Racing Beat CBE longterm review?

[Kain]

For those that have had the Racing Beat cat-back exhaust for a while now, how has it held up? Has it gotten any louder? I know initial reviews said it was quieter than stock.

Having just took a big roadtrip, I'm starting to dislike the stock exhaust tone and volume.

 

[jabba]

I've had mine for about 6 months now. The main purpose of buying this was to get rid of the off-throttle drone that is so prevalent with the stocker, and that's exactly what it accomplished after I installed it. So after 6 months, the sound inside the cabin is about the same as the day I installed it, maybe just a tish louder, but not much. The off-throttle drone is still almost non-existent, which is what I wanted. The thing has a deep note when you're outside the car, which is nice, but you don't really hear it inside. The stocker was an inferno of drone as compared to the Racing Beat.

Still no leaks. You do have to clean it often to make it look good, though, with all that damn soot that builds up.

 

[copperkid]

I've had my racing beat for over a year. During repeated trips from VA to Pittsburgh and back I've noticed the exhaust drones in the cabin around 70-80 mph. After 2+ hours the drone starts to become annoying, almost unbearable!

 

[MSMS3]

Another option is to simply place a carefully selected straight through design high flow resonator in the system.

The 2,500 rpm drone is what got to me in daily driving and on long trips. Mine got worse when I went with a catless dp/rp. I ended up taming the problem with a simple Vibrant UltraQuiet reso. I put mine in the middle of the rp, but for those of you with stock CBE's you could put a 2 1/2 inch reso just about anywhere it could be fit and get the same result. Drone gone.

I'm not saying that Vibrant has the only solution. There is a thread here where MS3 owners concerned about the drone have also used a particular small Magnaflow product to tame the drone, and have been placing it downstream in the stock CBE section.

So spend about $100 bucks and maybe $50 to a welding shop, or spend big bucks on a new CBE. We all know that aftermarket CBE's do not make any more power unless you are very heavily modded.

Just a thought about a less expensive and effective alternative.

 

[Kain]

That's probably what I'm going to do. I love the dual-tip look, but not enough to eat the difference in price. Especially when anectodally it seems to get a good bit louder with age.

 

[MSMS3]

anectodally it seems to get a good bit louder with age.

Dual meaning there, Kain. And all exhausts seem to be louder (or we get more concerned about loudness) as the owners get older. lol.

Loud does not equal fast anyway.

 

[zoominMS3]

digging up an old thread because I want to know how the owners of these exhausts feel now.. How is the sound? How has the construction held up?

 

[spdjnke]

speaking on Copperkiids behalf since he is a very good friend of mine, well so far as of this past tuesday, it looks pretty good, just the tips if you don't clean them often, well since they are staggard one seems to "burn" the others finish. Sound does seem to be a bit louder but still fairly quiet compared to my COBB...would have been nice if they put flanges on them instead of the slip clamp design...otherwise good after 2 years of use.

 

[CoastSpeed]

I've had mine for about a year and a half and I really love it. I've never noticed any drone of any kind, including on several 8 hour or longer road trips. It is quiet inside the car - but roll down the windows and you'll hear it! Agree with the lost poster about having to clean it - it will get pretty dirty due to the staggered tips. A minor issue though, overall I am totally satisfied with it!

 

[jabba]

Still no issues with mine, the clamp holding up the back part of the exhaust (under the rear axle) to the front is rusting away nicely, but still no leaks. I don't notice it being louder, the off-gas drone that I had with the stock exhaust has not returned. You do have to clean the tips often, though, but no biggie.