Astral

I got a Racing Beat catback exhaust from another member for my 8 (for X-Mas).

Thing is, I haven't much technical skill and I am afraid that I will screw something up if I try to install the exhaust myself.

Anyone know where I can go to install the Racing Beat exhaust in Greater Boston area? I assume that any random auto place won't fly.

Or if any member is willing to install it for me (I will help the best I can, maybe I'll learn), beers and dinner and such will be on me!

my10ae

Hi Astral:

I installed my Borla cat-back exhaust on my 8 last March with no issues. I have a 3 stall garage (in Goffstown,NH) I'd be willing to let you use to do the install. I could coach you on the install but can't get down on the ground as I have very bad sciatica in my back.

PM me if your interested. I wanna install my puddle lights too

Astral

my10ae, you got PM back

my10ae

We are on for tomorrow to do the RB exhaust install. Anyone else care to join us?

Astral

I went over to NH to install my catback! Thanks very very much to my10ae! His advice was invaluable and confidence inspiring.

Yes, it took me about 6 hours to do it. I wrestled a bunch with the stock bolts, but the exhaust hangers were the worst. I eventually developed a better technique and got the last two off much faster than the first three, but it all ended up taking a lot of time. The plastic shrouds also sucked. I broke off enough tabs on the left one so that it doesn't sit flush anymore. I am getting it replaced.

I did all the work myself, and I actually feel very good about that. I can do it again now myself if I had to. It was really scary at first getting under the car (I've never done it before), especially towards the middle where the cat pipe meets the connecting pipe, as I didn't even have room to turn on my shoulder there... y'all may laugh, but I'm a total newbie... so yeah, but I got over it, and in the end, it was kinda pretty cool

the price of the broken plastic shroud was that I was able to not sawsall/cut the stock exhaust, and leave it intact. I thought I'd have to cut it to transport it back home... but no! the stock exhaust fits (Barely) in the car! see pics below

The sound is pretty cool. I haven't recorded it yet, but it's actually quite restrained. It's louder than stock, but not much. It has a nice deep tone at low RPMs, something that was really missing from the stock exhaust, and has a deeper, gruntier tone when revving it high. It sounds proper now. It's just a little more raspy, and not at all that Honda rice-burner high-frequency fart-can sound.

No droning on the highway, and just a little louder/meaner than stock when getting on the gas on the highway in sixth. Overall, this is how the car should've sounded stock. Also I am not afraid of pissing anyone off or waking up neighbors when I roll in with this exhaust. The tips look awesome too! (just the right size)

I liked my10ae's Borla as well. I am not sure which one I like better, but I jumped at the deal that HiFlying8 was offering for the RB exhaust. The Borla sounded definitely raspier.

Here's a bunch of photos:

new exhaust, partially unpacked, featuring the muffler section, the connecting pipe, the pain in the *** exhaust hangers, the soapy solution and my10ae's feet:


exhaust removed from the cat, under the car view, can of the helpful PB blaster as well:


view through the removed exhaust shroud, can see two exhaust hangers (the left ones, i finally realized, were left on the car as I found it easier to take them off the exhaust rather than off the car):


stock exhaust:


stock exhaust, IN MY CAR! (in plastic trash bags):


stock exhaust's connecting pipe sticking into the trunk through the passthrough opening (plus one poor view of the new tips, and the left damaged shroud):


in the end, the end result, and a poor photo of it at night, right after install:


in comparison, old stock tips:

my10ae

Lookin' good Astral! It it took some time, but things we smooth (other than the broken exhaust shroud). No exhaust leaks, exhaust sounds good, and tips look awesome!

NAVILESRX8

iTrader: (1)

Oh my God.....It should be against the law to subject an RX8 to that crappy snow....

I know I know...it's your only car....but man....when I had mine, I never drove as long as there was salt and sand on the roads....maybe why I only put 12,000 miles in the 2+ years I owned it...

Jedi54

iTrader: (7)

Congrats on the RB exhaust install!

it's so great to see fellow members helping each other out like that. Way to go My10ae.

QBallz

Looks good, but why do you have 3 different license plates?

my10ae

Thanks Jedi. I don't mind helping out other RX-8 enthusiasts when I can :D

I just noticed that too Qballz, 3 different license plates. Astral, what's up with that?

vwnh

Looks great Astral. How do you like the sound? Can't wait to hear it at the next meet.

my10ae

VW:

I'm planning to do a coastal beach run at the end of Feb (weather permitting). Gonna invite folks to join us. I'll be sure to post up on this forum and the RX-8 Web forum.

Astral

yes, salt is bad, but i love driving it in the snow. i love snow driving, i can't give it up! rx-8 does fine in the snow w/ snow tires, it's a lot of fun. i'll take care of her in the spring, with proper swirl removal and all that jazz. plus she's sporting a clear bra, which very significantly reduces paint chips.

Astral

It sounds pretty good, but you only really hear it once it warms up. It's way quiet (like stock) when the engine is cold and the exhaust hasn't warmed up yet. Overall, I'm happy with it. It has a nice deep tone at low RPMs, not very loud. At high RPMs, it's not much louder than stock, just deeper. No highway drone. Really nice when you're backing up or driving around parking lot (or around town). Good sound then. I'm not at all worried about waking anyone up w/ the exhaust either. Plus it looks awesome.

I also liked how the Borla sounded, so if I had to choose, I would go for the cheaper of the two.

The three different license plates are my inconsistent Photoshop skills. I don't like leaving my license plate verbatim in pictures (even though I have plenty that do have that plate intact on my site), so I "scramble" it, differently each time. That way, it doesn't look concealed (i.e. obviously blurred), but actually is.