BHR Midpipe
#1
BHR Midpipe
Hello RX8club!
Many of you have heard the rumors that BHR is in the development phase for an RX8 midpipe. Let me set the record straight.
The rumors are true...
There hasn't been much to report up until this point as we have been working on various pipe and resonator/silencer combinations to produce the kind of sound we want. With all the midpipes that are on the market, BHR wasn't going to produce a midpipe unless it produces a unique sound and is made of the highest quality.
We have been trying our prototype pipe on various of the BHR vehicles but my RX8 provided the ultimate challange as I have the loudest RX8 in the whole Arizona Mazda Club which has a couple dozen RX8 members.
This afternoon, the prototype was installed on my RX8 and the results were nothing short of fantastic.
For reference, I am running the Espelir JGT500 dual exhaust and I have an AEM intake.
Before anyone gets excited, I will not be providing any sound clips or videos of the exhaust at this point. Reason being is we have not explored all our options nor have we tested the pipes to the point where we have a marketable product.
I'll give you an idea of the differences in the two exhausts.
My exhaust is VERY loud. It pops, backfires, shoots flames and does all sorts of nonsense. Above 4,000 RPM's under load the exhaust is very raspy and is harsh on the ears. People always complain about driving behind me. Inside the car with the windows up there's a nice drone which I love to listen to. Still, watching videos of my car or driving next to a concrete wall really hurts my ears.
This pipe changed all that.
My exhaust is still loud. On a scale of 1 to 10 with my old setup being 10 I'd say this is about a 6 on the loud scale. What it does is remove some of the harsh motor sounds and allows your cat back sound to come through more.
Idle is very nice. There's still a low rumble but it's softened slightly. Revving the motor at idle produces a smooth tone with just a very very slight hint of that raspy monster. It's almost too subtle to hear.
1st and 2nd gear are music to my ears. It's just a louder stock sound. So if you like the way your stock or aftermarket exhaust sounds it just seems to raise the volume a little bit.
I drove through a couple on ramps with high walls and my god was that a great experience. I could just barely hear the exhaust tone above the road noise. I found myself ripping through the gears just to hear the car sing!
Cruise is very quiet. Even with the windows up the drone was almost gone. I could whisper in the car without any problems.
I did a pull through the top of 3rd gear and found that the exhaust still comes to life when you're racing the motor. So in this case I get to have my cake and eat it too. The exhaust is quiet and subtle when cruising but has plenty of bark when I roll into the throttle.
I don't have a time table for when this product will come to market but I'm here to tell you that we're close. We have a few more options to explore. Until then I'll be sure to post updates, sound clips, and pictures when they become available.
Many of you have heard the rumors that BHR is in the development phase for an RX8 midpipe. Let me set the record straight.
The rumors are true...
There hasn't been much to report up until this point as we have been working on various pipe and resonator/silencer combinations to produce the kind of sound we want. With all the midpipes that are on the market, BHR wasn't going to produce a midpipe unless it produces a unique sound and is made of the highest quality.
We have been trying our prototype pipe on various of the BHR vehicles but my RX8 provided the ultimate challange as I have the loudest RX8 in the whole Arizona Mazda Club which has a couple dozen RX8 members.
This afternoon, the prototype was installed on my RX8 and the results were nothing short of fantastic.
For reference, I am running the Espelir JGT500 dual exhaust and I have an AEM intake.
Before anyone gets excited, I will not be providing any sound clips or videos of the exhaust at this point. Reason being is we have not explored all our options nor have we tested the pipes to the point where we have a marketable product.
I'll give you an idea of the differences in the two exhausts.
My exhaust is VERY loud. It pops, backfires, shoots flames and does all sorts of nonsense. Above 4,000 RPM's under load the exhaust is very raspy and is harsh on the ears. People always complain about driving behind me. Inside the car with the windows up there's a nice drone which I love to listen to. Still, watching videos of my car or driving next to a concrete wall really hurts my ears.
This pipe changed all that.
My exhaust is still loud. On a scale of 1 to 10 with my old setup being 10 I'd say this is about a 6 on the loud scale. What it does is remove some of the harsh motor sounds and allows your cat back sound to come through more.
Idle is very nice. There's still a low rumble but it's softened slightly. Revving the motor at idle produces a smooth tone with just a very very slight hint of that raspy monster. It's almost too subtle to hear.
