Custom exhaust help?

[MGrizzard]

So, a local guy I know has a really nice exhaust on his Honda CR-Z and I asked about it. He recommended a local exhaust shop called Mandrel Bend Solutions. I got quoted $550 for a custom catback. Since I'm a car noob what should I be looking for? He recommended a Magnaflow muffler IIRC but I want to make sure it's not as quiet as stock etc;.

I'm trying to get more sound out of the FiST, even though it's a 4cyl and almost dead quiet stock. Anybody have tips about doing this? I'm gonna ask a lot of questions while I'm there but I just want to make sure I'm getting what I want. The guy I seen there recommended the muffler but when I just made my appointment he was talking about muffler deletes so which is better, what should I go for. Help lol.

 

[stormcrow]

Why not simply purchase a cat-back designed for the FiST? There are quite a few options and they are diverse across the sound scale. I have a Cobb and I couldn't be happier. Quality is spot-on and the sound is deep and has nice burbles on decel. No drone and not overbearing upon WOT. FSWerks also has a nice setup. Not as polished as the Cobb, but still the sound is quite nice. MBRP has an option for those who want the more aggressive note. Custom exhaust can be more of a headache to deal with depending upon the shop. Why not simply buy a proven bolt-on?

 

[MGrizzard]

Why not simply purchase a cat-back designed for the FiST? There are quite a few options and they are diverse across the sound scale. I have a Cobb and I couldn't be happier. Quality is spot-on and the sound is deep and has nice burbles on decel. No drone and not overbearing upon WOT. FSWerks also has a nice setup. Not as polished as the Cobb, but still the sound is quite nice. MBRP has an option for those who want the more aggressive note. Custom exhaust can be more of a headache to deal with depending upon the shop. Why not simply buy a proven bolt-on?

All the videos on YouTube seem to differ in sound in my opinion. I'm just unsure. Some of the exhaust I hear on YouTube still sound like intake noise more than an exhaust honestly. The Cobb video sounds great but then other videos people post of their Cobb Catback sounds quieter and muffled.

 

[Siestarider]

I have well over $1000 invested in what began life as a 3" SS MBRP. I have added and deleted bits, currently run vibrant resonator and muffler, all 3" straight through. Drone between 3k and 4k is really bad, was from beginning, none of the changes I have made have made it appreciably better. Sounds great on track because I am seldom below 4k. Ok on street if I baby it around.

I have a mountune CBE ready to mount, strongly recommend against custom setups, there is a roughly 32"-36" harmonic that standard mufflers and resonators just do not handle. Mountune muffler has a harmonic oscillator inside it to manage this problem. My guess is that most of the good CBE's have this feature.

 

[stormcrow]

All the videos on YouTube seem to differ in sound in my opinion. I'm just unsure. Some of the exhaust I hear on YouTube still sound like intake noise more than an exhaust honestly. The Cobb video sounds great but then other videos people post of their Cobb Catback sounds quieter and muffled.

It's quite hard to capture audio and then have it sound 'natural' or how it would in person after being uploaded and compressed. What are you looking for? A step up from stock? Loud and obnoxious? Throaty and deep with no rasp? Draw a comparison to what you seek and I can somewhat point you in the right direction. Keep in mind that even with custom, you're going to get a similar sound to the pre-fab kits on the market. It all depends on how you build the exhaust.

 

[MGrizzard]

It's quite hard to capture audio and then have it sound 'natural' or how it would in person after being uploaded and compressed. What are you looking for? A step up from stock? Loud and obnoxious? Throaty and deep with no rasp? Draw a comparison to what you seek and I can somewhat point you in the right direction. Keep in mind that even with custom, you're going to get a similar sound to the pre-fab kits on the market. It all depends on how you build the exhaust.

I want to start it and hear it rumble. I don't want a high pitch sound so deeper is definitely better. I know it isn't going to sound like a V8 would but I want a more aggressive sound. I just went over to CP-E and got to hear a really nice FiST with their 3inch CP-E Nexus catback and it blew me away. It's loud and aggressive. If anyone has any other suggestions I'll gladly check them out as well.

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[stormcrow]

I want to start it and hear it rumble. I don't want a high pitch sound so deeper is definitely better. I know it isn't going to sound like a V8 would but I want a more aggressive sound. I just went over to CP-E and got to hear a really nice FiST with their 3inch CP-E Nexus catback and it blew me away. It's loud and aggressive. If anyone has any other suggestions I'll gladly check them out as well.

