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hey guys, I've been looking at exhaust systems and was wondering if anyone had any experience with the obx catback exhaust for the 3.5 4th gen TL ? The obx is 2.5" piping and xlr8 is 2.75, I know XLR8 is tried and true but it's literally twice the price, was jus wondering if anyone could chime in on this.
it's a catback. you're not going to gain TONS of horsepower from either catbacks.
catbacks are mainly for sound.
and you choose a catback the same way you would with anything in life...
take in account of
- sound
- looks
- price.
if your budget dictates a cheaper exhaust...then, you most likely have to go for the cheaper exhaust.
Down the road I was planning on getting a j pipe and pcd or high flow cat, should that make a difference ?
not at all! the OBX should use regular honda flanges in order to bolt up. this means everything that has honda flanges will bolt right up.
the high flow cats have honda flanges. the jpipe has honda flanges.
Looking at the website I couldn't help but notice that the shipping weight of the OBX system is 25 lbs. To me that says a lot... subpar material, hollow mufflers etc. Not trying to discourage you but if you are going to do a build on your car it is often better to invest in better parts even if you have to wait a bit longer to acquire them.
Think about it , what is the point of getting the system if it will rust out after one Winter, even though it claims to be ST/ Steel, I can tell you that there are varying grades of it. You can also look in to buying a used system which come up from time to time in the Black Market section.
As an alternative, ATLP sells the Prefab mufflers and tips for our cars. You can also check out Endless RPM, that system also get very good reviews. Just offering you a few alternate suggestions,however, if you have decided on the OBX then be sure to leave your feedback for other members.
Thanks for your input as well, The obx exhaust does state it's using 309 stainless which is a higher grade corrosion wise than the 409 endless rpm is using. I wonder if a thinner piping on the obx is to account for the lighter weight ?
Also I looked at the other products rpm makes and not to bash them, but I'm a welder and well the welds on the J pipe looked like shit lol I don't know why they would put that in a picture.
Im still leaning towards obx because of the price, honestly if I do spend more I would probably go with xlr8 as it's the only catback
with a bigger size pipe (2.75) made for this car
Now I just listened to the video of the obx exhaust for 3rd gen TL and it sounds pretty weak... can't find one for 4th gen.. does anyone know where I can hear the 3.5 xlr8 exhaust ? Could only find awd..
and with the OBX system, you could possibly change out the mufflers to change the sound, if you arent happy....and with your experience as a welder, wouldnt even have to take to an exhaust shop to do that
the pre-fab's are expensive!!
I bought a pre-fab for my 3rd gen...the RV6 True duals. it was SUPER expensive.
(i'd likely not buy a prefab ever again for future cars)
also, watching or listening to sound clips on youtube isnt the best representation for sound...as it depends on the microphone, your speakers, and your ears...(people's mind perceive sound differently)
Last edited by justnspace; 07-07-2017 at 06:44 AM.
Hey man, I just installed the OBX cat back for my 3.5 4G a few weeks ago and I totally recommend it if you are on a budget. Honestly, I'm a college student and I am not trying to spend 1k or more on a cat back. I got the OBX cat back on sale for $440 and it's quality. It uses the same 304 grade stainless that XLR8 uses and the whole build is very clean, the welds are also very nice. I was overall surprised with the quality of the build. If I had the cash I would have spent $1250 on the ATLP cat back. Also, when I ordered the OBX cat back I got a Megan Racing test pipe to delete the post cat and it's pretty nice and when people see the Megan sticker on the window they often think I have a Megan cat back which is kinda funny. I also ordered the ATLP J-Pipe which I highly recommend, ATLP uses higher grade material that is better for an exhaust design. Overall, it sounds super nice, my friends compare the sound to that of an M3, the low end has a really nice rumble when cruising around the street and the high end sounds very intimidating, however, there is slight rasp if you have the stock J-pipe in the high end. The look is also very aggressive in the rear end, the tips are 4" in diameter and solid, they're clean and don't look dumb kinda like the fake blue tips some brands do. OBX offers a lot of bang for $$$, it's also made in California so at least you can rely on American craftsmanship.
