^ Buy a Cattman 3.

 

Holy crap, the cattman 3" is so f'ng quiet (I've had an exhaust leak for the past two months), I keep having to check the tach to see if my car is on, I'm kinda sad though, my intake is clearly louder than my catback.

 

Why dont you and donate your catt 2.5 to me

 

First thing I'll say is there's no comparison with this to a Cattman exhaust. But since his 2 1/2" is out of production and you want a 2 1/2" system, I'd suggest looking into the SRS Type RE Exhaust. It's basically a knockoff of the defunct HKS Catback and priced in the Megan OE-RS range. A lot of ZCar and WRX guys recommend the SRS exhausts for their cars and report no issues. The only thing I was initially leery of is the looks of the rolled offset (to match the bumper curve) tips, but I came to like the uniqueness. I'm VERY happy with the sound, fitment, and overall quality. 100% 2 1/2" 304 stainless (checked end to end with a magnet) including the 3/8" flanges, so it should last. Had no problems with installation/fitment/rattles etc., did the job with the car on ramps lying on my back. On my 2001 which is totally stock from the main cat forward, it's quiet and not at all "ricey" sounding. Just slightly louder than stock at idle with a deeper tone, that doesn't get much louder or raspy right up to redline. It will "drone" slightly at around 15K, but it's not really loud or annoying IMHO. The best description I can give is that it purrs. I stumbled across the SRS when looking for an in stock exhaust similar to the back ordered Megan OE-RS (long story, got my $$$ refunded). Which turned out to be a good thing after all, IMHO it's a better system for the $$$ than Megan.

 

Hmm thanks man, can you post a few pics of it installed?

Oh, and FYI, checking it with a magnet only tells you it's steel, it doesn't tell you it's stainless. Considering there are no Aluminum Exhausts that I know of, this means a magnet will stick to ANY exhaust.

 

Tuner, have you considered having a custom exhaust welded to a Borla muffler? Borla is a pretty sweet sound.

It's no twin-loop , but still very unique.

 

I FINALLY got you on something! FYI; 304 Stainless is Non-Magnetic and the magnet didn't stick to anything on the SRS exhaust including the flanges. Where many cheaply made systems fail the magnet test by using plain steel. I was actually impressed by this considering the cost. Trust me when I say it fits better than the 2" steel replacement exhaust that was on the car. I did the CMax03 shock bushing mod during installation and didn't have to hose clamp the old hangers, it doesn't rattle. Only issues (as usual) was getting the bigger flange/piping through the rear X-member bracket and drilling out the cat flange holes for the bigger hardware. It's raining today so don't expect any pictures too soon, other than one of the back of the car I have here. At least you can see how the muffler looks/fits.

 

Not completely true. Austenitic stainless steel (like 304) will have a permeability factor greater than 1. Especially, an exhaust system that is cold worked. So, technically... you're both wrong. However, I know what you mean. It's not a strong attraction. More like paramagnetic opposed to ferromagnetic.

Any chance of getting a close shot of the tips to see how they fit in the valence?

 

That does look good... How does it make that De-K sound?

 

Yeah I've been pining over that twin loop setup for so long, I may bite the bullet (literally).

A custom exhaust around me would probably run about the same as buying one and shipping it in. And I've decided to grab the G35 muffler, I'll remove the Variable valve, the G guys have found that to make it sound very similar to the coupe muffler.

In for more pics, thanks man!!! I need to check on pricing to Canada though

Blowing my mind here nelledge, how do you know these things? And that's kind of what I've experienced with stainless, it doesn't stick well just has a bit of attraction, enough to tell it's steel. "sticks" was definately the wrong word.

Thanks for clearing that up, cool test I didn't know about man!

 

Ok, Mr. smart guy! Lets just say 300 series stainless for all intents and purposes is barely magnetic. As opposed to 400 series which is more magnetic, especially when heat treated. A200 and 700 series alloys maintain the paramagnetic properties with hardening. But, 400 and 700 stainless is more prone to cracking due to heat cycling and/or work hardening. At least that's what I learned in real world applications. In my 30 or so yrs. experience as a Prototype Machinist for Military&Aerospace device R&D.

The rain has abated so far this evening. If it stays dry I'll put the Max up on ramps and take pics of the whole system.

