In-car Video of Borla Prototype Exhaust for E9X M3

C17MooseDriver · 12-28-2008, 02:43 PM

PM Sent to you Bob. Cancelling Order.

spyderco10 · 01-01-2009, 04:07 AM

Hey guys, I installed the system myself on my car tonight, here's my experience from start to driving.

First off, I would NOT do this again without a lift. I just used jack stands and it was a pain. It took me about 4 hours to do, and I consider myself pretty mechanical, even though I haven't replaced an exhaust in particular before. It took longer than it should have party because I ran into a few snags, which I will discuss a little further down.

There was nothing really hard about it, besides the fact that you only have about a foot and a half of ground clearance to work under. Actually the hardest part was getting the stock exhaust out of and the Borla into the rubber hangers. Impossible without a pry bar, good thing I had one. Again, try using a pry bar with limited ground clearance. Maybe I should have jacked the car up higher, but I don't think that would have helped much.

Keep in mind I'm doing this while lying down on concrete in my garage. I don't have one of those rollie things that you can lie down on and wheel yourself around. I'll probably wake up tomorrow with bruises all over my back and side

The other hard part was using a torque wrench for the clamp bolts, under jack stands. And it's weird that the Borla instructions say to torque the stock clamp bolts to 32-35 ft lbs. But by the time it's torqued to about 20 ft lbs, the screw is out of threads. So I just left it at about 20 ft lbs. The Borla supplied clamps (used to adjust tip length) were able to be torqued down to 32-35 ft lbs.

There were 3 things I was midly disappointed with. The first was that the package seemed to have been missing a couple of hex nuts, to attach the stock ground wire to the Borla mufflers. The package only came with two hex nuts, although I believe the packing list stated there were (4). So I used the 2 that it came with to attach the muffler to the rear rubber mounts, and used my own nuts and bolts to attach the stock ground wire to the muffler, good thing I had a few laying around. What are these ground wires for anyway?

Another possibility is that I mounted the ground wires to the wrong point on the muffler and was supposed to mount it somewhere else, hence not needing 2 extra hex nuts? I don't know.

The stock system did not need nuts because there are threaded nuts attached to the muffler itself. The Borla does not have threaded nuts attached to the muffler so regular nuts must be used.

2nd is that the 2 tips coming out of each muffler are stuck together, there is NO space whatsoever to fit a rag or anything between them, which will make it hard to clean. In fact it even looks like my right tips are actually welded together. Weird.

The 3rd thing was that the right tips were polished nicely inside and out. However the left tips were only polished on the outside, and the inside was not. Looks like they forgot to polish the inside of that one. Not a big deal, I have a dremel and polished the inside of the tips myself.

These are somewhat minor annoyances, wihch I suspect may be resolved with the "final production" version of these mufflers. I did get one of the first 4 "production" mufflers, but maybe they are still working out the "bugs."

On to the perfomance and sound. When I first started the car up in my garage, I thought there were 18" subwoofers in my trunk! This exhaust definitely has resonance upon start up, but seems to quiet down a little after it's warm.

Then while driving it, like some others have stated, it does have drone @ and below 2000 rpm, and at times it is pretty loud, especially in the higher gears. Your choices are to either downshift or go a little faster.

The stock system has a little drone at around 2000 rpm in higher gears also. The Borla makes this drone much more pronounced. As for the overall exhaust sound upon acceleration, it sounds great. It retains that great V-8 rumble, but is louder. I like it.

I did not notice any performance gains yet (it was raining very heavily, enough to cause large pools of water on the freeway, not exactly the best time to test out your car's performance). Also I believe the car's ECU needs time to "learn" the new exhaust system in order for it to produce any power gains.

I was only able to drive about 5 miles after putting this on, so these words are just my first impressions. The sound and/or perfomance may change after the exhaust breaks in, so I'll just need some more drive time.

This is definitely not a modest sounding exhaust. If you like loud, then this is for you. If you like something more subtle/quieter, then maybe something like a Supersprint might more suit your tastes. I tend to llke my exhausts on the "aggressive" side, so I like this one so far. Although I wish it didn't have as much drone at the lower rpms as I tend to keep my car in the highest gear possible while just cruisng to try to optimize gas mileage.

