M2 Axle-back
#32
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yeah that would be a good idea. but the mid pipes cost more then this whole exhaust system lol... i talked to my buddy at the muffler shop and he said he can do a custom mid pipe for 80 bucks so that is similar to a borla. if he can do it i am sure any good muffler shop can for a good price. if you get it done post up for sure. i am happy with the way it sounds now. i think luxury cars should just have a growl and not a raspy all out roar lol...
#36
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yeah man if you got one you will be very happy with it once you install it. it reminds me of my remus exhaust on my 2008 cls 550 , i miss that car. damn 18 wheeler ran into the back of me and totaled it in january. i have always been a fan of buying authentic products, this is the first car that i decided to fix up on a budget with replica stuff except for the rims.(i would never skimp on the rims lol but i also think your rim budget shouldnt be more then 5-8% of your cars cost. i dont believe in wasting money or overspending) my friends 2006 is250 has a set of 7800 dollar hre rims on it. i own a 2005 f430 also with some ashanti rims on it and they only cost 6000 so go figure. lol
anyway back on track....
but after buying this exhaust and a jp lip kit that is a replica. i am starting to second guess if its a good idea to always splurge on authentic items just to say you got the real thing or get a cool badge. i believe if you can cut corners and it still looks good by all means do it. i understand some people getting all authentic cause they own a shop or represent one or go to shows/drag race etc.... but for a daily driver i think its ok to get good quality replicas. and this m2 exhaust is something i would put in that catagory. 200 bucks and the sound of a tanabe is the best bargain i ever had in the car world. but if you looking for power i dont think you get any from the m2. the response seems to be better but my is250 is just as slow as it was before i added the exhaust lmao.
anyway back on track....
but after buying this exhaust and a jp lip kit that is a replica. i am starting to second guess if its a good idea to always splurge on authentic items just to say you got the real thing or get a cool badge. i believe if you can cut corners and it still looks good by all means do it. i understand some people getting all authentic cause they own a shop or represent one or go to shows/drag race etc.... but for a daily driver i think its ok to get good quality replicas. and this m2 exhaust is something i would put in that catagory. 200 bucks and the sound of a tanabe is the best bargain i ever had in the car world. but if you looking for power i dont think you get any from the m2. the response seems to be better but my is250 is just as slow as it was before i added the exhaust lmao.
Here is a GREAT Article touching on this exact topic.....
HKS to Close US Operations
Regards,
Joe Z
#37
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Not everyone can afford a $800 axelback exhaust. But if I can get a replica exhaust for a fraction of the price and is of similar build quality i'm gonna buy the knockoff.
I've used this comparison before but if I can get a generic drug from Walmart for $10 instead of buying the brand name for $140 with insurance i'm gonna buy the generic. If I was the owner of HKS would I be pissed someones selling knockoffs of my exhausts? Hell yes, but I would also know that sometimes these companies get so much hype around them they think they can charge a high price because they know people will buy there product just because it says HKS on it.
Is there gonna be a huge difference in HP from the HKS exhaust and the knockoff? I doubt it.
Hell I was looking for brake lines the other day and I saw lextuners.com selling Toms brake lines for $560?????? Seriously? People buy Toms just so they can say they paid an arm and a leg for brake lines which are probably no different then $125 stop-tech lines. Lifes all about image and trying to one up people, who can have the most expensive parts on there car.
#39
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there is always gonna be a market for hks,greddy,tanabe and all the others i have spent my fair share of money on all of them. so loyal people will stick with them no matter what. i bought a exhaust called a fabspeed for my ferrari about 3 years ago and people frowned upon that cause it wasnt a italian made tubi or capristo exhaust . well guess what they cost 6000 bucks ,the fabspeed sounds better and is made just as good and cost me 2400. it is just a sign of the times the way i see it. technology is available to everyone now not just the large corporations. and people are alot smarter then they were 10 years ago in the fast and furious days lol... sad but true. i use to buy everything that i saw was jdm in those days. but with high gas prices and the cost of living going up and the wage scale in america not following inflation its gonna be hard for all the high end companies in the world. at the end of the day 90 percent of use drive our cars for pleasure....and you are never gonna tap the full potential of your car on the street. so why over spend on it like we are going to be in the indy 500 next week.
if hks was smart they would start making lower cost exhaust that are in the 300-400 dollar range then have another class of exhaust that are 400-600 and so on. that way you are covering the cheap guys the midlle guys and the high end guys. if a name brand exhaust is pretty close to a lower end exhaust most people will reach a extra 100-150 bucks to get it. but if you are getting the same results from a 200 dollar exhaust way reach the extra 500 or so bucks just to get a cool looking stamp or badge.
