MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

I cannot speak for XLR8 but ATLP AWD systems do make about and 6-7 whp & ft-lbs through the entire rev range to all 4 wheels on a mustang chassis dyno. Not a ton for the money, but certainly a respectable amount. You can certainly feel it and it is everywhere. Not peaky at all. The point here is it does have a power gain to go along with the sound and looks part of it. I would assume the XLR8 makes similar power.


PS, this was a completely bone stock car with no mods besides the cat-back.


I do take some exception to the "catalog mufflers" comment. That is false if it was in reference to the cat-backs on offer. Both the ATLP and XLR8 systems are completely hand made down to the mufflers and tips in the USA. There is no chrome in either system. They are both 100% stainless. You are also not considering this is very nearly a dual exhaust since more than half of it is split. Plus, look at all the bends in the pipes. These are pretty advanced systems to be able to simply bolt onto a car and expect it to fit, sounds and look awesome.

Magnaflow makes a great muffler, but I know the ATLP ones are designed a little better for sound. I am a big Magnaflow proponent but they cannot touch the ATLP sound. Personal preference...I am not wild about the XLR8 sound. But just the same that not a as simple as you make it sound either.

Some customers will find value in a completely bolt-on system that can be done DIY style with the look and sound of a high end part and others will be able to achieve the look and sound they are looking for with custom parts. Case in point, you wanted a stock look. I have some people contacting us on this kit who specifically want to get rid of the stock tips.

When you get a bolt-on system you are getting one that has been specifically designed to sound a certain way. In some cases multiple mufflers are chosen and many attempts are tried to get the desired result. You don't usually get this level of scrutiny on a custom system. You get parts that look like they will work for you and toss them on. Unless you are happy 100% right off the bat there is not desire to keep spending money and continually change it so in many cases a compromise is made. When XLR8 or ATLP make systems, even Mangaflow and their cat backs, there is a highly critical view put to the part to ensure the sound and look is up to the company's goals for the system. You almost always will get an exhaust that was designed and refined with intent. If a person don't like a particular system, that is inevitable sometimes. But it does not mean it is not a well considered construction.

$1000+ for some chrome pipes and catalog muffles would be steep. It is a good thing with ATLP and XLR8 that is not what you are getting, but rather custom-designed, hand made in the USA full stainless parts with factory support and honorable warranties.

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

Hey - I'm not saying they aren't spectacular, I'm just saying (figuratively) that $1000 is pretty steep for pipes and a pair of mufflers. I was also being generous on price. The AWD ATLP runs more like $1500 - and shipping. It's not like you're opening up 25 HP here. Sure it's pretty, but any prettier than $900 comptech mufflers? Debatable.

Sure it gains power, but more than a pair of $350 magnaflows? Debatable.

Every picture I've seen and sound clip I've heard of the ATLP are indicative of the quality of the product, and it has a very nice sound. That said, I've been doing this almost 20 years, and I cannot in good conscience steer anyone to dropping $1500 for 7 HP. We purest, SCCA competing enthusiasts, tend to call those types of products geared toward "ricer fanboys".

So I'll change my message, so I don't get slapped for offending another sponsor....

"Dear Acura TL owners: If you want the shiniest, most hand fabricated, bestest made-ist in the USAest, soundsest greatest exhaust for your TL, then check out the offerings from ATLP and XLR8.

If you're interested in a better sounding exhaust for your TL without blowing a mortgage payment, get some magnaflows for the same gains, a great sound, at about 1/4 the cost of the "Shiny" offerings.

Pete2010

I think "better sounding" is highly objective. Unless you've heard the ALTP or XLR8 exhaust in person you really can't make a judgement call - videos don't accurately reproduce sound quality well.

Also - with the magnaflows, you need to go find a reputable company to install them. Which i'm assuming means welding/such. With off-the-shelf options, it's all plug and play.

Different strokes...

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

$1000 is a reasonable amount for a dual muffler system with dual resonators, dual piping, and especially since it's made out of US grade T304 stainless steel. That doesn't even factor in the technology in the mufflers. Look at the market. We sell similar system for Audi and VW vehicles for $500. And it's the same amount of piping and material.

Even if you were to buy Magnaflow mufflers for $175 each it would still cost you $200-$300 to install them by the time a quality shop cut the piping, aligned and welded the mufflers, etc.

Also the CT-E mufflers alone mae 6-8 whp on a FWD TL.

http://www.ct-engineering.com/Produc...4/Default.aspx

And that system is $969 and it is just mufflers.