Overall this is a high quality product, looks very solid and well made, and is lightweight. And also being that it is a bolt on, this system just cannot be beat within its price range, or even above its price range for that matter too.

Bob, thanks for getting this shipped out to me. Also if you're able to shed some light on any of the 3 concerns I brought up, please do. Also I figured you wanted feedback, both positive and negative so that Borla could try to improve on the product they are producing and shipping out.

Oakleyguy · 01-01-2009, 06:33 PM

Hey I just wanted to say thanks to Bob for putting those videos up, I feel that all suppliers / manufacturers should provide videos of a similar nature. Sounds great and I'll be picking mine up once I finally pick up that M!

spyderco10 · 01-11-2009, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SA_M3E92

*****Two Week Update******

After 2 weeks since my installation of this new Borla Exhaust & AFE Filter, it is just incredible how well the car has adjusted to them. Everything from acceleration to gearshifts to overall performance has been enhanced. Its like the car has come alive with these mods. These are by far the best mods. I just love the way it sounds, the exhaust tone has also become less droning. Maybe it has "Broken in" or I'm just used to this great new sound. Best Exhaust for the Money. Happy New Year Everyone!!

Borla E92 M3 @ 165 MPH

It's been about two weeks after the install of my Borla. I'm not sure what to make of this, but like SA_M3E92 said, the thing hardly drones at all now!

I don't think I've just "gotten used to it," I think the drone has become minimized somehow after breaking in.

And also I'm pretty sure the car feels faster throughout the entire rpm range, but is most noticeable at higher speeds, 4 & 5th gear, 80 plus ish. I guess it takes a while for the car's ECU to adjust, but I'm positive I can feel a difference. Keep in mind this muffler weighs 20lbs less than the stock one.

The tone is also sounding better as it breaks in, tighter at lower rpms, and more growlyish at higher rpms. I'm 100% pleased with it. Add all of this to the fact that the Borla is the least expensive bolt-on system there is for this car. Thanks again Bob. Borla FTW!!

emtree · 01-15-2009, 06:28 PM

Any updates for the lowly sedan guys?

Aussie7 · 01-15-2009, 06:38 PM

+1

RafTheWeasel · 01-29-2009, 10:28 PM

I need this, give us the e90 update. I just cant wait anymore!

spyderco10 · 02-06-2009, 01:52 AM

Interesting, the coupe version is now listed on the Borla website:
http://www.borla.com/products/produc...prod_sku=11764

V1.47fan · 02-14-2009, 11:39 AM

Nice review spiderco10.

xxo0oxx · 03-04-2009, 02:13 AM

i ordered my borla system just waiting for it but
-1Q. ive already deleted my cats and reso's how would the car sound like would i get alot of drone ??? becuase am thinking of reinstaling the reso's after instaling the borla

any suggestions ????

spyderco10 · 03-04-2009, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xxo0oxx

i ordered my borla system just waiting for it but
-1Q. ive already deleted my cats and reso's how would the car sound like would i get alot of drone ??? becuase am thinking of reinstaling the reso's after instaling the borla

any suggestions ????

Um, there's a good deal of drone between 1-2krpm, so I'd imagine without the resonator, there would be more in that range?

JR///M3 · 03-15-2009, 11:59 PM

No Need to Delete cats or Resonators sounds plenty good with just the Borla's

ihyln · 03-16-2009, 10:57 AM

I could tell by the video that the drone is substantial in the low rpm range. I actually like it (for the price) but it's going to piss the wife off.

spyderco10 · 03-16-2009, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihyln

I could tell by the video that the drone is substantial in the low rpm range. I actually like it (for the price) but it's going to piss the wife off.

did you install it yet? it's not bad, as long as you don't cruise below 2k rpm

ihyln · 03-17-2009, 08:32 AM

No, I haven't installed it. But here's the thing now that I'm shopping for a system now:

I've narrowed it down to about three choices VSR Ti, RPI GT, and Borla. VSR Ti I'm not sure is "worth it" even though it is the cheapest Ti implementation. I actually got excited seeing Borla's thread re-emerge but the videos didn't have me racing to my wallet. I do often end up below 2k rpm and the drone would be very annoying. I understand that someone is not noticing drone but I have a low tolerance to it (my co-worker has a mazdaspeed3 and that thing drones like hell). I don't think a dyno would make or break this decision for the Borla. So far RPI GT is at the top of my list and even that isn't a sure fire bet due to several issues.

