[Dave Hutchinson]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to do mods that won't void my warranty and improve the sound a little, so naturally a mid pipe seems to be the first port of call.

I've listened to a few vids of the two mid pipes but is there anything glaringly different between the two in terms of quality etc? The GT-R is my daily and I do 75 mile trip on the freeway every weekend so I'd like something that isn't going to drone too much. I've noticed a few people are running the non resonated AAM too but surely this will be significantly more likely to drone than the resonated one?

If there are any others you'd recommend instead of these two then please feel free. I have noticed that the HKS is about $300 more expensive than the AAM as well.

 

[Rez90]

i can't comment on the AAM pipe but i'm very happy with my HKS resonated mid pipe.

 

[ATL_GT-R]

When my only mod was the HKS resonated midpipe, it did not drone and was very comfortable at highway cruising speeds. It does not increase volume a ton but dramatically improves the tone.

 

[Yancy]

I have an AAM resonated mid pipe on my 2012 and am very satisfied with it. Sounds much better than stock. I drive my car to work everyday (about 50 miles round trip) and enjoy listening to the car during the drive

You would likely be satisfied with either pipe, but I'm sure you could find something else to do with the money you would save by going with the AAM. Just my 2 cents.

 

[erio]

I'm debating this as well. I have not heard any resonated pipes, but the non resonated pipes I have heard had little if any drone. The tuner I use states that all the mid pipes sound pretty much the same. He also tells me that if you don't plan on getting downpipes and catback in the future, you should probably go with an non-resonated mid pipe as a resonated mid pipe alone will not add much. There are a lot of quality mid pipes out there. I have been looking at these: AMS, AAM, boost logic, Benchmade proper, HKS...

 

[tsubasa650]

I just put on my AAM unresonated and I love it. You hear a little drone at 2500rpm but nothing that would bother you while driving.
I just think the resonated midpipes don't sound much different from stock.

 

[Synergy]

I have the AAM non-resonated mid pipe and I absolutely love it!

 

[s_khan79]

I've been thinking of getting my mods started after driving completely stock since being an owner for 1 1/2 yrs...i spoke to Mike at AAM since I was thinking of getting the intro 550 package they have..however now I've decided to just go with a midpipe and get the cobb and tune early spring...Mike actually recommended the resonated midpipe...his reasoning was that the non-resonated one is loud and produces some drone..all this considering i told him i daily drive. According to him the resonated midpipe is a tremendous improvement over stock both in terms of power and sound. So...now I'm confused too reading up all these replies....I guess someone who has actually heard and rode in stock cars vs. cars with only a midpipe, resonated and non-resonated/different brands, can really help.

 

[alexdavis]

I've been thinking of getting my mods started after driving completely stock since being an owner for 1 1/2 yrs...i spoke to Mike at AAM since I was thinking of getting the intro 550 package they have..however now I've decided to just go with a midpipe and get the cobb and tune early spring...Mike actually recommended the resonated midpipe...his reasoning was that the non-resonated one is loud and produces some drone..all this considering i told him i daily drive. According to him the resonated midpipe is a tremendous improvement over stock both in terms of power and sound. So...now I'm confused too reading up all these replies....I guess someone who has actually heard and rode in stock cars vs. cars with only a midpipe, resonated and non-resonated/different brands, can really help.

I talked to Mike too, and bought the resonated mid-pipe from him. I'm happy.

Alexd

 

[bushidogtr]

I have the HKS non resonated midpipe along with the HKS titanium exhaust and love the sound. It seems the boost comes on quicker but loses a bit of torque. I dyno'd it the other day and it produced 492 wheel hp at 6751 rpm and 64 kg\m torque at 4069 rpm. This was a couple torque and hp shy of the stock JDM '12 GTR.
Note: my car is US spec and dyno'd in Japan. Stock GTR was Japan spec and dyno'd at the same facility. The differences are: my car has an HKS NR midpipe and titanium exhaust. Additionally, I am guessing the Japan spec car is tuned for 100 octane fuel since that is standard premium in Japan. My car being US spec is tuned for 93 but is running 100 since I live in Japan. The HKS dealer is checking the computer mapping for both Japan and the US to see if there are any differences. He also says its pretty simple to raise the boost to 1.2 bar (increase of .2bar) and it should increase approximately 40-50 hp. Sorry to ramble on but just wanted to see if anyone else has encountered any torque or hp loss by adding the non resonated HKS midpipe. Its nice being in Japan and having many tuners in such close proximity.

