I'm pretty disappointed with my exhaust setup that I've been spending a lot of time and money on. Mods include: custom intake (see https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-performance-parts-modifications-112/diy-cai-569702/) , K&N air filter, RV6 J-pipe and a State III exhaust with Dynomax resonator. I've also removed the negative battery terminal (for about 20 seconds) hoping that would reset the ECU.

My problem is that in the 3k range (or lower when the engine is cold) I get this terrible, hideous crap sound that I would expect to hear coming out of a 1992 Honda Civic (no offense to anyone with 92' Civics) with one of those cheapo coffee can mufflers. I'm embarrassed to drive my 2008 Type-S because of it.

I've check all around and there are no exhaust leaks that I can find. The only thing that worries me is the RV6 J-pipe. The flange holes that bolt to the cat-back system are GINORMOUS. I mean I could put 1/2" bolts through them. The bolts that are used by the factory are much smaller. Not a lot but enough. I don't know if I am leaking exhaust here or not.

Within a couple of weeks I will be receiving my Excelerate exhaust with res so maybe that will take care of my problems now.

However, has anyone else had this problem? Does something need to be broken in? Man but it's a horrible sound.....

 

20 secs? Try 10 mins... Or search the reset on/off sequence with the ignition.

 

Don't do stage mods. Simple. Lol

 

so....you have rasp and then you got the exhaust with no res?

sorry, but you'll need to add a res.

 

he's getting a resonated xlr8 exhaust.

 

dammmnit, I cannot read today.

 

What do you mean by stage mods? Stage mods as in jury-rigging (so to speak) a poor man's exhaust system by doing the mid-muffler delete and adding on a different resonator (Magnaflow or Dynomax).

At any rate, I heard back from Excelerate yesterday and they said I'll be getting a tracking number sometime next week. Can't wait!

Sooooo....basically, now I will have the works. PCD's, J-pipe and Excelerate exhaust with res. I sincerely hope this sounds better! With I had some sound clips of TL-S's with this setup. I tried YouTube but came up short.

 

To be honest with you I'm not even sure what a "rasp" sounds like. I'm just assuming it sounds like $hit. Basically it sounds like a dirt bike around 3k and is annoying as hell. Anyone ever played ATV Off Road Fury 2 on the PS2 system? Man, almost sounds like one of those four wheeler's. Something is wrong somewhere with the current setup. Again though, hopefully the Excelerate exhaust will make a difference.

Also worth noting.......I never had this sound until I put on the RV6 J-pipe last weekend. It is the J-pipe that eliminates the 3rd cat. I like the power increase but with my current setup it's painful on the ears.....

 

Because you did the stage III mod, thats where you're getting the rasp.
the new exhaust, with the resonator should take care of you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4T0kE5qaO0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmvGy7a1amw

here's what rasp sounds like...
my setup RV6 V3 PCD's-->RV6 V3 Jpipe--> stock exhaust.

 

i have an 07 tl-s with aemV2/V3pcd's/V3jpipe/XLR8 res quads and and it sounds like sex.

you'll like the way it sounds.

 

I've got a big old grin on my face now. I can't wait to get this whole thing put together. As we say in the military: Outstanding.

 

Yep, that's the sound in the first clip. Thanks for the YouTube vids. Appreciated!

 

LOL @ the pic by sharky....

OP wait a week (until you get the exhaust) and you should be good....

post some vids up of before/after

 

I'm not going to fix my rasp until I dedicate enough money to a catback.
I enjoy the sound of being annoying.

 

Lol...i fixed mine!...whats a good catback that your thinking about getting?; it would increase flow and get more power out of the PCD's right?...

 

yes,I'm going custom.

 

^^^ Ya was thinking the same ^^^

 

^ther is a lot of great info on this site for going custom.
Swoosh, Sonnick, I hate cars, anx1300, opel all have great threads and post about whats best for the TL

 

LOL i know what you mean....dont cheap out when going custom is 1 thing i have learnt....glad you are saving for the custom....

Any catback will work....the best or the worst exhaust will give you a difference of only ~10hp...it depends which route you wanna go....

Yesssss....when do you expect to get it ?

