Nismo S-tune Muffler Loudness

F

FXdriver

Member
Location
Azusa, CA
I got a used Nismo S-tune catback from eBay and got it installed the other day. The exhaust seemed to be in great shape. The muffler was installed along with the nismo midpipe with some modfications to fit it to the stock y-pipe. The tips were also extended passed the bumper as reqiured. The Nismo muffler looks purdy on the car, however I'm having an issue with the tone of the exhaust.

For some reason it does not seem to sound right and I think I might have a leak somewhere. When I start the vehicle it seems loud and boomy and no longer has the clean stock VQ tone. When driving the nismo exhaust seems to drone and hum somewhat and on the freeway it is almost unbearable and makes my ears kind of sore. At WOT the exhaust seems to sound the best but when I pull into my garage it sounds kind of like a buzzsaw. When driving at 2000-3000 rpm it does seem quieter. I've seen all the fx35 nismo videos on YouTube and the tone of the nismo exhaust seemd much smoother in the vids.

I've looked through almost all threads for the nismo exhaust in the forum but I've not really seen anyone have any major sound issues with it. I don't yet have the nismo y pipe installed but I'm not sure if that would cause this issue. Would an exhaust leak cause an issue like this?

I still have my stock exhaust but I hope to not need to go through the process of putting it back on.
 
I have the nismo stune install in my fx, the vq tone is definitely there but has amp'ed tone once WOT. No drone from any rpm range. I dont have the nismo ypipe in my ride but better if you get a 2.5 inlet to 3.0 outlet, lots on ebay. Checked all the hangers are tight and replace the gaskets. Good luck on finding the resolution.
 
1st question is it a real Nismo? Second question how many miles on it and have you done a complete exam for leaks? Nismo should be subtle at idle, even if its used or somewhat blown out.

---------- Post added at 08:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:05 PM ----------

Also the OE tuned exhaust? That note is hard to match with ANY system.
 
Yep, if you miss the stock exhaust note, you'll miss it for good with any aftermarket exhaust. There just none comes to close to the stock note!
 
The exhaust was supposed to have 15,000 miles on it. It also did not seem to be fake because the main muffler can had the nismo logo embossed on it and the tips had the laser etched logos. It seemed too well made to be a fake part. What is the best way to tell if it might be a fake?

When the car is not moving the muffler seems very quiet but when driving the tone seems jagged and not very smooth. I have not had a chance to do a full check for leaks yet but I'm not really hearing any hissing. The midpipe did seem a bit corrroded so that might be causing some issue now that I think about it.
 
Most likely it's the real deal, Laser etched on the tips and stamped on the muffler is the standard (I have seen a welded Nismo plate before but I still think it may have been authentic). 15K is still low mileage so the internals should still be good. Definitely worth a once over, the system should be smooth, not OE Purr style but not jagged or droning as you are describing.
 
I have the Nismo on the 45 I have a welded badge with a number plus the stamped Nismo logo. I had to purchase new hangers because of buzzing and rattles. I bought Nismo Exhaust hangers which are way stiffer and it resolved my problem.


Sent from my iPhone
 
Definitely doesn't sound normal. I too a have zero drone anywhere in the rpm range. Sounds like a leak.

'apatalk
 
Sounds like it has a leak or it's just an old muffler. Even if it's 15k it could have been hard 15k miles, or maybe off of a flooded car (messed with muffler internals?). You never know.
 
You guys made some great points. I got this muffler installed AAA Muffler in Los Angeles at La Cienega and Venice. I went back there today and they did not find a leak but suggested that I put a new resonator in the mid pipe because it might have gotten worn out distorting the sound and causing vibration. I'm going to try replacing the resonator and hopefully it will help.
 
I forgot to mention that because they did not have a resonator that fit the nismo mid pipe in stock at the muffler shop they needed to special order it. I should have it installed sometime this week and I will let you guys know how it sounds. I was considering going back to the stock muffler but hopefully the new resonator is able to refine the tone a bit on the nismo.
 
I wanted to give an update on my Nismo setup. I was finally able to get the resonator replaced on the used Nismo mid pipe that I had and it made huge difference. The sound is now very smooth and the nismo note is nice and clean and not rough as it was before.

I'm still thinking about swapping the stock y pipe for either a Megan y pipe or Kakumei y pipe but I'm not sure if that is really needed yet because the current setup now seems pretty nice. Overall the issue seems to have been caused by the warn out Nismo mid pipe resonator.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top