Opinions on changing my exhaust?

AlexNadeau

Hey all!

I have a '12 Sport Touring, with almost every bolt-on mod available.

I purchased my FI exhaust from a friend a while back, as it was a good deal, and was available that day. I had watched virtually every video on the exhaust, but when it was installed, I really realized that I would never like the drone, mostly on highway speeds. Yes, I know that many of you will want to beat me for this...

I have the 18" Resonators, as well as Resonated Cats from FI. I was able to get rid of almost all interior resonation with a combination of the resonators, as well as dynamat and thinsulate from the seats-back, but the drone out the *** end is just a bit too much for me.

So my question is, if I were to look for an exhaust that has good performance, yet reduced interior drone, which one should I be looking at?

It seems like many love the ARK GRiP for its lack of drone? Are there any good competitors to ARK for low drone-high performance that I should be looking at?

Thanks in advance!
Alex

P. S. It has an automatic transmission.

sportsman2003

Is your car an automatic transmission?

AlexNadeau

Hey!

Yes it is.

sportsman2003

I have read that the Auto's are a little trickier to get rid of drone due to such a high ratio at highway speeds. Maybe some automatic car owners can chime in.

Geoff-AU

I am very sensitive to drone too (HATE it) and the HKS Hi-Power suits me perfectly. I have a manual but there was a comment on here that took pains to point out the HKS had zero drone at any RPM and at any load point. They were spot on. I haven't even insulated my boot area, car is 100% stock just bolted the cat-back on.

All exhausts are known to get louder with HFCs so YMMV if you go ahead with those.

HKS Hi-power is almost silent as stock if you are in the first 10% of the throttle range and below 3000RPM. But as soon as you put a bit of load on it comes to life and makes a nice, noticeable note (it's a lot louder outside the car than in the cabin though, which suits me fine). But no drone.

AlexNadeau

Thanks for this! I think I'm going to try HKS and see. I like my cars sound, but I'm the same as you, drone kills my ride. It's just too loud when it doesn't need to be!

Cyber370

Just make sure to get an exhaust system with Helmholtz chambers (HKS, Ark Grip, etc.) and you should be fine as far as drone is concerned. I just got an Ark DT-S for my Nismo because the Grip would not fit per Ark customer service. I am happy with it but there is drone at about 4500-5000 rpm. Luckily, that means the exhaust is fine at lower rpms and highway cruising speeds. But, I am sort of regretting having purchased the DT-S which does not have Helmholtz chambers (closed canisters on side of mufflers to cancel out drone frequencies).

PS: Just be aware that aftermarket exhausts are usually louder than stock and that inevitably means some drone somewhere in the rev range.

__________________
"That’s when you know you’ve found somebody special. When you can just shut the f*ck up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence.”-Mia (Pulp Fiction)

sx moneypit

My car is fitted with one too.

AlexNadeau

Thank you for this! The helmholtz seems to be the answer. I had looked into making ones for my FI exhaust, but it was not very feasible. I made an order for an HKS set up with the helmholtz. I'll update this weekend once it's installed.

redondoaveb

+1 on the HKS Hi Power. I run mine with Art pipes and 100 cell mil spec cats. Zero drone and a great sounding exhaust. I loved my FI also but the drone was really bad.

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Geoff-AU

I would disagree, drone is a single resonant frequency that is dominant.
Volume is not drone. You can have an exhaust that is musical and loud everywhere, that is not drone. I had a really **** aftermarket exhaust on my R34 GT-T that had a god-awful drone at 125Hz or so, it was worst at about 2800RPM and above 3000RPM it rapidly got quieter. Above 4000RPM it sounded only slightly louder than a standard exhaust. But I couldn't tolerate going through that boomy zone. It almost rattled my teeth. I eventually found a Fujitsubo exhaust which was better but didn't get rid of the drone note entirely.

Drone happens because the vast majority of aftermarket exhaust manufacturers just bolt whatever on and call it a day. They don't actually understand the SCIENCE of exhaust noise management. Manufacturers do, that's why they have crazy complicated mufflers that suppress all the problem frequencies. Yes they usually go overboard in delivering an inoffensive note and make things too restrictive but they have different priorities.

The HKS team know their ****. The Helmholtz resonators are PERFECTLY designed. There is an exhaust note, but the note's pitch follows the revs (unlike drone which is a single note that just gets louder and quieter depending on revs) and the HKS is not in any way offensive. It is a very docile exhaust at light throttles but once you open the throttle a bit it comes to life. I'm an electronics engineer by trade but I can appreciate something in a different field that has had some proper effort put into it by talented people rather than just slapped together and pushed out the door with a dyno sheet to show it gains power.

theART

☆ exactly above. I stated the same conclusion in greddy gt exhaust thread.

Cyber370

However, keep in mind that everyone’s tolerance to drone is different. What is an uncomfortable level of drone to some is a nice deep rumbling exhaust sound to others. Secondly, not everyone knows exactly what drone is, scientifically speaking. Some interpret loud as drone. Others swear that their exhaust has no drone whatsoever when in actual fact, there is so much drone that the inside of the cabin feels like it’s shaking itself apart. Bottom line, there is a fine and subjective line between loud and drone. Good exhaust manufacturers spend a large portion of their R&D budget to find that perfect balance.

__________________
"That’s when you know you’ve found somebody special. When you can just shut the f*ck up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence.”-Mia (Pulp Fiction)

dave11

Thanks for the definition of "Drone". I have an R-Tune. There is sound at cruise and music through out the RPM range.

AlexNadeau

Ok here's my update. I had the opportunity to purchase a brand new HKS catback for under $1k so I bit..... I have installed it to my FI Resonated High flow cats, and oh does she growl. I love this exhaust guys. If I was given this before the FI, i would've never bought it any of the FI.... This has no drone. It is much quieter, but it is definitely worth it.

thanks again for all of the comments.