Aftermarket exhaust?

Serendipity

Someone here mentioned aftermarket exhausts a while ago so that got me thinking -

After realizing that most OEM exhaust setups aren't that great (they rust very easily esp. with the snow in the Northeast), what improvements would an aftermarket exhaust bring?

Would any aftermarket exhaust last longer than what came from the factory? And considering most are not prohibitively expensive will an exhaust be a good investment?

Thanks!

Kinetic

its a good invesment, the corrosion depends on the material.

i would recomend stainless steel.

in brands you can go for a "megan racing", wich is good and cheap, or a "greddy EVO", wich is my personal favorite, but its expensive, and it also depends on what car do you drive.

for example germans works better on remus, and italians on Tubi´s

if you can tell us what car do you drive, can be easy for us to recomend something

eloplayspolo

small HP boost....depends on vehicle, but also it will most likely depreciate the cost of ur car... so if u plan on selling it at any point... dont.

Serendipity

The car is a 2000 Nissan Maxima.

Kinetic

buy something like this

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/00-03-NISSAN-MAXIMA-BBP-CATBACK-EXHAUST-01-GLE-GXE-SE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33630QQihZ005QQitemZ150204245518QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

and Eloplayspolo is right, about the depreciation, i really dont now how much becouse i live in mexico city, but check it and evaluate the situation.

i Would buy it.

Serendipity

Kinetic wrote: »

buy something like this

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/00-03-NISSAN-MAXIMA-BBP-CATBACK-EXHAUST-01-GLE-GXE-SE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33630QQihZ005QQitemZ150204245518QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

and Eloplayspolo is right, about the depreciation, i really dont now how much becouse i live in mexico city, but check it and evaluate the situation.

i Would buy it.

I was under the impression that the "racing" style exhausts make more noise, so are there any exhausts that provide a decent improvement but not sound very loud?

Thanks!

Kinetic

appadv wrote: »

I was under the impression that the "racing" style exhausts make more noise, so are there any exhausts that provide a decent improvement but not sound very loud?

Thanks!

yes it makes a noise, actually i think its a nice noise, (i enjoy it more than my audio)

but if you see the pictures closer, (the second small picture) there is a muffler tip, and that tip is for avoid the loud noise.

you can put it on or off with just a screwdriver, in just 2 minutes, to have the noise or to dont have it

Kinetic

here is how the silencer looks by itself

Serendipity

Would something like this be better?

http://www.stillen.com/product.asp?id=HKSEXH03&c=PE&year=2000&make=NISSAN&model=MAXIMA

I'm just looking for something that would last a bit longer than the stock exhaust (rust-wise) and is made of stainless steel.

Kinetic

hks and Stillen are exelent brands, but that one is just the muffler, without the other pipe sections, and without the silencer.
however for the size of the muffler, it shouldnt be too noisy, and also looks OEM.

Serendipity

Kinetic wrote: »

hks and Stillen are exelent brands, but that one is just the muffler, without the other pipe sections, and without the silencer.
however for the size of the muffler, it shouldnt be too noisy, and also looks OEM.

Thanks.

The HKS looks exactly like the OEM exhaust so that is also a big plus.

Serendipity

Also, will the HKS exhaust be a better investment compared to the one in the link you provided? I'm looking for something that will have longevity.

Kinetic

the brand will give you the type of exhaust sound

the longevity will depend in a 90% of the used material, certantly the HKS, is going to be more durable, maybe 9 years in normal conditions, and the ebay one 7 years i guess.

both are stainless steel and both are suppossed to be corrosion free.

the one with the complete pipes, is going to give you more power, and you will have less corrotion parts, there are more brands and models, and also it depends on how much money do you want to spend.

just remember the silencer, becouse you dont like noisy exhausts.

and remember that the exhausts is almost just a piece of pipe and almost all the brands are practically the same, no big tech in here.

Serendipity

Kinetic wrote: »

the brand will give you the type of exhaust sound

the longevity will depend in a 90% of the used material, certantly the HKS, is going to be more durable, maybe 9 years in normal conditions, and the ebay one 7 years i guess.

both are stainless steel and both are suppossed to be corrosion free.

Thanks again.

It looks like the HKS exhaust is the best choice for durability then. If it can even last 6 years, then that is better than the stock muffler which only lasted 4 years before rusting.

Audiobliss or Jstas, what do you guys think?

audiobliss

I don't imagine you'd see much gains with an aftermarket exhaust system for your car, but it could be fun to install!

Aftermarket stainless steel certainly would last longer than the stock system, too. I don't know how much they'd cost or how much of an improvement they'd offer, but I'd look into headers, too.

Oh, but do get a full system, at least a cat-back system, instead of just replacing the muffler.

Sami

2000 Maxima, hmmm, what condition is your exhaust in? They certainly are wear items on a car but I wouldn't replace it unless it's necessary. You're not going to see much gains in performance but will most likely add a lot of noise.

Serendipity

Sami wrote: »

2000 Maxima, hmmm, what condition is your exhaust in? They certainly are wear items on a car but I wouldn't replace it unless it's necessary. You're not going to see much gains in performance but will most likely add a lot of noise.

It's a bit rusty. The original exhaust only lasted 4 years and the second one is beginning to rust again. And these are OEM exhausts!!

nikolas812

How bad is the rust? I would expect your are going to see a certain amount of surface rust no matter what. Stainless OEM what ever it is it usually will develop a little bit if surface rust over time. Unless it is garage kept and not drove in bad weather conditions. If there are rust holes starting to develope in the exaust I would think it is time to replace it. But if its just surface rust I would leave it alone. How long has the current exhaust been on there?

