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Looking for an exhaust

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I'm doing some research into which exhaust I should get for my S15 Silvia that will be arriving in November and I have a few questions.

I used to own a MK5 Golf GTI, and when looking for an exhaust there were like 2 good companies that would make them, and you would ask on the forums and practically everyone would agree on what exhaust or any performance part is the best.

I have been searching around on the forums and I can't seem to find any thread on the 'best' exhaust. So I'm guessing that there isn't really a 'best' exhaust.

So my question is, how do you decide on what exhaust, or any performance part, to get?

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I'm new
 

DeanS15

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hey mate - welcome to the s15oc:D

there is quite a bit of choice out there when it comes to s15 exhausts, you need to decide on a few things:

do you want a full stainless system or will you be happy with mild steel pipework and a stainless box? (beware, some exhausts like the 409 have mild steel baffles in the stainless rear box which rot from the inside out and rattle around - dont ask why they have done that:confused:)

how much have you got to spend?

how loud/quiet do you want it?

how much power do you want to run?

it's worth going for a 3inch system as this will be the most free flowing and probably wont cost any more than a 2.5" system. there are the usual hks exhausts - hi power 409 (mild steel with stainless can) or silent hi power (full stainless and quieter). i run the silent hi power and its a good system that hasnt got any corrosion at all after a years use but has got louder over time. there are also the trust power extreme 2 which is meant to be very good, the apexi n1 evo and gt spec (also very good reputation but louder) and there are also a few more jap made ones and others from people like mongoose etc. but i wouldnt know about those - others will:).

you then have the s14/a systems (that can be made to fit quite easily) from people like apex/japspeed/ebay which are of similar design to the big brand exhausts and much cheaper/louder but most dont have a centre silencer and are made of a lower grade stainless and will/can spot and rust. one thing to note is that any system with a centre silencer on a lowered car will undoubtedly catch over bumps and you need to learn to avoid things like that or you risk damaging the exhaust all the way up to the turbo/manifold.

for a decat pipe (with an s15 system) you need an s13 3" decat, and the downpipe should either be s15 specific from someone like hks, or an s14 item from any manufacturer matched to a turbo elbow meant for the same model. i found that having a custom downpipe made and fitting stiff poly mounts for the exhaust (from dbpower) solved some of my ground clearance issues by lifting the entire system a good 15-20mm higher off the ground. it is important to maintain the mount that secures the exhaust to the gearbox mount so that the engine, box and exhaust move together, if the engine can move independent from the exhaust you risk cracking at the weakest point (usually around the turbo area) - downpipes with flexi sections are meant to help, but i found the flexi again made the exhaust lower to the ground and run without one with no problems.

it is important to use genuine nissan gaskets around the turbo area (manifold to head, manifold to turbo, turbo to elbow) from then on you can use the usual cheap gaskets with a bead of silicone and they will be fine - they havent failed me yet. you dont want to use the cheap ones around the turbo as if they fail, which they will, its a major pain to have to do them all again.

hope this is enough information to get you started, others will have different experience and info but what i have written is what i know to be true and works for me;)

best of luck - you came to the right place:nod:
 

Topper

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As stated, there are a huge selection, but be careful when mixing S14 and S15 exhausts, you can be left short (mine has a 2" section between the S15 decat and S14 frontpipe to make them fit)
 
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Cheers for the help guys.

Would I be correct in saying that the cat-back is what determines the sound of the exhaust? And that any turbo elbow, decat and front pipe used won't affect the sound? Of course this is dependent on the diameter of the said components.

Seems that the Apexi GT Spec will not fit on an S15, so thats out of the question.

What is the real difference in noise between the HKS Hi-Power and the Silent Hi-Power? I'm after a loud exhaust of high quality, but it must have a mid-silencer as I don't want it that loud. I would go for a Hi-Power, but the fact that its not all stainless steel is putting me off.

Also do both the HKS ones spit flames?

