R34 Exhaust - My Experience

[lindz34]

Hey guys,

Been on SAU for a while but never had much to contribute until now !

Im guesing majority of us N/A-ers are P-platers so we're pretty restricted when it comes to mods plus the fact that it really isnt worth the money on an N/A.

But if you're like me, im guessing you want a pretty sweet sounding car while on your Pull me over plates

Did a bit of research when i was looking at what kind of exhaust to go with, pretty much came to the conclusion that headers/extractors are a waste of money when ill be buying a turbo as soon as i get off my P's.

For the gains received it really isn't that worth it for the money.

So my decision was to just go with a cat back.

Due to the fact i work in the city and have bitchy neighbours, decided to go with a varex rear muffler - keeps the neighbours happy and i don't have to listen to a constant "boaaaaaarrr" every morning at 7am on the freeway !

I chose the twin tip oval muffler - mainly for stealth reasons.

plus i preferred the sound of the oval muffler over the cannon anyway

I got my work done at "Kreative Exhaust" in Rowville, who i highly recommend, could have gotten cheaper elsewhere but the quality of work is just awesome !

When i picked my car up i'd had 2.5" mild steel mandrel bent piping made up from the cat going into the varex - no centre muffler.

biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig mistake, if you want your RB to sound like a commodore then by all means go ahead and remove the centre muffler !

when the varex was open the thing had the ugliest scream on it, raspy/crackly - just disgusting haha

with the valve closed it was droney but quiet enough (thank god) for me to drive around for a week until i could get it fixed !

a week later i had Richard at Kreative Exhaust fit a centre muffler, the plan was to fit the biggest possible muffler, and seeing as the r34 has the same floor plan as an s15, Richard told me he may only be able to fit a hot dog because of the lack of space.

In the end he managed to fit a small 8" x 4" straight through centre muffler

Now it has the sweet RB note coming through with the varex open, no raspiness and the perfect volume.

on closed its quieter than stock.

All up it cost me $500 for the varex, $600 for the rest of the exhaust to be custom made, mig welded and the varex wired up & another $145 to have a centre muffler fitted.

In regards to power gains, hard to tell, but the car feels a lot more responsive than stock.

So if you're looking for an exhaust system and can't decide on what to go with - i hope this helps.

Believe me this set-up sounds awesome !

[niZmO_Man]

Centre muffler or resonator does help a lot for the sound, as you found gets rid of the shitty raspy noise.

My R31 is a simple catback and it sounds mean, I had a proper oval type resonator fitted and a 'sports' rear muffler.

My R32 GT-R has some shitty barely there hotdog resonator and a half decent rear muffler, I rekon my R31 sounds better.

[lindz34]

Haha so true, i honestly was embarassed to drive it when it sounded like that - quality mufflers = quality sound !

[Hybrid905]

Possible to get a vid or audio clip up of how it sounds :-)

Edited January 24, 2011 by Hybrid905

[TurboDoseBro]

Vid would be nice

Any difference in power / feel with and without hotdog?

[lindz34]

I'll try and get a vid up sometime this week

to be honest it felt like ass without the centre muffler, sluggish down low, not much mid range, better right at the end of the rev range though.

with the centre muffler it feels a lot more responsive the whole way through and a meatier mid range - the good stuff

[TurboDoseBro]

What brand of hotdog / centre muffler would you recommend? I'm looking to get one some time soon as well.

[lindz34]

magnaflow mate, not sure who else makes that size muffler for a decent price

[Mohsen]

Nice, can you uPload a vid of it revving a bit? Tossing up myself between straight pipes from the catback or a jap system for my next na

[Ten Four]

Yeh vid. Keen to hear other RB25DEs with exhausts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1eFadMhado

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PqjCTMHXAI

R33 GTS4 with some random exhaust (catback). I'm a big fan of the rasp, don't know about the rest of you though. Very very different when compared to the GTR.

Edited February 23, 2011 by Ten Four

[Ten Four]

This is the best sounding RB25DE I've ever heard though:

Edited February 23, 2011 by Ten Four

[zebra]

Not trying to start a fight here.

But Varex mufflers are the most expensive POS ever...actually same can be said for ANY X-force product.

A real muffler and not some made in china pos with a flappy valve thing would have sounded so much better without the need for a centre muffler.

Things like Remus/Borla/Hooker/Magnaflow etc are properly designed to flow and quieten rather than just be a tin can with some perforated tube badly welded in the centre.

So while some of those brands are expensive (the hooker aerochamber is only $100 bucks) would be cheper than the Varex and would have saved you needing to buy a 2nd muffler.

Not bagging you car at all just a tip for young players.

Also note the Varex/other flappy exhaust things are illegal as it wasnt fitted OEM

[TurboDoseBro]

Well actually I do have a Remus cannon with no centre muffler. I'm really half way between getting a centre muffler or just leaving it. It sounds quite good at the moment (in my opinion ofcourse) and somehow got quieter over time so I will probably end up leaving it like this. Probably post some vids if anyones interested.

Edited February 24, 2011 by TyresBro

[zebra]

I don't count cannons as mufflers...rather just an over grown hot dog.

Intersted to hear it though

[MBS206]

I don't count cannons as mufflers...rather just an over grown hot dog.

Intersted to hear it though

Oi, I has a canon! Made my car sound awesome...

Mind you it was f**king huge bodied, built quite right, and ran 3"in, and 3" out...

[lindz34]

Not trying to start a fight here.

But Varex mufflers are the most expensive POS ever...actually same can be said for ANY X-force product.

A real muffler and not some made in china pos with a flappy valve thing would have sounded so much better without the need for a centre muffler.

Things like Remus/Borla/Hooker/Magnaflow etc are properly designed to flow and quieten rather than just be a tin can with some perforated tube badly welded in the centre.

So while some of those brands are expensive (the hooker aerochamber is only $100 bucks) would be cheper than the Varex and would have saved you needing to buy a 2nd muffler.

Not bagging you car at all just a tip for young players.

Also note the Varex/other flappy exhaust things are illegal as it wasnt fitted OEM

lol so many varex haters around.

they actually sound good imo, and like you said when you posted this exact post in another exhaust thread - you've never had one.....

if i ran no centre muffler and a rear muffler of a brand you suggested, then i'd have a similar loudness to what i have with the varex open, the reason i and everyone buy a varex is so you do have the ability to switch the thing off.

i know you're just giving you're opinion but if you've never used the product why hate on it?

tin can with preforated tube and a "flappy valve thing" ?

come on pal, ease up !

i've been meaning to get a vid up but never gotten round to it haha

so ill try my best to get it done before i go away, will be iphone4 quality though !

[kaitoukid]

Hey mate, you wouldn't happen to drive a white R34 with jdmst sticker on the left hand side rear quarter window, would you?

[bozodos]

he's right though, xforce is overpriced chinese shit, and those varex mufflers are illegal.

get a second hand JDM catback with twin mufflers (cause unrestricted N/As sound like aids)

[G0DZLR]

best sounding NA RB iv heard has to be this guys -

yes its and RB30 bottom end, but jeez.

[TurboDoseBro]

This is a video of my old 3" cat back from the turbo model (no mid muffler). Now have 2.5" with different muffler and sounds slightly different.

Excuse my 'mechanic' uniform. LOL. Was working on coolant.

Edited March 23, 2011 by TyresBro