For the last half a year I have been running with a MS dual muffler after a ford focus decided to rear end me and destroy the OEM unit. This has been one great sounding system but I found it a little loud for my life style. So after great deliberation and many restless nights, I made the decision to switch it for a Racing Beat system. I have installed the RB system and documented the switch and my observation of the two units. Seeing that the RB is very new I will update my opinions as I live with the new system.

I’ll apology up front for not buffing out the tips on my MS before the picture shoot. Because of the limitation as to how many pics I can put to a message this review is broken down into 5 sections (threads)
I – Introduction
II – Build Quality
III – Installation
IV – Performance
V – Sound & Impressions

If at some point maybe the admins can combine this into a single post, it would be very helpful.

I hope you find this useful. The pictures on this page show the two systems side by side. The much larger mass of the RB is Obvious and it is as heavy as it looks. I have included the units weight later on but do not have the weight of the OEM unit.

 

Both systems show excellent build quality but approach it in different ways. The RB system is hand built and you can see it. Welds are not always consistent and some items seem over engineered such as the hangers and the muffler junction pipes. The system is polished which is a nice touch but seeing that the system is under the car the point of this is questionable. Over all construction is solid and attention to details is very good.

The MS system is obviously machine built. All welds are very consistent and the whole design philosophy is very functional. Things are very solid but they are done in a very simple manor. Both systems are well built but I would say the MS is more solid. At the same time the RB’s system to attach muffler to midpipe is far superior, more on this later. I did find that the RB fit better them the MS in regards to tip alignment but only by a small margin but noticeable.

My MS has a little over 3K miles and was on the car about 6 months. As you will see the pipes have changed color. I don’t believe this is rust because it is smooth, it would best be described as intense golding like you see on the tips. I assume this could be polished out if you had the desire. The RB should perform similarly in time.

Over all both are of very high quality.

 

I didn’t install the MS but I did remove it and installed the RB Myself. The RB was a snap to install once the old muffler was removed. Removing the old system is a little work with the hardest part being the rubber hangers but if you wedge a screwdriver between the hanger bracket and the rubber hanger then spray in silicon lubricant you can remove these with your hands and the job becomes much easier. The other hard part was separating the MS Muffler from it’s midpipe.

You will need a second person but only for a few simple tasks, my 9-year-old son fit the bill so you know it is not much. Once the muffler is off the RB goes in very easily in about .5 hours.

Here is the big difference between the RB and MS system. The MS muffler attaches to the mid pipe by a slip joint, which is then clamped. It works fine but was difficult to work with and a pain to take apart, it also needs to be adjusted to fit right. Finally installing it could be a pain because I believe you have to assemble the whole unit then install the it.

The RB on the other hand uses a gasket and bolt together connector, which makes installation a snap. The RB is heaver and you feel it when installing it.

I installed this system with the exhaust shroud in place removing it is a royal pain. You can do this with just the rear of the car jacked up despite what the RB instructions say.
Just make sure the system is never resting on the shrouds.

 

Well, my butt dynometer cannot tell any difference in performance but I did used a scale to weight the two and here are the results:

MS
Mid pipe: 6.5 lbs
Muffler: 24 lbs
Total: 30.5 lbs

RB
Mid pipe: 7.5 lbs
Muffler: 40 lbs
Total: 47.5 lbs

Yes the RB is a heavy system; I could never find any specs on this so here they are. If you’re after performance the MS is the way to go for the weight and the apparent straighter path of the exhaust piping. The RB uses a larger pipe but I think this is just for show because it narrows to fit with the CAT so you have a chock point. In fact the larger pipe may cost performance with the increased weight. Again the MS uses just what it needs to get the job done, nothing fancy just good simple engineering.

I had a little extra room in this section so I included a close up of the golding of the pipes, this dose not appear to be rust just server golding.

 

excellent review and the pics are awesome - im currently waiting for the arrival of my Racing beat exhaust which i will be installing this weekend. cant wait :-D

 

Excellent review!

So, was the MS too loud because... it droned? Or just because your 9 year old son/possible wife did not like it? I have just heard a lot of people complain about the MS unit saying that it was too loud for some reason or another.

 

Well from a visual stand point I like them both but I like the MS better. The MS uses a 3.5” tip with double wall construction and is angle cut from top to bottom. The system looks like it is OEM and fits the car perfect but looks so much better then the stock tips. It rides high in the openings but looks great.

The RB uses a 4” tip that is single walled construction and also angle cut but they turn the tips 45 degrees so the angle cut runs from the lower outer corner to the inner upper corner. This looks OK but I would have preferred it to run up and down like the MS. The 4” tips do look after make, maybe I’ll think different after living with them for a while.

The sound, this is what it is all about and these systems are very different in how they make it. The MS is pure sex, very low and deep sounding. It is very aggressive with out sounding ricy at all. The system growls and snorts through out the RPM range and at high RPMs almost sounds horn like in its wail. This sound make me what to gun the car, it sound like a racecar but not obnoxious like some system. The down side is the system will drone between 2500RPM to 3500RPM, this can be annoying driving with closed windows at highway speeds. I was going to put sound dampening in the truck to resolve this. The other problem is the sound level; it is just a touch to loud. When I drive aggressively I keep looking over my shoulder to make sure no cops are with in ear shoot. This is just a little two loud for a 44-year-old guy to be showing up to a Little League game with. It should also be noted that the MS becomes much louder after the car has warmed up.

The RB is a much more mellow sounding not as deep as the MS. It is aggressive but all the rough spots have been taken out. The RB has a much more refined sound not as aggressive as the MS. It is a much smoother system that never hits the wail of the MS. If you like the rotary engine sound you hear much more of it through the exhaust note with the RB. The MS drowns out a lot of the rotary sound. I will never be looking over my shoulder for cops with the RB system.

