I own this exhaust, and I couldn't tell you why. I only had the problem of the underneath exhaust plate being too close so that it obnoxiously rattled, but I fixed that problem by just taking the plate off. It doesn't really garble and pop, which I like because I don't find the popping appealing.
Hope that helped you.

 

You also estimated your WHP... WAYYYYYY HIGH

 

Thumper and everyone else,

I recently purchase the last Q300 Invidia exhaust from JSC Speed not more than 30 minutes ago. I am so excited I can hardly wait to get it in the mail. It will probably get it in the mail either Tues or Wed of next week since I accidentally paid for 3 day select. I mean who cares if it is $15 more when I just spent $630 on the 4th of July discounted price. (Original Price: $651.00)

Anyway, I have stock exhaust Parked and Fly-by sounds on youtube. If you want to check it out on youtube; search: 2009 MCS Stock Exhaust and my car is the Dark Silver, it will probably be the first video if not the second one. So as soon as I the Q300 gets installed I will post new vids of the new system.

 

Everyone,

Well i guess this is what I get for purchasing the last Q300 exhaust system from JSC Speed. I hate purchasing the last of the anything from anyone. Like I said in my last post I purchased the Invidia Q300 Exhaust system from JSC Speed last friday and it was delivered to my door step yesterday afternoon. Come to find out, after making sure that all the parts were in my box, I found out that the center section was not there. I have been waiting for this for so long and I couldn't wait to get home and install this puppy. So really Invidia in California needs to check the boxes before they ship them out and then JSC Speed also needs to check the box before they ship them out as well.

So I called technical support and they had me email pics of what I had that came in the shipment. So I just received both v-bands and the flex pipe which connects to the dp and the muffler pipe. I had the car up on ramps and was so stoked, then come to find out I couldn't do it I was pissed. I guess it is not a big deal since i have already been waiting to purchase this system for 2 months, so now I have to wait for them to ship it to JSC Speed from California and then MD from JSC Speed. So I was hoping to get the system installed so that I could take it to the track on friday. I called my representative again this morning and they are waiting for Invidia to open in Cali, so maybe depending on what kind of transportation they do it could be at my house Friday, but it will most probably be sometime/day next week. S**T HAPPENS, what can you do. Stuff like this happens all the time for parts for cars. My DDM Works SRI was completely different according to the directions.

Oh well!!

Will post pics and sound clips when I get it installed whenever I get it. It just blows.

 

So I just got a call from JSC Speed and they said that they got the center section in Cali and will have it shipped to my front porch. They don't really know how long it will take to be at my house, but I will receive the tracking number in about a day. I am guessing that at the earliest I will receive it Monday, might get it Friday of this week, but who knows.

 

Follow up post....

Still very impressed with the Q300. Install was super easy, post break-in tone is perfect. No drone at all. After a couple hundred miles, I did have to go back under the car and tighten the clamps down a little more as the exhaust was bouncing off the center plate from time to time. Easily resolved and something you should do anyway.

Considering the Riss Racing catless downpipe but the sound is a little much for a DD IMHO.

 

How the heck did you accomplish that? (no droan?)

 

Drone is subjective!

One man's drone, is another man's auditory heaven...lol


But also, I'm sure it's because he just installed it...it will get louder

 

I had no complaint about how it sounded, (when it wasn't droning...) At WOT is sounded great. It was at part throttle at 2-4K RPM's that is sucked to high heaven. Like opening the sunroof, and then pulling down the fabric deflector...

Yes I made sure it wasn't touching the cross brace, It was installed correctly. It was just a system resonance at the RPM range that made driving on the highway unbearable.

 

Thumper,

Real quick do you own a Ferrari as well?

Anyway did you put your system completely together and then install it as one piece or did you install it one piece at a time? And if you installed on piece at a time did you start at the down pipe?

Also it looks like your MCS is lowered-what did you upgrade in the suspension (parts wise) and did you do it yourself, and how much lower did you get? Also how is the handling after you upgrade from stock-is it better or worse or the same?

 

Thump,

I've had the Q300 on for about eight months and at least one daily two-gear redline pull.

Richard,

I guess I don't notice the 2k - 4k 'drone' you referenced. Wifey doesn't notice either. Tolerance is a subjective thing. There are similar posts regarding the cabin noise a TSW X-Brace creates but WMW got the order Wednesday.

I researched posts and video clips until, frankly, the project was mothballed. An azzhat rear ending me changed that. Why stay stock when the insurance co cut me a check for the stock replacement and all I needed to do was pay the difference?

This thread and Thump's clips were pretty much the deciding factor on the exhaust upgrade. The Riss Racing catless downpipe is too loud for DD duty IMHO.

The Magnaflow high flow cats and cat back on my 03 HD F150 (four door Lightning) would surely annoy the **** out of you rolling down the highway. It did me to the point that dynamat was required and it is still boarderline too loud. It fits the loud pipes save lives mantra so it stayed.