Sucks being a sedan owner

AMPowerJ · 05-23-2009, 09:41 PM

What's the latest on the E90 version?

jans · 07-15-2009, 04:54 PM

Any update on the E90 version?

JCtx · 07-29-2009, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihyln

I understand that someone is not noticing drone but I have a low tolerance to it

Borlas have always droned like hell since they don't have a Helmholtz chamber, like AA, UUC Corsa, and Dinan (and maybe others I'm not aware of), so I suggest you make sure your choice has it or you'll be miserable. I had to sell the 3 Borla systems I bought in the past for that reason, and since they haven't improved their design, not again. But they're the best looking IMO, and one of the best sounding outside too; what a shame they didn't spend on a noise-cancelling chamber like the above ones. Oh well.

Although Dinan is the ugliest of them all IMO, it reportedly has almost the same volume as stock inside, but sounds awesome outside. Nothing is perfect in life, so we have to prioritize what we want out of an exhaust system. No drone is unfortunately my #1 priority. Good luck man.

Definitive · 08-29-2009, 10:36 PM

Great vids Bob. I live in Camarillo, so it was great to see you blasting around Flynn!

My dad just ordered an e92 M3. He'll be doing all Dinan stuff. On the other hand I am planning on the e90 M3, so Im with all the guys that want the e90 system. Id love to come by and check out the BPS M3!

D

WPBM3 · 02-04-2010, 01:55 PM

I installed Borla Cat back on my 2009 E90 M3 yesterday, and I am very happy with the result. Easy installation, large diameter quad pipes look great, and exhaust sounds amazing! Not quiet, but still amazing. Now I can hear all 8 cylinders!

Trier Germany · 02-04-2010, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WPBM3

I installed Borla Cat back on my 2009 E90 M3 yesterday, and I am very happy with the result. Easy installation, large diameter quad pipes look great, and exhaust sounds amazing! Not quiet, but still amazing. Now I can hear all 8 cylinders!

I thought back in 2008 when this thread was started that this exhaust was awesome sounded mean and priced right. I originally wanted to get it but borla didnt offer it for sedans. So i waited and went with AA then Akra Evolution. Glad your enjoying your new system.

J-9 · 02-22-2011, 10:30 AM

Long time since the last post, but considering Turner Motorsport has the E92 M3 Borla Aggressive Cat-back for almost 20% off I decided to jump on it. With the 300 bucks I saved, I had our local race shop handle the install, paying for it and then some. BTW, I got the aggressive (vice the "touring") version since this was the one I saw reviewed on here and in the vids.

First impressions: Virtually the same as OP. It is loud at start, idle and below 2k rpm, but settles in with warm-up. It does not drone at highway speed, but any small kiss of the throttle makes it growl, which is fantastic. The deep bass note cannot be overstated and seldom comes through on the sound clips and vids probably due to microphone and speaker limits. The bass simply SURROUNDS you. This is why I got Borla: these guys know how to make a V8 growl. The car now sounds as wicked as it looks and the ugly stock exhaust "bags" that hung below the rear bumper are gone. They reminded me of a redneck's balls on a trailer hitch.

Anyway, I'm highly satisfied with my purchase and it exceeded my expectations. There's about a week left for the discount at Turner Motorsport. They also sent some nice swag: a Borla ballcap, Borla sticker and a Turner Motorsport calendar. All components were well-boxed; it looked like it took a beating during the UPS ground shipment but came through fine and my technician said it all fit perfectly.

