Tracers

I am going to purchase a J-pipe for my 2010 TL sh-awd and was a bit concerned about which of the two have had the most issues with rubbing/vibrating?

Jackieee_TL

I got the RV6 J-pipe on my 2013 SH and it came with spacers to lower the brace. I tried without the spacers at first since it had like 3/8" clearance, but under heavy load, it had some vibration/rubbing. So I installed those spacers and no more issues.

Also heard a few members saying the XLR8 J-pipe had contact with the transfer case before, so IDK. I heard they fixed the issue tho on the new batches...

Tracers

Thanks Jackieee_TL. I did hear the same issues regarding the XLR8 J-pipe rubbing which does scare me!! I had the similar issues on my Evo IX MR with an HKS catback I put on and I will never purchase a part where that is of concern!! Anyone else have any experience with their J-pipes?

alienstudio

installed rv-6 j pipe with spacers on my 12 tl, no issue so far.

sympley

Installed the new XLR8 J-pipe Version 2 on my 2012 an no issues. Maybe a minor clunk when hitting a big pot hole but I am not sure if this is the J-pile or something else. They guys that installed it said not fitment problems that they saw.

Jackieee_TL

Did you had the minor clunk sound before the J-pipe installation? If not, then that's mostly do to the J-pipe.

The way I see it, I rather have clearance issues with the brace rather than the transfer case. Also I think a member said the XLR8 J-pipes doesn't include new nuts and bolts? I know this is not a big deal since you could pick new bolts and nuts for under $10, but you would need to make a trip after removing the nuts and bolts to match the size. Just more work than need be. And then there the $$ difference.

Matts_Acura

I had a nasty vibration sounds coming from my XLR8 J-pipe. Had to go back to the shop 2 times to get them to try to fix it. I have a FWD so the pipes on the XLR8 V2 design are long and are very close together and there were no tack points. The shop basically had to tack the pipes together to get it to stop vibrating. I told XLR8 about so not sure if they ever fixed it or if I was just one of the unlucky souls to experience this.

Buffa

With pre 2012's you should not. For 2012+ I was told the brace sits slightly different. My experience with the XLR8 on my 2012 was that only under heavy acceleration it would rub against the brace ever so slightly and cause a buzz. I removed the brace and put one set of regular-old washers behind the brace on each bolt, and the buzzing went away. It just needed 1/16 inch more clearance. I would venture to say that it will depend on each car and pipe, with it being that close. One XLR8 pipe may do it and many more XLR8's may not, IMO. Did not have a problem with it rubbing against the transfer case at all.

I currently don't have it on my car for the time being. I'm trying to determine whether it's in my head or real, but it seems the car lost some torque at low RPM's, enough to be annoying. It did have noticeable gains at high RPM's, and the sound is absolutely fantastic. No drone and only sound on acceleration. However, my preference is more torque at low RPM's. Did some research on "exhaust scavenging" and that seemed to support my experience. May put it back on at some point in the future to get a longer term comparison.

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

We had a couple V1 j-pipes that touched the transfer case but that issue was fixed. All of our V1 and V2 j-pipes will clear without issue. I've heard some 2013 TL j-pipes may require adding a washer to space the bracket down. If you want the maximum amount of clearance you want the XLR8 V2 j-pipe.

http://store.excelerateperformance.c...i-1676223.aspx

Tracers

Thanks everyone for your experiences and intel! Now I'm torn between which one to get because it seems the rubbing kinks have been worked out. Being on the left coast smogging is an issue so if I go with the XLR8 v2 I will have to be removing it occassionally. Not sure how difficult it is to install and remove j-pipes? I have done all my own intake/exhaust/intercooler-piping work on 2 evo's I have owned so I should be good to install a j-pipe I would hope!!

Buffa

Once you remove the stock one the first time, it's pretty easy to take on and off. Breaking the bolts free the first time is the absolute worst part. Have some iron pipes or breaker bars handy. I also should have mentioned I have the V2 as well. I may wait until AFTER my emissions test in February to continue my testing, lol.

