It is almost 1 am and I just cleaned up the garage and myself after installing the Tubi and changed oil at the same time. Thank you Tino for organizing the group buy, and Larry G. and Larry B for your technical advice!
I've been in search for the perfect exhaust with the right sound and performance mix. After hearing a lot of positive feedback on the Taitec GT, I placed an order from SoS. A week (<100 miles) after the Taitec install, I swapped it out with a GruppeM Version 2. Today, 12 months (~1500 miles)later, I got the Tubi from Tino. So here it is.
Built quality:
Taitec - 8
The Taitec went on perfectly with no alignment problem. Shiny and simple.
GM - 9
This is an exhaust with top notch built quality. You can tell that every little detail were perfect. I can say this exhaust it "beautiful". If it didn't have an alignment glitch, it'll get a 10.
Tubi - 8
Although this is not a Japanese product, this is no second class citizen either. The entire exhaust is very shiney. The canister is compact. But the left side far left tip was lower than the rest.
Sound:
I look at exhaust like a set of speakers. They sing to you.
OEM - 6
It is like classical music. Great for cruising on a long trip.
Taitec - 5
Somehow, the sound just didn't appeal to me. It is equivalent to a garage band. (If you are a garage band member, I apologize! Don't send nasty me emails. Everyone has to start from small)
At idle, it is nice. It gets louder only when you step on it. Very ear drums friendly. I just didn't care for the sound when I let off the gas. Otherwise, exactly the sound level I like, but lack of the sound quality I was looking for. May be I should have let it break in a little.
GM - 9
Rock and Roll baby! During idle, it is smooth and is the loudest all around. This exhaust just screams with a high pitch tone. Combine with the shrill, it is out of this world. If you are looking for an aggressive and loud exhaust, look no further... this is IT! You'll startle yourself if you open it up in an underpass. Then you'll smile and say to yourself .... yeah baby!
There is a price to pay though. It has a slight booming sound as the engine drops from 2k to 1.5k RPM. I’d have given it a 10 without the booming sound. If you are on a spirited drive, you’ll never notice it. Neither would you if you are cruising at 80mph at a constant speed. Local driving…not as ideal. I noticed that I wanted to put the car in neutral as I approach stoplights.
Tubi – 9
It is like the 80’s funky jazz, Lee Ritenour comes to mine. Strong, dynamic, smooth, and you’ll never get tired of listening to it. Well at least I won’t. At high RPM, its pitch is not as high as the GM but very very sophisticated. I just had 5 miles on it. I’ll know more tomorrow. At idle, it is noticeably louder than OEM, but not as loud as GM. It is a consistent smooth burble through out the entire RPM range. No booming sound. Cruising is totally comfortable. WOT was actually quieter than 5, 6K. I also notice that knocking sound others have reported. In general, I am extremely happy with the sound.
Looks:
OEM – 2
Ugly!
Taitec – 7
Nice if you like a single tip design.
GM – 10
The big slightly angled quad tips are the best I have ever seen on an NSX. I used to like the RM, but it is not even close to the GM tips design. The big round dual canisters from behind show the car with balls. It matches its sound perfectly. You can spot an X with GM from far away. Love it!
Tubi – 9
The tips angled perfectly upward aligned with the valance. Quad tips are better looking than dual tips. The Tubi tips are smaller than GM, but they are double layered. The canisters are shiny but you can’t see it from behind. If you like the tucked in look, then you’ll love this one. I’ll miss the GM.
Weight:
I didn’t have a scale to weigh them and just by how bad my back felt.
OEM with cats – heavy as heck. Almost broke my back lifting it in and out of the box.
Taitec with cats – don’t remember, it is noticeably lighter than OEM, but what isn’t.
GM w/o cats – Since it bolts directly to the headers, it saves around 28lbs for not having the 2 cats.
Tubi with cats – The exhaust itself weighs about the same as the GM.
Performance: (no dyno runs, just seat of the pants feel)
Taitec – 4
I noticed/felt that the car was actually slower than with the OEM on. May be it just needed a few hundred miles of break in.
GM – 10
The first time I drove the car with GM, I felt a similar HP increase like the way I felt when I first installed the headers with OEM exhaust. So, some exhausts do give you noticeable HP gain! The car was happy and was breathing much better. The engine rev’ed smoothly when I start her up.
Tubi – 8
May be it is a combination of the functions of the cats and their weight. I felt the car lost some power comparing to the GM, but the engine is rev’ing quite happily. A light price to pay.
Summary:
All out aggressive sound and performance: GM
Smooth, macho and environmentally friendly: Tubi
To save some money with louder sound: Taitec
To save money with a quiet driving experience: OEM
Why did I sell the GM?
Booming sound and no cats (my daughters were complaining about the smell when I pulled into the garage)
I’ll post some pictures when I have time tomorrow. It is 2:30 am and it’s been a long day. One recommendation, if you don’t have strong upper body strength and are mechanically challenged, don’t attempt to replace exhaust by yourself. I have heard so many mentioned how easy it is. Well not to me. I have only paid myself $10 an hour to do the job. Hardly worth it, but I did enjoy the challenge and the quiet time without the kids.
