Review Stillen exhaust vs stock comparison (with video)
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Stillen exhaust vs stock comparison (with video)
I've been looking at exhausts for a good 2 years now. Everything I've found as far as recommendations from this forum and YouTube videos were all over the place.
It seemed like the most popular choices were the ARK, or FI. However, the videos I found to demonstrate these (even Stillen) weren't very good IMO. It was usually a static camera or phone that was on the ground or just being held while someone else drives by, flooring it as they go past.
I wanted something that added good power and wasn't annoying, raspy or overly loud when cruising around. I saw a dealer had installed the Stillen exhaust on a brand new car and I was able to test drive it. That cemented my decision on Stillen.
I ordered the kit on their black friday week specials for $1240 and it arrived yesterday.
It came in 2 separate boxes weighing a total of about 100lbs. It comes in 6 pieces + the hardware. Tools you need are a 14mm socket, 14mm wrench, 12mm socket, lots of penetrating spray lube, and that's it.
The instructions are pretty basic and not TOO descriptive but it wasn't hard to figure out what they were talking about.
The most difficult part of the whole job is removing the factory exhaust. I just jacked up the rear my car on jack stands and went to work. The factory exhaust is 3 pieces. The muffler, the resonators, and the y-pipe. It's held on by 10 bolts and 5 rubber hangers.
In my case, the bolts that attached the y-pipe to the resonators were frozen/jammed on there good, I was able to break one loose, but ended up stripping the nut of the 2nd. Not that big of a deal as you can remove the cross member that is right there and the whole thing came out as one big piece (y-pipe+resonators). Getting the hangers out of the rubber supports was a bear as well. They have an arrow tip that makes it really hard for them to go back out after they have been installed. You have to pull on the rubber while at the same time push on the mufflers (and a lot of lube) to finally get them out. This would have been massively easier if I had it on a lift and not awkwardly squirming on the ground trying to get leverage.
Installing the new parts was super simple. First put the larger part of the y-pipe on, then the other and secure the bolts finger tight using the factory gasket and bolts. Then hang the resonators in their spots and bolt it to the y-pipe with the gasket and supplied hardware, again finger tight. After that, you hang the mufflers in their spots (kinda of a bitch by yourself working from the ground). Last bolt the tubes from the muffler to the resonators with the last 2 gaskets. From the cats start tightening everything down working your way back checking for clearance of the sway bar and cross member (that you reinstalled if you took it off). Once the exhaust tips are aligned properly (by sliding the hangers back or forward), you can make sure everything is bolted down tight. Start the car, check for leaks.
For my car, it was about a 3.5/10 difficulty. If I had a lift it would have been a 2/10....with a helper and a lift, 1/10. From unboxing to taking the car off the stands and cleaning up was about 3 hours. I spent too long on that one bolt and I kept getting work phone calls, so it could have been 2-2.5 hours.
The increase in performance seemed noticeable. I'm sure I'll use the extra "19 rwhp" claimed by Stillen, but it's the sound that makes it worth all the while.
During initial startup and under load, it sounds mean...but not obnoxious, very similar to the stock sound (which I loved). On the road, it's actually QUIETER than stock. Anyone that complains of a "drone" is hallucinating (6MT coupe btw). I took a trip down the freshly paved freeway near my house last week with the stock exhaust and tonight with the Stillen exhaust. I also took with me a dB meter. Stock exhaust was around 67-75db at highway speeds. Stillen was 63-70db. I was really surprised. Perhaps after a few hundred miles it might change as it gets broken in, but we'll just have to wait and see.
Lastly, here is my contribution to the videos of exhaust comparisons. Same stretch of highway (I live RIGHT next to one), with a camera pointed at the exhaust with the dB meter monitoring the volume of each.
tl;dr Stillen exhaust is super easy to install, more power, and a mature sound that wont **** off your whole neighborhood.
It seemed like the most popular choices were the ARK, or FI. However, the videos I found to demonstrate these (even Stillen) weren't very good IMO. It was usually a static camera or phone that was on the ground or just being held while someone else drives by, flooring it as they go past.
I wanted something that added good power and wasn't annoying, raspy or overly loud when cruising around. I saw a dealer had installed the Stillen exhaust on a brand new car and I was able to test drive it. That cemented my decision on Stillen.
I ordered the kit on their black friday week specials for $1240 and it arrived yesterday.
It came in 2 separate boxes weighing a total of about 100lbs. It comes in 6 pieces + the hardware. Tools you need are a 14mm socket, 14mm wrench, 12mm socket, lots of penetrating spray lube, and that's it.
The instructions are pretty basic and not TOO descriptive but it wasn't hard to figure out what they were talking about.
The most difficult part of the whole job is removing the factory exhaust. I just jacked up the rear my car on jack stands and went to work. The factory exhaust is 3 pieces. The muffler, the resonators, and the y-pipe. It's held on by 10 bolts and 5 rubber hangers.
In my case, the bolts that attached the y-pipe to the resonators were frozen/jammed on there good, I was able to break one loose, but ended up stripping the nut of the 2nd. Not that big of a deal as you can remove the cross member that is right there and the whole thing came out as one big piece (y-pipe+resonators). Getting the hangers out of the rubber supports was a bear as well. They have an arrow tip that makes it really hard for them to go back out after they have been installed. You have to pull on the rubber while at the same time push on the mufflers (and a lot of lube) to finally get them out. This would have been massively easier if I had it on a lift and not awkwardly squirming on the ground trying to get leverage.
Installing the new parts was super simple. First put the larger part of the y-pipe on, then the other and secure the bolts finger tight using the factory gasket and bolts. Then hang the resonators in their spots and bolt it to the y-pipe with the gasket and supplied hardware, again finger tight. After that, you hang the mufflers in their spots (kinda of a bitch by yourself working from the ground). Last bolt the tubes from the muffler to the resonators with the last 2 gaskets. From the cats start tightening everything down working your way back checking for clearance of the sway bar and cross member (that you reinstalled if you took it off). Once the exhaust tips are aligned properly (by sliding the hangers back or forward), you can make sure everything is bolted down tight. Start the car, check for leaks.
For my car, it was about a 3.5/10 difficulty. If I had a lift it would have been a 2/10....with a helper and a lift, 1/10. From unboxing to taking the car off the stands and cleaning up was about 3 hours. I spent too long on that one bolt and I kept getting work phone calls, so it could have been 2-2.5 hours.
The increase in performance seemed noticeable. I'm sure I'll use the extra "19 rwhp" claimed by Stillen, but it's the sound that makes it worth all the while.
During initial startup and under load, it sounds mean...but not obnoxious, very similar to the stock sound (which I loved). On the road, it's actually QUIETER than stock. Anyone that complains of a "drone" is hallucinating (6MT coupe btw). I took a trip down the freshly paved freeway near my house last week with the stock exhaust and tonight with the Stillen exhaust. I also took with me a dB meter. Stock exhaust was around 67-75db at highway speeds. Stillen was 63-70db. I was really surprised. Perhaps after a few hundred miles it might change as it gets broken in, but we'll just have to wait and see.
Lastly, here is my contribution to the videos of exhaust comparisons. Same stretch of highway (I live RIGHT next to one), with a camera pointed at the exhaust with the dB meter monitoring the volume of each.
tl;dr Stillen exhaust is super easy to install, more power, and a mature sound that wont **** off your whole neighborhood.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 23
Likes: 1
Thanks!
http://www.stillen.com/media_files/S...ust_504355.jpg
Seems hard to believe but looks legit.
http://www.stillen.com/media_files/S...ust_504355.jpg
Seems hard to believe but looks legit.
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