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

No offense, but Comptech is way outta your league. I've always thought they were overpriced, but you're paying for Comptech.

The Magnaflows are $75 a piece, and a reputable muffler shop did them for me for $150.

Let's race.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

CT is out of our league? Josh, Nate might be pretty flattered by that. Maybe we should share numbers and see who has sold the most cat-backs last year...

You know Comptech's past systems used Magnaflow mufflers, right Pseudo?

KarKraze

The better sounding system is all subjective, I have the Ct engineering axle back system and I am very pleased with it, but that is simply because it is exactly what I was looking for, no rasp and a low deep rumble throughout the powerband,I cannot compare it to other systems because I have not had the opportunity to hear all of them in person.

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

So by that logic, Kia is superior to Acura as they sold substantially more vehicles last year....

Tell you what; when you've developed a racing engine platform for Indy cars, deigned an entire NSX racing team and put your name on the car, and then sweep the series, and been engineering parts for Honda and Acura vehicles for 30 years - I'll consider you in the same class as Comptech.

Enough with the pissing match though - derailing the thread. It's a forum, aka, every a-hole has an opinion.

I'm a longtime DIY HP junkie on these Honda and Acura machines. I think your exhaust is an overpriced setup for the platform. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

CT-E has great products; there is no doubt about that. But somehow I don't believe their $900 mufflers are in any way comparable to our $1100 exhaust system. And our exhaust system is made by Billy Boat. And the ATLP exhaust is made by Stromung. Stromung and Billy Boat sell far more exhausts than CT-E sells. So, you are incorrect.

You're comparing apples to oranges. Magnaflow's low end muffler with no tips is $75, but a Magnaflow muffler with tips will be $175. And yes there are muffler shops can weld up mufflers for $150 but I'm referring to the quality of welds and type of weld used in our exhaust systems. If I sent our exhaust over to China to be replicated then we could sell it for $600 probably.

I think he would be flattered. It's funny because Nate always asks me how my exhaust sales are going and they wanted to build it for us. I guess I wasn't out of their league since they wanted to put my name on an exhaust they would build for us.

At least we can agree on something.

eazy

iTrader: (8)

6whp,7ftlb/tq isn't bad gains for a AWD drivetrain. Combined with J-pipe, highflow cats should bring that # up more. After all AWD has the most hp loss from drivetrain

So if a whole CB system doesn't provide much gains, how does swapping out mufflers do the job?

Pseudomaniac

iTrader: (1)

^^^ You see what I'm getting at. The comptech numbers support that there's nothing wrong with the stock pipes on N/A applications.

My experience is that the stock mufflers are definitely where there is room to open up some power.

KarKraze

I am a little confused here, CT engineering has a dyno sheet showing that their axle back system produced an additional 6-8 hp,how much gains does the XLR8 or ATLP cat back system produce ? i don't quite follow the dyno sheet that Mr Heeltoe has above.
Something that i did notice since i installed my exhaust is that the car will now rev to approx 7200 rpm before it changes gear,previously it would change just before the redline approx 6400 rpm.

3rdGenHybrid

I'll admit... When I first had the exhaust shop weld in the resonators... It seemed quiter.... But my girlfriend said she didn't hear much of a difference, I noticed light throttle its not so drowny, but if I could go back and do it again, I would just leave the xlr8 system alone. It's definitely loud but compared to stock cats, j pipe, and stock mufflers vs no cats j pipe and xlr8 exhaust, there's a big power difference. I've said it before , I had the Pcds, and j pipe with the stock exhaust and I didn't feel much from the Pcds. Not only that it blew the baffles out my stock mufflers and got too raspy, so I went with the xlr8 exhaust because I could drive down there and pick it up. Maybe it was the noise and butt dyno compromising each other, but it felt better with the exhaust. After I put bigger resonators in I felt like it choked up the exhaust, but was assured by several muffler shops that resonators don't restrict flow. So off to the dyno I go.... Ive said it a few times already but work comes first. And $80 for 3 runs is hard to justify so it's not on my priority list.... But I will do it soon.

As far as the stock exhaust vs. xlr8 exhaust (or atlp)vs. mufflers and custom welds, the pipping is bigger, the welds are precise and clean, and the bends looks cleaner than the stock.... Only dynos from each set up would prove who's right and wrong....

NJDEE

thatta boy! There's the response at least some of us were impatiently awaiting!

Thanks buddy...