give me advises~~FI vs Stillen
 

hello everyone, i m new here and new to mod cars, i m looking for the CBE at the moment and i m comparing between FI and the Stillen,can anyone tell me which one is louder when cruising, i think FI is more louder through the video clips~i like both ones,just hard to decide~i like the shape, the looking of the FI CBE with CF muffler,looks so sexy, but just worry it is too low to the ground and is too loud inside the car,i dont wana make my gf headache~haha~,thank u soo much guys,plz giv me some advises,and also one more question,wat is the different between 12 resonators and 18 resonators? sorry about been a noob~plz help~ looking for your replys~

If your looking for quality go for FI

If you are looking for quality and performance go for Stillen.

Thats why it took them three time to get the intake right for the G37 and two times for the exhaust, do your research:rolleyes:

Btw remember weve been dealing with this motor and stillen long before you even had your car

FI is definitely louder. Has a different tone than the Stillen as well. The CF resonators also add a bit of flavorful tone to the mix.

Simply put, the 18" resonators are not as loud as the 12".

Both CBE give a decent performance gain. As for me, since I already have Stillen bolt ons, I'll end up choosing the Stillen CBE.

The FI TDX CBE is lighter than stock esp w/ the CF resonators.

The Stillen you will be adding +11lbs over stock exhaust. But, the weight is towards the rear section: the muffler, which should help with traction since it is a RWD vehicle.

In terms of reducing weight and balancing out the car, it's so much easier to remove weight from the rear (spare tire, trunk liners, tools, amp, subs, etc) as opposed to the front. In doing so, you lose your Front/Rear balance for cornering. This is why people relocate batteries to the rear to balance out this weight as an example. The Stillen CBE's additional weight being in the rear helps offset this balance. So I don't think adding weight is really a setback.

I love the sound of both CBE but I think the FI CBE is a tad on the raspy side. You will definitely have some drone at higher RPMs as heard from the videos, but it's not bad and I doubt your girlfriend will hate it. IMO the stillen cbe has the best of both worlds: sound and performance.

In terms of looks/aesthetics, FI has it hands down. But if you're only into looks, try also looking at the Greddy SE exhaust or the HKS exhaust. The tips look amazing.

In the end, to each his own. I think the Stillen balances performance and sound while the FI CBE balances aesthetics and performance.

Good luck

:iagree:

I went with Stillen for a number of reasons:

1. Cheaper
2. Immediate shipping
3. Better ground clearance
4. "Safe" noise level (no drone or rasp...no risk of regretting it's too loud)
5. Enhances the car's stock sound without making the car sound completely riced

Some potential drawbacks:
1. Fit and finish is very good but not up to FI's from the pics I've seen (not sure this is a big deal considering it's under the car and the tips look great)
2. Loudness level may leave you wanting more, eg HFCs or testpipes. It's a great improvement over stock and about as loud as I could tolerate...but I still wonder what HFCs would sound like in person with it :)
3. Less exclusive. Stillen sells hundreds of these. FI's list is available online and has less than 60 installed. If you want exclusivity, Stillen isn't it.

I'm thrilled with my choice of Stillen. The sound and loudness are perfect and leave me the option to do other bolt-ons like HFCs with more wiggle room before I get into drone, rasp, or ear-bleeding noise levels. Many with the FI CBE have taken the HFCs off since it's too loud and drones.

Still like the stillen sound the most out of all the exhausts I've heard. It doesn't sound like a tuner car, sounds like the car was meant to sound like this. Performance wise....numbers speak for themselves. I'd still choose the Stillen if I had to choose over again. In fact the only thing I wish is that it were a little louder (even after HFC's). The only thing I would replace it with is longtube headers or something more race-inspired.

i dunno why but a few weeks back my stillen started to sound so raspy especially when accelerating
i mean the deep tone is still there but the rasp sound is similar to those in "fart can" exhausts(and i hate it)

i dont know if theres a leak or not but visually i dont see any
so im actually thinking of changing it later(if $$ permits)

How do you know it's the Stillen CBE and not your Berk HFCs?

lol i dont
but it was just recent i started hearing the raspy sound and the only thing i unbolted recently was the mid pipe and rear part of the exhaust to get the sways installed

i might need new gaskets tho so that could be the issue...for now im just living with the sound

but who knows it mite be normal and i just never realized it
*i have yet to see 1 in my area with the same setup

thanks guys for all these recommands,i m from australia?do they do delivery to australia?i m deciding to go for the Stillen~should i just order from the Stillen website?

I think Stillen ships worldwide.

I don't know if you'd get the Stillen free shipping outside of the US, but it's worth asking.

what state are you in? I know there are some other aus guys interested including myself. Better to do a group buy to save on the shipping costs.
I'd suggest posting something in the Australia section to organise

Please dont get Stillen

I've actually had both on my car, I might be one of the only ones, and I'm fully in the FI camp on this question. I still haven't been to the dyno since switching to F.I., but given others' results I'm not too worried about that side of it (not to mention the obviously smoother flow of the design).