Jackieee_TL

Even without the post/secondary cat, the car would still pass smog with the stock pre cats. The only thing is that if the smog technician is anal, and actually checks the bottom of your car and doesn't see the post/secondary cat, then you will fail visual inspection. It all depends on the shop you go to, but in reality. If you're driving a stock looking and sounding TL (J-pipe only), most shops wouldn't even look under there.

NJDEE

Buffa!!! I still get a laugh out of the fact that I've NEVER met another Buffa in my life, yet here's one on a random car message board and who happens to be driving the same car as me. LOL

Anyway... I just recently went back to stock j-pipe as well and I definitely feel more low end torque with the stock pipe. My preference as well and I may very well keep it that way.

Tracers

So NJDEE/Buffa do you all think it's even worth purchasing a J-Pipe? It seems and maybe I am reading your posts wrong but you feel the stock J-Pipe is suffice? I will say I am on the fence now because none of the 3 top J-Pipe manufacturers have shown true dyno numbers for 4th gen TL SH-AWD J-Pipe w and w/o. Atleast I have not seen any from them. Coming from the Evo world and having had a WRX as well I am used to dynoing my cars reguarly on an AWD dynos. So maybe it is just not worth the $450-$550 shipped part? I get the personal preference but if I am spending that money and installing the part myself is it really worth it? I'm not so sure anymore...

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

We haven't been able to dyno a 4G TL AWD but we've tried to get a 4G TL FWD in for dyno testing. If someone is willing to dyno the FWD j-pipe before and after then we can offer them a $75 discount on the j-pipe after we receive before and after dyno images.

Also, on the 3G TL an independent dyno was done on our XLR8 V2 J-pipe and it made 19whp and 30wtq peak. The 4G TL j-pipe is similar to the 3G TL j-pipe so the gains should be similar.

http://d5otzd52uv6zz.cloudfront.net/...0dc70d-800.jpg

Buffa

NJDEE, I remember when you messaged me about the last name. Fellow Italian! Yes, it is odd, and not only do we have the same car, but also have taken the next step to modding it as well.

So Tracers, that's a tough question. Maybe the 6-speed manual would have a better experience. I just felt like the 6-speed auto was always in the wrong gear with the j-pipe, even more so than it already does stock. Too geared for higher gas mileage. Maybe the 5 speed auto on 2009-2011's is different. Damn ECU's are so sophisticated now, but I don't think it ever adjusted to less back pressure. Just speculating though. The XLR8 build quality is fantastic however, and as mentioned, the sound is great! I just like power at the lower end of the tach. I may put it back on late winter as mentioned too, and I'll report back if I notice anything different. Any dyno results in the meantime would be great to see too.

Tracers

To J-Pipe or not to J-Pipe... That is the question??? I am sold on XLR8 V-2 if any because they just seem to care about their product. It truly amazes me no one has dynoed this part and if I knew of of one in the bay or Sac I would do it. That being said I hope XLR8 would make it worth my time to do so

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

We will give you a $75 credit if you send us a before and after dyno of the XLR8 V2 j-pipe on the 4G TL. We haven't been able to get someone to dyno the car thus far though.

AlexG_6MT

iTrader: (1)

Just installed my RV-6 J-Pipe on my 2013 AWD a week and a half ago and I couldn't be more happy with it. Install was simple, the fitment wasn't 100% perfect with the flange locations, but neither was the OEM part and I was able to get it on with very little effort. I had no rubbing or interference issues when I used the spacers for the sub-frame cross member.

I can tell the difference in power - if i had to guess I would say 15-20 HP would be appropriate. Keep in mind this is not a big boost when considering its 20HP on top of the ~300 or so stock. The J-Pipe seemed to get rid of the low end hesitation that I was noticing around 2500-5000 RPM. The car just screams all the way up to redline now.

