Someone just tell me which cat-back to get
 

Seriously, I keep flip flopping worse than a Presidential candidate. Right now I feel like I'm most likely to just order the Borla from AJUSA, but I keep looking at the Evo 3 and the SRT, which is the most expensive but is also local to me.

Ideally, I want to open up the flows just a bit, and deepen the exhaust note. Loudness isn't as important to me as the quality of the sound (quieter is probably better, but I ride a Ducati with extremely loud pipes to get the growl/roar that I like, so it's not like I'm that picky). Obviously want to avoid a drone.

Build construction and materials are high on the list, but I'm assuming that these 3 are all fairly comparable in quality?

Looks are also important. The Borla has the best-looking tips I think, just not sure how I feel about the single middle mounted muffler.

:bonk: Someone more decisive (and knowledgeable) than myself, tell me what to DO!

Ive heard the Nameless, SRT, Evo, and TRD and they all sound great. I have the TRD one and love it, not to loud and not silent. The EVO and SRT i think have the deepest sound, SRT would be the louder of the two IMO.

I'll probably go with the Perrin exhaust when I get around to it.

T1R 70R .. best sound and it's light to boot. Deep with a bit of rumble at low-mid RPM.

Much better looking and more unique design than most on the market. T1R's signature muffler and tip.

The EVO 3 drones...so I would probably stay away from that one given your request.

I too went back and forth a million times...its just kind of a guessing game honestly if you have never heard the exhaust in person. One person's opinion will vary from another.

I ended up ordering the ARK DT-S exhaust and I love it.

Sorry to thread jack but anyone know the quality of the Invidia N1? Videos on it seem great but don't want to be disappointed or have it too loud. 95 dB max here in NJ by law.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

Loving my ARK exhaust. Highly recommend the grip with the test pipe. Sounds just right.

We have the Perrin non resonated cat back. Great tone, zero drone and not overwhelmingly loud. We can have a conversation in the car at any speed without raising our voices and I can hear the car perfectly well on track with a helmet on. Best of both worlds.

Borla is oldest name in the game. Invidia N1 seems like best deal Perrinn looks and sounds best to me on vids. Think as long as it does not drone into car on highway you'll be happy whatever you buy. The ARK is quite an impressive piece of design work but imho Anything over $900 is a waste. I would put the $500 saved into a Cusco suede steering wheel or put it towards some wheels and Pilot Super Sport tires.

Its so freaking ironic, you are asking "ok tell me which one to get
but you will get a million different answeres beacsue we all ahve our likes and opinions. It is really a decision you and only you can make.

Ok... I'll bite. Go with Nameless, and I'll tell you right now.. You Welcome :D

I say wait it out and be patient. See what's available in 2013, early 2013 if you can't wait which it seems like you really want to jump on it.

I bought mine on eBay for $580 and the quality seems top knotch. It is pretty damned loud, but I don't have another exhaust to compare it too in person, all I know is that my car is one of the loudest I hear on the road. haha Some people can't stand the droning after lifting off the accelerator, but it's quiet with no drone with the cruise control on at <70mph.

I've got the MXP coming tomorrow, check out the video here. Construction is first class from the results in DSport.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/isteve7...eam?likes_hd=1
http://www.flickr.com/photos/isteve7...in/photostream

No Limit Motorsport has a great price and service also, they have one left in stock right now.

Kakimoto racing exhaust sounds bananas to me so is the price sadly....

I'm running the Invidia N1. It's a tad loud on acceleration, but probably best bang for the buck. If you get it for the prices around 6-7 hundred, then the worse that can happen is you find it too loud and sell it off.

If you raw considering the evo3 it is significantly louder than the invidia.

+1 for the Perrin unresonated.

