Using the same review system as
my old F.I. thread... (see Tony? I'm still plugging for ya, bro!)
For those of you who do not know, the R1 Titan Extra STTi uses a single 3" main pipe split into 2" secondary pipes. Since my future big mod will be a supercharger of some sorts, I asked Amuse to enlarge the pipes as they saw fit to support forced induction. So I have an atypical 3" -> 2.5" pipe setup with 4.5" tips. Note that my exhaust "sound clip" and dyno results may differ from yours!
Also note: the R1 Titan Extra STTi, as it is sold, does NOT include a midpipe. Hence why I'm stuck with the stock Y-pipe for a while.
Anyway, final impressions:
Looks: 9.5/10. It's Amuse. AMUSE! The quality of the welds had the people at Performance Associates (and myself) drooling. It's as if they were machine welds. Meticulous attention to detail in each and every segment of the exhaust. Amuse has the ability to burn out the entire tips blue if you want, but I thought it'd look kind of weird on a red car. So slightly burnt tips it is! I can't write enough about how dazzled I am by how this exhaust looks. Added bonus: Amuse guaranteed on their website that the new exhaust is no lower than stock. Well...yes, it's not, and they've still managed to show off a good deal of the canisters. No, it's not a very 'original' design, but certainly great to look at. Now if they could just use a little thicker titanium on the tips...
Installation: 10/10. No adjustments were necessary, Daniel had the stock off and the new Amuse exhaust on in fifteen minutes. I then proceeded to wipe down the entire exhaust for the next 30-40 minutes to get rid of all the fingerprints and oils. Yay for being nitpicky!
Sound: 9/10. Well...I've been through the F.I. exhaust (hope you're liking that exhaust Danny,wherever the hell you are), and as it's the most popular exhaust here, the question pops up 'How do they compare?' If I can use a terrible metaphor, the Amuse exhaust is a classical symphony to Fast Intention's rock concert. Both are great, but they're for different crowds...lol, what, it works!
The main things I've noticed with the Amuse exhaust:
- At startup, the exhaust immediately makes itself known with a nice throaty roar.
- At idle, you barely know it's there. Seriously, it's quiet in the cabin again, which was weird for a while, but I've grown to really like it. The exhaust will happily burble every so often, but otherwise it's perfectly content to sit there and puff away. If you're looking for something that howls even when you're idling, look elsewhere.
- The sound is 'cleaner' on the Amuse exhaust. It starts docile, then unleashes an insane storm when you stomp on the accelerator. The sound is higher than the Fast Intentions; more of an 'exotic' than F.I.
- CONCLUSION: Simply put, they're two different beasts, and (provided you have the financial flexibility to be considering both options) you can't go wrong either way.
Weight: 10/10. Added this category as a 'kudo'-point to make. The stock system, measured at Performance Associates, weighted it at a whopping 46 lbs. 46 lbs, not include the Y-pipe. Holy ****! Here's what Mike sent me with the Amuse stuff (with packing material on it...)
5.8 + 13.6 = 19.4 lbs. Subtract that away from 46, you get...uh...
26.6 lbs weight savings. I think I did my math right...but anyway, it was really light.
Performance: 8.5/10. Haven't driven it enough to get a feel for it, and the ECU hasn't had time to settle in yet, but the car is definitely kicking again. Check out the dyno above (as of this post, not there yet, but I'll get the graphs up soon!), the car was maxed out on the test and still hungry to make more power! I can hear Jeremy Clarkson and his trademark, "POWERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR". Now then, about that supercharger... (just kidding...for now!)
Final Thought: I love this exhaust. I also reserve the right to update my posts once my midpipe gets in!
Feel free to ask any questions you guys might have
Thanks!