 

It actually sounds pretty nice for a $300 exhaust. Almost exactly like the HKS axle back sound clips on YouTube. Plus you get a good close up look of the tips/valance clearance in these vids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Tz7H3kOO0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AUpy...eature=related

And for the VQ35

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amj6I...eature=related

 

I was an editor for Britannica as a child. Seriously, I basically learned what I know from paying attention to smarter people(work, school, etc). That and asking questions until people want to punch me in the face.

Bob, Bob, Bob. Your real world is defined by... here come the quotes... "prototype," "aerospace," "research," and "development." We both know that, if you applied aerospace specs to automobiles, traffic would cease to exist. However, I do like to read intelligent pieces of information. Please, proceed.

 

That's Perk's old car! Funny stuff.

 

I'll give you that, and I'm prone to going on tangents. But in my defense; I spent approx. 1/2 my life learning a thought process, (when to use conventional wisdom vs. thinking out of the box) it's difficult to unlearn it. But isn't that the reason we're all here on the .ORG? To share ideas and come up with new ways to solve problems and improve our cars. That 'Mon Ami' is the essence of R&D! <IMHO> Applying aerospace to autos is a fact. Consider the increasing use of light alloys, composite materials, and electronics in automotive applications, developed from aerospace tech. <Soap-box Mode Off> That said, lets get back to on point intelligent information.

 

Dosen't sound 1/2 bad considering it isn't a Cattman. IMHO much better than the Megan (which sounds loud and raspy to me, not that I'm bashing) much smoother and subdued. And for some of the other setups...Can I get an egg roll with that please?

 

It sounds perfectly fine. It just struck me funny to see that old video, because Jon sold his car like a year ago.

All these videos all over youtube and the Org trying to represent the audio quality of various exhaust systems... honestly, I think it's mostly bunk. My biggest gripe is that 90% of them put a video camera on the driveway while the owner revs the engine in neutral. There's so many things wrong with that; primarily being that the focal point is wrong, and the engine isn't under load. But the biggest problem is that you really need to physically experience an exhaust when making a purely personal and subjective opinion... not just listen to some video.

That said (soapbox), it's all we got on the Interwebs.

 

I totally agree. But it's the best you can hope to get. In SO many circumstances all that you can do is a subjective approximation.

BTW; Good recommendation check this out;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXLQNllIJrw&NR=1

Doesn't sound too bad, maybe a bit raspy. It's pretty rusty is Borla stainless?

Yeah dude! We all know you're ahead of the curve on that twin loop idea!

I KNOW this is THE SOUND we're ALL craving!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXLQNllIJrw&NR=1

See I DO have a sense of humor, twisted but there nonetheless!!!

 

This system has been on the car since March and is starting to show some surface rust spots, so far not too bad for 8 mos.

 

That exhaust does look good. Nice clean welds on the flanges too.

 

Like I said before, It's not anything like a Cattman. But for $300 it's a good value. Especially if you're looking for a more subdued sound than a Megan. BTW; I measured the pipe OD and it's >2 3/8" and <2 1/2" so it's probably metric, not really 2 1/2 as billed.

 

If it's 2 3/8 OD, that might be around 60MM ID if it is metric. And for $300, I agree it does look like it's a good value for the money.

 

Then it's exactly the same tubing size as the HKS axle back. Which lists for $375. Decent value for a full catback, with grade 3 hardware & gaskets included.

 

I'm curious to know where you found it for 300??? It's 30% more than that at the places I've found it.

 

Maybe that included shipping?

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MAXIM...item588be25fe2

$279 plus $100 shipping.

Seems unavailable to canada anyways.

Edit here's one but different muffler it seems:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/00-MA...item53e03f58e6

This entices me actually, I'm going to contact them to see if I can get it without the muffler for even cheaper

 

Yeah. When I hear someone paid a certain amount, I assume that amount includes shipping. The link Matt referenced shows shipping of 100 dollars while another ebay seller sells the same item for 50 more part cost and 50 less shipping. In the end, 379.99 is 379.99.

So Bob, is the actual cost 300 dollars or closer to 400?

 

That looks like the Tsudo knockoff of the Greddy exhaust.

 

I bartered to get that price. Here's a scan of the PayPal receipt.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/00-MA...item53e03f58e6

^That link is only $200 plus $50 shipping, but appears to have a different muffler setup. Still would be great for me.

Oh thanks again Pezz for the pics, AMAZING pics, something we very rarely receive upon request here bro, much appreciated.

