Installed it this afternoon. No bees in the can noise. No fittment problems. Could feel the extra power right away, w/o resetting the ECU. Throttle feels like it responds better too.(could be in my head).
I would recomend Budget to anyone. Very good to deal with and responded to my emails right away. Got the pipe 5 days after I order it. It was a shock to get good service after dealing with the other company, which will go unnamed.
I can definatly see why Y-pipes give such good gains. The stock one is horrible. I will probably get their B-pipe after winter.
The only thing I don't care for is the new exhaust tone. Whle driving it's not too bad, but if I rev in neutral it sounds like I need a new muffler. Good thing I don't sit around reving my engine. I had toyed with the idea of doing my full exhaust and leaving the stock muffler, not if it is going to sound like that.
Now just waiting on my 1 piece cefiro headlights to get here

 

That's awesome to hear...congrats on the new mod.

Did you install this yourself? If so, was it something a shadetree mechanic can do?

 

Cool! I'm glad to hear you like it. I plan on ordering mine soon. Did you install it yourself? If not how much did it cost you? And can you describe the sound you are talking about?
Thanks,
Dan

Love your rims by the way!

 

budget rules

 

Thanks. I had it installed at a local muffler shop. A few places wanted $150+. One shop would not even do it because of the pre-cats. I ended up paying $60, took less than a half hour.
The noise is hard to describe. It's not a performance sounding noise. It's kinda like an older car with a worn out muffler. It's a raspy high pitch tone. Like I said, it's only noticeable when I rev in nuetral. I'm not a ricer so I don't do around reving my engine alot. It's nothing that is making me second guess the mod.
Best $160 I have spent on my car

 

Yes, it's pretty easy to do. I just lack the tools and jack stands. I was gonna have BriguyMax(brian) install it but I was too excited to wait. I have waited almost 2 months since I place my original order.

 

HAHA......my Budgey Y-Pipe has been sitting on the ground for 3 months now.

 

hey mike, seems to me that you got the same sound going on as me.

under normal driving the budget y is barely noticable, but in neutral it gives a weird noise.

i also got something rattling when i rev high, so somethings either loose or touching the ypipe, but ill get that fixed, not a major problem.

 

Give it a shot. It's not to bad assuming nuts aren't too rusted. I only needed a friend to hold the old y-pipe up when I removed the last few nuts.

I used the instructions from maximadriver. The only thing I didn't follow was cutting the little plastic clips for the O2 sensor. I just used some pliers and carefully removed the clips by pinching them on the back side. I was able to reuse all of them and everything looks great.

just my .02

 

The rattling is probably your heat shield on the cat. That seems to happen to quite a few people. I told my installer about it, he may have bent it back, because I have no rattles.
The noise is not my y-pipe, well it is, but it's because I have the stock muffler. I suppose it's because the muffler is having to handle a substantial more amount of air at a higher speed.

 

Is there any way for you to find out just exaxctly what he did? I've got this rattling/chatter as well. I originally thought it was the variable-pressure valve chattering in my 2K1 Maxima muffler. I just crawled underneath the car last night to install the oem crush gasket between the b-pipe and cat. The chattering is not as noticeable but still there. The heat shield on my hi-flow cat seems to be solidly in place but.... who knows for sure.

I get no chattering when revving in neutral, only when the engine is under load. Might be the pulsing of exhaust waves through the pipes. Someone on another thread had installed a Pro-Flo thing hich has helped "smooth" out the exhaust & reduced the raspy/chatter sound. It goes between the cat & b-pipe & goes where the resonator would normally be.

 

I just told him that others with this same setup get a rattle or a chatter, probably caused by the heat shield rubbing. I am not sure if he did anything, all I know is I don't have an noise other than the raspy muffler.
I was just outside under the car with the engine running listening for leaks or rattles and such. Everything seems to be fine. I did not look as if the heat shiled had been messed with so I am guessing he did nothing. It does not even seem the heat shield is in a position to cause any problems anyway.
Sound like you have a lot more done to your exhaust than me. My guess is as good as yours.
Did you ever just have a Y-pipe and everything else stock? If not I am not much help.
I read the post about the "Pro flo" thing and I have never heard of it.

 

mike i do have the same setup as you with a ypipe and stock muffler, so im pretty sure we're gettign the same sound.

as soon as i have the money, im going with an aftermarket muffler.

 

When I first started modding my I30 I was never going to get an aftermarket muffler. I wanted a y-pipe, b-pipe and high flow cat with the stock muffler. If I go ahead with that I will have this exhaust tone I don't care for a whole lot, only it will be louder. I will do either the apexi WS, cattman or Greddy SP. Most likely the SP. I will have to live with this set up for a while since I just spent $400 on one piece headlights and I my tranny needs some work.
Just so people don't get the wrong idea, the sound is not a big deal. I would not heisitate to do it again.

 

love my budget y pipe....

 

The Y pipe has been my favorite mod so far. You feel it right away I love the sound. It is just perfect.

SuDZ

 

Congrats, enjoy!!

 

awesome mike, cant wait to see it at the meet. another option for the catback is the obx-r ss exhaust, which is similar to the apexi, but better fitment. you can check the one that i have next week when we go to hooters.

btw, i have a budget too

 

Hey man, how long did it take to get the pipe shipped to Chicagoland...

 

like an hour

 

will i be ok with the Y pipe, r/t cat, Budgets B pipe and stock muffler?? i dont want loud

Ant

 

i just got my budget y-pipe yesterday and had it installed today, and i'm happy with mine too, but i expected to get more power than i can feel, i don't know, it might be just me, did everyone reset their ECU's?, cause i haven't done that.

anu

 

the ecu will adjust over time. youll feel more power the more you drive.

 

WTF, the fittment for an APEXi is perfect...

 

5 days.

 

I have a greedy catback and cattman y pipe and i just put on the y pipe a few weeks ago ,and you may not believe this but there was barly a noise increase.IN some rpm and gear ranges there is no increas in sound! I waited so long to buy y pipe because everyone said there would be a huge sound increase ,it never came?

 

Hearing about how great this Y-Pipe is, I'm about to order the Budget Y-Pipe. I have a 98 that's Cali spec (indicated on the firewall plate). I'm confused as to which version to order on Budget's website.

Can anyone point me to the right one?

Thanks

 

not for the 97-99

 

I'll be out of town during the meet
But I will want to hear your set up before I buy a cat-back.

 

I could be wrong, but I believe they are only selling one version of the y-pipe right now. The mandrel bent T-304 SS painted pipe for $160 US shipped. Call them and ask

 

I know Budget has a Cali-spec y-pipe as well. I thought Jeff said they've all been sold to '99 owners. I don't know the difference (if any) between the '98 & '99 Cali-spec Maxs.

 

I was just talking about the kind of pipe (SS, Aluminized, Mandrel, Non-Mandrel, painted, etc.) not the actual models they make.