[This message has been edited by CDube (edited 31 December 2002).]
I've been in search for the perfect exhaust with the right sound and performance mix. After hearing a lot of positive feedback on the Taitec GT, I placed an order from SoS. A week (<100 miles) after the Taitec install, I swapped it out with a GruppeM Version 2. Today, 12 months (~1500 miles)later, I got the Tubi from Tino. So here it is.
Built quality:
Taitec - 8
The Taitec went on perfectly with no alignment problem. Shiny and simple.
GM - 9
This is an exhaust with top notch built quality. You can tell that every little detail were perfect. I can say this exhaust it "beautiful". If it didn't have an alignment glitch, it'll get a 10.
Tubi - 8
Although this is not a Japanese product, this is no second class citizen either. The entire exhaust is very shiney. The canister is compact. But the left side far left tip was lower than the rest.
Sound:
I look at exhaust like a set of speakers. They sing to you.
OEM - 6
It is like classical music. Great for cruising on a long trip.
Taitec - 5
Somehow, the sound just didn't appeal to me. It is equivalent to a garage band. (If you are a garage band member, I apologize! Don't send nasty me emails. Everyone has to start from small)
At idle, it is nice. It gets louder only when you step on it. Very ear drums friendly. I just didn't care for the sound when I let off the gas. Otherwise, exactly the sound level I like, but lack of the sound quality I was looking for. May be I should have let it break in a little.
GM - 9
Rock and Roll baby! During idle, it is smooth and is the loudest all around. This exhaust just screams with a high pitch tone. Combine with the shrill, it is out of this world. If you are looking for an aggressive and loud exhaust, look no further... this is IT! You'll startle yourself if you open it up in an underpass. Then you'll smile and say to yourself .... yeah baby!
There is a price to pay though. It has a slight booming sound as the engine drops from 2k to 1.5k RPM. I’d have given it a 10 without the booming sound. If you are on a spirited drive, you’ll never notice it. Neither would you if you are cruising at 80mph at a constant speed. Local driving…not as ideal. I noticed that I wanted to put the car in neutral as I approach stoplights.
Tubi – 9
It is like the 80’s funky jazz, Lee Ritenour comes to mine. Strong, dynamic, smooth, and you’ll never get tired of listening to it. Well at least I won’t. At high RPM, its pitch is not as high as the GM but very very sophisticated. I just had 5 miles on it. I’ll know more tomorrow. At idle, it is noticeably louder than OEM, but not as loud as GM. It is a consistent smooth burble through out the entire RPM range. No booming sound. Cruising is totally comfortable. WOT was actually quieter than 5, 6K. I also notice that knocking sound others have reported. In general, I am extremely happy with the sound.
Looks:
OEM – 2
Ugly!
Taitec – 7
Nice if you like a single tip design.
GM – 10
The big slightly angled quad tips are the best I have ever seen on an NSX. I used to like the RM, but it is not even close to the GM tips design. The big round dual canisters from behind show the car with balls. It matches its sound perfectly. You can spot an X with GM from far away. Love it!
Tubi – 9
The tips angled perfectly upward aligned with the valance. Quad tips are better looking than dual tips. The Tubi tips are smaller than GM, but they are double layered. The canisters are shiny but you can’t see it from behind. If you like the tucked in look, then you’ll love this one. I’ll miss the GM.
Weight:
I didn’t have a scale to weigh them and just by how bad my back felt.
OEM with cats – heavy as heck. Almost broke my back lifting it in and out of the box.
Taitec with cats – don’t remember, it is noticeably lighter than OEM, but what isn’t.
GM w/o cats – Since it bolts directly to the headers, it saves around 28lbs for not having the 2 cats.
Tubi with cats – The exhaust itself weighs about the same as the GM.
Performance: (no dyno runs, just seat of the pants feel)
Taitec – 4
I noticed/felt that the car was actually slower than with the OEM on. May be it just needed a few hundred miles of break in.
GM – 10
The first time I drove the car with GM, I felt a similar HP increase like the way I felt when I first installed the headers with OEM exhaust. So, some exhausts do give you noticeable HP gain! The car was happy and was breathing much better. The engine rev’ed smoothly when I start her up.
Tubi – 8
May be it is a combination of the functions of the cats and their weight. I felt the car lost some power comparing to the GM, but the engine is rev’ing quite happily. A light price to pay.
Summary:
All out aggressive sound and performance: GM
Smooth, macho and environmentally friendly: Tubi
To save some money with louder sound: Taitec
To save money with a quiet driving experience: OEM
Why did I sell the GM?
Booming sound and no cats (my daughters were complaining about the smell when I pulled into the garage)
I’ll post some pictures when I have time tomorrow. It is 2:30 am and it’s been a long day. One recommendation, if you don’t have strong upper body strength and are mechanically challenged, don’t attempt to replace exhaust by yourself. I have heard so many mentioned how easy it is. Well not to me. I have only paid myself $10 an hour to do the job. Hardly worth it, but I did enjoy the challenge and the quiet time without the kids.
[This message has been edited by CDube (edited 31 December 2002).]
