Is the Mazdaspeed Sport Exhaust worth the $?

[ph0enixrising]

Guy from Mazda said it adds 3 to 4 HP. I don't know if that's at the wheels or at the crank though. It looks really nice, and I've heard it sounds nice, but I'm not sure shelling out a couple hundred dollars for an axle-back exhaust system is worth it. What do you guys think of it? Are there better values, like cat-back systems that give a higher HP gain?

 

[pr5owner]

it should give you about.... 1 hp... at the flywheel, this isnt even a cat back, if i were you i would save up for something cooler

 

[BigBlue]

I would say if you are going to spend the money on a new exhaust, that you should look at some of the other offerings as you aren't going to see any noticeable gains from the Mazdaspeed one.

Check out the aftermarket guide...there are a couple listed in there in addition to all sorts of other power adding goodies.

Aftermarket Guide

 

[Captain KRM P5]

http://www.racingbeat.com/FRprotege.htm

Yes, it's expensive, but from Racing Beat's reputation for quality and the description on the page it looks worth it. It should complement my incoming BEGI kit as well.

I personally think the Mazda "sport exhaust" is an expensive noisemaker. Save another week's pay and buy a cat-back.

 

[Protege Type 5]

emm..
"Improved exhaust gas flow is achieved through the use of 60mm (2.375-inch) stainless steel "
2.375" is not the greatest for turbo..
i would go 2.5"..so maybe hold off on the rbeat?
Im personally gonna go custom 2.5" with skunk2 muffler...

 

[0mega]

...but the mazdaspeed is offered as a accessorie, so that means its "legal"

here in montreal the cops are pulling over anyone that makes somewhat of a noise...so by telling him and showing him the proof that its and option on the original equipment, hes got nothing to say

about the gains i highly doubt more then 1-2hp, but it makes a cool sound, and mazdaspeed is etched on the tip

 

[Aricjm15]

if you want to buy a shiny piece of crap then go ahead

you would be better off buy some TENZO or Weapon R garbage(nuts)

but then your car would sound like an angry bee

 

[Pro5OnSpeed]

exhaust

if you change your exhaust do the whole thing from the cat back.... and always remember, anything that has to do with loud noise is a cop magnet. doesnt matter if it is an accessory or not. subwoofers are perfectly legal, its just how loud you have them on! SAVE YOUR MONEY FOR RACING BEAT EXHAUST!!! i know i am!

 

[ph0enixrising]

As I was reading through past threads, I came across a dyno chart by the user "Woody". He has the Mazdaspeed exhaust, and was able to get a 3.3 wHP gain, which isn't bad, considering it's not a cat-back. So the 1-2 horsepower claims some of you guys have made seem to be false.

 

[Antoine]

Don't you guys think your being a bit harsh...sheesh give ph0enixrising a break...he's just asking...and don't be so quick to make claims about a product without backing it up (1hp at the flywheel?).

If this is the same system that got 3.3 whp on Woodys carthat isn't bad at all...that was just the exhaust. Don't expect large whp gains from any minor bolton on a NA 4 cylinder.

And some other systems may produce more power but also sometimes they disrupt how the power is delivered. It would be awesome to do a magazine style comparison...take one p5 and dyno test all the available systems. Speaking of magsTurbo Mag got 3.8 whp from the HKS hi-power cat-back exhaust system.

Also, sound is a major factor, in some cases the best performing exhaust may sound like crap or be unbearably loudits your moneyyour choicedo the research.

Zoom-Zoom

 

[MPChi]

I've got one of those

The Mazdaspeed bolt on exhaust(muffler) is pretty good. Looks very nice, sounds very nice, but also a bit loud once it reaches around 3k rpm or higher, which can get a little annoying while driving freeway speed. I wouldn't go so far as calling it the best $200 I've ever spent, but if a nice looking & sounding exhaust is what you are looking for, its a pretty good buy. If price is not an issue, and you want more performance out of it, the RacingBeat catback may be the way to go as I heard nothing but good things about it. Heck, my MP3 was tuned by them! Unfortunately the previous owner of my MP3 had the stock RacingBeat exhaust cut, and welded a cheaper Ractive universal muffler that has a stupid non-removable spinning fan inside the tip. Can't even have my car smog check with that thing! Not quite sure why he did that in the first place. Now I had it replaced with a Mazdaspeed, and its a lot better