Stillen Exhaust with Berk HFCs
 

I had the Stillen exhaust and the Berk HFCs installed together last night. Total installation time was around 4 hours, and I had a professional mechanic do it for me. Installing the cats was a pain in the butt. Nothing to do with the Berks, mind you. The challenge was with getting the stock cats off. The bolts are super-tight; we actually snapped a universal swivel joint in the process of trying to break one of the bolts loose. Luckily I had a spare. If you're planning to install the Berks, make sure you have one of those long extensions for your ratchet, and also make sure you have an O2 sensor socket.

Initial driving impressions: In a word, WOW. I am so glad I did this. The sound is awesome. The clips I have below do not do the sound justice (but it's the best I can do with my digital camera - sorry about the crappy high-pitched hum). I haven't put the car on a dyno, and don't plan to until I get the Stillen G3 intakes installed. But I noticed a difference in throttle response immediately. I know, I know, some of you are probably muttering derisive comments about the 'butt dyno' right now. So let me explain what I mean. I've actually had to re-acclimate to the throttle tip-in at launch. Like the first few times I started from a standstill, my launches were actually jerky because it was as if I had nailed the throttle a little too hard. So here I am trying to just get moving at a normal pace in traffic, and my head snaps back like I'm attempting a hard launch! So this is what I mean when I say that throttle response is improved.

This combination does not drone while cruising. But make no mistake, under load of acceleration, this combo is a lot louder than the stock setup. To me, it's loud in a good way -- aggressive sounding. There's a little raspiness here and there, but nothing intolerable. Nothing that doesn't put a smile on my face.

Btw, this thread is not intended to be for my car only. I'm the first on this forum to install this combo, so I know that for now it'll seem like it's all about my car. But as others try out this combo, it is my hope that others will add their experiences to this thread as well.

I have pics of the exhaust in the following album: Nissan 370Z Forum - semtex's Album: Stillen Exhaust pics

Here's a couple of pics from that album:

http://www.the370z.com/members/semte...5-img-2264.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/semte...9-p1000736.jpg

And here are my video clips. One is from the exterior, and I also made one from the inside of the car. Enjoy! Btw - This is the first time I've ever made videos and posted to YouTube, so go easy on me if it sucks. ;)






Edit: Added more clips - consolidating them to original post.

Launch Clip


Drive-by Clip


Synchro-Rev Match Clip


Extended Drive Video


Dyno Results


http://www.the370z.com/members/semte...hfcs-combo.jpg

sounds beautiful!! will sound even deeper when u get the intakes! great pics n vid

Sounds good!

i like it! nice man congrats.

one thing i personally would do, since i hate anything shiny on cars, is paint that muffler matte black with high temp-tolerant paint :D

Installation Pointers
 

Can you please comment on the installation of both the HFC, and the exhaust? Any caveats, and pointers for the DIYer? Thanks.

it sounds deep . I like it

Wow, that sounds beautiful. Very european. I have Nismo exhaust on my 370z already and will be installing Berks HFC's and jim wolf popchargers tonight. I hope mine sounds like that.

Did the mechanic use any Liquid Wrench of any kind to help loosen the bolts?

great pics/review/vids :tup:

however you are missing IMO one of the most important vid clips.....the drive by on load so that you really hear how it sounds while on the accelerator

In reference to your butt dyno, and on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest) how would rate your new setup? And is there a bias on the left or the right cheek? ;)

SoCal -

Do not know if you saw it, but Double Down put an excellent DIY article on the Berk HFC's install. See http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-d...c-install.html

It was also reported as difficult. I am considering HFC's but will take it to a mechanic.

Just some Tri-Flow.

The only real pointer I have is the one I mentioned about it being real tough to break loose the bolts on the stock cats. You need to open up the hood and reach the bolts from the top with a big long extension. Just to be clear, I did not do this on my own. One of my best friends is a mechanic and he comes over and takes care of whatever I need done. He won't accept money from me either (so I just give him the occasional gun to express my gratitude). Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that I'm sure I'd have a lot more pointers if I actually did this by myself, but I didn't, so . . .