so moral of this story ...if you toss all your eggs in one basket these days you are sure to start losing at some point and time. all good things come to a end unless you adapt a change with the market .... 50% of something is better then 100% of nothing in business thats my motto
and joez i will be buying one of you intakes instead of the lexus fsport intake. should lexus be mad at you. lol hell no they shouldnt cause they now their stuff is over priced anyway and you are getting the same results if not better.
so kudos to you bro.... and soon as you have the blue or red anodized intakes in i am game to get one.
sorry for the long post but i wanted to explain this from a customers point of view. ceo's of companys need to not lose touch of the real world ....it not always about profits and bottom lines. you can make money and still be fair.
Last edited by stasis3131; 05-09-11 at 11:15 AM.
#40
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it alot lighter bro. i didnt put it on a scale or nothing like that but the stock exhaust was a bit much to handle on my own and i am a strong guy lol. the m2 was a ton easier to work with putting it on. i am gonna guess that its maybe a 10-15 pound difference of so...maybe more but i dont wanna over state it. but it was a noticable difference
good post you are correct... but i think there is a difference in the high end stuff but not enough to warrant it for a common daily driver. race track or drag strip yes. but other then that no
its more of a copy of a tanabe.
These companies(HKS) i'm sure make huge profits on there parts.
Not everyone can afford a $800 axelback exhaust. But if I can get a replica exhaust for a fraction of the price and is of similar build quality i'm gonna buy the knockoff.
I've used this comparison before but if I can get a generic drug from Walmart for $10 instead of buying the brand name for $140 with insurance i'm gonna buy the generic. If I was the owner of HKS would I be pissed someones selling knockoffs of my exhausts? Hell yes, but I would also know that sometimes these companies get so much hype around them they think they can charge a high price because they know people will buy there product just because it says HKS on it.
Is there gonna be a huge difference in HP from the HKS exhaust and the knockoff? I doubt it.
Hell I was looking for brake lines the other day and I saw lextuners.com selling Toms brake lines for $560?????? Seriously? People buy Toms just so they can say they paid an arm and a leg for brake lines which are probably no different then $125 stop-tech lines. Lifes all about image and trying to one up people, who can have the most expensive parts on there car.
Not everyone can afford a $800 axelback exhaust. But if I can get a replica exhaust for a fraction of the price and is of similar build quality i'm gonna buy the knockoff.
I've used this comparison before but if I can get a generic drug from Walmart for $10 instead of buying the brand name for $140 with insurance i'm gonna buy the generic. If I was the owner of HKS would I be pissed someones selling knockoffs of my exhausts? Hell yes, but I would also know that sometimes these companies get so much hype around them they think they can charge a high price because they know people will buy there product just because it says HKS on it.
Is there gonna be a huge difference in HP from the HKS exhaust and the knockoff? I doubt it.
Hell I was looking for brake lines the other day and I saw lextuners.com selling Toms brake lines for $560?????? Seriously? People buy Toms just so they can say they paid an arm and a leg for brake lines which are probably no different then $125 stop-tech lines. Lifes all about image and trying to one up people, who can have the most expensive parts on there car.
its more of a copy of a tanabe.
#41
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These companies(HKS) i'm sure make huge profits on there parts.
Not everyone can afford a $800 axelback exhaust. But if I can get a replica exhaust for a fraction of the price and is of similar build quality i'm gonna buy the knockoff.
I've used this comparison before but if I can get a generic drug from Walmart for $10 instead of buying the brand name for $140 with insurance i'm gonna buy the generic. If I was the owner of HKS would I be pissed someones selling knockoffs of my exhausts? Hell yes, but I would also know that sometimes these companies get so much hype around them they think they can charge a high price because they know people will buy there product just because it says HKS on it.
Is there gonna be a huge difference in HP from the HKS exhaust and the knockoff? I doubt it.
Hell I was looking for brake lines the other day and I saw lextuners.com selling Toms brake lines for $560?????? Seriously? People buy Toms just so they can say they paid an arm and a leg for brake lines which are probably no different then $125 stop-tech lines. Lifes all about image and trying to one up people, who can have the most expensive parts on there car.
Not everyone can afford a $800 axelback exhaust. But if I can get a replica exhaust for a fraction of the price and is of similar build quality i'm gonna buy the knockoff.