1st and 2nd gear are music to my ears. It's just a louder stock sound. So if you like the way your stock or aftermarket exhaust sounds it just seems to raise the volume a little bit.
I drove through a couple on ramps with high walls and my god was that a great experience. I could just barely hear the exhaust tone above the road noise. I found myself ripping through the gears just to hear the car sing!
Cruise is very quiet. Even with the windows up the drone was almost gone. I could whisper in the car without any problems.
I did a pull through the top of 3rd gear and found that the exhaust still comes to life when you're racing the motor. So in this case I get to have my cake and eat it too. The exhaust is quiet and subtle when cruising but has plenty of bark when I roll into the throttle.
I don't have a time table for when this product will come to market but I'm here to tell you that we're close. We have a few more options to explore. Until then I'll be sure to post updates, sound clips, and pictures when they become available.
#6
The prototype pipe I am using does not have a hanger installed but that is an item we're looking into.
Our price range is still somewhat unknown because it will depend on materials used. Once I have a price range that I can release I will. It will carry BHR's standards of quality and our dedication for the best pricing.
Ha! What a great way to ring in my 1,000th post! Is it dual resonated? That's a hard question to answer because we're still not convinced that having duel resonators is required for a quiet mid-pipe. We may offer a single resonator version and a duel resonated version if we cannot produce the quiet sounds people want. Our goal is to produce the sound we want with a single resonator.
Our price range is still somewhat unknown because it will depend on materials used. Once I have a price range that I can release I will. It will carry BHR's standards of quality and our dedication for the best pricing.
Ha! What a great way to ring in my 1,000th post! Is it dual resonated? That's a hard question to answer because we're still not convinced that having duel resonators is required for a quiet mid-pipe. We may offer a single resonator version and a duel resonated version if we cannot produce the quiet sounds people want. Our goal is to produce the sound we want with a single resonator.
Last edited by Flashwing; 04-02-2009 at 11:14 PM.
#9
We also have plans to release our pipe with actual flow data. This kind of data has been promised before by other vendors but it has never been delivered. We intend to not only demonstrate the sound but also show genuine flow gains over the stock exhaust.
#10
Awesome news Flash!
What size piping?
And are you guys planning on offering hardware like gaskets and bolts with the pipe?
Couple pipes I worked on this year were REAL bad and rusted and it would be nice if they can just swap those out too?
This is also good in places that have to get e-check and will end up taking the pipe out again in a couple years.
What size piping?
And are you guys planning on offering hardware like gaskets and bolts with the pipe?
Couple pipes I worked on this year were REAL bad and rusted and it would be nice if they can just swap those out too?
This is also good in places that have to get e-check and will end up taking the pipe out again in a couple years.
#11
Consider my money yours...
Edit: And maybe I've been living under a rock but i don't think many people know what the Espelir JGT500 dual exhaust consists of. Is it just a cat-back or is there any sort of mid-pipe included with that system?
Edit: And maybe I've been living under a rock but i don't think many people know what the Espelir JGT500 dual exhaust consists of. Is it just a cat-back or is there any sort of mid-pipe included with that system?
Last edited by JantzenRX-8; 04-02-2009 at 11:39 PM.
#12
Awesome news Flash!
What size piping?
And are you guys planning on offering hardware like gaskets and bolts with the pipe?
Couple pipes I worked on this year were REAL bad and rusted and it would be nice if they can just swap those out too?
This is also good in places that have to get e-check and will end up taking the pipe out again in a couple years.
What size piping?
And are you guys planning on offering hardware like gaskets and bolts with the pipe?
Couple pipes I worked on this year were REAL bad and rusted and it would be nice if they can just swap those out too?
This is also good in places that have to get e-check and will end up taking the pipe out again in a couple years.
I imagine hardware will be offered with the pipe but that's not been settled yet.
#17
I know people have been waiting for us to announce one way or another about the pipe. When we get final sound clips up I'm sure people will be happy.
Was there any resonators (obviously there is) installed on the proto midpipe? How Many?
Yes there are resonators installed. The prototype has the large resonator we purchased and then a very small baby resonator that came with the pipe. I tried this same pipe with just the small resonator and noticed zero, nadda, zilch different in the sound from my B&B. If anything, the tone was altered cause the B&B isn't a true 3 inch pipe while this one is.
So, while our prototype technically is dual resonated, the small one doesn't really do anything. If we can't quiet the exhaust down with a single, we'll probably offer a dual as well.