I doubt I'll see performance gains unless I get an ECU/dyno tune, but shedding the weight should improve 1/4 mi times a bit.

12-28-2008, 02:43 PM	#111
C17MooseDriver Captain 20 Rep 878 Posts Drives: E92 AW M3 6MT Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: San Antonio, TX iTrader: (0)	PM Sent to you Bob. Cancelling Order. __________________
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01-01-2009, 04:07 AM	#112
spyderco10 Colonel 63 Rep 2,426 Posts Drives: AW E92 M3 6MT Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Honolulu, HI iTrader: (0)	Borla exhaust installed Hey guys, I installed the system myself on my car tonight, here's my experience from start to driving. First off, I would NOT do this again without a lift. I just used jack stands and it was a pain. It took me about 4 hours to do, and I consider myself pretty mechanical, even though I haven't replaced an exhaust in particular before. It took longer than it should have party because I ran into a few snags, which I will discuss a little further down. There was nothing really hard about it, besides the fact that you only have about a foot and a half of ground clearance to work under. Actually the hardest part was getting the stock exhaust out of and the Borla into the rubber hangers. Impossible without a pry bar, good thing I had one. Again, try using a pry bar with limited ground clearance. Maybe I should have jacked the car up higher, but I don't think that would have helped much. Keep in mind I'm doing this while lying down on concrete in my garage. I don't have one of those rollie things that you can lie down on and wheel yourself around. I'll probably wake up tomorrow with bruises all over my back and side The other hard part was using a torque wrench for the clamp bolts, under jack stands. And it's weird that the Borla instructions say to torque the stock clamp bolts to 32-35 ft lbs. But by the time it's torqued to about 20 ft lbs, the screw is out of threads. So I just left it at about 20 ft lbs. The Borla supplied clamps (used to adjust tip length) were able to be torqued down to 32-35 ft lbs. There were 3 things I was midly disappointed with. The first was that the package seemed to have been missing a couple of hex nuts, to attach the stock ground wire to the Borla mufflers. The package only came with two hex nuts, although I believe the packing list stated there were (4). So I used the 2 that it came with to attach the muffler to the rear rubber mounts, and used my own nuts and bolts to attach the stock ground wire to the muffler, good thing I had a few laying around. What are these ground wires for anyway? Another possibility is that I mounted the ground wires to the wrong point on the muffler and was supposed to mount it somewhere else, hence not needing 2 extra hex nuts? I don't know. The stock system did not need nuts because there are threaded nuts attached to the muffler itself. The Borla does not have threaded nuts attached to the muffler so regular nuts must be used. 2nd is that the 2 tips coming out of each muffler are stuck together, there is NO space whatsoever to fit a rag or anything between them, which will make it hard to clean. In fact it even looks like my right tips are actually welded together. Weird. The 3rd thing was that the right tips were polished nicely inside and out. However the left tips were only polished on the outside, and the inside was not. Looks like they forgot to polish the inside of that one. Not a big deal, I have a dremel and polished the inside of the tips myself. These are somewhat minor annoyances, wihch I suspect may be resolved with the "final production" version of these mufflers. I did get one of the first 4 "production" mufflers, but maybe they are still working out the "bugs." On to the perfomance and sound. When I first started the car up in my garage, I thought there were 18" subwoofers in my trunk! This exhaust definitely has resonance upon start up, but seems to quiet down a little after it's warm. Then while driving it, like some others have stated, it does have drone @ and below 2000 rpm, and at times it is pretty loud, especially in the higher gears. Your choices are to either downshift or go a little faster. The stock system has a little drone at around 2000 rpm in higher gears also. The Borla makes this drone much more pronounced. As for the overall exhaust sound upon acceleration, it sounds great. It retains that great V-8 rumble, but is louder. I like it. I did not notice any performance gains yet (it was raining very heavily, enough to cause large pools of water on the freeway, not exactly the best time