I decided to jump the gun on the Motordyne E370 as soon as I saw its release. I have had very good experiences with Tony and Motordyne in the past, so I felt that his exhaust would be up to the same quality as his other products.
Vehicle: This exhaust is being installed on my 09 Z. The current mods on the car include a Fast Intentions TDX exhaust (18” resonators), Motordyne ART pipes (V1), Motordyne M370 intake manifold, HPS post MAF tubes, K&N drop in filters, and a COBB reflash. The tune is just a shelf/canned map from a 2010 NISMO 370Z.
Personal Impressions
Shipping process: The shipping process was great. I made payment for the product on Friday afternoon, a tracking number was provided Monday, and it arrived to by door step on Thursday. The packaging was great, everything was well wrapped, instructions are included, and the box weighed in at 70lbs. Tony even included a few extras for the install, which might be for the introductory release purchase (this is exhaust #12 on the E370 list). I received a hat, microfiber polishing cloth, Motordyne
Beat Your Ticket book, and a few decals.
Quality: If you have seen the pictures of the exhaust on their website, you know that this is a great looking exhaust. The welds look great, and the entire exhaust shines beautifully. I like the fact that the exhaust uses Vband connections as they give you some room for adjustment and there is no longer a need for replacing gaskets later down the line or if you sell the unit to another owner. Gaskets and bolts/nuts for the XYZ pipe are included where they bolt up to the cats/HFCs/Test Pipes.
Weight: Compared to the Fast Intentions TDX with 18” resonators, the Motordyne E370 weighed in at about 5 lbs heavier. (57 vs 52) This difference is not a concern to me and should be the same, or lighter than the factory exhaust.
Fitment: Everything lined up fine during the install. The clearances between the car and the exhaust are pretty tight, compared to the previous exhaust on the car. I made a few adjustments to the unit tonight as I have developed a slight rattle when the car is idling. The adjustable tip feature is nice and gives you the ability to achieve the look you want. The E370 includes 2 sets of tips, and the option to get the 5” titanium (T370 exhausts only include 1 set of tips and are limited to 4.5”). I opted for the 5” burnt titanium (rolled) and the 4.5” stainless steel (non-rolled) tips.
Ground clearance: The area where most Z owners have issues is at the rear of the exhaust under the differential. The E370 does have better clearance than my Fast Intensions exhaust did near the diff cover. Please note that the FI exhaust I had was one of their first units/versions. Since then, I believe FI has made a few changes to the exhaust allowing for more clearance, but I cannot comment on that revision. Even with the FI unit, I had only bottomed out the rear mufflers once or twice on a speed bump. My car is lowered on Swift springs and the ground clearance is fine with the E370. The lowest point appears to be the rear Vband clamps, but they are lined up with the rear tires so they should not scrape unless going over a large bump at high speed or a raise section in the road. Even if that's the case, I'd have issues with my lip and side blades coming off as well. One thing I'm disappointed with is that I cannot use my large floor jack on the rear differential. This was the same case with the Fast Intentions also. Maybe I need a smaller jack?
Sound: INTOXICATING - That is the best way I can describe this unit. I was never really “sold” on the stock VQ37VHR exhaust note, and I’ve always thought that the VQ35 sounded better. This exhaust really changes that exhaust note and makes it sound more like a VQ should. The tone is aggressive and has a nice growl to it. When rolling on the throttle the car sounds so good, it’s hard to stay off the gas pedal. At cold start, the car is a bit loud, but during warm idle it is very quiet. During light cruising, even with the ART pipes, the car is tame and quiet. Partial throttle and semi aggressive driving the car is louder, but not overbearing. I no longer get the VQ hiss that was very present on the ART pipe/FI exhaust combo. At WOT the car screams and sounds beautiful. On the highway, there is less drone than my FI had. I used to love my previous exhaust note - The Fast Intentions unit has a very deep stock exhaust note and throaty at WOT with the ART pipes installed, but I am OVERLY pleased with the aggressive growl/bite that this exhaust creates.
Power: The butt-dyno feels a little better, but it’s probably the sound that is skewing my readings. I will need to revisit this section after the car is put back on the dyno. In all honesty, I’m not expecting much of a difference in power between the 2 units because I have minimal bolt-ons on an NA car.
Appearance: At first I was not a fan of burnt titanium tips, but after seeing them in person it changed my mind. The colors on the tips are beautiful; a very rich, deep blue that fades to purple then bronze. The 5” tips are large, but I like them. I think they fit well with my rear spats and blacked out valance, but they may appear too large on a stock rear bumper alone. As stated, the tips can be adjusted to your liking and of course with 2 sets, you can change it up however often you’d like. Mine are out about an 3/4" or so; I can’t help but show off the color on these tips. Without mufflers on the rear section, the car looks different than it did before. The Fast Intentions exhaust is probably more visibly noticeable, but I feel that the E370 is more audibly noticeable. I also like the way that you can see dual 3" piping in the rear.
Overall, I am very happy with my purchase of the E370. This is exactly the sound I wanted coming out of my Z. Again, all exhausts are subjective to the owner’s taste. The price is a little higher than other exhausts, but certainly not the most expensive. I’ve heard a few exhaust setups in person, but in my opinion, none of them sound like the E70. It’s also good to know that this exhaust will provide optimal support engine power up to 650hp, so I won’t be required to change it in the future.
Pics
The box unpacked
XYZ pipe merge collector
5" rolled vs. 4.5" straight
Hardware
Muffler Merge
No exhaust (drove to the shop open test pipes
)
Full install
ART pipes to muffler
XYZ pipe
Muffler
Mid Pipes
Rear pipes
Tail pipes and resonators
Stainless 4.5" tip (non-rolled)
5" Titanium
Tip comparisons
Titanium set
With the good ole' Genesis in the back