 

^other things in life is taking a priority.
my car will sound annoying for at least a couple of years.
Hell, I got used to the sound. It doesnt bother me

 

i feel you man....i got the exhaust tips in almost 2 years back....and now finally getting my exhaust....

 

ive never wanted to get exhaust from the very beginning; and honestly wished my car sounded like it did when it was just mm delete only(but im alright with it and people seem to like it?)... but if i could get a little more power out of it and get it to sound on point; then im kinda considering it...my current setup is V2 PCD's; V1 jpipe;?3rd cat delete;oem resonator; magnaflow 18'' resonator;mm delete;oem mufflers...since its from cat back it would be no more than just getting maybe a little bigger piping welded on like 2.75''~3'' split to like 2.5 from a Y;and just weld on two mufflers of my choice???...so what do i do just judt get rid of all te resonators and mufflers in between and solely rely on the two mufflers that i choose to give me power and good sound?...thats the part i kinda dont understand(why dont i just cut it from the j~pipe tips?)...i searched and read some but not sure what i wanna do or really whats best; maybe on of yall can post a link that yall think is good or maybe opinion of two mufflers? i think all the op needed was a magnaflow resonator in line with everything else but glad to see he's going the right route and not just masking the problem...maybe if someone can elaborate just a little? only asking because this thread is called Tin Can Exhaust...Thanks...

 

^^^ Well written coz Paragraphs give me headaches

 

So does that mean you can't help out by posting a link or some knowledge?... I didn't want it to seem longer I hate reading but write a lot...

 

So you have PCD's and thinking of getting a Jpipe ?

If so why dont you have a Jpipe/cat back custom fabricated....I would go no bigger than 3" for the down pipe....that split off to 2 x 2.5" and to mufflers and tips...I would also dump the stock resonator and mid muffler and get a long 18-22" long resonator to shut the rasp from the PCD's....

 

I have pcd' s ~j pipe/3rd cat delete~ stock resonator 18" magnaflow resonator ~ mm delete ~& stock mufflers all with stock piping... What its best for me to do for more power?... Bigger piping along with some new mufflers?... Thanks for the help...

 

mufflers dont help in gaining power....

you will have to go bigger piping....and ditch the stock piping....also where you plan on splitting look into soft splits....merges and splits kill the exhaust performance....

 

Thanks your help didnt want to have to replace oem mufflers if I didn't have to cz of custom tips... So imna basically just replace piping & use a good down step Y... that helps...

 

UPDATE: 02 Sensor problem

I received my XCLR8 exhaust today from UPS. All I have to say is wow...beautiful. Amazing craftsmanship and, I know this sounds kind of dumb, but very high quality clamps. The clamps really impressed me. Surprised there were not flanges though like stock but whatever as it obviously works.

I haven't installed it yet because I'm working on the PCD project. I just spent the last four hours ripping them out. I can't feel my knees from sitting on top of the damn engine trying to get the back pre-cat out. I have battle wounds everywhere.

Before I begin to install the RV6 PCD's I wanted to know what happens if....you....ACCIDENTALLY...*cough*...touch an 02 sensor...

Ok, I did it. I'm not pleading the 5th. I touched the 02 sensor. I feel stupid for doing so but man it's so damn hard moving around trying to get those cat's out it was almost inevitable that I did it. Is there anything I should do? Is there a way to get my grubby fingers off from them? I was thinking of a very, very light flame from a blow torch to possibly burn off any residue I may have left on there.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm pretty much stuck going nowhere at this point until I find out. I don't want to have to take them all apart again later---or spend $480 for new Denso sensors.

Thanks in advance.

 

i took the rear cat out from the bottom.
i had a tough time, but i suspect it would be a little easier, no?

as far as the 02 sensor, try them out first.
if it throws a CEL, buy another 02 sensor and replace.

 

Actually, that's exactly what I did. I first took off the heat shield that surrounds the axle and then took off the heat shield that surrounds the stock cat. Then I pulled it out from the bottom. Of course, this was after I took off the strut brace and what not so I had easier access.

I have to admit though, I'm kind of scared to put all of this back together just to cross my fingers that a CEL doesn't come on. That kind of sucks...

