Tomei Expreme Ti Type-60R Review

[Bokusārēsā]

The Tomei Expreme Ti Type-60R is not new to people here but after searching this forum and across Google and YouTube I felt that another one couldn't hurt.

Quick bullet points for those not interested in reading all of my BS. This a full titanium cat back exhaust that weighs barely over 10 pounds and when new costs around 1 grand flat give a take a few bucks with shipping factored. It is very loud and is not subtle whatsoever. It is very easy to install especially due to its lightweight design. I was able to install the entire thing by myself in my driveway with very few tools. Butt dyno seems to show an improvement but it isn't calibrated so we will have to wait and see.

For myself I am both new to this forum and to this platform, picking up a CPO 2015 Scion FR-S in April of 2016. I have always been a fan of RWD cars and started with a '09 BMW 135i that was lightly modified to a '04 BMW M3 that was supercharged and built to be a daily driver that could endure hours at a HPDE and still return me home 6+ hours away. Then came my pair of NA Miatas which is how I ended up choosing the FR-S as my new daily. Both were light in weight and possessed in engine that loved to rev, but their age and need of constant maintenance took the fun out of ownership while working part-to-full time at a BMW dealership and attending college full time as a mechanical engineering student. Since building one of the my Miatas to around 200-250 crank HP was my goal anyway the FR-S being a few hundreds power more, but starting at 200 crank was a good platform to start. That and returning back to a fixed roof car (chasing leaks in the winter and constantly wiping the rear window from frost was never fun).

So to the exhaust in question. After fitting Dunlop Direzza ZII tires around Enkei RPF1s the car didn't make much of a peep anymore as it rarely if ever broke traction outside of purposely dropping the clutch at an elevated RPM (we've all done it :-P). I debated on possibly fitting an intake system but after reading more about TRD's in house car, the Griffon and the production version, the 14R60, I decided that if they didn't choose to alter the stock airbox on either than buying the TRDUSA version wasn't going to do much other than make my wallet lighter. At almost $500 anyway I was in the region where a cat back exhaust would make a slight gain in power and boost things in the sound department.

Many exhausts as you already know are out there for our car, but for me a few factors were important.

First it had to be light, though the FR-S is pretty light in comparison to most cars on the market these days, I wanted to channel my inner Colin Chapman when he said these two things: "Adding power makes you faster in the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere" and "Simplify, then add lightness". The titanium construction of the Tomei Type-60R in particular compared to the Buddy Club Spec II was one of the main reasons I chose not wait until the Buddy Club was no longer on national back order despite being half the price of the Tomei. At 10.14 pounds you could carry the entire system suspended by a few fingers.

Secondly it had to make some believable gains. Many tuners have claimed decent single to double digit claims from a cat back and even DSport covered a few of them at the time. Only the HKS, which happened to be the one that produced the most whp was in my sights. I figured that though Tomei claimed only an improvement of +3.4 PS from stock that it was at least fathomable. Since installing it has been setting off the traction control light in both 1st and 2nd, but until it is strapped to the dyno I will not know for sure.

Third it had to have a serious sound, between the Tomei Expreme Ti Type-60R and the Buddy Club Spec II it was hard for me to decide as both sounded great from YouTube videos. I preferred that the Type-60R exited from the driver side instead of the passenger side like it does on the Type-60S, Spec II, and Hi-Power single exit. Something about having it closer to the wall of a tunnel or barrier dividing the highway on my side that I enjoy.

Finally, the price. I was interested in pricier exhausts such as the Fujitsobo Authorize R and a titanium exhaust from Blitz, but the Authorize R was too quiet and the Blitz was too expensive in titanium. I paid no more than $1k give or take for mine new which was within my budget for such a system.