Bob

 

Haha no, I work for Ferrari though

And the 458 in my gallery is a friend of mine...amazing machine.

As far as the Invidia...I installed it one piece at a time, starting at the downpipe. Once all connected, keep it loose and adjust it around to your liking.

Yes my MCS is lowered...its just on Mach V springs. Didn't do it myself. I think its about 1.5" lower...its pretty low. Handling was better than stock when I first did it, but I'm sure its worse now (53k miles later)...but I don't really notice it. The ride is HORRIBLE...I'm sure its because my stock shocks are shot though.

 

That is pretty sweet. Working for Ferrari must be pretty awesome.

Everyone that I talk to says unless you replace everything on the suspension, Shocks, Spring, Struts, Sways Bars, etc., and even the braking as that plays a huge part in the suspension since you are putting more down force on the brakes and rotors then the car will not handle as well, since it was not design with just aftermarket springs (I just notice that all suspension terms start with the letter "s").

But that is mod for way later down the road. Thanks for the info though.

 

I just did it for looks the week I bought the car, as I could not stand how high the R56 sits. I also felt the R56 was very floaty at high speed and the springs took care of that.

 

I completely agree. It does not look that great for how high it does sit. However, I think they made it that high because MINI was hoping that the R56 would become the next WRC (World Rally Car). Because if you rallied that car then it would be set for how high it does sit. But actually the the Countryman is the new WRC. I just wish the R56 was all wheel drive. But if you bought the Mach V Springs and have done well with them installed then I am sure that everything i fine, but I will probably purchase new performance shocks so that mine are long lasting.

 

So after having all the hooblay and crap of calling tech support and asking why I did not get my center section from Invidia in Cali; it is scheduled to be delivered by the end of the day today. So we will see.

 

The drone issue has been perplexing me since my last post.

Compared to stock, I hear the exhaust more from 2k to 4k while under acceleration but not at a constant speed. Constant speed noise is what I refer to as drone so maybe our definition of drone is different.

Not intended as a jab, more for clarification purposes.

Bob

 

I just got back from 500 mile round trip camping trip with a friend and we took my car. His Q5 was too big for the few supplies we were carrying; 2 70L packs, poles, portable gas grill and a small cooler for meat for base camp dinner and 5gal of drinking water. Now our supplies were no more than 110lbs, and he's about 130 wet.

I wouldn't call the noise... drone is more of the background noise, it is definitely resonance. The entire cabin shook in 6th gear, 75mph in the slow lane (2.8k rpm), 2 or 3% incline and on/off cruise control. When we stopped for gas, I rearranged the load to have the back seats up and it was barely any better. With just me in the car, i can take the same road and barely hear a thing.

I can't imagine why an additional 250lb of load would cause such bad resonance. We have a few more of these trips planned and a few at longer distances. Neither of us could sleep and the only way I could get it to stop was to drop down to about 60mph or speed up past the legal limit when passing, where it would change into a higher pitched buzz instead of a boom.

Now, i haven't had it welded yet, I just haven't had time, but all the connections are tight and nothing has come loose. I did wrap some leftover header wrap around the rear of the brace to help with the banging temporarily, but I can't see that as being a cause since it only bangs against it during engine braking. I'm a little hesitant to have it welded now, because I'm starting to want to replace it with a JCW like i originally planned.

i'll stop ranting now.

 

250lbs is roughly 9-10% the weight of the MINI...weight makes a big difference in a light car!

The extra weight created more load on the motor and you will hear the drone more, especially up any sort of incline. Here in AZ driving from Phx up to Flagstaff you go from about 1300 ft asl....to 7000ft asl. Needless to say...my ears hurt after that 2 hr drive up hill. Going back down to Phx though, you barely hear anything.

Anyway though, my solution for it....drive faster

 

Thumper and everyone else,

Finally got my Invidia system installed and I really, really like it. It is definitely louder than stock, but not really that loud, I think it could be louder IMHO, but I am happy with the sound. Then again Thumper you say that it will get louder over a period of time. However, I am sure that it is louder when you are standing outside from the back of it and someone else is driving it.

Per the install, it took me 4 hours instead of 2, but that was because it was a B***H to get the one bolt that was holding the flex-pipe to the downpipe with the C-Clamp off as it was corroded like no other. I use PB Blaster, but that really did not work and then tried WD-40 and that did the trick. This was after spraying PB Blaster in my eye and washing it out with water and then googling it to see if I was going to go blind in my eye. Come to find out after reading on forum that this guy has done it to himself 4-5x and is still fine. Haha it was a funny experience, I even called my physician that did not pick up since it was after hours, but that is what the bottle said to do. HAHAHAHAHA.

