Darkmann

On my way to stage III, I have the JWT to deal with the intake and now I'm looking for a good exhaust system to go with it. The one requirement I have is that whatever system I get, I want to keep the dual tips on each muffler. I'm not a big fan of the single 3" intimidating outlets! I like the Monza, but looking at Stillen. Please chime in, thanks.

ZLover4Life

Specialty Z (LaBree) or bust.

http://specialtyz.com/catbacks.htm

http://www.conceptzperformance.com/C...776.221.95.168

The only exhaust systems I'd ever install on a Z32 are HKS Hi-Power or any Specialty Z. You don't like the aggressive look of the HKS Hi-Power, which only leaves Specialty Z.

Darkmann

Why's that?

NismoPick

Maybe because it's the only quality exhaust???? Just a thought...

Darkmann

Alright smartass, a little break here, this is my first time, but I get it!

ZLover4Life

Performance exhausts are made for the purpose of increasing performance. Thus, if you are going to buy a performance exhaust, it is best to buy the best performing performance exhaust. HKS Hi-Power is the best performing, Specialty Z 2.5" is a close second. These two exhaust systems have less bends than any other aftermarket system. HKS has slightly fewer bends.

3" SZ exhaust might be the equivalent to (or better than) the 2.5" HKS Hi-Power... but don't quote me on that as I don't have numbers. I only know there were gains with the 3" system over the 2.5" system and I know the 2.5" SZ system performed almost as well as the HKS system.

Goofyz

What Zlover doesn't say is even the two exhausts he mentions as the "best" aren't the "best".


If you look at the dyno charts with different exhausts on you will see different power curves. We'll call that 1.

All exhaust sound different and some resonate at typical driving speeds or between 2000-3000rpm. We'll call that 2.

Do you really like the look of a huge tailpipe of do you really like the traditional look of the dual dual exhaust tips. We'll call that 3.

Stainless steel is heavy and expensive, heavier than that crap that rusts out after a couple years We'll call that 4 and 5.




Now make a chart label it across Power/Noise/Looks/cost & durability
Now label it down all the top manufactures of Exhaust for the Z
HKS, LaBree, Borla, Etc, etc. Now, all you have to do is gather the info to fill in the charts which is pretty difficult cause no one website has all of them tested on the exact same car side by side. Give everything a rating of 1-10 and then total the rows (if you like noise put more noise as 10 and less as 1) If you are rich then disreguard cost.

Whatever exhaust comes out with a total closest to 50 is the right one for you. If there is a tie then flip a coin.

And before you chime in with "but I said performance" Performance involves all characteristics of the thing being tested. And yes looks and cost benifits are part of that.

ZLover4Life

LOL

HKS isn't stainless steel, so it's lightweight (4 years with my HKS system in Chicago and no rust, btw). SZ is has a stainless option, which is heavier. Both exhausts have less bends which translates to less piping than ANY competitor (simply put, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line), which means HKS and the SZ counterpart will both weigh less than any other option (less piping = less weight... following along?). Couple that with the highest horsepower gains resulting from them being the most free-flowing exhausts and what do we have? The two best performing exhausts on the market.

I hate having to break it down Barney-style. When I said "best performing," I meant it in every respect. Looks and cost have nothing to do with performance, btw.

Goofyz

If the only things that make an exhaust the best were the size of the pipe, the length of the pipe and the lack of bends then all that testing and research to make them better sure seems like a waste. According to your theory the best exhaust would come off the exhaust manifold at 0 angle and run right through the quarterpanel behind the tires. Its always a compromise between shape, length, and materials. And the HKS systems have less backpressure so lose power when not under boost, so they aren't perfect, you can see from the charts that they, in general, allow for higher max HP at higher revs but less at lower revs. They are also louder than most of the other exhausts.

as far as looks and cost.....Do you get just as much performance out of an ugly broke girlfriend? I prefer a rich, good looking one myself.

snwbrderphat540

............. most typo's i've EVER seen you make in one post. im loosing faith


also, performance, is... yeah performance, so weight and power is it. looks is asthetics and cost is economic. not in the same class imho.

b300z

why do you still call the SZ exhaust labrees?

ZLover4Life

Because LaBree still sells the exhaust design (and since it's advertised as LaBree on Concept Z, I assume he's selling LaBree's version).

And Eric, where are these typos? I made the post at 3:54am... but Firefox didn't notify me of any typos then and it's still not now.

ZLover4Life

:::sigh:::
What do you think race cars do? Cars that are built for pure performance do exactly that.

Are you aware that there has been no scientific evidence to suggest that turbocharged cars require any backpressure beyond what the turbocharger itself provides? Have you ever seen a turbocharger in person? They provide PLENTY of backpressure in themselves. Additionally, if there were a power loss when not under boost (which you have no proof of), I'd point out that it's irrelevant to the subject. We don't dyno or race TT Z32's without boosting.

If you're going to argue that backpressure is necessary, come back with some evidence suggesting that ("authoritative" figure's opinions aren't evidence, fyi) and I'll argue with that. Because arguing against an invalid point is ridiculous.