Seriously it is a personal preference but if built quality is one of your main concern, you might want to consider HKS hipower L spec or TRD. I have TRD on my frs, good built quality ,it is not too loud, it adds that low tone growl sound, and no drone. I was having hard time deciding between AP, greddy, HKS, and TRD. To me evo3 and AP was too loud. HKS was a bit too expensive for me. Plus with TRD, i did not have to worry about any legality or warranty issues

I love my P&L exhaust. Deeper note, no drone, and I don't wake the neighbors up when I get home. I think they are also offering a black friday 10% off sale according to their facebook.

agree with you on the AP. It's a bit loud and also fitment is not great .... one side is at least 1 inch longer than the other ...

Personally, I think the Evo 3 sounds awesome. The 3-4K drone causes it to lose some points in my opinion though. If I had to do it all over again, Perrin Non-resonated.

Perrin non-resonated.

Nameless has overpipe/downpipe combo with hi-flow cat and their axleback alone sounds amazing, check them out good price and also light weight

Go with SRT

just ordered perrin full header back... catless and unresonated...

You can't go wrong with the TRD, Nameless, Perrin, SRT, or the ARK exhausts imo. I have personally heard the USDM TRD catback, the SRT catback, the Nameless axleback, a straight pipe, and maybe a few others that I don't recall off hand.

The USDM TRD sounded the most like stock and was the quietest by far. I like the look of the tips. They fit the body lines of the FR-S well. Not sure how it would look on a BRZ.

The SRT catback (which I own) is loud, not as loud as the straight pipe but it is otherwise the loudest FT86 exhaust I've heard in person other than the straight pipe. I am not a big fan of loud exhausts, even though this exhaust sounds very deep and produces a nice boxer note. I think it has the best looks out of the bunch, but there are no dyno's available.

The Nameless axleback is in between a stock-like sound and the SRT. When you hear it you can definitely hear the increased bass in the exhaust note compared to stock. It's an apples-to-oranges comparison in terms of sound versus the SRT, though. The SRT is loud, rumbles, and sounds mean as hell under load, but the Nameless is milder while still being aggressive and burbly under acceleration.

The custom straight pipe was 707FRS's and was a completely different kind of loud compared to the SRT. Not only was it louder in terms of DB, but it just roared after 2k RPM.

And now, I have the SRT catback paired with a Nameless downpipe combo w/ Hemholtz resonator, which makes the SRT even meaner sounding, gives it a more of a hint of boxer, and quiets the drone.

You could go for the full SRT headerback, I guess, but I decided to do things in stages and make an unholy Frankenstein (SRT/Nameless) of an exhaust...I guess it turned out pretty well!

I love my Perrin!

I can't remember - did you stick with the resonated or unresonated version?

Do any of these sound ricey? Like the kind you'd put on a 2002 Honda civic??? Definitely not interested in that!

Of all the clips I've heard, none of them exhibit that type of sound.

Sadly, he went with resonated... or stock... I can't tell which LOL

The HKS HiPower sounded a little ricey to me. It wasn't awful, but it was definitely a little moreso than most of the others I've heard.

In my opinion:

- Best sounding: Ark GRiP, Supersprint
- Best sounding & power: Perrin non-resonated

Resonated, I want to keep it fairly quiet after I get the high flow cat and overpipe eventually.

My favorites are Nameless, then Perrin. Both local companies to me here in Oregon, and great people at both places. I am running a Nameless myself.
But take the advice about it is your choice to heart. If looks are most important to you, use that as your biggest factor. HP/TQ improvements of just an axle back will be so similar it is not worth much consideration. If sound is the most important to you, go to meets, or ask to meet up with people in your area to hear them in person. Take your time to decide so you can be happy with what you get!

Do exhaust systems have to be installed professionally? I'm new to this stuff

No. They are relatively speaking one of the easiest things to install. The hardest part is getting the stock muffler off those annoying rubber hanger. This car for some reason is more difficult than most in this regard.

I am going to say yes.

I mean .. if you have a big jack, stands, tools and are good with your hands it's EASY

But, if you've never worked on a car before .. it might take you forever.

It's pretty simply if you have a friend to lend a hand.

amuse Ti exhaust

Argh both the Borla and the SRT are on sale today too!