or get em used

 

Interesting...

So just to confirm the difference between the S1 and S2 Systems...CAT Back are the Welded metal hanging rods on exhaust??...the distance between the hanger and exhaust system to floor pan??.

I wondered what the difference was, as the Mazda Part Numbers are different for Both S2 Pieces (2, pipe and rear muffler) , I always thought it had something to do with the exhausts Chrome Outlets and the Clearance of new rear bumper.

ALL the 6 Rubber Exhaust Hangers N3H2-40-061A are the same for both S1 and S2 systems.

 

The exhausts and hangers are the exact same the only difference is the position of the tips. The 2010 GT exhaust fit perfectly on my car except the tips sat lower due to the way they come out of the muffler.

 

Yes, I said the rubber hangers are the same, But what do you call the "tips"??

I Guess you mean the Chrome Outlets hang lower, so the heat does not BURN the Bumper..

So the Rear muffler is Not the Exact Same as S1..

 

In other words IF you put a Factory Genuine S1 muffler on a S2 then the "tips" would bang or hit on the rear bumper?...

 

Yep..thats rite, the s1 model tip will hit the rear bumper without modifying its hanger. Some lousy installer will bend the body/chasis hook to fit the tip but still unusable. You have to extend the muffler hanger by welding it with additional metal at least 7cm so the tip will not burn your rear bumper. But then, by extending the hanger will lower the muffler base as well....

 

You dont have to get the Racing Beat you can get their Stainless Steel option also. its the same design just different metal.

I had the JIC full ti caback for my S1 before it blew, Im going to trade it into JIC for the stainless steel here very soon. But to answer your questions before, the JIC TI uses exhaust straps that bolt on over the piping. One for the intermediate pipe and two for the exhaust tips. There is no welding for hangers on the JIC.

IMO its better that way. I have seen a lot of welds break on a hanger and rip a hole through the mufflers. Its much easier to replace a strap than a whole muffler + correct hanger.

 

Some points are being missed here.

For putting a S1 exhaust on an S2. If you extend the hangers then the whole system will hang lower and possible hit things if you are lowered (and maybe even if you are not). If you just have the pipes and tips coming from the muffler lowered then the rest of the system stays at the height it was meant too.

If you were going to put a S2 catback on an S1 (what I was test fitting) then the tips sit too low and you need to raise the pipes and tips coming from the muffler assembly.

Extending the rear hangers will not do **** unless you extend the other hangers as well. The only way to do it properly is to have the pipes with the tips on them adjusted to fit.

 

I got you 9K...

It was what I wrote ages back and I got flamed, anyway, I wonder what the difference is in the mufflers front pipe (between muffler and cat)??, part numbers are different between S1 and S2??

 

Maybe the way it connects? The hangers, positioning, length, etc. are all the same. The 2010 exhaust fit perfectly on my 2004 except for the height of the exhaust tips. I may be ditching my HKS and going to the 2010 if the BHR midpipe does not quiet down my HKS enough. I will post pics if I do.

There is a difference is the exhaust note though, I let it run to full warm up and the note was considerably deeper. It was one of the reasons I decided to try it because my friends stock R3 sounded quite a bit more deep than my stock exhaust did. So mayeb the internal structure of the muffler is different?

 

Virtually *all* aftermarket "performance" parts are pointless on all cars. Cars are for getting from point A to point B. Anything beyond that is technically pointless. But for some of us, it's a hobby. I liked the fact that you could get more "exotic" aftermarket parts for the RX-8, like you can for "real" sports cars like Corvettes and Porsches, as it's a sign that RX-8 owners are willing to spend more bucks on their cars than your average Honda ricer kid. It legitimizes the RX-8 in the sports car world, in a way. So, to me, seeing this exhaust go is one nail in the coffin of good aftermarket parts.

 

Meh, I disagree. Just because something is more expensive does not mean it is better. For instance, I was highly impressed with the build quality of the Turbo XS and the performance. Why pay twice as much for something of equal build quality and performance? But for some $1,500.00 is no issue for an exhaust system.

 

that wasn't really chibana's point

would you put the same **** on your 8 as some cheapass honda owner

you know what i mean, I know you have owned lots of honda's

 

Yeah I guess the fact that those "exotic" parts are available is cool but as much as I would love to buy some of the **** on Japanparts.com, I just cannot justify it just because it's JDM.

I did however go through that stage on a few of my Honda's

 

Love the "exotic" part..

In many so called performance parts their performance abilities are "very questionable" and in some cases worse than OEM.

But hey cars are Cash burners..one lives and learns..

 

Yep, cars are the worst investment My boss just bought a 2010 Porsche Panamera S for $30k under sticker with only 5,000 miles on it. That is depreciation,

 

I agree, and I'm not saying the JIC-Magic exhaust makes any more power or is better built (although, from what I've read and heard, they are a reputable and high quality aftermarket vendor). However, that also wasn't my point.

Titanium is expensive, and I might have actually considered forking out the extra cash for the weight savings, and the rarity. I told myself when I bought this car that I was not going to cheap-out on parts like I have on all of my other cars, which were basically economy cars. And by cheap-out I don't mean crap--I mean simply being reasonable in how much money I spent on performance parts. For example, for my Mazda3, I went with Racing Beat springs and KONI Sport dampers. Decent quality at reasonable prices. For my RX-8, I'm planning on getting Ohlins coil-overs. Is it necessary? No.

It's one thing to spend big bucks on a Focus. Spending money on an RX-8 that I plan to keep forever and is itself a bit unique, is something else entirely. Again, if we're going to talk practical or reasonable here, we would do little or nothing to these cars.

 

This is what gets me about ALL the So Called performance parts, particularly for the RX-8 and Rotaries...

Mazda spends Millions of Dollars perfected the performance of the RENESIS, after all they had 40 years experience.

They make and have the best Exhaust System, Engine Intake, Air Filter., etc, etc.

The claims "some" make are a laugh and plain wrong.

Most of the "sellers" want your Money..simple.

 

Yeah pretty much but some of the parts do improve the 8. But the cost of certain things has always blown my mind. I guess it's supply and demand but look at midpipes for example, they range from $125.00 to $700.00. I doubt that a $700.00 pipe will outperform a $125.00 pipe much powerwise. My SR motorsports pipe is $439.00 new and I'll essentially be giving it away soon when my BHR goes on. I have seen the OBX pipe up close and I cannot say my SR pipe is worth $300.00 more.

 

I would even go farther. I think it's especially true of the RX-8, which has been tuned to the gills by Mazda, but all aftermarket parts tend to be worse than OEM. It's certainly true of quality and safety, typically. I find it funny how often people on car forums make fun of OEM parts, when the fact is they undergo far more testing and development than ANY aftermarket parts. Now, having said that, in most cars, an intake and exhaust can net some real, noticeable power gains. I can also say that two of my three aftermarket intakes on my 6-year old Mazda3 caused me $600 in repairs (each). So although modifying cars can be fun, it can also be seriously stupid.

So to summarize: I think that modifying a car is fun. Stupid, but fun.