Have you ever been in the presence of a Z32TT with an HKS Hi-Power exhaust? I think not. My Hi-Power is quieter at idle and under 3k rpm (and not as raspy as) than just about any other exhaust I've ever seen. That includes GReddy, Stillen, Borla, Blitz, etc (keep in mind, I worked at Ultimate Z - I've heard just about every aftermarket exhaust). The HKS Hi-Power also does not resonate in the cabin NEARLY as much as other exhaust systems. The only exhausts that were quieter were the JWT Genie and HKS Turbo, and that's because they were designed to be quiet.

snwbrderphat540

and i thought i saw at least one more... i guess i was a little crazy. it wasnt "Bad" by any means i just thought it out of the norm for your usually very properly spelled and gramatically correct sentences.

NismoPick

Did you know that "i" when referring to yourself is CAPITALIZED? You would say: "I thought I saw..." not "i thought i saw..."

b300z

i was/am under the impression that SZ made the original and LaBree copied it/produced it similarly to sell as their own, especially after SZ started using another company.

ZLover4Life

No, Specialty Z originally contracted LaBree to produce the exhaust to their specifications. Specialty Z then separated from LaBree (I don't know if they found a cheaper producer or if they make their own right now), and LaBree continued making the exhausts that Specialty Z designed.

And Eric... one typo may make it among the most grammatical mistakes I've allowed. lol I proof read several times before submitting, and even review afterwards (often editing to fix it, which I just did).

Darkmann

THis is good, very very gooood!

Goofyz

"For turbocharged applications, the large and smooth exhaust flow allows greater exhaust velocity for better mid-range boost response and high-RPM power. Naturally aspirated vehicles also benefit from greater exhaust flow capacity as engine tuning levels increase" -HKS

That's quoted from the HKS website, there are dyno charts that show that yes HKS provides better power at high RPM and as far as better boost response in mid range due to higher pressure difference from turbo to exhaust, I'm sure that's true too. But they actually lose power below 3krpm. Some of the other exhausts while not as "peaky" as the HKS show a gain in lower rpm where the HKS doesn't.

You asked if I actually heard the HKS hi-power exhaust, the answer is yes. My neighbor has one on his Z, I have the Borla, mine is quieter. Though I'm sure he is getting at least 1hp more at 7000 rpm due to it having straighter pipes. If that is more performance than I'd have to agree with you.

And as far as classifying performace so strictly as weight and power you really are leaving out a big part of performance and that is efficientcy. Also the manner in which something performs is encapsulated in the word performance and that includes aesthetics.

Structural Engineers have a saying "if the answer to the problem isn't elegant in its design then it is probably flawed"

That's probably why personally, I don't care for the HKS exhaust its large and grotesque. Less bends, maybe, but its ugly and it sticks down lower than most other exhaust at the bottom of the muffler. If you define performance as peak power sacrificing everything else than by all means go with the HKS hi-power. If you bought your Z cause at least a small part of you thought it looked good than maybe your choice for exhaust shouldn't be based around so narrow a definition of performance.

91zxtt

Wow....I can't believe that anyone would be foolish enough to argue Z-car performance facts with Zlover. The HKS hi-power is the best performing exhaust on the market and it has been proven time and time again. The fact that you don't like how it looks doesn't mean squat. Considering that most of the time we drive these cars we are above 3k rpms, who really cares what happens below there.

Performance is based strictly on power and weight. The aesthetics, i.e. how something looks are more about personal preference than anything else. How something looks has nothing to do with performance.

For what it's worth, I don't like how the HKS system looks either. I have had has the Stillen dual tip system for 10 years and prefer it's appearance over the HKS, but I'm not arguing that it out-performs the HKS. That would just be ridiculous.

bardabe

and that is exactly why im saving up for the HKS Carbon Ti.

entropy31

so you can decrease performance by going to a single exhaust!

Goofyz

91zxtt,
Me and Zlover were just having a discussion about more than anything else, the definition of performance. Take a little time and look it up in a dictionary and perhaps you could see it my way, you might not agree but you could perhaps see where I am coming from.HKS uses it as a buzzword, its an advertising trick, like anything else someone is trying to sell you. I actually like the Labree/SPZ exhaust. I think it looks good, seems durable and gives you good return for your money, so it would score pretty high on my performance meter.

But if you re-read the discussion Zlover and I had you will see that both of us agree that HKS Hi-power isn't the best exhaust. A straight pipe out of the exhaust manifold would probably give you more power. You can get that done at a muffler shop for 150$ + cost of the pipe. But its ugly and probably illegal in most states for a registered car.

If you stick to such a narrow definition of performance you would in theory pick an exhaust that when rev'd up sounds like someone saying "I'm an *******" as long as it meant you were getting more HP out of it than the other guy. Do you really want to be that guy?

and seriously most of the time you drive your car you are over 3000rpm? You mean you don't use 5th gear on the highway and keep it in 2nd in town? You must like to pay 4.00$ for gas.

b300z

i believe he is talking about where our cars perform.

but i did drive around above 3k a lot because i loved to drive my Z. i wasnt going to let the price of gas ruin all of my fun.

bardabe

Nope going from the Dual 2.5" test pipes to a sinlge 3" pipe. if it flows enough for my Friends GT2530 RB26 thaen It'll flow enough for my needs.