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I put a set of Tanabe Medalions on my 09 sedan about a month ago and like many found its just a bit too quiet. I came across another post where the factory resonators were replaced with vibrant resonators and 2 1/4 pipe. I liked the sound and wondered if the Tanabe pipes would give the same effect?
Id rather buy a bolt in solution VS having to get it made up. Ive also come across a used Q300 system that should sound like I want but after dumping the $ on mufflers already id like to avoid replacing them if I can.
I put a set of Tanabe Medalions on my 09 sedan about a month ago and like many found its just a bit too quiet. I came across another post where the factory resonators were replaced with vibrant resonators and 2 1/4 pipe. I liked the sound and wondered if the Tanabe pipes would give the same effect?
Id rather buy a bolt in solution VS having to get it made up. Ive also come across a used Q300 system that should sound like I want but after dumping the $ on mufflers already id like to avoid replacing them if I can.
Thoughts?
I'm going to tell you first hand, the Q300 is near to the OEM muffler sound. My gf took home a G to demo with everything stock. Next to each other, mine is a tad louder. I would go with the vibrant resonator, or delete the resonator altogether.
Just goes to show its hard to judge sound on You Tube . The Q300 sounded louder that what you both say but Ill go by your first hand opinions. I dont want it to get too loud and like most others, I dont want it getting raspy. From what im reading RCats may yield a bit of a perf gain so that would be a bonus. Any better than others, will they match up to the stock exhaust and any issues with CEL? Thanks for the advice
Just goes to show its hard to judge sound on You Tube . The Q300 sounded louder that what you both say but Ill go by your first hand opinions. I dont want it to get too loud and like most others, I dont want it getting raspy. From what im reading RCats may yield a bit of a perf gain so that would be a bonus. Any better than others, will they match up to the stock exhaust and any issues with CEL? Thanks for the advice
Rochester, user here, had the Fast Intentions resonated cats I believe with stock exhaust system. A nice performance gain as the stock cat is the bottleneck in our exhaust system. From most user posts on this board, they don't seem to throw a CEL. Check out his build thread to see his notes on it all.
Thanks! Big price difference between RHFC and just resonators but I might as well try and pick up some free power for the price. Checking on the FI RHFC
Bringing this back because I have a question and didnt want to clutter with a new post. Does anyone know if the Tanabe mid-pipe for the coupe bolts up to the stock muffler? I am thinking about getting the mid pipe and a y-pipe but keep the stock muffler. AFter checking out all the possibilities I think the best look for mufflers is the stock S that I have. I want a little more noise (and power) without going nuts and getting too loud. I am too damn old to be heard from a mile away under normal acceleration! LoL So any ideas?
Note that the Tannabe Axleback you have will sell here on the forum for nearly 85% of what you paid for it....pretty quickly. If you are looking for more volume, then you will need to increase the diameter of the piping and shorten the resonators (it's about 1.9 inches from the 19 inch resonators back stock). The Manzo/Beluga/Top Speed Y-back is 2.25 inch with shorter resonators, so it should give you what you need - may even cost less than the Tannabe.
Manzo is an aftermarket company based out of the City of Industry in LA, so they are legit.
My biggest issue is that the Manzo or Top Speed is going to be too loud. I want a noticeable change in tone but I dont want anything too loud. And thanx for the info but it still didnt answer my question. Does the mid pipe bolt directly to the stock muffler
I was replying to the original poster who was disappointed with the Tannabe setup he purchased.
I have never been able to figure out if their "Center Pipe" (the name they use) works with the Sedan.
I know that the egress piping on the stock sedan midpipe is 50mm (tapers from 60mm/2.36" to 50mm/1.9" after the resonators), where the coupe is 60mm straight through; you can figure this out by comparing axleback replacement specs for both. So they would need to make two versions of the center pipe to be compatible with both models.
You can always ask Tannabe directly, they were fairly quick in answering questions when I asked.
I ended up swapping out the resonators and keeping the Tanabes and the sound is just right for me. Quiet under light throttle but a nice amount of sound when driving harder without being too loud.
Upon closer look, I see that I mixed up my tubing diameters.
I fixed the original post.
The sedan mid-pipe goes from 60mm (2.36 inches) to 50mm (1.9 inch) as it leaves the resonators through the taper going into the muffler.
