I know what you mean by the wookie sound you are describing. Well, I'm sorry to hear about your initial reaction but there could be a few things that may affect the sound in a negative manner:
1) the exhaust is still breaking in. When I got mine installed, the first day, I experienced that wookie sound but it wasn't super bad. Once it broken in, it decreased greatly.
2) The 5AT produces a different sound, which is 100% true. I'm not sure if it's for the better or worst, but I find the 35HRs sound way more aggressive than the 7AT. But this is my personal opinion.
3) is the piping they used as an extension for the YPipe the same diameter as the original MD? if so, they this is excluded.

Regardless, that's some rollercoaster you went on for this exhaust. Some highs and some lows . I would give it a week and see if it changes. You won't get as much crackles or pops I feel like if you have OEM cats. Once you get HFCs or TPs (unlikely since you sold the Berks) , you'll get more pops.

What I don't understand is that you're not getting **** exotic Ferrari / gtr banshee noise when WOT. Im curious to what it sounds like. As for the fitment with MD, I give it a 6.5/10 as there were some issues with it but it's on. One tip is still slightly higher then the other. Oh well.

after everything that's happened withMD, I feel like ARK would've been better as I loved mine the day I got it , it was just a little to quiet. After adding the HFC, it got a level where I was happy until I heard other Gs and modified Subies lol. Then I craved more which led to my hunt for GTHAUS then eventually MD.
Looking forward to some videos and hopefully the exhaust breaks in properly.

@Jake, are you driving mainly in manual mode or 7AT. Just wondering

 

Get some HFC's and I'm sure you'll be where you want to be with that exhaust. I think the biggest issue, with all you went theough, was the disappointment of heightened expectations. Cut yourself some slack, live with the new catback for a while, and you'll likely develop an appreciation for it.

 

As you are correct about the HFCs, I doubt he's willing to buy another pair since he just recently bought and sold his Berks after ownership of only a week. But if you are WellNot, you can give a look at FI RHFC or since Jake liked his Berks, you can give them another shot. I just can't see myself buying another pair of HFCs after recently purchasing one and selling it.

 

Right. I stand corrected... get some resonated high flow cats. Nothing has to happen overnight, and it won't anyway because of FI's waitlist.

I've had my RHFC's going on four years next Spring, with zero regrets, big $$$ notwithstanding. Noticeable extra grunt, even when untuned, and a wonderful deep rumble. No CEL, and no issues, although I did have my mechanic fab up a support bar.

 

That's the route i ended up taking. I'm buying them this upcoming week, hope it won't have fitment issues with my MD CBE.

 

Yeah I'm beginning to think that maybe I need to give it some time like you and Rochester had recommended. I've only had it for about a day and didn't even drive the car today due to schoolwork. I think it sounds differently due to the fact that I've got the 5AT. The revs just sound weird to me in DS when shifting on my own, downshifts aren't nearly as insane as I thought they would be.


If I revisit any part of the exhaust, it'll probably be replacing the CBE altogether and going for Ark. Then I'll absolutely take you up on your advice and invest in a set of FI RHFC.

I've attached some photos to show you guys the fitment. Overall its not that bad, but I'm worried that the center resonator is WAY too low. In one of the photos it's basically the size of my fist away from the pavement, and I'm on completely stock suspension...

I'm going to see if the shop can raise it a bit, since the y-pipe looks like it's pointing straight down and they need to fix an exhaust leak anyways. If they can't raise it up, I might just say f-k it and order an Ark and put up both this MD and my Tanabes for sale....

 

With the ark, you're going to be low except at the mufflers. Motordyne and ARK have the lowest hanging exhausts. I scraped a few times with mine on stock height. So both of them will have that con.

As for the sound with your current setup, you should try and make a video whenever you are free. It sounds like a completely different tone than ours, so I'm curious to see. It is probably due to the 5AT, as you mentioned. Also, if you are going with ark, I'm not sure if they still have a black Friday sale going but it was at a great price.

Give the exhaust a few weeks, see if anything changes. If not, then it's really up to you on your further decisions but that's unfortunate, especially after everything you've gone through to make it work. The ark grip for me was a more refined and calm but still aggressive sound compared to the MD's loud and exotic sounding. My ark created tiny pops off decel as well. It was a great exhaust, I chose it because it had a deeper tone than most I saw.

​​​​​Keep us updated.

 

Regardless how low the fitment is (and that doesn't look right), those T-bolt clamps are pointing straight down. You're going to catch them and rip it apart real soon, I bet.

I'm lowered to 26.75" floor to fender at all four corners, and I've never scraped.

Sleeves and t-bolts... Yikes! The FI pipes use 3-point brackets and bolts at all connections. And the fitment is spot on, even the 3" setup, without any flex section. Seriously, no flex pipe at all.

 

To get more clearance on the exhaust, do the following.

Loosen the Y pipe bolts connecting to your cat/hfc/test pipes. Get a jack with some sort of padding on the actual jack and place it underneath your muffler. Keep jacking it until the Y pipe is close to hitting your chassis. Torque down the y pipe bolts, let go of the jack and you will gain a few inches of clearance.

Motordyne exhaust muffler sits very low, I scrape mine quite a bit, and the weld around the outlet is cracked on mine. But, I really abuse mine. My V-bands are on their last legs. If this breaks, I will probably build a custom exhaust or settle with Fast Intentions because of the clearance it has. Not to mention, my Y pipe to ART pipe connection has never been leak free. Tony has sent me 4 sets of gaskets with no success. I kind of have given up on it.

By far, the stillen exhaust had the best clearance. I never scraped that thing.

 

Hes correct. Mine are facing towards the upper left and right depending on which side. They are not facing down like yours. Yours will definitely scrape which can maybe damage the exhaust.

You should try and tell the exhaust shop if they can reposition them so they aren't facing perpendicular to the ground. You can try and improve the clearance using Maqs suggestions as well. But if you don't change it, you might scrape those things off.

 

I think I am a true testament to those V-band clamps, Mine look like hell but have not broken. They have taken a beating.

 

Update: Spent the day with the car and have fallen in love with the exhaust note. It’s absolutely unreal. Just like you all said, it’s truly on another level. Let the g/f drive it and I finally heard that “banshee” scream.

Spent $100 at an exhaust shop and they adjusted the t-bolts and the rest of the exhaust pipes. I’m happy with the clearance on everything EXCEPT the mid-muffler. The shop even followed MaQ’s suggestion by jacking it up and it still hangs really low. At this point I think due to extending it out a bit further to clear the transfer case the mid-muffler is hanging as low as it is? Can anyone chime in or am I crazy? How low should this part of the exhaust hang? Should I be able to see it when just looking at my car from the side?

 

Yes, that's perfectly normal on the motordyne.

 

Thats what I’m beginning to see, thanks for the suggestion! I’m going to see how the exhaust holds up with my s/o driving the car for a few days. I’m paranoid about the lowness of the pipes with how she drives and the road quality here in Chicago. Will keep you guys updated!

 

lol I'm glad you like the exhaust again. I agree with everyone else, exhaust usually sounds better after a bit of break in. And stock cats really muffle the sound. HFC will definitely free things up.