to test out your car's performance). Also I believe the car's ECU needs time to "learn" the new exhaust system in order for it to produce any power gains. I was only able to drive about 5 miles after putting this on, so these words are just my first impressions. The sound and/or perfomance may change after the exhaust breaks in, so I'll just need some more drive time. This is definitely not a modest sounding exhaust. If you like loud, then this is for you. If you like something more subtle/quieter, then maybe something like a Supersprint might more suit your tastes. I tend to llke my exhausts on the "aggressive" side, so I like this one so far. Although I wish it didn't have as much drone at the lower rpms as I tend to keep my car in the highest gear possible while just cruisng to try to optimize gas mileage. Overall this is a high quality product, looks very solid and well made, and is lightweight. And also being that it is a bolt on, this system just cannot be beat within its price range, or even above its price range for that matter too. Bob, thanks for getting this shipped out to me. Also if you're able to shed some light on any of the 3 concerns I brought up, please do. Also I figured you wanted feedback, both positive and negative so that Borla could try to improve on the product they are producing and shipping out. __________________ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” - John 3:16 Last edited by spyderco10; 01-03-2009 at 12:05 AM..
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01-01-2009, 06:33 PM	#113
Oakleyguy Resident Engineer 135 Rep 748 Posts Drives: Land Cruiser Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Denver, CO / Tulsa, OK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2014 Toyota URJ200 [0.00] 2017 BMW M2 [0.00] 2015 BMW M4 [10.00] 2005 Toyota UZJ100 [0.00]	Hey I just wanted to say thanks to Bob for putting those videos up, I feel that all suppliers / manufacturers should provide videos of a similar nature. Sounds great and I'll be picking mine up once I finally pick up that M!
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01-15-2009, 06:28 PM	#115
emtree New Member 9 Rep 21 Posts Drives: 2019 M2C Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: LA iTrader: (0)	Any updates for the lowly sedan guys?
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01-15-2009, 06:38 PM	#116
Aussie7 Second Lieutenant 6 Rep 200 Posts Drives: 2008 E90 M3 SSII Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: socal iTrader: (1)	+1
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01-29-2009, 10:28 PM	#117
RafTheWeasel Private 2 Rep 59 Posts Drives: 2008 AW E90 M3 Join Date: May 2008 Location: NW Chicago iTrader: (0)	I need this, give us the e90 update. I just cant wait anymore!
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02-06-2009, 01:52 AM	#118
spyderco10 Colonel 63 Rep 2,426 Posts Drives: AW E92 M3 6MT Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Honolulu, HI iTrader: (0)	Interesting, the coupe version is now listed on the Borla website: http://www.borla.com/products/produc...prod_sku=11764 __________________ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” - John 3:16
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02-14-2009, 11:39 AM	#119
V1.47fan Banned 1979 Rep 1,847 Posts Drives: TheArtist formerly known as M3 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: NATIONWIDE iTrader: (0)	Nice review spiderco10.
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03-04-2009, 02:13 AM	#120
xxo0oxx Private 2 Rep 52 Posts Drives: m3 e92 Join Date: May 2008 Location: uae- dubai iTrader: (0)	i ordered my borla system just waiting for it but -1Q. ive already deleted my cats and reso's how would the car sound like would i get alot of drone ??? becuase am thinking of reinstaling the reso's after instaling the borla any suggestions ????
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03-15-2009, 11:59 PM	#122
JR///M3 Second Lieutenant 61 Rep 269 Posts Drives: 22' G80 M3 , 13' E92 M3 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: San Antonio, Tx iTrader: (6)	No Need to Delete cats or Resonators sounds plenty good with just the Borla's __________________ 2013 E92 M3 ZCP 2022 G80 M3 XDrive
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03-16-2009, 10:57 AM	#123
ihyln Banned 85 Rep 3,384 Posts Drives: M3post sucks Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: M3post sucks iTrader: (1) Garage List 2008 M3 [0.00] 2002 530i [0.00]	I could tell by the video that the drone is substantial in the low rpm range. I actually like it (for the price) but it's going to piss the wife off.
