Exhaust - Which one? How much?

[andyfatsax]

Never had a mazda before, honda stuff I know inside and out but if I want an aftermarket exhaust that performs well and doesn't sound like a clamato can, what should I be looking for and how much am I looking at.

I am considering either an axle back or muffler replacement. I had a really expensive cat back on my acura and it lacked back pressure and I lost too much low end torque.

 

[tonkabui]

not to be a jerk, but you should search for your answer. it's all over the board. exhaust and intake... it's like daily conversation round these parts.

i'll get you started on some names though:

racing beat
hks
greddy
thermal
bosal
borla
magnaflow
srmotorsports
team moon
JIC
skunk2 (although no one has this on yet it doesn't seem)
and of course,
mazdaspeed

 

[jayka]

Go for Mazdaspeed Axleback or HKS Axleback

 

[andyfatsax]

I just want some opinions - not on what you think would be a good exhaust but opinions based on personal experience.

I though that is what this board was for?? To ask questions about the P5??

Not to be a jerk but lighten up Tonka.

 

[tonkabui]

i'm not dark at all... things like this don't irk me funny... i'm just trying to help you out by giving you a truncated list of the exhausts out there so you can search for your answer and in the meantime, learn a few things about the cars by reading what other owners have done to them.

anyway, exhaust opinions are gonna be hard to come by since most people only buy one exhaust and stick with it. auto R&D, or rishie, on this board has had the bosal, racing beat, and now the JIC. he prefers the JIC over the rest of them.

me, i prefer the racing beat. but i don't know any better. it's quiet, flows nice, and looks sharp.

 

[jayka]

I have a MS axleback exhaust.
It works really good. Not too loud and deep
Some people says my MP5 sounds like VTEC

 

[andyfatsax]

Now we are talkin'!

I went to mazda to see what they said about the MS exhaust and they claim it only comes in a cat back. They had a ractive muffler on the shelf but I don't think I would touch that with a 10' pole.

 

[tonkabui]

that's why you should never go to a mazda dealer and inquire about anything! well, that's not true. some are pretty cool. anyway, the mazdaspeed exhaust that sells for ~200 is an axle back exhaust. the only cat back that is associated with mazda is the racing beat cat back.

you can get the ractive muffler, but that would mean you would need to weld the muffler on to some pipe that will replace the axle back part of your stock muffler.

from what i understand, the mazdaspeed axle back drones pretty bad at highway speeds. the racing beat is quieter in this sense. at 75mph, i can hear my intake over my exhaust. at 80, they are both equally loud. and by 85-90, things are screaming. but it's a nice sound... not annoying. well, that is unless you're on a 7 hour trip back to california.

i've found that running the air conditioning in conjunction to the injen intake and racing beat exhaust results in a loud ride. at 40mph around town with the rpms sitting at about 2K, i get a slight drone from the exhaust. it's definitely not the intake as my intake is quiet till about 3K rpms when it just roars.

the racing beat is nice, too because it is not showy. it doesn't look obnoxiously big. it's not tinny and beehive sounding. contrarily, it sounds deep, throaty, and makes your car sound like it has more than 100whp pushing it around.

drawback to the racing beat is cost. new, it will net around $400-$450 depending on where you are getting it from and who is shipping it. you are in the great white north, so shipping is definitely going to suck.

there are a few videos of people's exhausts on these here forums. enter in "exhaust video" in the search and a few should pop up. good luck.

hope this helped.

 

[p5sundevil]

I have a ractive catback system i got for 107 and i like it alot, a little louder but it is a deeper kinda loud, not hole in the muffler rice sound.

Other system I would recommend just from people have told me is the HKS axle back, although if you get a header it is loud as hell, Racing Beat cat back is what alot of people use here, good company for mazdas.

Also they have a skunk2 axle back out now.

You may also want to price out how much it would cost you at a local shop to get some 2.5" piping bent to fit your car and then just get a greddy or hks or somethin muffler.

Greddy I have heard looks really nice but not high end in function, borla, bosal and and thermal all have deeper sounds and give a little extra kick in power.

You may also want to think about what else your going to do with your system, like a header and stuff and base your decision off of that.

In the end it comes down to which system can you confortably afford that LOOKS good and SOUNDS good to YOU. that is all.

man i wish fujitsubo made some for our cars, a nice titanium exhuats sounds nice, too bad its a grand

 

[Natey]

I have a Mazdaspeed exhaust too, and I like it a lot. It gets a little loud around 4k rpm and when you really get on it, but it's a nice sound. No buzziness at all.

Here's a link to one on eBay for around 200 bucks.
(drinks)

 

[andyfatsax]

That definately helped. Thanks for the experience...Exactly what I was looking for.

I believe the ractive was a bolt on axle back and it wasn't the MS that I got quoted on it was the racing beat...my mistake.

I would love to have the racing beat but it is out of my $$ range right now. I think the $200 MS axle back sounds resonable.

 

[tonkabui]

if eggy says it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me.

 

[1sty]

I just want some opinions - not on what you think would be a good exhaust but opinions based on personal experience.

I though that is what this board was for?? To ask questions about the P5??

Not to be a jerk but lighten up Tonka.

For a NA P5 I would get the Thermal R&D full catback exhuast. It was designed for a NA car so you won't loose to much back pressure and the P5 has alot more down low torque then hondas so a nice 2.25" exhuast is all gains no losses.
I had a Bosal and borla on my MP3 and would not suggest either all though the Borla's muffler atleast stayed attached, can't say that for the bosal.

JIC has a nice system too but a crappy warrenty and it may be to large of a diameter (2.4") and you could loose some down low power.

If I put one on my P5 it will be a thermal R&D or the racing beat.

 

[herbieP5]

dont mean to thread jack (if I am at all?)

But what is the quietest exhaust for the P5 you can get? I have the Mazdaspeed axel back and on the highway the noise is starting to get to me.

I heard some magnaflow is nice. also JIC

whats everyones input on this.

Robbie

 

[1sty]

My borla cat back is quiet.

 

[tonkabui]

what's the matter with the borla that you don't recommend them?

 

[herbieP5]

1st MP3 in NH,

is it quieter than a mazdaspeed exhaust?

I need something quieter, I am on the highway all the time.

 

[1sty]

I unfortunily don't hav an direct comparision.
My car came with the racing beat muffler, then I added the turbo and the car became much quieter as a turbo will do.
Then I put on the bosal system and it was louder. I then swapped to the borla after the bosal muffler fell off! The borla seems quieter then ll other exhuast I have had.

 

[slcblkp5]

i have the skunk2 catback on order, supposed to come in around the end of the month...I can let you know then if you are still looking...they have told me i am the first with the catback for the pro5....but who knows

 

[Bijou-MP5]

if any of you want really quite cat back system, then get racing beat cat back, it is quieter than MP sport exhaust from dealer.
Injen CAI sounds > then my RB cat back