In case there is a worst case scenario, do you know of the Denso part number for the sensors? I'm just going to say screw it and throw in all four. I'm a fire and forget kind of guy. I blame it on the military.

Thanks for your help and quick response.

 

So you have custom tips and any shop can replace the mufflers and leave the tips intact...the reason i say is coz the stop piping is very small (mufflers are 2.25" in-out)....I would suggest 2.5" in out....so change of mufflers is recommended....my

The temp in the cats is hot enough to burn of any residue from your fingers....remember the defoulers go in the bottom...hope you installed the defoulers....You shouldnt have CEL....

mine came out from the top....had to wiggle and wiggle for it to come out....come to think about it if you take the manifold out the rear cat becomes a piece of cake

I was running with CEL for a while since I installed the defouler on the top ....and didnt have time to tackle this....later I went ahead and switched the defouler and reset the ECU....everything was perfect after that

 

That's too funny. I appreciate the feedback from all of you, seriously. It's back to the garage for me now.......

 

^^^ good luck i was up until like 1am when i finished... F that rear cat!!! been there done that; & it sucked... sounds like your almost done...you should reset the ecu before turning the car on... i had a cell light turn after like an hour; i removed the battery power for 20mn the light came back on 3 days later so i did an ecu reset & im good^^^

 

I finished up the exhaust today: twice. The good thing is the there was no CEL at all. Evidently my touching the O2 sensor didn't affect anything.

XLR8 called me last week and said if I wanted the non-res version b/c the res version was going to be a while longer. I went for it. Excellent shipping as it arrived 1 day later via UPS.

After installing it today I took the TLS out for a spin. The exhaust was crazy loud. I guess that's what one expects from a non-res setup. It was waaaay to ricey for the TL IMHO. Some people may disagree but I find there is a difficult fine line to find with keeping the TL classy and refined but sounding just perfect. I've never had a Japanese car before, mostly European cars and a few American trucks and have never had such a hard time fine-tuning an exhaust to where I want it.

At any rate, the non-res was NOT where I wanted it. So much for SS. I took out my DeWalt metal chop-saw and took out roughly 18" of the mid-pipe. I had a new Magnaflow res left over from when I bought my RV6 PCD's and J-pipe that they had given me for free as a promo. I installed that just now and wow what a difference.

I'm very close now to where I want it in terms of sound. I think I may put the stock intake resonator back in and remove my CAI. The CAI has produced negligable if not dubious HP gains anyway, doing more to create noise than anything else. Once putting the stock intake in I'll try both a K&N filter for the stock box and the OEM air filter and see what I get for sound.

Once I get it up I'll post some vids. It's pretty slick right now but I know I can get a better sound out of it. SO...to sum up where I am now:

RV6 J-pipe, RV6 pre-cat deletes, XLR8 FPIM-0175 non-res exhaust modified to include a Magnaflow resonator.

The cool thing is that I can keep swapping around resonators until I find something I like. I have plenty of options to get the sound where I want it; which is just where I like it!

 

^This guy gets it!
congrats!!!

 

Congrats OP......post some vids up !!!

 

Disclaimer! Several subjective opinions to follow!! :

So, after all this time I've finally come to the conclusion that the best solution is OPTIONS. If you want to race, have a race setup. That means my XLR8 non-res setup with RV6 J-Pipe and PCD's. No Cats. Sorry Earth, but I'll be good for at least one day of the year when I go for inspection. I guess this is why people hate Americans, among several other reasons...

Anyhow, I'm disappointed with the RV6 J-Pipe I ordered. It's not the pipe itself, its quality or craftsmanship, its power...its its the damn racket it creates. It simply sounds too ricey. I don't even remember how much I spent but I really don't care. It's simply going to sit on a shelf. This is a TL and I don't want it sounding ricey, I want it sounding sexy.