Also I'd guess 300$ would be good for a midpipe
Yes there are resonators installed. The prototype has the large resonator we purchased and then a very small baby resonator that came with the pipe. I tried this same pipe with just the small resonator and noticed zero, nadda, zilch different in the sound from my B&B. If anything, the tone was altered cause the B&B isn't a true 3 inch pipe while this one is.
So, while our prototype technically is dual resonated, the small one doesn't really do anything. If we can't quiet the exhaust down with a single, we'll probably offer a dual as well.
Also I'd guess 300$ would be good for a midpipe
#19
Come on man. You're KILLING me with the teasing. Can't I just give Ray some money and get this already? He's got a Borla. I have a Borla. If it sounds good and fits on his ride then it'll sound good and fit on mine. I don't care if it's a single resonator, a dual resonator, or any combination of resonators from the manifold to the catback. Just get me something that works.
I would so rather do that then wait on RB, bid on a random Mazsport, or do what I'm sure I'm gonna eventually do and just throw some cash at a random midpipe that'll finally give me the extra couple ponies I need for a Memorial Day weekend where I can diss a few dozen Beemers on the track.
And for the record I'm sending an email to RB tonight that's nothing short of hate. I think it'll be almost as bad as the last time Nabisco tried to change the flavor of Nacho Cheese Combos. Talk about hatemail...
#21
Well I see there is a good response to this already. I think Flashwing has jumped the gun a little with his excitement.
So far this unit has been tried with the Mazdaspeed Dual, mine and Borla, Charles R.Hill's and Flashwings Espelir.
I don't see any reason why this unit can not come with mounting hardware and new gaskets. Also a rear mount.
When I had it on my car the sound was quite sedate.
I do have a sound clip of it on my car I guess I could put up here as a tease.This is with the Mazdaspeed Dual catback.Sorry for the wind noise in the beginning and Ray's commentary. lol
Remember this is just the prototype and not the finished product.
VIDEO
So far this unit has been tried with the Mazdaspeed Dual, mine and Borla, Charles R.Hill's and Flashwings Espelir.
I don't see any reason why this unit can not come with mounting hardware and new gaskets. Also a rear mount.
When I had it on my car the sound was quite sedate.
I do have a sound clip of it on my car I guess I could put up here as a tease.This is with the Mazdaspeed Dual catback.Sorry for the wind noise in the beginning and Ray's commentary. lol
Remember this is just the prototype and not the finished product.
VIDEO
Last edited by Easy_E1; 04-03-2009 at 02:24 AM.
#23
Out of curiousity, will you be including some sound level measurements when development is complete? It would be great if we could start seeing hard numbers for all midpipe volumes instead of just opinions on volume as there is no garauntee the person evaluating the noise level has the same opinion as a buyer.
Last edited by Zeon; 04-03-2009 at 07:37 AM. Reason: so I don't look like an idiot
#25
This sounds nothing short of amazing, as with all BHR products. If that's the case, then I have hopes that I'll be able to have a nice mid pipe and not have to change out my HKS Hi-Power because it'll be too loud or something. Hats off to you guys as always. Can't wait to see the end result.
Flash, if you DO happen to have ANY insight on what this will sound like, paired with a HKS Hi-Power... Definitely let me know. I just have a feeling that switching to any mid pipe may cause me to have to change my exhaust...which I really like my single. I just don't want something so loud that I can't even hear myself think...(which is what happened with the Agency Power exhaust as seen here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7crFfpmkkoA
..Which btw..I red lined and all that..but I didn't break the speed limit. Honest. That should give you an idea of how loud this thing is regardless.. :/)
Anyways, looking forward to this. I thought RB was going to be the only answer, but looks like I should've trusted Ray when he said long ago "I have something hot coming...just wait a while "
Flash, if you DO happen to have ANY insight on what this will sound like, paired with a HKS Hi-Power... Definitely let me know. I just have a feeling that switching to any mid pipe may cause me to have to change my exhaust...which I really like my single. I just don't want something so loud that I can't even hear myself think...(which is what happened with the Agency Power exhaust as seen here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7crFfpmkkoA
..Which btw..I red lined and all that..but I didn't break the speed limit. Honest. That should give you an idea of how loud this thing is regardless.. :/)
Anyways, looking forward to this. I thought RB was going to be the only answer, but looks like I should've trusted Ray when he said long ago "I have something hot coming...just wait a while "