BRZ. If I want to approach the exhaust system in a more holistic manner, will the choices above limit my selection of headers in the future? I vaguely understand how the system goes together, but do I have to take into account like pipe diameters between exhaust and header where it will determine whether they play nice together or not (performance-wise)? Or how it will affect the sound together compared to stock?

The last thing I want to happen is to spend several grands on parts from different sources just to find out that their specs don't mingle well with each other, producing detrimental results than actual gains.

Any feedback and suggestions are greatly appreciated. I will continue to do my own HW as well. Thank you!

I really like my perrin 2.5 resonated!!! If i were to upgrade from this point it would be to a titanium exhaust for weight savings but those are loud and raspy.

on start up and low rpm its nice but when driving the sound phases out and its quiet!

Apexi and fujitsubo are 2 of the only JDM manufacturers that make a complete system from header all the way to muffler. Hks makes a semicomplete system but does not include an overpipe

I would suggest Corsa but it’s not exactly light. Has arguably the nicest tone of any catback out there.

You don't have to worry about header diameter. They will play nice, you're over thinking it. I'm no expert on every single cat back made but my HKSLegamax Premium had a very high note with no drone/rasp/etc. But it was heavy. The further from a big heavy suitcase muffler you get, the louder and more likely to drone it will become

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

Exhausts are personal. Literally like what is your favorite color. Try to find people who have an exhaust you like and go listen in person.

My favorites are:

Corsa
Fujitsubo Authorize R
ARC Grip

OP, seeing as you’re native to the PNW, I think a Perrin 2.5 or 3” is right up your alley for smooth sound with no drone/pops/etc. Since you’re not worried about component weight, this seems like your best bet for both in-person convenience and supporting your local businesses.

If you're looking just to change the sound of the exhaust, you may look into just an axle back muffler like this one:

https://shop.namelessperformance.com...haust-brz-frs/

I have had the nameless axle back (2.5" piping, 5" mufflers) on my 2013 FR-S for several years and I find the sound quite pleasing.

A Perrin 2.5in resonated itself is amazing. It is noticeably louder than stock, but by no means a loud exhaust at all. Meaning even if you redline all the time, it's not very obnoxious.

Since this is a fairly tame catback, I eventually wanted a bit more volume since my oft e85 tune made my car quieter. I paired the Perrin with Tomei EL catless headers and now it definitely sounds like you have an aftermarket exhaust, but nowhere near obnoxious levels like what I hear on youtube. No drone or rasp that I can pick out. I think it is the perfect combo, but of course I wouldn't be saying the same if you plan on removing the stock front pipe as well, which will likely introduce a lot of rasp.

This is all my own opinion of course.

During my research, I found the Blitz NurSpec C-Ti/NurSpec VS not to sound very nice when you go catless/add a header. The way they flow tends to end up causing rasp. If you want to keep sound down, try to find 60mm diameter exhausts. A lot of western-market exhuasts tend to be 2.5", which will certainly add noise.


As far as exhaust system compatibility, if you're staying NA it doesn't really matter too much which catback you get. Catback has minimal performance benefits. It's mostly sound compatibility


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I ended up going with Blitz NurSpec StyleD (which is a different muffler style from the standard NurSpec). It's a bit on the louder side, but tone stays on the higher end. See below for the Blitz official video, but if you would like to hear an application specific set-up, I can route you to some of my videos


The Greddy Supreme SP is also worth looking into. I've heard this one in person in various configurations. It is quite tame, even with a header.


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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NhyJH5xXSA


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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzS6ulXCu_c

HKS does offer an overpipe now, but it's still pointless as the gains are none.

If you want a full set up from front to back by a single manufacture and want quality, Fujitsubo would be top. But Apexi and HKS both have their versions too. If you just want a catback, the sky is the limit and very subjective.

How is Apexi quality compared to Fujitsubo? the main thing holding me back from the fujitsubo is that it only comes with single exit exhaust and I have a kouki. If i had a zenki I'd def go for it as there are better bumper covers for single exit.

Right now I likely will end up finishing the TRD aero kit and getting the rear bumper spoiler which will give me the option of just 2 catbacks, the fujitsubo rm+c quad tip or the blitz nur spec. The Blitz for some reason has extremely high shipping rate compared to the fujitsubo so i'll likely end up going with apexi header + fujitsubo catback. would've wanted full fujitsubo system but they aren't willing to sell just the header/op/fp along with their other catbacks as a set.