I definitely do not notice any loss in low end torque, if anything I would say it improved. All of the dyno sheets i have seen of Jpipes on the J series (3G TL, Accord) don't show any loss of torque or power through the whole powerband, not sure where that idea is coming from.


Exhaust note was changed slightly - little bit raspy with maybe a 30% boost in volume. Sounds great at WOT, hardly noticeable when just cruising.

NJDEE

At one point I was running the XLR8 j-pipe, HFC, XLR8 catback, Takeda intake, TB spacer, and UR pulley and I definitely was quicker up top. It was a noticeable, however at the sacrifice of a relatively quiet vehicle. I've since ditched the catback, intake, and recently the j-pipe and I'll be totally honest, I really enjoy the lack of noise and gains in low end torque that was lost with all the other modifications. This is ALL a personal preference.

That said, I will always do business with XLR8 whenever possible. The customer service is on point and their products are all high quality.

For me, I just don't think I'll be modding the TL until the ability to tune the motor is available. Until then i'll stick to suspension / wheels / aesthetics stuff. I may pick up the CT Icebox at some point given there isn't much difference in sound and supposedly the gains are throughout the powerband. I'll do more reading if and when I'm ready to purchase though.

GL with whatever you do.

Buffa

I'll second that. XLR8 was very helpful with questions on installation. Great to work with.

dirtyo2000

RV6 and I do like the slight rumble on cold start ups. Soon has the idle drops you cant tell its up there. Motor does turn up easier so I doubt there is any TQ loss. Some might feel that way since the motor is working like crazy trying to Rev up. I did notice playing around at 1/2 and 3/4 throttle I can see and hear the Vtec kick in. Very smooth now with a little surge lol watching the tach.

Is it worth it or not is purely subjective. Only thing I dont like is to state claims on improvement on something that was never tested and guessed upon. Dealing with my tuner, one of the top in the country, he thinks its impossible to accurately dyno the TL. The way the strategy and adaptive learning works in the PCM you will not get true results. You can basically do pull after pull and no two will be the same. Since theyre not within a few HP of each other you cant get a baseline for part changes.

There was a J pipe test thread testing the 3 offered and even they didnt get clear results. Really impossible to say what you pick up. Just have to decide if the sound is worth the money.

Did an experiment a couple weeks ago but not too scientific. 2009 vs 2010 both awd. 2009 HFPCs, RV6 J pipe , Icebox intake. Driver 235. 2010 stock down to the paper air filter. Driver 160.

Both full of gas , stopped at the pump and topped them off to tip top. Trunks empty and cars both had 35lbs of air in all tires. In the highway, dead starts in drive to 130 I had 3-3.5 cars on him.

Both in sports mode with TC off same runs it was 1- maybe 2 cars. This was letting the cars shift on their own and just pushing them to the floor. We concluded that in drive the 09 pulled up to speed a little better with the freed up exhaust and intake. With both in sports mode winding up the tach the difference wasnt that great since both were going to almost redline. I did start to pull up top but the little that was gained seemed to even out after the shift and he did a little creep back until the rpms started building in the next gear. Both cars have the updated strategy for the transmission. 1500 and 6 hours have me a little faster. Dont forget there was about 70-80lb driver weight so take it for what its worth.2009 27000 miles 2010 48300 miles

carbonTSEX

Thread revival. Anyone know the size of the washers needed for the subframe brace to clear the Jpipe?

KarKraze

Originally I used a 1/4 " thick spacer,it was good but still seemed a bit close. I decided to up it to 5/16 " stainless steel. This is for the RV6 J Pipe and it was when the J Pipes just came out . It is possible that changes has been made between then and now.

carbonTSEX

I'm running xlr8 v2 but still get vibration on the brace here and there. Really only when idling at a stand still.

Thanks Karkraze.

RailTester

I have the V2 Xlr8 at it vibrates occasionally. I think its the brace. Mainly happens when the car is in reverse or sometimes on ignition.

Going to lower the brace and put a hose clamp to tighten the hanger. Hopefully that does it.

