Nice shot Rochester! Exactly what I was looking for. I haven't been able to find a pic any where close to that view. I agree, it's about a perfect fitment. Now if I could only hear it in person.

 

Great write up John, your excitement jumps,off the pages.

Shouldn't be much Rasp I wouldn't think. I get more drone than you but I'm running the 12inch resonators. Isn't too bad unless it's a long drive though.

 

Not trying to hijack, but since so much talk of the exhaust is going on I thought I'd ask here. Has anyone kept the stock converters and paired with the FI cbe with 12 in resonators? I know all of you say the converters are the bottle neck, but every recording I hear has that sucking sound at the end. Good rumble followed by whoosh. Is it the exhaust that causes it or the converter? And how would the in cabin drone be with 12 inch resonators/factory converter?

 

I'm no engineer, but I think this is a characteristic of the engine, not the exhaust components. The fewer restrictive parts going on, the more the peculiar audio qualities of the VQ37HR become apparent.

 

I'm also completely unskilled at video editing, however...

 

Great thread man!! sedan looking great!

very tasteful mods..

 

Wow! Very nice comparison Rochester. The FI cbe really makes a difference in sound and tone. Seems the whoosh is there in both but more pronounced with the FI cbe. Hmm...seems to be a very small imperfection considering such a sweet sounding/beautiful exhaust. Time to start saving I think.

 

First hand wash of the year after clay & wax... and rims, and exhaust, and roof-wing.

It's been almost a week, and I'm really starting to appreciate how much the back end of the car has been improved. Like, dramatically improved.

With as much humility as I can muster (not much), I'm thinking this is freaking beautiful. At this moment with the car, I am in awe of how the rear section looks with this new exhaust. All along, I knew the looks would be better, but it was really the sound that I was focused on. Here I am six days later, realizing how much I appreciate how the exhaust *looks*.

 

You're forgetting the contributions of the Swifts, wider wheels and 275 tires in description of the rear. It looks great.

 

And the window tint. And the matte black vinyl wrap, which is still good enough to leave it alone, although I'm really feeling like I want it painted instead of wrapped. I think it's time to put that on the schedule and actually make it happen. If not this year, then next.

Thanks, Lego. Non-stock from the rear:

1. Low-profile Roof Wing in gloss black
2. Dark 3M Window Tint
3. G37S De-badge
4. Lowered height (swift)
5. Wider stance (vossens)
6. Sebring Tuning Exhaust cans & tips
7. Matte black vinyl wrapped diffuser area
8. VMS gun-metal fender washers w/SS bolts against a gloss black plate frame

A bunch of little and not-so-little things that adds up to something that's still the same car, but with different (improved?) details.

Not really digging the cut-out in the tint around the 3rd brake light. Don't think there's anything I can do about it, though.

 

Really like this shot, just a superb fit & finish, what a visual enhancement for sure (and the sound is just icing on the cake)

 

Looks really clean John! The matte black overlay on the lower valance really sets off the cans. It kind of makes me wish I hadn't blacked mine out. Definitely much better look than the ARK tips would have offered.

 

Late last Summer, a friend introduced me to Leatherique. After testing it out with him, i ordered a kit and used it twice before Winter came. The product is amazing, and i can't rave enough about how pleased i was with the results.

Winter is over now, and i can see 5 months of dirt and age in the leather. Today it will be sunny all day long, with temps in the 70's, so i applied it thoroughly this morning, and will use the cleaner later tonight before the sun sets. Its going to bake in the sun all day.

My third session with Leatherique, and now i have about a quarter bottle left over. So... Four applications available out of one bottle of Rejuvinator. Seems i have a lot of the Pristine Cleaner left over.

 

Holy Sh!tballs Rochester! That *** is lookin so tasty I wanna reach thru my phone and take a bite (of your car, not you ya pervert).

 

It's been over 3 weeks since the catback was installed, and I've actually been driving the car quite a bit lately, almost every day. I knew from the get-go that there would be an adjustment, and it would take some time for my sensibilities to settle into the New Normal. And honestly, I'm not entirely there yet, but three weeks seems a good point to circle back and assess things.

Power delivery is... different. I'm convinced that low-end response has diminished a little bit. When I bury the throttle, it feels more like power is winding up, or taking longer to wind up. Top-end feels about the same, just noisy as heck. It's really mid-range that's a positive change. When shifting aggressively (5K to 6K) between 1st, 2nd and 3rd, the power feels more like it's still climbing between gears, rather than humping through the shifts. This is likely a 6MT perception, but I stand by it: mid-range has gotten noticeably more fun.

Sound is... amazing. Absolutely amazing. Particularly with strong throttle in the lower gears climbing through the higher revs. What an incredible noise; almost exotic, and sometimes more worthy than the car itself. However, you can't really "turn it off" per se. There's just no getting around it... the exhaust note is always on, with exception to maintaining a set speed.

And with that, there is a 6th gear highway drone whenever you even breath on the throttle. If you use cruise control, or keep your foot perfectly still at highway speed, it's fine. But as soon as you feather the throttle in 6th gear... nnnn-nnnn-nnnn.

And no matter how you assess it, I need a tune now. R2C Intakes, Resonated High-Flow Cats, 2.5" FI Catback w/18" resonators... I need a tune.

Last year I test drove the Jaguar F-Type S Coupe, and this year I finally understand why Jaguar offers two driver-selected options for the exhaust in that car. Because as amazing as Full-on Racecar Mode sounds and feels, you really don't want that 24/7.

And my last observation of the morning: I still haven't learned how to relax in the car again. Every single time I drive it, it's like I'm unnecessarily attacking the road and driving like a douchbag. I'm not at a place yet where I can just drive the car casually, like I do my wife's Honda. And truth be told, I'm not sure now that I ever can get to that point. Fortunately, I really really get off on driving aggressively; just me, the car and the road. And it took until I was over 50 years old before I learned how to not bother with other drivers. Mostly.

No regrets on the cats and catback. But I am still getting acclimated. I need a tune, and I want 4.083 rear gears. And I'm starting to think I want the RJM Performance clutch pedal assembly before I pursue a short-throw shifter.

All in good time. Long plans are always better than doing everything at once.