[bzilla]

Hey All,

I own a 2014 R35 and considering going slightly less than FBO (no dp's) due to strict noise fines here in Alberta, Canada and have some questions that I'm hoping to get answered. I've searched threads, which came back with some reputable e-tuners, however some of those threads were a bit older and hoping to get more up to date advice.

I know that there are a lot of variables here, but I'm not looking for anything too crazy. Reliable 100 added hp would be enough for me at this point. I'd assume to get there, I'll need injectors and fuel pump but thought I'd double check. I currently have a mostly stock car, aside from Tomei Ti Exhaust/mid pipe and Turbo Smart adjustable recirc valves.

Some questions that I have:

1. Would catted upgraded DP's be recommended, or could I achieve my desired results on the stock DP's?
2. Would injectors be a requirement if I were to just add the 3” intakes? What sort of duty cycle would I expect from the stock injectors on a conservative tune?
3. Do you recommend EcuTek over Cobb? It seems that Cobb is nearing end of life on the GTR platform and most are saying to go EcuTek? Are the out of the box tunes worth looking at, knowing that I may loose some power? Which tuner would you recommend for an etune?
4. Which 3” intake would you suggest? Was looking at AAM and originally the SBD stuff, but seems that they don't have intakes anymore.
5. I don't believe that there's a tune on the car, but purchased second hand. If by chance there is, am I able to write over the existing tune without issue? I'd assume yes, but thought I'd ask to be sure.
6. What sort of added power and ET/MPH (roughly) could be expected with FBO (less dp’s)?

Anything else that I should keep in mind?

TIA

 

[Prune]

garage whifbitz out of the UK makes a triple silenced exhaust that is maybe a bit louder on startup than mine was with stock downpipes, ets y pipe and stock muffler. Driving it sounds stock. Running 3in ets downpipes through that system is music. Also the valvetronic exhausts are an option too as when they are in quiet mode it’s fairly docile.

 

[alexdavis]

Hey All,

I own a 2014 R35 and considering going slightly less than FBO (no dp's) due to strict noise fines here in Alberta, Canada and have some questions that I'm hoping to get answered. I've searched threads, which came back with some reputable e-tuners, however some of those threads were a bit older and hoping to get more up to date advice.

I know that there are a lot of variables here, but I'm not looking for anything too crazy. Reliable 100 added hp would be enough for me at this point. I'd assume to get there, I'll need injectors and fuel pump but thought I'd double check. I currently have a mostly stock car, aside from Tomei Ti Exhaust/mid pipe and Turbo Smart adjustable recirc valves.

Some questions that I have:

1. Would resonated upgraded DP's be recommended, or could I achieve my desired results on the stock DP's?
2. Would injectors be a requirement if I were to just add the 3” intakes? What sort of duty cycle would I expect from the stock injectors on a conservative tune?
3. Do you recommend EcuTek over Cobb? It seems that Cobb is nearing end of life on the GTR platform and most are saying to go EcuTek? Am I best purchasing the handheld from the tuner I end up going with? Are the out of the box tunes worth looking, knowing that I may loose some power?
4. Which 3” intake would you suggest? Was looking at AAM and originally the SBD stuff, but seems that they don't have intakes anymore.
5. I don't believe that there's a tune on the car, but purchased second hand. If by chance there is, am I able to write over the existing tune without issue? I'd assume yes, but thought I'd ask to be sure.
6. What sort of added power and ET/MPH (roughly) could be expected with FBO (less dp’s)?

Anything else that I should keep in mind?

TIA

1) I had just over 600WHP with 100 octane and stock DPs. I've never heard of resonated/non-resonated DPs; I think you mean Midpipes, which you should do.. If passing emissions is a problem, you might wish to keep stock DPs.

2) Yes, and you should get them anyway.

3) Several answers and opinions which I won't add to.

4) I like GotBoost's products

5) I believe so.

6) With stock tires and DPs I ran about 10.5 at 134 (as I recall) on 100 octane. An absolutely stock GT-R (driven and prepared by an experienced drag-racer) will be close to 11 flat at maybe 130 mph. Faster and slower will be also a factor with the DA and the particular Strip.

Alexd

 

[bzilla]

1) I had just over 600WHP with 100 octane and stock DPs. I've never heard of resonated/non-resonated DPs; I think you mean Midpipes, which you should do.. If passing emissions is a problem, you might wish to keep stock DPs.

2) Yes, and you should get them anyway.

3) Several answers and opinions which I won't add to.

4) I like GotBoost's products

5) I believe so.

6) With stock tires and DPs I ran about 10.5 at 134 (as I recall) on 100 octane. An absolutely stock GT-R (driven and prepared by an experienced drag-racer) will be close to 11 flat at maybe 130 mph. Faster and slower will be also a factor with the DA and the particular Strip.