So what does the Type-60R include? When the box arrives you will be impressed by how meticulous and carefully packaged it is. There will be three sections of piping: a resonator (main pipe A), connecting pipe (main pipe B), and a tail pipe. Also included are four springs, two of which are used to secure the resonator to the connecting pipe along with a clamp band, and two that secure the connecting pipe to the tail pipe which is also secured by a clamp band. The resonator section is held in place by the stock nut and bolts from the OEM exhaust and are coated with the anti-seize provided by Tomei. Out of the 5 original exhaust hangers only 2 have to be retained. Also there is a sound reducer which can be fitted to the tail pipe. It is held in place by a bolt which is tightened with an Allen key included to lower the sound produced. In my opinion it is pointless as the 4 dB it is claimed to lower the sound by is still NOTICEABLY LOUD. I've used it only twice so far, it just sits in my trunk really. The instruction manual is printed in both Japanese and English and you are provided a neat plastic Tomei badge as well as two Tomei Expreme Ti exhaust stickers and two TomeiUSA stickers.

I found removing the stock exhaust to be the biggest pain in the ass if you are doing the swap in your driveway. The limited room to move around under the car may annoy you but it is entirely doable by yourself. Armed with just a few ratchets in various drives, a 10, 12, and 14 mm socket, a can of WD-40 liberally applied, a scribe, a pair of vise grips, a strong key chain (to pull the springs into position), a pair of car service ramps, tire chocks, and a floor jack this took me about two hours while taking my time, going inside multiple times for various things and reasons, and taking pictures. I would imagine placed on a lift and using pole jacks to support the exhaust that the entire job would be 30-45 minutes flat. The instructions did call for disconnecting the negative terminal of the battery, but I skipped that step. Most likely perhaps for safety against unintended motion or shock.

Once it was all buttoned up I was and still am very pleased with the sound to an extent. This is definitely a TRACK exhaust, there is NOTHING SUBTLE about it WHATSOEVER! With that being said, I love it. It is a little upsetting to drive in heavy traffic as it is quite vocal. Like a child, it grumbles and mutters as everyone around it prevents it from running around. Where things really become fun is when the road opens up and it can really stretch its legs, literally screaming at the top of its lungs in joy. The Tomei Type-60R gives this car a voice that will not be silenced, literally, because there is no silencer present. If you fit this exhaust you probably will not be liked by neighbors or anyone who doesn't have petrol running through their veins, but just stomp on the loud pedal and drown away any doubt of your decision. Let its deep song place you in a state of ecstasy.

At the time of this writing the exhaust has been on for 5 days and the temperature has dropped about 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit so it has only become louder from when I first started it up. At various gears, speeds, and RPMs, and loads it can be tolerable and even quiet. If you play music from the stock stereo system most of the exhaust note is drowned out between volume set between 35 to MAX if you are cruising. It is somewhat still audible with the music turned all the way up at full tilt. If you're curious as to why I don't mind it so much a little background about myself. I'm pushing 30 after almost ten years served in the Marine Corps as an aviation technician, my hearing is not what it used to be, but apparently it is still great from my last audiogram.

I do have some photos and video and as I figure out how to transfer them from my computer, Go Pro, and phone I will upload them here for everyone to see, hear, and watch. If anyone is curious as to where I obtained the exhaust, I purchased it through Valiants Racing of Savannah, Georgia. Ethan Xu, the owner, is a friend of mine. I will give credit where credit is due, the video compilations produced by both FT-86 Speed Factory and Rally Sport Direct helped influence my final decision.

http://www.tomeiusa.com/_2003web-cat...e.html#type60r

[go_a_way1]

That bold is hurting my eyes

[86geek]

That Tomei is LOUD!

[FujiwaraTofu86]

My buddy has this Cat back, It sound pretty good. I though his was loud until i added a catless header along with my muffler delete. then mine got 10 times louder lol.

[Bokusārēsā]

I've had this exhaust now for just over three weeks now. Initially I was very conscious of the sound this setup produced and tried to keep it down when around town. I used the included silencer less than a handful of times and honestly was happier with left off. I bought this knowing fully the intensity of the exhaust note and it has made me fall in love with my FR-S all over again. Even though the temperatures have dropped I just bundle up more and drop the windows so I can hear its sweet music in all its glory. I have no regrets and receive many compliments on its note.