The same concept applies though, increase piping diameter, shorten resonator length for a lower tone.
I experimented with this concept on my 2004 sedan (single exhaust path, but 2.5inch tubing) by replacing the stock resonator with a Magnaflow 10436 resonator. The resultant sound was perfect, so I had planned on doing the same with my 2013, but the journey has been much more confusing.
Like you, I think the stock mufflers look the best on our cars (aside from those gems that FI uses on their CBE). I also know that the stock mufflers were designed to last for a decade or more. I worry about the mufflers they are using on some of the aftermarket low end systems because we know nothing about the muffler itself. Stainless tubing is just tubing and the grading is easy to understand, but there is alot of science that goes into a muffler design, so I become a little concerned when this aspect is glossed over. I tried talking to Top Speed about their design, but they did not know much. They just focused on the stainless aspect.
You can always ask Tannabe directly, they were fairly quick in answering questions when I asked.
I ended up swapping out the resonators and keeping the Tanabes and the sound is just right for me. Quiet under light throttle but a nice amount of sound when driving harder without being too loud.
Thanks Rick. I will ask one of the Tannabe vendors here first and give them a shot, but I think you are right.
The real question is if the following two items work together:
T70130A (50-60mm)
T50132 (70-60mm)
We can assess mix and match with the OEM system based on these findings.
If you don't mind me asking, which resonators did you use? The stock resonators are roughly 20 inches right?
“I'm going to have to science the **** out of this”...Matt Damon, the Martian.
So based on the access I have to the underside of the vehicle (i.e. laying beneath the car, or extending underneath from the side), here are my findings.
1.
The resonators appear to be 17 inches (length across the barrel), which is a standard size, so it makes sense. Visually, just looking at the coupe, it appears they are about 3-4 inches shorter than the sedan. Would appreciate it if someone with a coupe could confirm.
2.
The outlet of the resonator is whopping 7 inches in circumference (2.3 inch diameter). However, if you look at the taper, that's 1.5 inches less, so alot more than we had originally assumed, or all the way down to 1.75 inches!
3.
Where the axleback (the contiguous muffler assembly) meets the midpipe is a different size, or as the pics reveal, about 5.5 inches to 6.125 (1.75 to 1.9 inch diameter) inches in circumference. This explains the cryptic description of the Tannabe axleback on their website (i.e. 50-60mm).
So you are asking, who gives a hoot about circumference as everything in the exhaust world is based on diameter.
Well, here's where we use those geometry skills you thought you'd never need about the 9th grade.
Circumference = 3.14 (Pi) x diameter
To convert these measurements, we need to figure out what times 3.14 will give us the measured circumference in inches. To do this, we divide measured circumference in inches by 3.14.
With this information, we start to see where the tradeoffs were made to quiet the exhaust down on the sedan.
Specifically:
-6.125 inch Circumference (after Midpipe/Muffler inlet) = 1.95 inch/50mm Diameter
-5.5 inch Circumference (End of Midpipe where it tapers then eventually attaches to the axleback) = 1.75 inch/45mm Diameter
-Muffler/Can outlet = 7.5 inch circumference, or 2.4 inch/60mm diameter
-Resonator outlet = 7 inch circumference, or 2.3 inch/~60mm diameter
Here's the pics (note that some of them were transferred upside down):
Sedan: Leaving 17 inch Resonators on stock Midpipe, 7 inch to 5.5 inch Circumference/taper.
Sedan: Leaving 17 inch Resonators on stock Midpipe, 7 inch to 5.5 inch Circumference/taper (another perspective). Note that forum SW transferred pic upside down.
Sedan: Affter the Resonators where Midpipe meets Axleback/Muffler inlet is 5.5 inches in circumference. Note that forum SW transferred pic upside down.
Sedan: After the Resonators where the Midpipe meets Axleback/Muffler outlet is 6.125 inches in circumference. Note that forum SW transferred pic upside down.
Sedan: Stock Muffler outlet is 7.5 inches in circumference.
You can always ask Tannabe directly, they were fairly quick in answering questions when I asked.
I ended up swapping out the resonators and keeping the Tanabes and the sound is just right for me. Quiet under light throttle but a nice amount of sound when driving harder without being too loud.
What size/length/brand of resonator did you replace the stock ones with? Thanks
09-05-2015, 10:30 AM