Also, make sure you have a proper O2 sensor socket. My mechanic the way the O2 sensors are positioned, there's really no way to get them off without that special socket. I had to run out to Autozone to buy one. (Which was fine with me -- I'll use any excuse to buy new tools.)

Good call. I'll have to see if I can find someone help me with this (i.e., hold the camera while I drive by).

Thanks for the great feedback and video's Semtex!!! Very much appreciated!!!

Question for you. Would you mind telling us what you thought of the quality and ease or difficulty of installing the STILLEN exhaust. We love getting customer feedback and want to make sure that you are satisfied with your purchase.

Thanks! Now get out there and enjoy it!:driving::tup:

Semtex that sounds very very good! Congratulations!

I dont think you are crazy, there should be a difference in power. Don't get fooled by the sound though; sound makes it feel like you are going faster.

Hey Kyle,

I was getting at that too. It must have been easy as there was no mention of it.

BTW, Stillen is great to deal with; very professional and quick follow-up.

Hi Kyle. Glad you like the videos. The installation of the exhaust went pretty smoothly. The only minor hiccup we had was that the H-pipe in the middle kept resting on the cross-brace, which would have caused rattling issues. It wasn't immediately apparent to my mechanic how to adjust the exhaust so that the H-pipe wouldn't touch the cross-brace. He did figure it out eventually, but if you guys make some explicit mention of this in your instructions, along with how to adjust everything, I think that would be an improvement. Also, your kit includes 5 gaskets when there's only a need for 3 as far as we could tell. So we assumed that you guys just included 2 extras in case . . . well, why do you include 5 when only 3 are needed? Actually, let me back up -- can you first confirm that only 3 are needed? I guess that'd be a good starting point! If indeed only 3 are needed, it might be a good idea to state in the instructions that you include 2 extras so that people don't scratch their heads wondering why there are 5.

As far as quality goes, I think everything is top notch. But I've been modding my Nissans with your parts for close to 10 years now, so I wasn't surprised. ;)

This is happened with the 350'z in some cases as well with some aftermarket exhausts

This sounds soooo good.

Semtex, nice setup. It sounds good from our prespective.

After you get and install the STILLEN intakes, what next? Have you thought about headers? I guess there aren't many options as of yet except for the Zele, which you'd have to sell/trade one of your kids, if you have any. J/K....but you get the point.

congrats on the install....................u'r one of the 1st's in my books

Sounds great! I was worried the HFC's would cause it to be too loud, but it does not sound too bad/loud at all!!

I give a +1 to that.......GREAT JOB !!!

I'll have to wait for some other players to put headers on the market before I decide whether or not I want to install headers, and which ones. Right now, the rest of my 'to-do' list is pretty minor.

• I'm waiting for steel braided brake lines to come out for the 370, at which point I'll change out the brake lines. EBC is also due to release new Yellow-Stuff pads in a month or so, and I intend to switch to those. Although if StopTech comes out with Axxis Ult pads that'll fit, I'd opt for those instead. When I upgrade the lines, I'll switch all my brake fluid over to Motul RBF 600 synthetic.

• I plan to switch my engine oil over to Motul 300V, and I'll be draining my trans fluid and replacing it with Redline MT-90, and I'll also be draining my diff fluid and replacing it with Redline 75W90 Gear Oil. I'll probably do this all at around 5000 miles. Or maybe I'll just do it at 3000 miles. I haven't decided yet.

• I might add an oil cooler at some point. I'm leaning towards the ARC oil cooler.

• I also plan to do a tune. I haven't made a final decision on what to go with. I might try UpRev Osiris. I'm trying to decide between UpRev and Cobb. Cobb looks more convenient, but I have a sneaking suspicion that UpRev will give better results as you send in your ECU data and they send back a custom program to upload into your ECU based on the data you send them.

• Then I might save up for a set of Volks TE37 G2s. I plan to match them up with a set of Michelin PS2s. But that's some big bucks and I'm not sure if I can justify the expense in my head (which means I'll probably go ahead and do it in one of my many moments of fiscal irresponsibility).