Hey man, I just installed the OBX cat back for my 3.5 4G a few weeks ago and I totally recommend it if you are on a budget. Honestly, I'm a college student and I am not trying to spend 1k or more on a cat back. I got the OBX cat back on sale for $440 and it's quality. It uses the same 304 grade stainless that XLR8 uses and the whole build is very clean, the welds are also very nice. I was overall surprised with the quality of the build. If I had the cash I would have spent $1250 on the ATLP cat back. Also, when I ordered the OBX cat back I got a Megan Racing test pipe to delete the post cat and it's pretty nice and when people see the Megan sticker on the window they often think I have a Megan cat back which is kinda funny. I also ordered the ATLP J-Pipe which I highly recommend, ATLP uses higher grade material that is better for an exhaust design. Overall, it sounds super nice, my friends compare the sound to that of an M3, the low end has a really nice rumble when cruising around the street and the high end sounds very intimidating, however, there is slight rasp if you have the stock J-pipe in the high end. The look is also very aggressive in the rear end, the tips are 4" in diameter and solid, they're clean and don't look dumb kinda like the fake blue tips some brands do. OBX offers a lot of bang for $$$, it's also made in California so at least you can rely on American craftsmanship.
got any sound clips? Interested in what it sounds like.
The OBX cat back really doesn't sound that bad, and I'm happy you like your new setup! However, it is important to keep in mind the cliche "you get what you pay for" when making purchases like this since they'll spend the majority of their life under a vehicle, being used and abused on the streets.
The OBX system may be t304 stainless, but there's more to an exhaust system than the metal used to make it. The insides of the resonators and the mufflers may not be as high of quality, the hardware might not be as high of a grade, and the fitment (although OP can comment on this) may not be as good, and a thinner pipe can dent and crack easier. All these things (or a combination of a couple) could lead to an exhaust that is in worse shape earlier on.
The OBX cat back really doesn't sound that bad, and I'm happy you like your new setup! However, it is important to keep in mind the cliche "you get what you pay for" when making purchases like this since they'll spend the majority of their life under a vehicle, being used and abused on the streets.
The OBX system may be t304 stainless, but there's more to an exhaust system than the metal used to make it. The insides of the resonators and the mufflers may not be as high of quality, the hardware might not be as high of a grade, and the fitment (although OP can comment on this) may not be as good, and a thinner pipe can dent and crack easier. All these things (or a combination of a couple) could lead to an exhaust that is in worse shape earlier on.
I really do hope the new system treats you well, I'd be interested in an update in a couple months or so! Keep the mods coming .
A lot of "may not" and "might not" in your statement above. Sort of sounds like you might not know your competition very well. Perhaps it would be beneficial to purchase one yourselves, dissect, examine, cutaway and detail the differences between your product and theirs. An extra $600 dollars is a lot to pay for a product that might be better.
So I decided to go with my original plan of building my own cat back... sort of. I ordered the obx exhaust and received it the other day. Looks nice, seems pretty solid, welds look good and the tips are aggressive, 4 inch, I know that's the standard with our catbacks but almost seems overkill for our car.
Anyway i I plan on chopping off the mufflers and replacing them with magnaflow 12586 performance mufflers and my black carbon fiber - looking exhaust tips.
I then proceeded to order the xlr8 J pipe,
rv6 hfpc , k&n drop in filter, new plugs.
this will be all done before my mountain road trip in mid august, really hoping to get my hands on a ktuner if I pull enough overtime before then. Will update as I go!
So I decided to go with my original plan of building my own cat back... sort of. I ordered the obx exhaust and received it the other day. Looks nice, seems pretty solid, welds look good and the tips are aggressive, 4 inch, I know that's the standard with our catbacks but almost seems overkill for our car.
Anyway i I plan on chopping off the mufflers and replacing them with magnaflow 12586 performance mufflers and my black carbon fiber - looking exhaust tips.
I then proceeded to order the xlr8 J pipe,
rv6 hfpc , k&n drop in filter, new plugs.
this will be all done before my mountain road trip in mid august, really hoping to get my hands on a ktuner if I pull enough overtime before then. Will update as I go!
07-06-2017, 11:06 AM
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