I don't really care about the gains...looking for more opinions/facts on sound.

So, I currently have deleted cats and mufflers and I've REALLY enjoyed it, BUT maybe I'm getting old (35). I like it about 75% of the time and its a real head turner and conversation starter. Long story short, it's getting too loud for me to handle anymore. I like it at WOT, but its just driving me insane when just "babying" the car around town. I can't talk to my kids in the back seat (my wife hates it as well) and I have to crank up the stereo to 40 just to hear it nice and clear. It rattles the interior of my car at times like I have a 15" subwoofer just constantly going off in the trunk. Now driving down the highway at 70 isn't too bad as is doesn't really drone too much. It's going from a stop through 1-2-3-4 gears slowly that drives me nuts. And I'm wanting to put headers on top of that.

On to Joe Z. What can I expect from the Joe Z compared to deleted cats/mufflers? How much drone is in it. How is it in regular everyday driving in town?

Has anyone had their car with both set-ups or feel my pain with the cats and mufflers mod? Like I said maybe I'm just getting old and its annoying me. Looking at Joe Z as alternative, but it cost over 10x's as much as my current setup. Want to make sure it's not over the top before dropping $1600.

 

You and I are similar ages and have had some of the same cars, so whether or not we have the same tastes I don't know, but in my opinion the stock exhaust has a good note to it, and even the joe z might end up getting a little annoying over time. Don't get me wrong, I love the growl of the V8 and I like it amplified with a nice sounding exhaust too. The HKS is particularly nice. But for a daily driver, occasional coworker lunch taxi and occasional family hauler, stock is all the volume I want.

I have heard the Joe Z on an otherwise stock F though, and it does sound fantastic. Just a bit more than what I'm looking for.

 

Why don't you weld the cats back in, maybe that will refine the sound a bit, but keep the mufflers deleted. Drive it like that for a few weeks and see how you like it. That way when you get headers, you will still have the secondary cats, so it won't be as loud... just a thought. There are a few ppl on here who have just mufflers deleted. You can PM ISFPOWER.

On a side note, after doing the muffler/2nd cat delete on the F, the first mod on every car in my future will be an exhaust

 

You could also put the stock exhaust back in and do an electronic cut out.

 

^^^^Or, do what I did:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...n-exhaust.html

Lou

 

You should put the factory mufflers back on and keep the secondary cats deleted. CAr sounds amazing that way, not too loud, but you know the V8 is in there.....for the longest time I ran my HKS Center section (which eliminates the 2nd cats) with the factory mufflers before I put on the rear section. It is Fabulous that way and you will get everything you are asking for!

 

Joez is nice and deep grow tone just a perfect match in heaven for the F

 

The JoeZ can't be beat really. I thought originally that it wouldn't be great since I hadn't heard of the name before. But I tried a Borla axle-back for a bit but it droned a ton and really just increased the volume of the stock sound but was boomy in the cabin.

I then went to the JoeZ and it's really quite fantastic. In my experience with about a dozen exhausts over the years (various cars of course) the JoeZ is second only to what Perrin does with Subaru's.

So in short, the JoeZ is incredible. It is tame when you are, and it sounds amazing when you put your foot down. If you take longer to shift, you hear it more. But if you shift quick and low in the rpms it's docile. I really couldn't recommend it more. There's no drone at all for me, city or hwy, at any speeds.

 

i vote remove muffer and resonator...cost...under $100.

 

Was this with the windows down? It sounds really good, but very loud.

 

Trust me his car is obnoxiously loud and the drone is even worst . But he likes it , that's all is matter .

 

Yeah, it sounds good and loud, but its the drone. I'm still on the fence on what to do. I'd do the Joe Z, but with Christmas coming I gotta make the wife happy and she wants a $2300 purse. Ugh!!!! Might be getting headers for Christmas as well, but I have another whole stock exhaust in storage. I guess I could always just put the muffler section in and leave it catless until I pony up on Joe Z. Those of you with Joe Z and headers, how is the drone? Does the car still semi Lexus like as far as sound when just driving it normally thru town?

 

No droning at all , i have Sikky header and Joez Exhaust/ Intake.

 

If we could afford that for my wife, I'd have an LFA!

 

Ha! If I could find that Loius Vuitton and Gucci guy, I'd kick'em in the nuts! I think she has like 4 or 5 of each Rollin in her new Escalade....and I just want some dad gum exhaust and headers! Lol...happy wife...happy life.