Cheers guys :)
 
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Changing the Elbow allows more flow as the stock item is very restrictive so must increase the noise in someway. The biggest difference in noise i have noticed is changing to a Stainless Manifold!! Makes the car sound insane at high rev's :cool:

If you like louder exhausts check out the Blitz Nur Spec-r or Spec-RX

The Spec R is the louder of the two with a removable baffle, and the RX is a "track friendly" version. Which is what i have, quiet on tick over and cruise but mental under hard acceleration and high revs.

De-catting the car with also increase the noise a noticeable amount too :thumbs:
 

DeanS15

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i found that changing any part of the system will alter the noise if only a little - as said a stainless manifold can make the exhaust sound mental at higher revs and add a different tone to it/burble. the silent hi power is far from silent and any exhaust you fit will spit flames depending on the fuelling setup, map and dump valve type. an atmospheric dv will cause the exhaust to spit flames and pop every time you lift off the throttle due to lift off overfuelling - not good for anything really but sounds cool for a while:nod:
 

Topper

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Makes the car lumpy too, go re-circ, fit a nice pod and get some pigeon.

Stainless manifolds are prone to cracking too, have never had one myself, but have heard alot of cracking (no pun intended) stories. Having said that i have cracked the stock cast manifold.....
 
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cougar power motorsport

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elbows are really great guys. Ive used them on many evo's and seen lots of more hp's
 

LuPix_S15

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Mine pops and bangs like a b*tch lol... I've got a funny setup - OEM re-circ still in place but also a Blitz BOV (vent to atmosphere) on the hotpipe as well :D


It's like a bit of pidgeon but also the gay whoooooshaaaaa!!!
 
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Cheers for the info guys.

Looks like I'm deciding between the HKS Silent Hi-Power and the Blitz Nur Spec R.

As for the turbo elbow, decat and downpipe, what would be the best brand to go for? JapSpeed ones look pretty good!
 

DeanS15

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japspeed should be ok - a fair few people (including myself) run ths performance elbows and dp's but they have stopped making them - japspeeds look as near as:)
 
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Cheers mate.

What other good brands are there for the turbo elbow, downpipe etc? Just want to consider all my options before I part out with the money.

Is it a big problem that the HKS Hi-Power 409 isn't fully stainless steel? Also what is the difference between that and the silent power if the noise levels are near enough identical?

Cheers
 
S

silvialam

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I just got myself a Kakimoto front pipe, kakimoto de-cat/straight pipe and kakimoto Regu 06R catback.

For exhaust manifold and turbo downpipe, im using tomei ones.
 
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GUEST_JDM

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Go the Blitz Nur Spec mate i have it and about 4 of my mates have it, its a good system mines about 4 years old with no problems and as a plus the pipe work goes all the way to the dump pipe which means you wont need to buy a front pipe/ dump and all you will need will be a high flow cat if u want one that is, welded in when u fit it. only thing is they are dam fck off loud
 
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GUEST_JDM

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get an xforce dump elbo, i wouldnt bother with stainless tho just use mild no one will ever see it and it keeps the heat in 99 aus dollars
 
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I've got a Fujitsubo RM01A and I would recommend it. I'm not sure how easy they are to get in the UK, I got a used one for £60 fitted (!!!) when I lived in Japan.
The sound is more fruity without being very loud, good if you do long journeys and don't want something boomy.
According to the webite:
Power up 9bhp
Torque up 14Nm
Mass down 6kg
Idle noise up 5dB
You can even listen to a sound clip it.
Webpage:
http://www.fujitsubo.co.jp/product01.php?no=280-13061&reno=00000000000000000191
 
S

silvialam

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What made you choose those over all the others?

Cheers
Reason is because i wanted all 80mm/3.1inch pipe diameter. Other brands like fujitsubo has 76.3mm/3 inch for front pipe and de-cat/straight pipe.

On top of that, you cant go wrong with brands like fujitsubo or kakimoto because they are large (if not largest)exhaust maker in japan.
 
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