Alexd

Sorry, I meant catted down pipes, which look to be available. I've done catted DP's on other cars and they were still way louder than stock though. I have the mid pipe that came with the Tomei kit now.

I have a friend with DP's and his car is 10x louder than mine. It sucks because they sound awesome, but the city just announced $1,000 'loud vehicle' fine and $2,000 for subsequent offences..The car community is not happy to say the least and it might be a rough summer. I might just leave the DP's for now, but will probably just do ID1050's and fuelling too if I go down this road.

I've had my car 11.0 @ 124.xx mph on a good DA night here (which is usually not great at 2,100+ ft). To trap 130, I'd need mods for sure.

 

[alexdavis]

Sorry, I meant catted down pipes, which look to be available. I've done catted DP's on other cars and they were still way louder than stock though. I have the mid pipe that came with the Tomei kit now.

I have a friend with DP's and his car is 10x louder than mine. It sucks because they sound awesome, but the city just announced $1,000 'loud vehicle' fine and $2,000 for subsequent offences..The car community is not happy to say the least and it might be a rough summer. I might just leave the DP's for now, but will probably just do ID1050's and fuelling too if I go down this road.

I've had my car 11.0 @ 124.xx mph on a good DA night here (which is usually not great at 2,100+ ft). To trap 130, I'd need mods for sure.

The DA around here is +500. You and I would have an advantage over Denver strips...
I've been told...I have no opinion on this...that AFTERMARKET catted DPs are subject to breakage. As to how much better they work than stock, I also don't know. Eventually you may be better off (as I and most people do/did) to using straight through DPs.

A proper midpipe and exhaust may still be relatively quiet. My present set-up is AMS DPs, AMS RACE catted midpipe, ACROPOVIC slip-on exhaust (Omega 12). It's acceptably loud and at low RPMs won't cause neighbor's complaints.

Alexd

 

[L.L.]

The Garage Whifbitz 4" triple silenced exhaust that Prune suggested would be a great option if you want to fly under the radar.

A catted DP setup might not last especially if you're planning to run significantly higher than stock boost pressures. ETS released their EPA compliant catted DPs last year but haven't seen any feedback on the longevity as it's probably a little too soon. Stock catted downpipes will cost you about 30whp in a FBO E85 setup.

With catless DPs, the Whifbitz system was designed to be track legal at facilities with noise limits so the exhaust maxes out at around ~96db. On top of that, the stock tips can be reused which adds to the stealthiness. These attributes are specific to the stainless system and although their titanium system is lighter in weight, is about 20db louder.

I ran their SS exhaust for over a year and many will say it's too quiet. It sounds completely stock around town so it doesn't draw unnecessary attention.

 

[GT-Rpilot]

+1 for GotBoost intakes. One of the brands you mentioned started by making crappy quality knockoffs of GotBoost (although that brand did improve products later).
Don’t need to do pumps unless you are going to add a flex fuel kit to run E85 or going beyond FBO (bigger turbos).
FYI EcuTek uses either a laptop or your cell phone - only Cobb has the handheld unit. Also EcuTek is exclusively custom tuning (no “off the shelf” tunes so you’ll be paying a tuner unless you get the training and pay the licensing to become one yourself).

 

[bzilla]

+1 for GotBoost intakes. One of the brands you mentioned started by making crappy quality knockoffs of GotBoost (although that brand did improve products later).
Don’t need to do pumps unless you are going to add a flex fuel kit to run E85 or going beyond FBO (bigger turbos).
FYI EcuTek uses either a laptop or your cell phone - only Cobb has the handheld unit. Also EcuTek is exclusively custom tuning (no “off the shelf” tunes so you’ll be paying a tuner unless you get the training and pay the licensing to become one yourself).

Good to know on the pumps. Yeah, the EcuTek is nice and small and the app seems good. The Cobb off the shelf tunes would be interesting, but if I’m going to go FBO, I might as well get a good custom tune dialled in and leaning toward EcuTek.

The Garage Whifbitz 4" triple silenced exhaust that Prune suggested would be a great option if you want to fly under the radar.

A catted DP setup might not last especially if you're planning to run significantly higher than stock boost pressures. ETS released their EPA compliant catted DPs last year but haven't seen any feedback on the longevity as it's probably a little too soon. Stock catted downpipes will cost you about 30whp in a FBO E85 setup.

With catless DPs, the Whifbitz system was designed to be track legal at facilities with noise limits so the exhaust maxes out at around ~96db. On top of that, the stock tips can be reused which adds to the stealthiness. These attributes are specific to the stainless system and although their titanium system is lighter in weight, is about 20db louder.