As you can tell, we've entered the subjective part of the conversation. Who, or what, defines sexy? Or ricey? Decibels? Friends? Girlfriends? Wives? Cops? Work? Yeah...try driving through where I work at a hospital with my non-res setup and I've got every doc looking at me like Win The Future man, why don't you just drive your Porsche? Point is, the Porsche is a PITA. If you like to spend money, LOTS of money, more money than you can imagine and then add even MORE to that, buy a late-80's Porsche. Anyway, I'm getting off subject. Point is, I want it to sound elegant, sexy, and when I want it to howl I want it to howl like a bitch in heat. I mean it. That's what V-Tech is all about IMHO when it comes to sound and setting aside all engineering aspects.

So why is it I don't like the RV6 J-pipe? Well, lack of options! It's my fault. I must have ordered it incorrectly or something, I don't know. When I got it the first things I said was F**K My Life, this thing has a full cat delete. Yes, I probably should have sent it back, but hell, I had the flu like all of us have. The flu that can only be cured by relieving our insatiable desire for power and curiosity. So on it went. With that, my non-res XLR8 RVCII (or something to that effect), and PCD's it was LOUD. Holy Mother of God loud. For me, in my neighborhood...LOUD. Some people say it sounds like a Gallardo. I agree at WOT. But at low throttle it's WTF. Sorry, but this is only cool for race-day for me.

In comes the options. As mentioned in a previous post I took my chop saw to the $1050 XLR8 exhaust with no reservations. Bam, there goes 18.5" and in went a Magnaflow resonator. Still too loud. Bam, chop saw time. There goes what little pipe I had left and in went a Dynomax resonator. Much better, but still not good enough. However, at this point I had a professional weld the dissimilar metals together (stainless steel of the exhaust to the mild carbon steel of the resonators) in spectacular fashion. That's my second option---feeling young option (thought I'm only 33; but I am married so I feel kind of old...my wife doesn't read these posts so I can get away with it).

Third option? Spend more money. That means convincing my wife I need yet ANOTHER J-pipe (from whoever) that does not include a cat delete so I can put a race pipe (which I already own) or a test pipe (which is on order).

As of now I'm on my fourth option---pseudo-funky crazy setup and I kind of like it. It's the PCD's, the stock J-pipe, a race pipe (Megan Racing? I forget), a Dynomax, then to the Magnaflow, then to the full-on XLR8 SS exhaust. I don't swear or cuss a whole lot, but the sound is F-ing amazing. Yes, it's a subjective opinion, but it's also a setup I have not seen anywhere on Acurazine. Prove me wrong, or show me a YouTube vid, but as for now this is a killer setup. I know I'm losing HP by dropping the RV6 J-pipe but for me it is worth the loss of HP for the gain in Sound d' Elegance.

In conclusion, I think at least for now, is this: to buy another RV6 J-pipe that does not have the cat delete, when I finally DO convince my wife to let me buy it attach it to my incoming test pipe, and...see what happens. I've fiddled with air intakes (CAI's, modified stock intake resonators, stock intake resonators, both with and without K&N air filters) but my honest conclusion is to stick with the stock Type-S intake resonator with a K&N. The CAI is good for race-day perhaps but produces negligible gains otherwise other than sound (another subjective/rhetorical argument).

For what it's worth I play lead guitar in a rock band. I play on Peavey 5150's just like EVH used to and I have, just HAVE to have the perfect sound. That means every dial---treble, bass, reverb, chorus, sustain, delay...all the way to the humbucker's on my Wolfgang have to be perfect.

I know, it's kind of a problem. But it grew worse when my parents rented their house to a chap that won an Academy Award for sound on the movie Troy, Terminator (2 or 3, can't remember)...he turned my parents entire upstairs into a virtual studio. Roy something was his name. My whole perspective on sound changed. He taught me how to listen, not how to hear.

At this point, I bet you are waiting just waiting for one sound.........silence!!!

PS I'm too new or something and I'm not allowed to post pics or YouTube vids so that really kind of sucks. I'm not sure what I have to do to get to that point but when I get there I'll post about 8 different versions of the same Type-S with different exhaust scenarios. It will prove interesting...

Until then, thanks for all of your help everyone and I congratulate you on your perseverance and patience for making it this far into this rant.

 

^ there needs to be a exception i really wanna hear these exhaust notes lol..

 

This guy ate at my parents' restaurant.