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If you like what you heard with the CP-E, then that would be a good option for you. The MBRP will sound very similar in tone. Both are very aggressive under WOT and will have drone at cruise speeds. The Cobb will be a bit more mild, yet definitely has a great deep note. It's simply just not as loud. Keep in mind that turbos need a bit of backpressure to help them spool more quickly. 3" exhaust will take away a bit of the torque the "butt dyno" will feel due to a slower spool. ESPECIALLY if you switch to a catless downpipe or better flowing downpipe alongside the 3" exhaust.

 

[MGrizzard]

If you like what you heard with the CP-E, then that would be a good option for you. The MBRP will sound very similar in tone. Both are very aggressive under WOT and will have drone at cruise speeds. The Cobb will be a bit more mild, yet definitely has a great deep note. It's simply just not as loud. Keep in mind that turbos need a bit of backpressure to help them spool more quickly. 3" exhaust will take away a bit of the torque the "butt dyno" will feel due to a slower spool. ESPECIALLY if you switch to a catless downpipe or better flowing downpipe alongside the 3" exhaust.

I think I'm going with either the Cobb or the FSWerks. Not sure. I think I've watched every Fiesta ST exhaust video on YouTube though. I'm going to wait to order it until the Cobb hangers come in on CJPonyParts. They both have a good rumble and aren't droney. Read some reviews of the MBRP having crazy drone and the CP-E might have been a tad too loud for me.

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[GAbOS]

If you like the sound of the CRZ, then get the same muffler part# from the same shop that did it. I cannot guarantee the same sound out of the FiST, but the it's small displacement just like the CRZ.

 

[grnmachine02]

Having had 3 exhausts made by Mandrel Bending Solutions, I can tell you that do top notch work. They aren't the cheapest game in town, but it's money well spent.

 

[Typical_Dodson]

The CBE's out there are all overpriced. I went with a custom 2.5" system by my local exhaust shop with a universal Magnaflow. Not ridiculously louder than stock, but plenty of rumble at idle and no drone ever. Had the resonator deleted to get some pops and burbles. Cost me $420 including the muffler, and I could have saved $70 if I had ordered it from Jegs or Summit.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Having had 3 exhausts made by Mandrel Bending Solutions, I can tell you that do top notch work. They aren't the cheapest game in town, but it's money well spent.

Do they have an actual 304/321 stainless capable mandrel bending machine there on their premises?

If so, they must be one of maybe 3 or 4 shops in the whole country so equipped! (Those things are MEGA BUCK$$$)

 

[M-Sport fan]

Keep in mind that turbos need a bit of backpressure to help them spool more quickly. 3" exhaust will take away a bit of the torque the "butt dyno" will feel due to a slower spool. ESPECIALLY if you switch to a catless downpipe or better flowing downpipe alongside the 3" exhaust.

IS this FACT, or does it depend on the size (stock/hybrid/BIG) of the turbo at all??

I'm new to this small displacement turbo game (on an owner's level), and I've heard 20 different opinions from 10 different people on this topic.

 

[grnmachine02]

Do they have an actual 304/321 stainless capable mandrel bending machine there on their premises?

If so, they must be one of maybe 3 or 4 shops in the whole country so equipped! (Those things are MEGA BUCK$$$)

I couldn't tell you for sure what they have, although they did give me a tour the first time I was there. I had 2 exhausts made with stainless steel, and one with aluminized steel. Both were very high quality, and fit very well. I also had them make me some charge pipes.

IS this FACT, or does it depend on the size (stock/hybrid/BIG) of the turbo at all??

I'm new to this small displacement turbo game (on an owner's level), and I've heard 20 different opinions from 10 different people on this topic.

Ehhhh...depends on who you ask. The best exhaust on a turbo is no exhaust. That being said, I think it depends on your turbo setup. 2 1/2" exhaust on a small turbo is perfect. On my holset pwoered car, there was almost a 50hp jump going from 4" down pipe to 3" exhaust vs 4" to 2.5".

 

[BlueBullet]

IS this FACT, or does it depend on the size (stock/hybrid/BIG) of the turbo at all??

I'm new to this small displacement turbo game (on an owner's level), and I've heard 20 different opinions from 10 different people on this topic.

I have Adam tuning my car and I went from stock exhaust to cattless with a res delete and did notice that the stock turbo doesn't have enough back pressure which he confirmed. On a bigger turbo (eg. the x-37) it helps to remove the backpressure.

As for exhaust I have heard that the CP-E does not drone and from what I have seen it is the best exhaust option.