Buddy Club Spec II on an AT FRS Review

[naikaidriver]

Last night, I finally was able to install my brand-new Buddy Club Spec II Cat-Back on my Asphalt-wrapped baby!

I would like to start off by apologizing for the lack of pictures but since there was already a wonderful review of the exhaust from our friends at ft86SpeedFactory.com, I hadn't planned on writing a review.

Installation:
As was expected, the longest part of the install was spent removing the factory exhaust. Thankfully in Northern Alabama, they do not salt the roads here so there were only small amounts of rust on the tips of the hangars which made removing them from the rubber mounts a challenge. A liberal application of dish soap worked wonderfully for both removing the stock exhaust and installing the new one. I highly recommend it!

After the stock exhaust was removed, I must admit that I wasn't fully prepared for just how heavy it is. The Buddy Club Spec II weighs in at less than 23lbs and the stock exhaust feels like a bus by comparison. Because of the extreme lightweight design of the BCS II, installation is a breeze even on vehicle ramps and easily performed by one person but I do have a few tips.

1. Dish soap for the hangars. It works wonders and won't eat the rubber.
2. There are two springs that hold tension on the middle joint. Install these BEFORE attempting to mount the front section of the exhaust! They are very stiff but working with them is much easier with the exhaust out of the car. Just ensure its lined up as close as possible and you'll be fine!
3. As with every other exhaust out there, get everything installed and hung BEFORE tightening the one clamp to the back section!
4. The instructions are in Japanese only! Unless you can read Kanji, or are already experienced in installing exhausts, get a friend who knows what they are doing! While this is a "simple" exhaust to install, I can see where there are few places that could cause a newbie some grief.

Everything lined up just perfect and the quality of the exhaust is what you can expect from a company like Buddy Club! Overall the complete install took about 45 minutes.

Driving Impressions:
First I will just put this out there... this is not just a simple straight-pipe system. It does have a resonator that is located in the forward section near the drive shaft. Because of this, the exhaust is not nearly as loud, or raspy as videos on the internet make it out to be. I won't bother posting a video since ft86SpeedFactory has already done so and it is better quality than I can do.

With the Silencer Installed:
At first start up and when the car is cold, it is actually deeper sounding than I was expecting. I don't think that it will be serving as my neighbor's new alarm clock either. It wasn't nearly as loud as I was expecting and certainly not obnoxious. Here is where having the exhaust on the AT differs from the manual.

Because of the taller gearing of the AT, and since the transmission likes to shift at less than 2000rpms, the noise around town is minimal as long as you keep your foot out of its butt. For everyday driving, at 35mph around town I can comfortably listen to the radio at 15-19 and my hands free is every bit as useful as it was. My wife said she couldn't hear the exhaust while cruising through the microphone! At 70mph the tire noise from the stock Prius tires is louder than the exhaust. This was a big surprise to me. In fact, I'm willing to bet that if the FRS was better sound-proofed like the stereo-guys have been doing, the cabin would be MUCH quieter.

I have yet to hear any drone at all which was, if I'm honest, was a complete SHOCK. I was expecting to deal with it as a trade-off for the weight but to my surprise, there isn't any! I would suspect that it would be most likely because of the lower rpms that the AT is at while on the freeway when compared to the manual.

OK, at Wide Open Throttle, its loud. If I get on it within a few hundred yards of a police officer I'm pretty sure I'll be busted. There isn't any hiding that symphony of boxer goodness when you give it the beans. If anything, I will expect my gas mileage to improve dramatically because now I am much more aware of the noise and don't want to get any blemishes on my otherwise perfect driving record.

In all, this is still a fine daily driver exhaust with the silencer and I couldn't be happier.

Without the Silencer:
Honestly, I haven't had an opportunity to drive it like this yet so I will update this section after this weekend.

Summary:
I LOVE this exhaust! I realize that its not for everyone and I will make no such claim. However, it does honestly make the car sound like a proper boxer-powered sports car. The exhaust is of quality construction, it tucks up in the car nicely (unlike some OTHER single exit exhausts out there), and while this is a track-purposed exhaust, with the silencer, is plenty manageable on the street as long as you keep your foot off the floorboard.

Scott

[8686]

Thank you for the nice review. I also have an AT and rarely floor it because of city traffic.
Would really know how it will sound with headers.

[naikaidriver]

Originally Posted by 8686

Thank you for the nice review. I also have an AT and rarely floor it because of city traffic.
Would really know how it will sound with headers.

Judging from the videos from the many others that have installed headers, I would suspect that the BCS II would be very loud with headers, overpipe and catted front pipe. Still, what is considered "loud" is highly subjective unless you are concerned with legality in your state.

Personally, I like to use Harley Davidsons as my benchmark since they never get bothered by the police. As long as my car is quieter than those, or rednecks bombing down the street in their Hemi Dakotas I consider myself "safe".

At the end of the day I suppose it would boil down to what you would consider tolerable. For me, I'm a 40 year old engineer but I consider my exhaust easily tolerable and quiet pleasant!

Scott

[ajrcow]

This looks loud !

[8686]

Please keep us updated on the diffuser you are fabricating

[SmsAlSuwaidi]

Originally Posted by 8686

Please keep us updated on the diffuser you are fabricating

+1