Alright, well, I meant to have this posted quite a ways back (as some will be able to tell by the snow pictures)... But "life happens" and I got wrapped up with a few other things.
Regardless, I've got the new exhaust on and have had a couple of months to really get a feel for it. Overall, I'm ecstatic and am definitely glad I made the change. Previously, it sounded very, very good and I was satisfied with it; however, until the new one, I didn't realize just how loud it was! Note: I *was* running about as close to straight pipes as you can get, shy of replacing my old axleback with a Berk piece.
The old setup was: cp-e™ non-catted downpipes, cp-e™ non-catted & non-resonated midpipes and a cp-e™ axleback (which is a very high-flow muffler).
The new setup is: cp-e™ non-catted downpipes, cp-e™ resonated midpipes and a cp-e™ axleback with "Stealthpipe" (adds additional baffling, bracing and a 3rd exhaust hanger).
Needless to say, the change was drastic... In a good way! My driving habits consist of 90% city and roughly 10% highway, so the delay on getting this posted was probably a good thing, as I don't get on the expressway a whole lot. Also, please keep in mind that my car has the Steptronic transmission, so it's generally going to be a fair bit louder than a manual in most cruising scenarios.
Previously, this is what I experienced:
Cold Start-up: LOUD. Quite loud... Honestly, it didn't annoy me at all because it sounded so mean... But I also didn't have neighbors on either side of me then. I'm sure they would have complained, if I had. I have a video somewhere of the old start-up that I'll try to post. It was pretty insane.
Warm Start-up/Idle: Pretty loud and mean sounding. Deep, rumbly exhaust note.
Throttle tip-in (while in "Drive"): Large amounts of drone that tapered off within 1000-1500 RPM.
Throttle tip-in (while in "Sport" mode): Very minor drone - not annoying whatsoever.
Throttle tip-in (while in "Manual" mode): Little or no drone, which was very quickly replaced with a pleasant higher-pitched exhaust note.
Cruising (while in "Drive"): A lot of drone. Never really bothered me, as I rarely drove in "Drive." Still QUITE annoying when I did though...
Cruising (while in "Sport" mode): A bit of drone, but nothing too terrible. Generally occurred right in the "sweet spot" of cruising though (generally 55-80ish). Something to note is that the exhaust was pretty loud while cruising through traffic.
Cruising (while in "Manual" mode): Not much to speak of, but I'm generally one that will keep a car in a "sweet spot" RPM-wise vs. shifting to 5th or 6th if I'm in "Manual" mode - so drone was averted.
This is what I experienced NOW:
Cold Start-up: Loud, but only upon the initial firing of the motor. It let's out quite a roar, but quickly quiets down. About 30 seconds in, when the emissions pump is shut down, it becomes even more tolerable and has a nice rumble to it. Not LOUD, but not quiet either.
Warm Start-up/Idle: Pretty much the same as the cold-start, less the loud roar during firing and idles the same as the post-30 second mark.
Throttle tip-in (while in "Drive"): A slight hint of drone and then quickly fades out in to a deep exhaust note.
Throttle tip-in (while in "Sport" mode): A fairly deep note, but not what I'd consider "drone" anymore. Much more pleasant sounding than before!
Throttle tip-in (while in "Manual" mode): Zero drone - just the beginning to a very sweet exhaust note.
Cruising (while in "Drive"): Oddly, this is the ideal position for long cruises now (completely opposite of before). Previously, cruising was almost unbearable at certain RPMs while in "Drive" - either because of drone or general exhaust volume. Now, the car is pretty quiet and gets significantly better gas mileage, so this is now my "cruising gear."
Cruising (while in "Sport" mode): Very slight drone at certain RPM. I almost didn't note anything, but it can show up during acceleration at times, but generally not existent.
Cruising (while in "Manual" mode): As previously stated, I'm generally one that will keep a car in a "sweet spot" RPM-wise vs. shifting to 5th or 6th if I'm in "Manual" mode - so there's really no change here. Sounds great!
Also worth mentioning is that the sound of the exhaust hasn't changed much... It just has FAR less tendency to drone and is a few decibels quieter. Idle, acceleration and cruising all sound kind of the same from in and out of the car... Just without the annoying "quirks" now.
Final thoughts: I'm VERY glad cp-e™ decided to make these changes and offer me a chance to check them out. I probably wouldn't have changed anything, had the offer not been placed on the table, as I liked my exhaust and thought it sounded great... But in hindsight, I'm very glad the opportunity was presented, as I like it A LOT more now! Previously I recommended this exhaust to everyone both via other exhaust thread and PMs, but would push it even more now!
Here are some pics as it sits now - while I didn't have any issues with mine sitting level previously, I know some people had issues getting their system properly aligned. With the "Stealthpipe" in place, there's zero effort involved. It bolts right up and sits perfectly level with the exhaust tips protruding from the valance ever so slightly:
(Click for larger version(s))