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03-17-2009, 08:32 AM	#125
ihyln Banned 85 Rep 3,384 Posts Drives: M3post sucks Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: M3post sucks iTrader: (1) Garage List 2008 M3 [0.00] 2002 530i [0.00]	No, I haven't installed it. But here's the thing now that I'm shopping for a system now: I've narrowed it down to about three choices VSR Ti, RPI GT, and Borla. VSR Ti I'm not sure is "worth it" even though it is the cheapest Ti implementation. I actually got excited seeing Borla's thread re-emerge but the videos didn't have me racing to my wallet. I do often end up below 2k rpm and the drone would be very annoying. I understand that someone is not noticing drone but I have a low tolerance to it (my co-worker has a mazdaspeed3 and that thing drones like hell). I don't think a dyno would make or break this decision for the Borla. So far RPI GT is at the top of my list and even that isn't a sure fire bet due to several issues. Sucks being a sedan owner
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05-23-2009, 09:41 PM	#126
AMPowerJ One mod leads to another ... 416 Rep 2,900 Posts Drives: 2014 F10 M5 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Blythewood, SC iTrader: (10)	What's the latest on the E90 version? __________________ Current: 2014 F10 M5 Previous: 2015 F80 M3, 2013 E92 M3, 2013 F10 M5, 2009 E90 M3, 1998 E36 M3
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07-15-2009, 04:54 PM	#127
jans New Member 1 Rep 15 Posts Drives: 2008 E90 M3 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Nevada iTrader: (0)	Any update on the E90 version?
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08-29-2009, 10:36 PM	#129
Definitive definitivecars.com 354 Rep 3,833 Posts Drives: Elsa - 2015 F80 M3 - YMB/SS Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: So Cal iTrader: (3) Garage List 2011 E90 M3 [6.66] 2009 (Lease up Sept ... [0.00] 2007 (Lease up 6/19 ... [0.00] 2007 (Lease up Octo ... [0.00]	Great vids Bob. I live in Camarillo, so it was great to see you blasting around Flynn! My dad just ordered an e92 M3. He'll be doing all Dinan stuff. On the other hand I am planning on the e90 M3, so Im with all the guys that want the e90 system. Id love to come by and check out the BPS M3! D
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02-04-2010, 01:55 PM	#130
WPBM3 New Member 2 Rep 16 Posts Drives: 2009 E90 M3 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Ohio iTrader: (0)	I installed Borla Cat back on my 2009 E90 M3 yesterday, and I am very happy with the result. Easy installation, large diameter quad pipes look great, and exhaust sounds amazing! Not quiet, but still amazing. Now I can hear all 8 cylinders!
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02-22-2011, 10:30 AM	#132
J-9 Converting 93 octane to noise. 42 Rep 882 Posts Drives: 2018 F85 X5M Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: DC iTrader: (0)	Long time since the last post, but considering Turner Motorsport has the E92 M3 Borla Aggressive Cat-back for almost 20% off I decided to jump on it. With the 300 bucks I saved, I had our local race shop handle the install, paying for it and then some. BTW, I got the aggressive (vice the "touring") version since this was the one I saw reviewed on here and in the vids. First impressions: Virtually the same as OP. It is loud at start, idle and below 2k rpm, but settles in with warm-up. It does not drone at highway speed, but any small kiss of the throttle makes it growl, which is fantastic. The deep bass note cannot be overstated and seldom comes through on the sound clips and vids probably due to microphone and speaker limits. The bass simply SURROUNDS you. This is why I got Borla: these guys know how to make a V8 growl. The car now sounds as wicked as it looks and the ugly stock exhaust "bags" that hung below the rear bumper are gone. They reminded me of a redneck's balls on a trailer hitch. Anyway, I'm highly satisfied with my purchase and it exceeded my expectations. There's about a week left for the discount at Turner Motorsport. They also sent some nice swag: a Borla ballcap, Borla sticker and a Turner Motorsport calendar. All components were well-boxed; it looked like it took a beating during the UPS ground shipment but came through fine and my technician said it all fit perfectly. I doubt I'll see performance gains unless I get an ECU/dyno tune, but shedding the weight should improve 1/4 mi times a bit. __________________ Last edited by J-9; 02-22-2011 at 03:28 PM..
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