Finally got around to installing my new Akrapovic Evolution system. Here's my review after putting 200 miles on the system. Also, I have no affiliation with this company other than I was asked to test the deleter system.
Delivery:
I dealt with Ralf and he had the system to me here in San Diego in 4 business days. It would have been 3 days if not for a snowstorm in Germany. Ralf is a pleasure to deal with and I can only recommend his service.
Quality:
This is hands down the highest quality exhaust system I've ever seen in my life. The fit and finish are perfect. Nothing is out of place. The exhaust looks way too nice to strap to the bottom of a car, but someone's got to do it
Just the packaging alone is a work of art.
Sound:
The Akra full system sounds fairly tame compared to most of the other aftermarket exhausts out there. Cold start is a little bit louder than stock, and then the sound settles down to a nice deep aftermarket hum. When revving there is a little bit of a tinny noise, which I believe comes from the titanium. At WOT the sound is very nice, a little louder and higher pitched than stock, but very livable for everyday driving. Overall I'd say the system is 25%-40% louder than stock depending on how you're driving.
Drone:
People who think the stock exhaust drones will say there is a little bit of drone with this exhaust. Everyone else, including myself, will say there is none. A tiny bit of resonance at 1k rpm, but no other vibrating or droney zones anywhere in the RPM range. Compared to my Remus Sport exhaust which was claimed to have "zero"
drone, this is like night and day.
Freeway cruising is completely painless, which is what I really wanted in a exhaust. A full system that does not take the fun out of driving 70mph on the freeway. If you're concerned about drone, this is the exhaust to get.
Driving impressions:
After putting the exhaust on and going for my first drive, my "butt dyno" immediately felt the increase in power in the mid range. The car feels much more lively in everyday driving situations, and it just wants to go. Even though the gains aren't massive, they certainly are enough to make a huge difference in everyday driving and making the car much more enjoyable. This is how the car should feel from the factory.
CEL:
Ralf supplied me with the CEL Delete from Akrapovic that is soldered into the OBDII port. After 200 miles so far so good. I will update this thread periodically to see if a CEL appears or not. (Knock on wood) I am also debating about getting a tune in the future, but for now I will keep the stock tune since this CEL solution seems to be working.
2/22/10 Update:
CEL for increased emissions came on last night (2/21/10) after 350 miles with the exhaust and deleter. After turning the car on and off the light was still there. To my surprise on my way home after about 10 miles it turned off and hasn't come on since.
3/07/10 Update:
Hit 1000 miles. No more CEL. No other issues.
4/11/10 Update:
2400 miles. Got a CEL twice for increased emissions, but it disappeared by itself in about 20 minutes both times. No other issues.
Here is a picture of the CEL deleter:
Dyno Results:
The results are in line with what is promised from Akrapovic. We made 4 stock pulls and 5 pulls with the exhaust installed. This graph shows the highest stock pull and the highest Akra pull. The only mod my car had in the stock pulls is a AFE air filter.
Install Pictures:
Strapped to the dyno:
Stock pipes off:
Packaging:
Akra Mufflers and Pipes:
Install:
Tips installed:
