stillen exhaust.....review.... :/
 

just installed the stillen CBE and berk HFC. the cats went on without issue, fairly easy.


the CBE install went good as well. not sure why so many issues with it...... have about 1/4 clearance above the crossmember.

what i am not happy with is the sound. there is the audible hiss at about 2k rpm. its almost embarrassing. low throttle is sounds pretty "clean" and at WOT it sound ok, but at partial throttle is almost sounds broken. i checked for leaks, and there is none. at partial throttle is cracks, and sounds like my old tacoma 4.0 V6 with no cats, and a muffler leak.

unsure if i want to keep it, or sell it and wait for something that sounds like it belongs on a 40k car.

also, the tips....... they really made my 16 yr old that drives an old beat up honda jealous. do they really need to be that big, and stick out that far? common guys.......:confused:

edit- also, for those curious on install times, it took about 2.5 hours using a pair of jack stands in the front in the driveway. anyone with a few tools and mechanical ability shouldnt have any issues.

I noticed too that the tail pipes sticking out too far. They do not flow with rear bumber however the HP gain is awesome.

currently debating if i want to cut them off and reposition them...

I'm glad your install went well, you're the second one I've seen post a successful install without crossmember clearance now, and that's after Stillen said they made some changes to make it easier to install, so those seem to be working well.

I kinda like the hiss so long as it doesn't indicate any kind of problem, which apparently it doesn't. This evening I'm going to get some video of mine for sound comparison again now that I really know I don't have any leaks, and what a non-leaking non-rattling setup should sound like, then you can compare to what you're hearing and verify to some degree.

after closer inspection, i do not think it is the exhaust. if you open the hood, you can VERY clearly hear the noise coming from the engine. if i had to guess, its the engine closing the throttle bodies for some reason (idle?) also, after several revs and listening, the sound is very mechanical sounding, like a valve is shutting, and it is at the same rpm every time. i think you can just HEAR the noise now, and that the stock exhaust covers it up. :tup:

Oh I have lots of odd sounds up front now. Between the exhaust and the intake upgrades, all the little noises the factory tries to silence start becoming a lot more noticeable. Nothing to worry about really, and the exhaust will drown it out quickly when driving :)

Yeah, honestly, I think the problems that the STILLEN is having are "problems" that every other exhaust system will have for this car. We just don't really know yet because no one has any other aggressive CBE on their car.

Kinda makes sense now that the CBE alone produced 20WHP on my car....because they used it to kill all those crazy sounds...

Wow! the CBE alone made 20whp! I was gunna skip the CBE, guess not.

would that affect sound?

Actually, arcticreaver installed the Invidia Q300 exhaust on his Z, and guess what? Tons of hiss. You can hear it on his vid clip. So I think we do in fact know.

Link to vid clip: http://www.the370z.com/intake-exhaus...html#post66366

As for the tips sticking out, look at how much the tips of the Invidia stick out, then complain about the Stillen tips.

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/u...invidia001.jpg

http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/u...invidia002.jpg

Well that backs up my point... maybe it has something to do with the VVEL?

I don't know. To be honest, with all the whining on this forum about noise from exhaust upgrades I'm beginning to wonder if we have a bunch of first-time noob modders on here. My 350Z had a hiss when I put resonated test pipes on. And it was a hiss, not a rasp. Like it had some rasp as well, but I can tell the difference between hiss and rasp (and I happen to actually like both, in moderate doses). When I put the HFCs and CBE on my car and heard that hiss, it put a smile on my face, not a frown. On and I've seen people complaining that after they installed HFCs and a CBE, the exhaust is loud. Well duhhhhh!!! What do people expect?

i believe the invidia tip is adjustable
as far as the hiss lou from amplified(whos shop works on Z's and G's) said that the hiss was common on the G37s as well so most likely it might be the engine
but i will have him check mine again maybe next week just to make sure its not anything else

im more relieve finding out the hiss is normal
but all i want right now is an actual fix on how to bolt the exhaust correctly so it doesnt sit on the crossmember
i hear it rattle everytime the car flexes

i dont get why the stillen reps wont just post a detailed step by step w/pics on how to install there product correctly :(

What's a "noob?" ;)

I agree, frankly I'm tired of hearing people bitch about sounds they weren't expecting to hear. This isn't F1, companies don't have multi-million dollar budgets to test out whether the exhaust has a slight hiss when you let off the throttle. When you add an exhaust that isnt STOCK, you are bound to get some sort of sideeffect you weren't expecting. Rattling, fitment, hissing, etc. It's going to happen folks. Feel lucky when it doesn't.

The tips on the Stillen sticking out so far is what is keeping me from pulling the trigger.. they look mis-measured and unpolished sticking out.. They should be form flowing just like the stock pipes in my opinion.. If Stillen purposely wanted them to stick out, then I guess it was to keep them from burning/staining your bumper from soot.

So, I just want to make sure we're on the same page here. This is what everyone is calling 'sticking out'? Seriously? This is keeping you from buying the exhaust? This has you turning your back on an instant gain of +18whp?

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

http://www.the370z.com/members/semte...8-p1000735.jpg

http://www.the370z.com/members/semte...1-p1000738.jpg

I'm sure you're a huge advocate for Stillen products but i'm also sure you realize they aren't going to be the only CBE maker with +18 whp either. I expect many other makes to make the exact horsepower, perhaps more, and for less money, and probably lighter soon enough. So no, i'm not turning my back on 18 whp, I want something a bit more polished for $1500+.

I'm not knocking Stillen's quality, but they were one of the early folks to get in the game and I can only expect better things to come from Stillen (future versions of the CBE) and other tuner companies.

And your tips actually look even (the way they should) to me.. all the other photos look like the tips are sticking too far out from the bumper.

Diversion,

You might have seen tips from early photographs by Stillen. Contact Stillen regarding the pictures you've seen to learn whether they are current.

P.S. Semtex, can you please trim the hedge just outside of your garage? Thanks. ;)

The video clip located on the Stillen website shows that the top of the tip is not lined up with the edge of the muffer cut out in the bumper like Semtex shows..

STILLEN : STILLEN 370Z Dual Exhaust System

Stillen only had that Z for one day so I doubt that they are representative for current production as that was the prototype exhaust, Josh or Kyle will hopefully pipe-up here on matters. When Stillen first released their exhaust there was a great deal of discussion on the "looks and length" of the their tips. Call Stillen as they will take the time to speak with you and are very cordial in addressing all your needs; email is the same way.

just wanted to chime in on the hissing sound. talked to Lou at Amplified about it, well, through PM, and he told me that it was pretty normally and that not just Invidia exhaust had the hiss but basically all exhausts they installed had the hissing sound. he said it was due to the flex pipe and back pressure. not sure if that's any help or not.

and as for the Invidia exhaust - yes, personally i think they stick out a bit too much. but i believe it's them just trying to show the titanium tips and the design of the tips.

i actually hit up Minicobra1 and he helped me adjust the tips all the way in. here is what that looks like -

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3333/...2165bbfd_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3298/...f0d36024_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3400/...e56256b0_b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3601/...9f29664b_b.jpg

note - this is as far as they go in.

arcticreaver,

Nothing a Sawzall and a good grinder can't take care of!

hehe right now i'm pretty fine with the fact that they stick out a bit. but later on, i'll see to it that it gets adjusted.

also regarding the hissing sound, yeah i'm a noob to the car world so when i heard that sound, i was pretty worried. i think most people here would just be happy knowing that the hissing sound is normal. but they should probably ask the manufactures. i did, and now i'm resting and sleeping well at night.

With the exhaust sticking out, it is more likely that the bumper could possibly get burnt from the exhaust fumes?

Artic that doesn't look that bad man. I would keep it :)

Good thing you can't see the wax myrtles next to my garage right now .................. where is my new landscaper? :rofl2:

John

I also wonder if the cats make any difference to how far the tips stick out. Stillen bolted their exhaust up to the stock cats, while I bolted mine up to Berk HFCs. In fact, I wonder if this has any bearing on the crossmember fitment issue.

Also, Diversion -- it's not so much that I'm a huge advocate for Stillen products, I'm just really impatient is all. ;) In other words, I went with Stillen because they were first to market with a CBE showing decent gains for a decent price and I had/have the modding bug real bad. I'm actually keeping my eye on Berk's CBE, which is in development. I have a sneaking suspicion I'm going to jump ship over to Berk when they release their CBE. I doubt anyone will be able to top Stillen's G3 intake though.

LOL. This will probably make you cringe, Mr. Homeowners Association, but I actually spray diluted Roundup on my lawn to keep it from growing too much. I hate yard work. The browner, the better.

Major rep point for gardening techniques! :icon18: :tup:

I would think that it would be less likely, not more likely, because the exhaust gasses are exiting further away from the bumper cover.

^ that's what I'm thinking.

Yes its a common practice in the racing world to extend the exhaust to avoid getting soot and flames on your bumper.

I also was thinking the same thing.. wondering if the Berk HFCs are shorter than OEM/Stillen's? I need to find a rear shot of RCZ's car and see what his tips look like to confirm.. I hear you on the modding bug, and trust me, I appreciate all the time, money, sweat and dyno time you've provided for all of us here.. I'm just trying to be a little more patient and see what other companies come up with and hope more people can provide personal dynoes and experiences! :tiphat:

There are some shots of RCZ's rear here: http://www.the370z.com/intake-exhaus...html#post70339

Edit: *sigh* That came out wrong, didn't it? :wtf2:

Haha no comment

Lol.. well it looks to me like his tips are sitting out further than yours do.. That might mean Stillen's HFCs are a little longer than Berk HFCs.

maybe but only slightly, theres only so much room you can move the exhaust back and forth because of the hangers....

WAA! I want performace but I also dont want to give anything up by wanting MORE performance! Ok you hear a little hiss, or the motor sounds louder than it used to. Lets see these cars are Brand new. Anyone have more than 5K on theirs yet? With that being said over time you would notice the engine and other components sound a little different as the motor gets broken in.

I look at things as a slider scale. When you buy the car everything is at 5. The car performance, engine sound etc. So if you upgrade something and make the performace of the vehicle a 6, your engine sound is going to be brought down to a 4.

So what is it that you really want? A nice comfy luxury sports car? Or a higher performace vehicle and sacrifice some creature comforts like "road noise" or a slight engine hiss at 2500-5000 RPM.

I remember having an intake on a civic SI back in the day that sucked air into the motor so hard when it shifted people swore up and down I had the thing tubroed.

/endrant