Where are the surface rust spots? Do you guys get snow in RI? If so how severe? I fear that only 8 months with surface rust, that this may not be for our DEADLY salted roads and brutal winters in Southwestern Ontario.

Is the Muffler and over-axel all one piece? I messaged the two sellers posted to see if they can do it without the muffler.

 

Yes, the muffler bolts right up to the stock B-Pipe, I did that as a quick fix for the original muffler that was ready to fall off. And YES, we do get plenty of snow here in R.I. the New England climate isn't that much different from the Great White North's. We have the DEADLY salt/sand slush mix on the roads, that cements itself to anything that could corrode. Plus they really don't do a good job of maintaining the roads, the sand stays on them and abrades the bottom of the car until roughly May or June. Not to mention, the potholes, other debris, so when it rains the clogged storm drains cause flooding, turns out my Maxima is a pretty good swimmer. I live fairly close to an airport and the ocean, so get the combined benefit of salt air and jet exhaust as well! While under the car I actually didn't think it looked too bad, all things considered.

I've got a perfect plan! Buy the whole system, sell the "Fartcan/Potato-Launcher" muffler to some Honda Civic owner, and use the $$$ to get the Twin-Loop you so desperately want! JUST KIDDING!!!

 

That's not bad then, thanks for the detailed reply. Do you have any snaps of the locations that are rusting, or is it just spotty in general in the finish?

Yeah sounds like I'd need to buy the muffler just to get the pipe, I doubt they'd be willing to cut it off, I'm not dealing directly with SRS obviously so it's unlikely. We will see what they say.
Either way, if they can do $250 to my door plus whatever duties I have to pay, that's more than reasonable. And I have a G35 Sedan muffler that should be at my door under $100, so all in all, I should be set up well under $400, and I'll have a spare ghay muffler that I can try and sell


LMAO yes, I will have to consider this. Although I doubt it will sound proper unless it's mated to a merrell bent 3" ID custom exhaust

 

Did you check to see if BRM sells pipe kits without mufflers?

 

Awesome! That's the same seller I was looking at. Did you really mean you bartered or did you mean to say you negotiated?

 

Sorry for the late chime in, but reading through and saw my name! haha..I do believe Brian's exact words were " The Frankencar muffler is like the black hole of sound". To be honest, when I put that muffler on my car with no other exhaust modifications, it wasn't any louder than stock. And I wish I was kidding.

 

Yeah, I didn't think about that! Add a set of shorty headers, unequal length Y-Pipe, and cat/pre-cat/resonator delete. You could really get the sound you want from that Twin Loop!

Seriously though, I know you've got your heart set on the G35 muffler, you'll need to modify to get the sound you want. Is it stainless, since you mentioned the DEADLY salt. The $200 system with shipping/duties plus the approx. $100 for the G35 muffler puts that setup into the price range of the Type-RE exhaust. Which as I said in a prior post IS NEGOTIABLE, as proven by what I paid. IMHO you'd probably be served as well with the Type-RE despite it's higher LISTED price. Just my $0.02.

Look carefully at the pics I posted, you'll see some small brownish spots (I assume is rust), and judge for yourself.

It says "Make an offer" I low-balled my 1st bid, the seller came back with a counteroffer, and we agreed on a price somewhere between my low price and the sellers counteroffer. Might take a couple of bid sessions, but as shown in my receipt post it can be worth the effort.

BRM is simply custom fabbed Magnaflow products. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

False Alarm! (Thank God) I checked out the discoloration spots and it turns out to be nothing more than brown colored road grime. Wiped it off and the stainless underneath the dirt was in perfect condition.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaEU...e_gdata_player
3'

 

My HKS rear section looked way more solid and massive than the above setup...

 

As a stand alone Cattmans 3" is not loud except under acceleration. you can carry on a conversation while cruising on the streets or the highway without an annoying drone.

Once you add headers and the Y-Pipe; I could see it being loud 24/7, but if you like that sort of thing you'll never notice it. I won't be able to give a good report on the volume until I get mine installed - most likely end of October to early november.

 

Do you mean this one?
http://www.jdmhub.com/index.php?rout...duct_id=147655

I've got Cattman Headers/Y-Pipe on order. Don't know how soon they'll be installed. But once they're on I'll see how the SRS sounds. If it's too loud I've got a 22" Magnaflow to replace the SRS resonator. That should take care of business!