In summary the MS is defiantly the sports system here with lighter weight and more aggressive sound while the RB is the refined system for those looking for just a sportier tone with out the racecar sound. I will really miss the MS but in the end the RB will better serve me. Prices are close these days I was able to get the race beat for $610 plus shipping and the MS runs $570 plus shipping. I hope this helps with your selection and I will be putting my old MS up for sale in the parts section. More to come as I live with the RB for some time.

 

Both, my wife could hear me coming down the block and the drown was annoying. I really believe I could have eliminated the drown with sound dampening but the system was to loud for me tooling around the neighborhood. If I was unmarried and 10 years younger the MS would be my choice hands down. That systems sound is outstanding when you are driving aggressively.

 

great review.. i have the borla... when in the 4-6k rpms Its quite loud, specially at 3am, but other then that, .. thats jsut from what my dad tells me... no-one else has driven the car so i wouldnt know what it sounds like driving away.. it does drone a little bit... but turn the stereo on to volume 10... and you cant hear it... windows down or up..

 

I bought my RB exhaust in 04 shortly after it came out. Looking at the pictures I notice they have changed the welds on the y pipe a bit (both pattern and quality). The new design is probably easier to weld but definitely not as elegant.

 

I can confirm that you can install RB exhaust by simply jacking up the rear. I used a soapy solution for the rubber hangers.

Raptor, the RB sound becomes much deeper when it warms up. It sounds close to stock when it's cold. If you drive around for 15 minutes, you'll definitely notice a difference (the warmup time depends on how hard you drive and the exterior temps). This is most noticeable when you are stabbing the throttle at low RPMs to cruise around parking lots and such.

Enjoy your new RB! I love mine!

(Remember those single-walled RB tips are going to start golding in a matter of weeks. Order your English Custom Hot Env & Chrome polish now [see the thread about "Gold" tips], and once you polish it once, that polish really helps it stay silver for much much longer).

 

Wow Raptor (heh), this looks like a nice write up. These are the two catbacks that I'm trying to decide between, thanks.

 

^ I was just thinking the same thing as Raptor2k , I have narrowed it down to these two exhausts and now I still can't decide.
I think I am going to do the Mazdaspeed.

 

I can't wait to see what my Racing beat exhaust sounds like with my Rotary Performance SuperCAT

 

great write up..

and as someone that had and liked the corksport/ms.... the drone was to much....

to all if you are going to do the ms, sound proofing the trunk does not fix the problem....

beers

 

I loved when I had my MS on w/o the turbo, nice deep sound under throttle, now that the greddys on, it sounds stock again

 

I have the Corksport. You just have to be older like me. Then your hearing starts to go and it's no longer a problem.

 

Time to get a high flow cat or race pipe if you want it louder

It definitely amplifies the sound...


Excellent write up.

I didn't realize how similar the tips look.

Benefit of the double walled is they don't gold quite as quickly as the single.

Get that English Custom Hot Environment polish it helps keep the golding under control.

Although I am starting to appreciate the golding it is almost like burnt titanium...

 

MS drones? Mine sure doesn't, I can hear the syncros (i think thats what I hear) winding in the first 3 gears. I can still hear the winding noise the motor makes, My g/f doesnt like that noise.
Mine has a little rumble and little exhaust pops but nothing big.
Out of all the systems I've ownd on other cars the MS has been the most silent. I almost hope it gets as loud as yours is cause i didnt really notice it right now unless I'm in the 5k area.

 

Besides the truck I was going to concentrate on the heat shield between the muffler and the truck. It is thin flimsy and I could see it resonating very easily. I was thinking of spreading silicon chalk on the back side of it to dampen the vibration. This is just a theory but is a good place to start.

 

Thanks,
It is defentally quieter while cruising and picks up on sound when you stab it. It is still very subdued as opposed to the MS. If I was moving from OEM to RB I would probably feel it is more aggressively tuned but come from a MS it is far more muted which is what I was looking for but I do miss that roar.

My old English arrived last week

 

I had to go to the state refuee today to get my loud exhaust ticket inspected because some stupid cop in San Francisco thinks my MS exhaust is too loud. Anyway the MS exhaust makes 90.3 dB at 5400 RPM so it is not too bad.

 

i went from a 350z stock exchaust to s2000 with jic (i think i got a brain damage from it) to an rx8 with a mazda speed exhuast. Oh my god i have never heard anything that drooooooons so bad. when you push it was really loud; screamin LOOK AT ME, I AM REALLY REALLY SPEEDING, HELLO, DING DING DING. And the best part is when you fight with your girlfriend. when she has something to say just cruese around 3K with the MS. and there you go, you just saved your self a BIG argument.

I had it for 1 week, and then i sold it. and i realized how much i missed the tone from 350z. so now i am going to try the RB, but is there any other exhaust that does not drone, i am just not a big fan of heavy stuff?

 

Most aftermarket exhausts will experience droning. I guess the RB is the least out there, seems to be quietest of the exhausts, but it comes at a price. The RB exhaust is purely cosmetic, since it weighs more and gives negligible power gains it is either neutral or a net loss. But if you just want a tiny bit more sound that is not too intense, then yes RB is the way to go.

Droning doesn't bother me, though, I just turn on music and the problem is solved. I've heard the MS sport exhaust and it's not too bad compared to other aftermarket exhausts. I have a resonated midpipe without a cat and the RX8Store catback (uses magnaflow mufflers). No cat + that catback = very loud. I got used to it and it's never bothered me, but that's just me.

 

lov2bugu, try the Borla. I don't know if it's heavier than stock, but people say it doesn't really drone. It also has a quite pleasant, just a tad raspy, deep relatively laid back sound, kinda like the RB.