 

[erio]

I have the HKS non resonated midpipe along with the HKS titanium exhaust and love the sound. It seems the boost comes on quicker but loses a bit of torque. I dyno'd it the other day and it produced 492 wheel hp at 6751 rpm and 64 kg\m torque at 4069 rpm. This was a couple torque and hp shy of the stock JDM '12 GTR.
Note: my car is US spec and dyno'd in Japan. Stock GTR was Japan spec and dyno'd at the same facility. The differences are: my car has an HKS NR midpipe and titanium exhaust. Additionally, I am guessing the Japan spec car is tuned for 100 octane fuel since that is standard premium in Japan. My car being US spec is tuned for 93 but is running 100 since I live in Japan. The HKS dealer is checking the computer mapping for both Japan and the US to see if there are any differences. He also says its pretty simple to raise the boost to 1.2 bar (increase of .2bar) and it should increase approximately 40-50 hp. Sorry to ramble on but just wanted to see if anyone else has encountered any torque or hp loss by adding the non resonated HKS midpipe. Its nice being in Japan and having many tuners in such close proximity.

My tuner did tell me he has seen some cars loose a small amount of hp/torque after a mid pipe without the added tune. Most of the info I found on the forum states that if anything it should be gaining 10-20hp.

 

[[email protected]]

We've found the CBRD Y-Pipe to be the highest quality and best performing stand alone y-pipe. Unless we are fitting an exhaust that includes a Y-pipe in the package this the best piece out there. http://www.forgedperformance.com/store/product.php?productid=17448&cat=2460&page=1

As far as power without tuning, you should not see any power losses without tuning. On the contrary, you will see significant power gains even without tuning. All of our testing was done without any additional tuning.

 

[s_khan79]

Hello Mike! I got your email and all the details! Thanks a lot! I've decided to get a midpipe for now and get my tune and accessport early spring...from you ofcourse. I know you recommended the resonated midpipe...I'm sure you know what you're the expert here but I have heard ppl running non-resonated say theirs sounds awesome. Can u just explain the differences again! Thanks a lot!

No problem glad to explain the differences! At the end of the day, on a otherwise stock GT-R, you will notice very little difference between the resonated & non-resonated midpipe. Both make a night & day difference in sound, both sound very similar, and both give the GT-R a real sports car sound.The main sound differences come when you start adding other components (ie. downpipe, rear exhaust). As you add more high flowing exhaust components the exhaust gets louder yet (exception being the AAM Competition 90mm Premium Exhaust in quiet mode). For a daily driven / street GT-R because of this I highly recommend the resonated midpipe. We've never had anyone not 100% satisfied with the sound, but some people have had complaints with non-resonated midpipes especially those who do highway driving where there is the slight resonance at 2,500-3,000rpm - right at highway cursing speeds.Otherwise they are both twin straight through designs and perform exactly alike!Thanks,Mike MahaffeyAAM Competition, LLC

 

[s_khan79]

.

 

[equisch3x]

is Resonated HKS just as loud as Resonated AAM? Power gains between non res and res are about the same?

 

[s_khan79]

i got the aam resonated last week...i feel the power gain and the sound is incredible!! dont know abt the hks one!

 

[Dave Hutchinson]

I've been informed by various vendors that the HKS is getting rather difficult to get hold of now due to them pulling out of the US market.

I've heard the two back to back now and I honestly think I prefer the sound of the AAM anyway, which is convenient given its cheaper and more available!

 

[equisch3x]

I've been informed by various vendors that the HKS is getting rather difficult to get hold of now due to them pulling out of the US market.

I've heard the two back to back now and I honestly think I prefer the sound of the AAM anyway, which is convenient given its cheaper and more available!

Would you agree AAM is louder? Higher pitched?

 

[PABers]

I couldn't find the HKS so I went with the AAM resonated; could not be happier.

 

[Carig5A]

I'm still at the break in prd but have actually thought of improving exhaust note on my 2012 GTR. Glad to have read this post, I am likely to consider resonated midline. Anyone here would recommend to install in Weschester Co., NY?