| SigmaHyperion |
09-06-2013 08:56 PM |
I'll get some pictures up in a day or two, but wanted to give some feedback...
Got my DT-S and Test Pipe installed last night.
I went into a bit worried about getting the right fitment based on some comments. Got everything hung (on urethane hangers), started tightening at the front and made my way back. Got out from under the car to check the tips -- absolutely perfect fitment.
I've done probably 10 installs of exhaust on my own cars. Probably helped on 50+ over the years (used to own an online aftermarket company with a storefront). I've never seen an exhaust that didn't need one iota of adjustment. It just went on.
As for the sound...
I've never had an exhaust that can go from so loud to absolutely silent depending on the RPM and load. And, strangely enough, the thing gets significantly quieter (drone-wise) as the RPMs build -- at 7000rpm there wasn't a ton of sound in the car, until one rolls down the windows. It sounds absolutely epic, but (at least with test pipe) it does drone at certain RPM levels, and the lower the RPM the worse. The dreaded torque dip is even worse now, as that seems to be where it drones the most -- probably due to a higher engine load in that RPM range. Drop a gear and it largely goes away. Not remotely as bad as most exhausts I've heard, but I was definitely hoping for less. And I will stress that this is with the test pipe.
I'm hoping for some improvement as it breaks in. Plus figure some Dynamat, which was already in the plans for road noise anyways, in the trunk will help because it actually seems like a fair bit of the drone is actually simply from the sound bouncing around in the empty trunk. It doesn't sound as much as the exhaust is droning as the trunk is just a big reverberating sound cavity.
Overall, the sound is simply too epic for me to be disappointed by the drone. It's fairly minor, I'm hoping it'll dissipate as it breaks in a bit, plus I think some Dynamat will help immensely. I'm not gonna go so far or be so pretentious as to say it sounds like a supercar, but it's definitely something that leans in that direction. It's a strange phrase, but the sound really compliments the car.
I do worry about the sound after a header install. But that seems to be an across-the-board worry with this car, as just about everything seems to make the car incredibly loud without some custom resonator installs.
As for ARK in particular -- I really would like to see your company tackle headers before the market gets too saturated. I've seen a LOT of exhausts over the years, from just about everyone under the sun, and the quality of this exhaust is right up there with the best I've seen. Not just arguably some of the most attractive exhausts on the market, but awesome craftsmanship with beautiful welds and, as already said, absolutely perfect fitment. Would love to see what you can do with a header setup that compliments the sounds of your exhaust.
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