Serendipity

nikolas812 wrote: »

How bad is the rust? I would expect your are going to see a certain amount of surface rust no matter what. Stainless OEM what ever it is it usually will develop a little bit if surface rust over time. Unless it is garage kept and not drove in bad weather conditions. If there are rust holes starting to develope in the exaust I would think it is time to replace it. But if its just surface rust I would leave it alone. How long has the current exhaust been on there?

The rust isn't very bad but considering that the first exhaust only lasted until 2004, it seems like 2008 will be the year in which the second exhaust rusts away. I'm not talking about a little bit of surface rust, but there was lots of rust on the first exhaust when we replaced it. In fact the thing sounded so bad due to the fact that it had holes in it!!

Anyways, it seems like the second exhaust will have the same problem in the coming year or so. Most of the problem is due to the weather in NYC, but I think an exhaust still should last more than four years. So that's why I'm considering an aftermarket one.

Serendipity

Oh yeah the exhaust has been there for something like 4 years.

nikolas812

Sounds to me like what ever was put on there wasn't stainless steel. And if they said iit was and charged you accordingly I feel bad for you. Stainless steel should last for ever. I have had vehicles with 20+ years on the exhaust with no problems. If you can't do it yourself find a reputable muffler place to replace your exsiting exhaust with a stainless steel unit. You might pay a premium for it. But it will be the last time you have ever got to do it. As for all the aftermarket stuff you would probably spend twice as much on it and have a noisy car that sounds like a bumble bee. I don't know how old you are but I personaly don't want to run around town sounding like the 16 year old joe smoe rumbling next to me at the stop light. Like I said try to find reputable place that can do a stainless unit all the way back. Inclunding a factory muffler in stainless if possible. They might even be able to recommend a good factory type replacement that is made out of stainless. I this helps you out.


nik

Serendipity

nikolas812 wrote: »

Sounds to me like what ever was put on there wasn't stainless steel. And if they said iit was and charged you accordingly I feel bad for you. Stainless steel should last for ever. I have had vehicles with 20+ years on the exhaust with no problems. If you can't do it yourself find a reputable muffler place to replace your exsiting exhaust with a stainless steel unit. You might pay a premium for it. But it will be the last time you have ever got to do it. As for all the aftermarket stuff you would probably spend twice as much on it and have a noisy car that sounds like a bumble bee. I don't know how old you are but I personaly don't want to run around town sounding like the 16 year old joe smoe rumbling next to me at the stop light. Like I said try to find reputable place that can do a stainless unit all the way back. Inclunding a factory muffler in stainless if possible. They might even be able to recommend a good factory type replacement that is made out of stainless. I this helps you out.


nik

Well, the dealer was the one that installed the second exhaust. So I guess they didn't do a great job then.

It seems like the muffler should have lasted a long time, but I think the dealer was not very honest and installed a non-stainless steel exhaust. Will go somewhere else next time.

I am still considering an aftermarket exhaust though.

Kinetic

appadv wrote: »

Well, the dealer was the one that installed the second exhaust. So I guess they didn't do a great job then.

It seems like the muffler should have lasted a long time, but I think the dealer was not very honest and installed a non-stainless steel exhaust. Will go somewhere else next time.

I am still considering an aftermarket exhaust though.

the aftermarket doesnt have to be welded, it uses screws so its a clean installation and you can do it.

and i think it can do more time than i told you, im not sure becouse i have never lived in a place with snow, maybe another one can help us here.

look arround ebay, there are a lot of models over there, and the should have stillen and hks too

Kinetic

if you liked HKS and Stillen, this is one of my favorite brands

http://www.tanabe-usa.com/

check it, some exhausts models come with the silencer, since you dont like the noise

Face

Is it rusting through? It's normal for some forms of stainless to develop surface rust.

If it's not rusting through, I wouldn't bother replacing it. Most aftermarket designs will be louder. IMO, unless it has a V8 or better, it should be quiet.

How about spending some money on decent cables instead.

Sami

Face wrote: »

IMO, unless it has a V8 or better, it should be quiet.

V8 or better, yeah sure, I6 is way better than V8.

No matter what the engine, quieter is better if performance isn't compromised.

Face

Sami wrote: »

V8 or better, yeah sure, I6 is way better than V8.

No matter what the engine, quieter is better if performance isn't compromised.

Ok, we can make a exception for the BMW M-Motor.

Serendipity

Face wrote: »

Is it rusting through? It's normal for some forms of stainless to develop surface rust.

If it's not rusting through, I wouldn't bother replacing it. Most aftermarket designs will be louder. IMO, unless it has a V8 or better, it should be quiet.

How about spending some money on decent cables instead.

It is rusting to some extent though. Not completely, but it does seem like it's not going to last too much longer.

Cables make a difference?

audiobliss

Yes, they do!! Replace ALL those cables going to your fuse panel under the dash! You'll pick up at LEAST 20hp and 16lb-ft!!!

:rolleyes:

:D:D:D

Serendipity

audiobliss wrote: »

Yes, they do!! Replace ALL those cables going to your fuse panel under the dash! You'll pick up at LEAST 20hp and 16lb-ft!!!

:rolleyes:

:D:D:D

Do they have to be of the Monster brand?

Face

http://www.bwaudio.net/
PM him for pricing though. Anything with the name monster on it should be thrown out.