Quite simply, IMHO, it's built better, it fits better, it installs easier, it sounds better, it seems to perform at least as good if not better, it's lighter, and the cost difference is negligible.

how much louder is it?

:iagree:
Thank you! Funny how many people are on the Stillen bandwagon over hear:ugh2:

Really? The numbers and experiences (relating to the 370z) differ from your post.

Yeah u guys are right, after all it's not like Stillen knows anything about racing <sarcasm>

Um, turn up your speakers

http://www.roadandtrack.com/video/in...id=45345082001

Just like Viagra does, right?

:iagree:

wut?

can you please explain to me why they made 3 different intakes for th G37, could it be that not enough research was done and they just wanted to get the part out then it took them three times to get it right:shakes head:

Same with the exhaust, theyve released two of them for the same reason.

What he means is that there is a Viagra Nascar out there, doesnt mean Viagra is into racing now does it....

The intakes are one thing, was not around for the G37 and that, but the exhaust is actually the same design. After many were sold an issue came around, which did not even affect everyone. They made a small adjustment to fix this issue, so it is more like 1.0 (minor issue), 1.1 (no issues).

Note, this is all just for the 370z exhaust.
Also, Stillen exhaust still holds the most proven gains so far for exhaust alone.

We agree to dissagree, the only thing they have going for them is headers and thats bc no one else makes them, but that is soon to change, believe me.

I ordered the front lip for the g and it came flying off after installing it like they said, I also ordered their roof spoiler and it was nowhere near close to fitting, it was an 1" longer that the glass.

Uh, no. I think it was a stupid reference to Stillen's age. I'm sure the poster could beat the 3-time Sebring winner on the track! :happydance:

I'll agree to disagree with you as well. Sounds like you have an axe to grind. Nobody else is experiencing problems like you are. Your install of the front lip had to be flawed, or you whacked a parking lot curb.

Funny that every other Stillen lip owner has the same problem, dont know if youve seen my car but a parking lot curb is the last thing Id hit;)

As far as the Viagra thing, it think thats what he meant:hello:

Uh no...SOLISIMO got what I was saying...apparently you don't.

Actually, you're the one with an axe to grind, as you've proven in multiple threads.

:tiphat:


Stillen's headers had fitments issues - might still have as well.
Stillens CBE had fitment issues as well.

Proven gains - really? F.I. seems to be doing alright...better design. In fact, it's such a better design, you see other companies using a similar design for their exhaust...and not Stillen's. What does that say?

Hey if you're a stillen fanboi, by all means spend your money with them and get an inferior product...

ive owned both.

i prefer the "look" of the F.I.

i prefer the motorcycle high pitched sound of the stillen.

i like the weight of the F.I, and the customer service is the best of any company i have purchased from.

the stillen is cheaper.

the fitment of F.I is better, and more adjustable. i did not have any rubbing issues like others had with stillen, though.

seat of the pants cant detect any performance gains between the two.

the F.I has more drone, and can be heard while crusing. the stillen was silent. the stillen is louder at WOT, while the F.I is louder at anything under WOT.

(both were installed with HFC)

no clearance issues with either, and my car is lowered about one inch.

FI all the way.. sure its slightly more expensive.. but its made better fits better sounds better..

Actually what's funny is how many people are on the FI bandwagon over here. Not many of us are strongly recommending the Stillen, but my experience with the Stillen CBE has been nothing short of excellent. Someone from Stillen even called a couple weeks after my purchase to make sure I was satisfied.

Given that the FI thread has thousands of posts in it, I'd say the hype is in the FI bandwagon. Regardless of popularity or support, both exhausts are excellent options. They have different sounds, similar gains, similar prices and both install easily now (the new Stillen exhausts go on in 20 minutes without any special maneuvers). The FI requires cutting the heat shield which is more laborious than the Stillen install. The Stillen won't drone even with HFCs and the FI will drone even without HFCs.

Seems like there is plenty of info for the OP to make a decision now.

Ummm...neither design is all that "new" so no one is stealing anything.
Stillen has a very good design (one flaw which is now fixed)
F.I. went a slightly different route and has been doing very well. Yet proven by many also, that same design F.I. uses is also a turn off because of the a lower clearance.

In the end either exhaust is a great choice, find one you like the sound, get the deal, and buy. :)

Did you read the actual amount of less clearance?

http://www.the370z.com/218349-post1918.html

Less than 3/8"

I don't know about you, but that's not a whole hell of a lot. If you're "slammin" the car, even 3/8" isn't going to make that much difference in the look of the vehicle.