JakeF

Anyone notice a little more sound from the exhaust under the car after installing a j-pipe?

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

I've had some sort of noise, almost like a grinding or vibration/rattling when taking off from a stop, but I don't know if it's the jpipe or not. It doesn't do it when I accelerate slowly, only if I give it a good amount of gas off the line. I've checked under the car and don't see where it would be rubbing against anything. Also, I have FWD which makes it easier to route the pipe compared to AWD, so I don't think that's it. However, it didn't do it before the J-pipe and HFPC install. I'm thinking it might be increased motor flex from worn motor mounts. If the mounts were allowing increased flex, it might be allowing exhaust components to contact something. I'll be replacing my front and passenger side mount in the next month or so. We'll see if that helps.

JakeF

I know there wasn’t much clearance between the pipe and this fin looking thing on the bottom of the transfer case but the noise doesn’t sound like contact between that and the pipe. It’s just a louder exhaust sound coming from underneath the car. I don’t think it’s an exhaust leak because I’ve had 0 smell in that area. To me it sounds like the exhaust is just louder at the pipe now. I have a FWD too btw

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

It's definitely a louder sound. It's not overbearing IMO. I like it The sound I get sometimes I think is caused by something else. Hopefully not transmission related.....

JakeF

So apparently it was that little black metal fin on the transmission case. The pipe is just lightly resting against it and making some noise. Any of my FWD guys know what this is?

cbryce

You need spacers bro and it will take care of it. Get some 5/8 bolts that will do it

JamesonMH

Hi losiglow - I just had my j-pipe installed today and noticing similar issue (only when I'm heavy on the pedal off a stop). i've got the AWD model 2014. Wondering how it turned out for you and what you found was the cause and/or fix for the noise? Cheers.

dopeboy1

Do you have the rv6 j-pipe and if so did you use the sub frame spacers it came with??

JamesonMH

Thanks for your reply. No I have the XLR8 V1 pipe (the one that doesn't require removing the 3rd cat). I'm not sure if the shop put them on or not. I gave them what I received from XLR8 but they did all of the installing.

dopeboy1

Hmmm well I don't know much about that j-pipe. I have the rv6 one. Not sure if yours needs or even comes with sub frame spacers. I think the rv6 one does due to its larger diameter piping. But what I do know is that heavy acceleration off the line is when your engine will flex the most in the engine bay therefore everything attached to it will flex a bit as well. I would think the most likely place for it to rub is the sub frame under heavy acceleration. Also note that the rv6 install manual said that the sub frame spacers may or may not be needed depending on the condition of the motor mounts.

Keep in mind losiglow and jakef both have FWD cars. It may or may not be different for AWD cars. You'll just have to put it on a lift and try to see where its closest to rubbing. Might be on the sub frame or somewhere else.

JamesonMH

That makes sense. I'll take it back to the shop next week and see what's what. Thanks for all of this info - I never would've thought the motor mounts would be part of the problem. Did you end up getting rid of the sound on your FWD model by replacing the motor mounts or did you just need to add the spacers? Is it a big job to put the spacers on after the new J pipe has already been put on?

Otherwise, I'm super happy with this purchase. I don't notice any change in bottom end torque and the sound is so much better when accelerating especially past the 3-4K mark.

dopeboy1

I have an AWD and I used the spacers that came with the rv6 j-pipe. Never had any sound or rubbing issues. Its really easy to add the sub frame spacers if that's what you need. Good luck!

Teddybear

I recently put on the RV6 V2 on my 2010 SH AWD. I didnt use the spacer that came with the pkg, but we ended up installing a few washers that equated to about half the length of the spacers. I didnt want to drop the subframe too much.

I started noticing some rubbing noises briefly on hard acceleration on left turns only from a dead stop. None on straight line or right turns from dead stop. I checked by the subframe, and there was no contact made, so it's not that. Anybody experience similar issue? Not sure where else it could be rubbing...