Negatives: Would be that no matter how tight you tighten the clamps they still seem to slide off, that was when I first tightened them. I thought I tightened them to the best of my ability, started her up and I could feel leaks from both c-clamp connections, but felt nothing from the DP. However, I then went back under the car and tightened them again; pulled the connections apart and slid the clamps up closer to the end of the pipe and then tightened farther then I had done from before. To the point that I had a terrible pain in my arms and hand. Start her back up and then checked to see if they slid or if they were leaking and they did not slide nor were there any leaks that I could feel or that my buddy that was helping me could feel. So you really just need to tighten the S**T out of these babies. From what everybody has said the tips sit to the right of the valance, but by twisting the center section it centers the tips and they do not touch the top of the muffler/bottom of the valance and then you are good to go. However by twisting the center section, the section from where the clamp holds the muffler section together will lean or rest against the side of the exhaust bay, but since the system is so tight and stable I have no vibration or noise. I don't even think it moves, so that is good. Other than that, it is also a B***H to get the stock hangars out of the rubber hangars, but installing the new system was not bad with a long flat screw driver and another set of hands. Also I have, I guess you can say the exhaust is burning or coating the inside of the system and so its smokes real bad and smells horrible, but I think that is the break in period, that it is going to do this until the fumes have completed coated the system.

Positives: Sound is much louder than stock and sounds really good, it sounds more like and EVO 8 or 9/STi. It is not terribly loud nor obnoxious, but when you get on it or you are at WOT, that she sounds great, it is almost a problem for me not to redline. It also has a great resonance to it. Cabin noise is obviously louder than stock, but I actually like it and I will be able to have a conversation if I so wish. I have really only driven with it on for an hour or so, just right after I got it on in the middle of the night and 40 mins on the way to work this morning but I do like it. The Big Tips really feel the valance nicely and the Stainless Polish looks fantastic, way better than those stock tips. And like everyone has said it is straight thru and only one cat in the dp and a sensor before and after the dp and no sensor in the cat on the stock so replacing a system with no cat should not be a problem whatsoever, since i believe the stock cat is there so that it is not that loud. It also does not matter since there is a resonator on the Q300 system anyway. Oh, and no CEL(s).

So far so go and I will post back with clips of stationary, Fly-by, and highway clips.

 

A little spray lube and a small gear puller will easily remove the rubber hangers off the metal hangers.

The smoke and smell with go away in a little bit...one track day will take care of that easily

I have not found that it has gotten any louder over time but as Thumper said added weight will make the engine work harder and the exhaust tone louder and I find it drones a bit more at speed. I find it tolerable.

If you don't weld it, there is one leak that it will have and that is the little slit in the pipe where it fits over the other pipe. The clamp covers it except for the end and a little exhaust escapes from there. Mine hisssses a bit at WOT.

 

Ok, cool. Thanks for the clarification. I will getting a tune later in the coming months, but has anybody heard of Mach V in Sterling, VA. I have bought some parts from them and I will be calling them to see if they can do tune or if they can recommend someplace that can tune MINIs. I want to see if they can make it so that the idle does not mellow out. It sounds great when it first starts up, but then it mellows out and then sounds like stock. So if they could get it to keep the same sound as the rpms go down that would be great and then to see if they can get it louder or at least tune to 7 or 7500 rpm instead of the 6500 rpm limit.

If anyone can recommend a shop the will tune MINIs in MD, VA, or PA that would be great. I am not in the budget to purchase an ALTA Accessport yet so that is not an option or a if anybody can recommend a PC/MAC Tuning app or an iPad app.

 

They have been my local parts finder for years from wrx-s2k-mini



Save your money until you are in the budget and get it right the 1st time.

 

I just wanted to stop in with my review of this exhaust. I almost did not buy it because of the drone issues that several people have reported.

well . . .NO DRONE for me. I installed this in about 45 minutes, and made sure to align the mid pipe properly to clear the removable brace.

I tightened the clamps until the center spacer was fully engaged on both sides. That is alot of torque btw.

The exhaust sounds great, much "deeper" then I thought. It is also much quieter then I expected, but then I have essentially straight pipes on my other car, so this is silent by comparison.

I do have to say that the clamps are a really inferior system for this exhaust. They allow way to much droop and flex. I will be having the system welded up to make it rigid, so it can keep the nice alignment on the rear fascia.

$571 delivered is an amazing price for this unit. . . . .

 

Hey all!

Just had this system put on the car yesterday. So far, so good. I am really looking forward to how it gets after breaking in a bit. It was hilarious to see my car smoke when accelerating off every off/on ramp around Austin, TX. I think it is funny how when you crank the car when it is cold, and the exhaust will drone so badly (even sitting still), but as soon as it warms up, it is a great deep burble. I am also a huge fan of the pops I get during hard upshifts. Right now the noise is kind of muffled, but I am sure it will get better as the exhaust breaks in. I also plan on getting videos sooner or later. I would love to see those videos speedracer. It lets me know what I can expect. Haha. I tried getting a video yesterday, but the deep tone would kill the phone microphone.

I cannot wait for the exhaust and car to settle in with one another!