• Last but not least, I'll slap on a set of fake chrome fender vents for a nice and classy finishing touch. No no, I'm just kidding! :wtf2:

I think that's pretty much all I have planned. With past cars, I've had a tendency to go a little too far with my mods and ended up having issues. So this time I plan to dial it back just a tad. And in all honesty, with the economy the way it is, I may just go into 'defensive mode' and sit on any extra money I have for a while, lest either my wife or I get laid off unexpectedly. I also have a handful of friends who have been hit pretty hard already. Some of them can't even tap into unemployment benefits for one reason or another. I just don't feel right about spending gobs of money on my car when I've got friends in dire need. I've already started to just give some of my money away to people who I care about, and might just step that up and put all further mods on the backburner. The air intake is a must-have, as is the switch-out of the lubricants. But everything else may go on hold.

That sounds great, thanks for posting. This will be my exhaust setup when I finally get around to buying the car. :D

:ohsnap1: ah ha..ha...haaaaaaa....

cant wait to see your dynos bro, ive got quite a bit of catching up to do...

lol...and ive still got 3 more months to even get in my z...

Very nice install. Sounds wonderful. :tup:

That sounds really good man.

I hear ya man. It's not lookin so good out there. I was kind of hesitant in ordering m Z because of that but I've had my damn Civic for 9 years, which I've grown tired of years ago. So it was time for a replacement...a nice replacement. ;) But yeah, because of the way the economy is, I dought that I'll be putting much into the Z, except for maybe tint and an aftermarket in-dash navi (I ordered the base model).

I agree that getting a set of Volks can be expensive so with that note why not continue to try to find a nice set of spacers. I know the first time around it wasn't a success but I'm sure there's a solution out there. Like you said in your other post, it seems like the only solution is to replace the stock studs with longer ones and get a set of spacers without studs.

I think the stock wheels are great....in fact, I think they're one of the best looking stock wheels out for any car, period. They just need to be pushed out a little further or Nissan should have made them a little wider to begin with. But whatever. Getting a set of spacers is another not-so-expensive mod that I might try to due and then perhaps a set of coilovers.


Anyways, again, good job with your car so far.

It sounds perfect! Thanks for posting the vids too.

More clips!
 

Okay folks, I have three more clips for your viewing pleasure, this time trying to give you guys a better idea of how this setup sounds from the outside. :tup:

First up -- Launch Clip.



Next up -- Drive-by Clip. (I got lucky on this one. At the beginning of the clip, right as my car comes into view, you'll see a white vehicle drive by in the opposite direction on the right side of the frame. That was a cop! A half-second later I come flying by in the opposite direction. Thankfully, he didn't give me any grief.)



Last but not least -- Synchro-Rev Match Clip. I thought it might be nice to have a clip where I'm downshifting as I drive by, so that you can hear what this setup does to the sound while the throttle is being blipped.



Oh btw guys, for all my efforts, I've gotten 1 measly rep pt. so far! hint hint ;)

Semtex... AWESOME clips.. Thanks for doing that work man!!! She sounds LOVELY!!!

Do you think as the exhaust ages it will get louder? Right now, it is just perfect!!! I think I may have been convinced to do the HFC thing....

I second that...great work. Looks and sounds awesome. :tup:

My MB Z is on order...so I have to check out all your pics and vids in the meantime. Keep 'em coming. :)

Dyno?
 

Semtex,
Great job on the sound clips, posts and install pointers. The combination sounds perfect. Do you have any plans to get a dyno done? It would be interesting to see a dyno before and after a tune with the combination (HFC + exhaust). I'm considering a similar setup but also includg a CAI, most likely the Stillen long tube.

Thanks :tup:

Wow! Great videos. That sounds amazing. Either that camera picks up the sound really well, or it is pretty loud, because on the drive by video, you can hear the car even when it's all the way down the road. Sounds great though.

Nice. VERY NICE. Thanks for the clips - very helpful.:yum:

Eventually. After the CAI and a tune. Possibly headers.

Nice work with the clips and whatnot. I'd love to see what your car puts down numbers wise.

Not bad of a sound. But I would prefer it to be louder.

It IS louder, quite a lot louder, actually. Bear in mind that I'm using a digital camera to record these. The microphone isn't the greatest. Think of the difference in how cars sound when you watch a race on TV vs. how it sounds if you actually go to the track. Hard to do the real-life sound justice.

I apologize if this has already been posted, but are the HFC street legal and meet emissions?