So now that were rolling in style nice and tight with our new coil overs, we looked to opening up some hidden power in the exhaust department. The stock system like most new cars has restrictions and emissions that rob our dual rotor of power. With the impending onslaught of exhaust systems from the big players in Japan soon to be released, but we couldn’t wait that long. We looked to Billy Boat Performance Exhaust for the task of creating a high flow, great sounding, and power boosting system. We gave them the car and they striped it of its stock system and went to work. A few weeks later the delivery came in the form of 2 ½ inch stainless steel mandrel bent piping into a smaller/lighter muffler, then into dual 4 inch double wall tips and the whole system was buffed to a mirror finish. We were impressed and anxious to get to work. So with out hesitation the car was raised on the lift and the the wrenches started turning.
The stock system came of with a little muscle and some quick ratchet work. The exhaust hangers on most cars can be that one thing that just pisses you off when you’re trying to drop the stock system. No matter what you do those rubber hangers seem to have a death grip on the hanger rods. One easy trick is to stick a screw driver in between the rubber and metal and squirt in some WD-40 or other liquid lubricant. DANGER: do not use sexual lubricants as this may cause complete weirdness and we will claim that we do not know you. With a little coaxing the rods slip out of the hangers and now we can drop the stock system and compare it with the B&B. The obvious difference is the larger diameter piping and smoother flowing lines that lead into the more compact muffler and those bling tips. The stock system weighed in at 39 lbs while the B&B seeming more fit and trim only tips the scale just shy of 29lbs.
By this time our friends from Wheel Specialist stopped by with some brewskies and before I can call out I need a 19mm socket there were over a half dozen beer dinking car junkies under my ride. This has to be a VividRacing first. With the aid of the new help we hoisted the muffler section up, guided those huge tips though their openings in the bumper and attached the rubber hangers. Once that was done the main pipe was fitted to the stock mid pipe using the spring bolts from the stock system and then bolted up the flange from the muffler to the pipe. All in all a very simple install with out much trouble. With the new system firmly in place we stood there for a moment and savored the cold brew on our pallet and admired the shiny new exhaust. For a moment the shop was silent until someone said what we were all thinking, Well let’s start this thing up, I wanna here this thing! The next sound was of clinking wrenches in a tool box and the mechanical whine of the lift lowering the RX8 to the ground. A turn of the key jump started my senses as the exhaust came to life with a new noticeable growl. At idle the sound is slightly deeper from inside the car but in the rear you can tell the difference immediately. The note is deeper and more aggressive, but no where near obnoxious or offensive. When I stuck my foot in the gas I was immediately treated with the sweet sound of a rotary the way it was meant to be heard.
B&B dyno tested the exhaust at a 12h/p increase over stock and the extra punch can be felt at take off. The car seems to pull stronger all the way to redline and I’d swear that the tach sweeps past the numbers quicker. Also noticeable is the extra kick in torque makes passing on the highway in 5th gear an option and not a necessity. A 45min run on the highways and streets gave us our initial impression of the system but the true test of fire came the very next morning at one of our local road tracks out in the desert. After burning a tank of race gas and erasing about 3000 miles of life off the tires the jury was out and the ruling was in favor of the B&B cat back system. A bonus from the day of racing came in the form of gold. The exhaust tips now had a hint of gold to them from the extreme heat produced by the little wankel, a true indication that the new system was flowing better. As always, we wanted more and we’d soon have it in the form of a cat less test pipe from B&B. We will be covering this install when we take delivery in the near future. Stay tuned