I ran their SS exhaust for over a year and many will say it's too quiet. It sounds completely stock around town so it doesn't draw unnecessary attention.

Would stock DP’s hold up fine on FBO (less the DP’s)?

On the off chance the car does have a previous tune on it, can I write over that tune with either Cobb or EcuTek without issue?

 

[jnl16]

Go FBO all at once with a custom ECUTEK tune, it will save you money. Do the injectors, even with just midpipes the duty cycle is close to being tapped out. Consider high flow catted DPs, will keep the smell/noise down and give you extra power. No need for fuel pumps if not running e85 since you're in Canada. If you want to run catless DP, you can run a resonated midpipe with the stock catback, its barely louder than stock until you go full throttle.

 

[GT-Rpilot]

You’ll lose about 30HP by sticking with stock DPs but the car will run fine at FBO with them. Many do this due to the issues of emissions testing or odors. People do the DPs when trying to wring the most power out of FBO levels or when moving up to bigger turbos require it.

 

[droptopp]

I ran a catted downpipe ten years ago, catless MP and legamax exhaust. Was fairly quiet, but as others a have said, you can add a muffler to the exhaust to quiet things down.

I ran GTX3582R on a custom rear piece and a catted midpipe and it was as quiet as a stock car at idle and cruising. At WOT l was loud enough.

Any competent shop can modify things for you or just buy it when you get your parts.

Just take your foot off the gas or don’t take it over 3000rpm and should have no issues with noise if done properly.

 

[bzilla]

Awesome, thanks for the info guys. I would love to do the dp's, but the city is on a mission to curb any vehicle that they deem as 'loud' and by definition anything over 92db at idle and 96db at 2,000rpm. I'm probably over that now and don't want to add more fuel to the fire.

I tested at a car show last summer and was 123db wide open revving with just the Tomei Ti Expreme exhaust and I was one of the quieter cars there.

GTR Rev Test

They even used a GT-R in the media articles, so I'm a bit hesitant to do them 😂

I ran a catted downpipe ten years ago, catless MP and legamax exhaust. Was fairly quiet, but as others a have said, you can add a muffler to the exhaust to quiet things down.

I ran GTX3582R on a custom rear piece and a catted midpipe and it was as quiet as a stock car at idle and cruising. At WOT l was loud enough.

Any competent shop can modify things for you or just buy it when you get your parts.

Just take your foot off the gas or don’t take it over 3000rpm and should have no issues with noise if done properly.

That's really quiet!

Go FBO all at once with a custom ECUTEK tune, it will save you money. Do the injectors, even with just midpipes the duty cycle is close to being tapped out. Consider high flow catted DPs, will keep the smell/noise down and give you extra power. No need for fuel pumps if not running e85 since you're in Canada. If you want to run catless DP, you can run a resonated midpipe with the stock catback, its barely louder than stock until you go full throttle.

Yes, I think you're right. I already have a full exhaust mid section so I'll just do injectors and grab an EcuTek. Will try keeping the DP's stock for now. At my power level, I'm hoping they will be good enough for now. I'll ask my tuner once I narrow one down too.

Still have to think on tuners but based on threads, leaning toward Tim Bailey, Ben Linney, Cicio Performance. Any other suggestions for reputable etuners?

 

[jnl16]

Awesome, thanks for the info guys. I would love to do the dp's, but the city is on a mission to curb any vehicle that they deem as 'loud' and by definition anything over 92db at idle and 96db at 2,000rpm. I'm probably over that now and don't want to add more fuel to the fire.

I tested at a car show last summer and was 123db wide open revving with just the Tomei Ti Expreme exhaust and I was one of the quieter cars there.

GTR Rev Test

They even used a GT-R in the media articles, so I'm a bit hesitant to do them 😂

View attachment 407158



That's really quiet!



Yes, I think you're right. I already have a full exhaust mid section so I'll just do injectors and grab an EcuTek. Will try keeping the DP's stock for now. At my power level, I'm hoping they will be good enough for now. I'll ask my tuner once I narrow one down too.

Still have to think on tuners but based on threads, leaning toward Tim Bailey, Ben Linney, Cicio Performance. Any other suggestions for reputable etuners?

I use Bill @ sprayitracing. Sam Barros is another one frequently mentioned here. Stock DP with tune should be ok, you're just leaving horsepower on the table. Will probably need a retune if you take them off.

 

[L.L.]

... the city is on a mission to curb any vehicle that they deem as 'loud' and by definition anything over 92db at idle and 96db at 2,000rpm. I'm probably over that now and don't want to add more fuel to the fire.

Using just the measured data alone, there are two exhausts out of the UK (Litchfield and Whifbitz) that were consistently measured at 95-96db around 4k RPM at Silverstone with catless downpipes so they both would fit your needs. Whoever will be enforcing the law can claim it's loud all they want but perception is just that. If the measured dB levels are within guidelines what are they really going to do?

Below are links to some videos of what the Whifbitz exhaust sounds like at cold start, cruising, and under full load. The ones from my car are recorded with a professional sound recorder and include a mic attached to the license plate holder about a foot from the tailpipes. The exhaust is silent while cruising even though the sound pickups are right next to the exhaust. What is heard is mostly the Toyo R888R tires humming in the background from the cabin mics. The exhaust doesn't really present itself until WOT. Even then it's very muted with more air rushing than the traditional trumpet sound of the VR38.

Videos:
Full boost and cruising
Cold start
At the track from the stands

The other video is from another member's Omega 12 built car with the Whitzbitz exhaust & UNresonated midpipe.

It also sounds similarly quiet off boost with more drama at full boost for obvious reasons. Neither are over the top loud at full load even with DPs.

Still have to think on tuners but based on threads, leaning toward Tim Bailey, Ben Linney, Cicio Performance. Any other suggestions for reputable etuners?

Sam Barros is my current tuner and that's who I would recommend. He's one of the most enthusiast friendly tuners out there.

 

[bzilla]

Using just the measured data alone, there are two exhausts out of the UK (Litchfield and Whifbitz) that were consistently measured at 95-96db around 4k RPM at Silverstone with catless downpipes so they both would fit your needs. Whoever will be enforcing the law can claim it's loud all they want but perception is just that. If the measured dB levels are within guidelines what are they really going to do?

Below are links to some videos of what the Whifbitz exhaust sounds like at cold start, cruising, and under full load. The ones from my car are recorded with a professional sound recorder and include a mic attached to the license plate holder about a foot from the tailpipes. The exhaust is silent while cruising even though the sound pickups are right next to the exhaust. What is heard is mostly the Toyo R888R tires humming in the background from the cabin mics. The exhaust doesn't really present itself until WOT. Even then it's very muted with more air rushing than the traditional trumpet sound of the VR38.

Videos:
Full boost and cruising
Cold start
At the track from the stands

The other video is from another member's Omega 12 built car with the Whitzbitz exhaust & UNresonated midpipe.

It also sounds similarly quiet off boost with more drama at full boost for obvious reasons. Neither are over the top loud at full load even with DPs.


Sam Barros is my current tuner and that's who I would recommend. He's one of the most enthusiast friendly tuners out there.

This sounds amazing! No concerns with the stock trans at your power level? Funny, I've already watched two of these on YouTube, thanks for the detailed info.

I will certainly consider Sam. I messaged Linney last week and haven't heard back and will try Sam soon.

What's the best way to reach him? Others were saying FB? If you have an email that you could pm me, it would be appreciated.

 

[L.L.]

This sounds amazing! No concerns with the stock trans at your power level? Funny, I've already watched two of these on YouTube, thanks for the detailed info.

I will certainly consider Sam. I messaged Linney last week and haven't heard back and will try Sam soon.

What's the best way to reach him? Others were saying FB? If you have an email that you could pm me, it would be appreciated.

There are always concerns but not seeing or hearing signs of degradation yet. Knock on wood. 😅

The concern is usually clutch slip between shifts but we're not seeing any in the logs even with maximum traction on slicks. We ended last season cutting 1.4x 60ft times and, based on how the car felt on those launches, high 1.3x shouldn't be too far away with more aggressive LC settings and/or better track prep. On the street, it's usually running 18-20psi boost so we're not pushing the limits in any way. The ETS is one thing that'll probably degrade over time with more track time but that's expected.

FB or IG is probably where Sam responds quickest but email will eventually be needed to get a tune started. His email address is Sam @ power-labs.com.

 

[bzilla]

There are always concerns but not seeing or hearing signs of degradation yet. Knock on wood. 😅

The concern is usually clutch slip between shifts but we're not seeing any in the logs even with maximum traction on slicks. We ended last season cutting 1.4x 60ft times and, based on how the car felt on those launches, high 1.3x shouldn't be too far away with more aggressive LC settings and/or better track prep. On the street, it's usually running 18-20psi boost so we're not pushing the limits in any way. The ETS is one thing that'll probably degrade over time with more track time but that's expected.

FB or IG is probably where Sam responds quickest but email will eventually be needed to get a tune started. His email address is Sam @ power-labs.com.

1.4 60’ would be fun. On street tires, aired down, I’m usually a 1.7x. Decent for stock(ish).