HKS Hi-Power Exhaust Review
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HKS Hi-Power Exhaust Review - PICS UPDATED
Here are my initial thoughts so far, will post pics later and there are enough videos on this topic, so I won't bother with the video:
Currently, I am running Injen polished CAI (replacing the Fujita short rams) and have the full Impul aero body kit. I would strongly suggest that you take it to a shop that have installed this exhaust before or they know what they are doing, because there are so many adjustments you need to do to make it fit perfectly and if they don't know what they are doing....going to be a long day!
Quality and packaging:
This is why HKS is HKS, premium dolllars for a premiium quality product. You can eat off this this thing it was so nicely polished and the welds were beaded perfectly. Packaging was in one big box now versus two smaller in the past for the G35. NO regrets here.
Installation:
The instructions are basically usesless, no diagrams or pictures whatsoever. Basically says to take safety precaustions installing it then it just ends. So that's why you need to take it to a shop who has fiddled with this exhuast before becuase there is no help. Although installing it is pretty self explanatory, the adjustment process is not. I had to make a minor modification to the heat sheild that surrounds the rear differential as it was hitting up against it, so had to cut a small piece out. Other than that the install took roughly 90 minutes and a lot of adjustments to make the perfect fit! The two adjustable tips fit perfectly into my rear Impul rear skirt without any clearance problems and extended the tips filled out the gap just right as the skirt was hiding most of the OEM tips. NO regrets, thankfully I didn't try this install myself.
Sound:
This is the cool part. Basically, I can notice three different tones.
1. Idle - the sound is eery, with basically little to no difference from stock. Personally, I think it is quieter than stock. I think this is where the two extra canisters come in that are attached to the muffler piece to act as a sound deadner at very low RPM's.
2. Between 1K to 3K RPM, the sounds is very very deep at cruising speeds, noticeably louder than stock and with the windows down you can hear and feel the deep throaty sound and people will notice you. This installer said, the set-up on the G37 is significatnly louder than the set-up on the G35, probably due to the larger displacement engine.
3. Crank it past 3K, people around you start looking to see what the hell is coming behind them as the sound really opens up into a full deep throaty roar that is instant as you throttle it. Past 5K, I can't even hear my Injens anymore as this intake had a pretty prevalent sound.
Performance:
Well, my butt dyno tells me that past 3K, the throttle response has improved significantly and past 5K, I can feel a dramatic difference and that is all I need! No loss of power in the low end as well.
Conclusion, I've got a pearl white G, so the blue tips get accentuated nicely with the Impul kit. The sound with the 3 different tones I just talked about is really cool. Basically, you can go stock quiet at cruising speeds if you want and if you feel the urge, step on it and turns into another animal. Sort of best of both worlds. I didn't want to go too loud and now I have sound control on demand. I had a 01 Prelude with Greddy EVO2, and I loved the sound of that se-up, but the ability to control the pitch of the sound doesn't come close to this HKS set-up. Hopefully this helps. In the end, you get what you pay for and what your taste for sound is.
Currently, I am running Injen polished CAI (replacing the Fujita short rams) and have the full Impul aero body kit. I would strongly suggest that you take it to a shop that have installed this exhaust before or they know what they are doing, because there are so many adjustments you need to do to make it fit perfectly and if they don't know what they are doing....going to be a long day!
Quality and packaging:
This is why HKS is HKS, premium dolllars for a premiium quality product. You can eat off this this thing it was so nicely polished and the welds were beaded perfectly. Packaging was in one big box now versus two smaller in the past for the G35. NO regrets here.
Installation:
The instructions are basically usesless, no diagrams or pictures whatsoever. Basically says to take safety precaustions installing it then it just ends. So that's why you need to take it to a shop who has fiddled with this exhuast before becuase there is no help. Although installing it is pretty self explanatory, the adjustment process is not. I had to make a minor modification to the heat sheild that surrounds the rear differential as it was hitting up against it, so had to cut a small piece out. Other than that the install took roughly 90 minutes and a lot of adjustments to make the perfect fit! The two adjustable tips fit perfectly into my rear Impul rear skirt without any clearance problems and extended the tips filled out the gap just right as the skirt was hiding most of the OEM tips. NO regrets, thankfully I didn't try this install myself.
Sound:
This is the cool part. Basically, I can notice three different tones.
1. Idle - the sound is eery, with basically little to no difference from stock. Personally, I think it is quieter than stock. I think this is where the two extra canisters come in that are attached to the muffler piece to act as a sound deadner at very low RPM's.
2. Between 1K to 3K RPM, the sounds is very very deep at cruising speeds, noticeably louder than stock and with the windows down you can hear and feel the deep throaty sound and people will notice you. This installer said, the set-up on the G37 is significatnly louder than the set-up on the G35, probably due to the larger displacement engine.
3. Crank it past 3K, people around you start looking to see what the hell is coming behind them as the sound really opens up into a full deep throaty roar that is instant as you throttle it. Past 5K, I can't even hear my Injens anymore as this intake had a pretty prevalent sound.
Performance:
Well, my butt dyno tells me that past 3K, the throttle response has improved significantly and past 5K, I can feel a dramatic difference and that is all I need! No loss of power in the low end as well.
Conclusion, I've got a pearl white G, so the blue tips get accentuated nicely with the Impul kit. The sound with the 3 different tones I just talked about is really cool. Basically, you can go stock quiet at cruising speeds if you want and if you feel the urge, step on it and turns into another animal. Sort of best of both worlds. I didn't want to go too loud and now I have sound control on demand. I had a 01 Prelude with Greddy EVO2, and I loved the sound of that se-up, but the ability to control the pitch of the sound doesn't come close to this HKS set-up. Hopefully this helps. In the end, you get what you pay for and what your taste for sound is.
Last edited by SkylineV36; Mar 20, 2011 at 08:53 PM.
