Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post

spearfish25 · 10-04-2009, 12:45 AM

After deliberating for months on which CBE to purchase and even attempting a muffler delete, I decided on the Stillen CBE. For the record, this was one of the first catbacks available for the 370Z and over the last few months has lost some 'excitement' compared with some new CBEs now on the market. Also, various people have suggested that Stillen no longer makes quality products while others have reported numerous issues while trying to install and fit this exhaust. May the following be just one more review which will hopefully set some of the record and rumors straight.

Background:
Since I bought the 370Z in March, I've loved the car but felt that they gave it an exhaust of a Versa. It just didn't have the growl and pizzazz that a sportscar exhaust should have. About two months ago I found a local shop that removed my stock muffler and fabricated some pipes and tips to enact a muffler delete. The sound was SURREAL! The 3.7VQ can sound like an uncaged beast if we only gave it a chance. Unfortunately, the muffler delete was too raw for me, leading to resonance and ear-pounding drone at certain RPMs (specifically the 4-5k range). I woefully swapped back to the stock exhaust and started the search for the right catback. The muffler delete did help me realize an important point. The 370Z engine/exhaust has some 'hot spots' where you really get more sound at some spots in the RPM range than others. I've found these to be mainly 2k RPM and 4-5k RPM while under load. On the stock exhaust, you hear almost no exhaust note until you get in these ranges under load. With the muffler delete, everything sounds fabulous UNTIL you get in these ranges and then your ears start to bleed. The mission: find a CBE with an in-between sound.

Stillen CBE:
After pondering the FI catback and comparing with other models on the market, I decided that the Stillen option was the best for me. I've never heard the FI exhaust in person, but from the videos it sounded to have many of the low, resonating qualities of the muffler delete. While sounding great, I couldn't handle loud low frequencies reverberating throughout the car in an everyday driver.

Since the Stillen CBE release, people have been giving some mixed reviews of Stillen products. Some claim poor build quality while others have noted problems with fitting the exhaust and clearance issues with the crossmember supports. Here is my experience.

I ordered the Stillen CBE early last week. It was delivered to my local installer directly in 4 days via Fedex. Their shipping was prompt and customer service excellent. I had the exhaust installed today and it was completely painless when done on a dedicated lift. There was no need for a screw jack to support the exhaust while tightening the bolts, everything fit together perfectly, and there were ZERO issues with clearance or hitting parts of the undercarriage. My hypothesis is that people who have noted these problems either 1) had an early version produced before Stillen made adjustments or 2) installed some of the components up-side-down. The Y-pipe has a slight bend in it to help clear the crossmember. If you put it in up-side-down, the bend will actually make the Y-pipe rest on the crossmember. As I stated, the exhaust went in easily, but I do recommend two people so one can hold the exhaust while the other tightens bolts. Also of note, there are a number of slip joints to help with aligning the muffler/tips. While some people have claimed this is a feature of 'cheap' products, I found them helpful for a clean installation. You can either use the Stillen U bolts to hold the slip joints in place or have a professional weld them once you have the exhaust on.

As for the final, installed product...I couldn't be happier. The overall fit, finish, and quality is excellent. Time will tell how the exhaust holds up to the elements and road salt, but so far I'm very pleased. Sound wise, I'd say the Stillen CBE is an amplified stock exhaust. Essentially, it's what the stock car SHOULD have sounded like. There is no drone or rasp inside the car at any RPM. At idle, the exhaust has a nice, low purr that opens up nicely into a hearty growl as you accelerate. Overall I'd describe it as very sporty and SMOOTH. The 'hot spots' in the RPM range at 2k and 4-5k RPM sound fantastic with the exhaust note filling the car but never becoming too loud or resonating. Essentially, the exhaust is the loudest I would reasonably tolerate while under heavy acceleration in the 'hot' RPM zones. Don't think this is a tame setup...it reverberates off buildings downtown and set off a car alarm on my drive home. An added benefit is that many of our 'seasoned' members here have attested that the Stillen CBE works and sounds great with HFCs too.

To better clarify how this sound relates to the stock and muffler delete, check this out:

Loudness Scale:
1----------------2--------3------4

1:stock 2:Stillen 3:FI? 4:Muffler Delete

I threw the FI exhaust on there as a guess. Again, I haven't heard it in person, but from the videos I think it's closer to the muffler delete in terms of loudness .

Here are a few pics of the exhaust...unfortunately I got to drive home in a rain storm. The overall look is pretty sweet. Stillen used HUGE tips that look like sewer drains. I like the sportiness of them a lot. I'll get some vids up once my buddy with the HD camcorder is back from vacation.