I've used this comparison before but if I can get a generic drug from Walmart for $10 instead of buying the brand name for $140 with insurance i'm gonna buy the generic. If I was the owner of HKS would I be pissed someones selling knockoffs of my exhausts? Hell yes, but I would also know that sometimes these companies get so much hype around them they think they can charge a high price because they know people will buy there product just because it says HKS on it.
Is there gonna be a huge difference in HP from the HKS exhaust and the knockoff? I doubt it.
Hell I was looking for brake lines the other day and I saw lextuners.com selling Toms brake lines for $560?????? Seriously? People buy Toms just so they can say they paid an arm and a leg for brake lines which are probably no different then $125 stop-tech lines. Lifes all about image and trying to one up people, who can have the most expensive parts on there car.
if HKS had a profitable operation in the US by selling overpriced products, it wouldn't have shut down US operations and decided to run its worldwide operations from japan.
given that HKS has been a force in the aftermarket tuning scene for the last 30 years, you'd think they know a thing or two about "doing things the right way." if that translated to paying a premium, at least it comes with the assurance and peace of mind that its parts was R&D'd, designed, and manufactured properly. which company selling knock-off parts can attest to that? none exactly, and you and i would be hard-pressed to find one.
if my lamenting HKS closing its US operations because it sold "overpriced" exhaust systems, then maybe you might have a valid point. however, as you can see from HKS350's supercharged is350 (HKS supercharger + HKS electronics), exhaust systems isn't the only thing that it sells. which other major aftermarket manufacturer has offered anything close to that? again, none exactly, and you and i would be hard-pressed to find one.
if you want to play, you've got to pay. however, if you're fine with getting by with cheap, counterfeit, knock-off, fake products, by all means have at it. just don't lament the day when more aftermarket tuning companies close their doors because the market is saturated with knock-offs from second-rate, copycat companies.
then again, HKS closing its doors on its US operations is a sign that the market is already saturated with knock-offs. but you're fine w/ that, because you'd rather get by with the generic stuff, right?
#42
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... and this is the same type of consumer attitude that led to HKS closing the doors on its US operations. congratulations for helping to put legitimate aftermarket companies out of business.
if HKS had a profitable operation in the US by selling overpriced products, it wouldn't have shut down US operations and decided to run its worldwide operations from japan.
given that HKS has been a force in the aftermarket tuning scene for the last 30 years, you'd think they know a thing or two about "doing things the right way." if that translated to paying a premium, at least it comes with the assurance and peace of mind that its parts was R&D'd, designed, and manufactured properly. which company selling knock-off parts can attest to that? none exactly, and you and i would be hard-pressed to find one.
if my lamenting HKS closing its US operations because it sold "overpriced" exhaust systems, then maybe you might have a valid point. however, as you can see from HKS350's supercharged is350 (HKS supercharger + HKS electronics), exhaust systems isn't the only thing that it sells. which other major aftermarket manufacturer has offered anything close to that? again, none exactly, and you and i would be hard-pressed to find one.
if you want to play, you've got to pay. however, if you're fine with getting by with cheap, counterfeit, knock-off, fake products, by all means have at it. just don't lament the day when more aftermarket tuning companies close their doors because the market is saturated with knock-offs from second-rate, copycat companies.
then again, HKS closing its doors on its US operations is a sign that the market is already saturated with knock-offs. but you're fine w/ that, because you'd rather get by with the generic stuff, right?
if HKS had a profitable operation in the US by selling overpriced products, it wouldn't have shut down US operations and decided to run its worldwide operations from japan.
given that HKS has been a force in the aftermarket tuning scene for the last 30 years, you'd think they know a thing or two about "doing things the right way." if that translated to paying a premium, at least it comes with the assurance and peace of mind that its parts was R&D'd, designed, and manufactured properly. which company selling knock-off parts can attest to that? none exactly, and you and i would be hard-pressed to find one.
if my lamenting HKS closing its US operations because it sold "overpriced" exhaust systems, then maybe you might have a valid point. however, as you can see from HKS350's supercharged is350 (HKS supercharger + HKS electronics), exhaust systems isn't the only thing that it sells. which other major aftermarket manufacturer has offered anything close to that? again, none exactly, and you and i would be hard-pressed to find one.
if you want to play, you've got to pay. however, if you're fine with getting by with cheap, counterfeit, knock-off, fake products, by all means have at it. just don't lament the day when more aftermarket tuning companies close their doors because the market is saturated with knock-offs from second-rate, copycat companies.
then again, HKS closing its doors on its US operations is a sign that the market is already saturated with knock-offs. but you're fine w/ that, because you'd rather get by with the generic stuff, right?
Your points are all valid and I can't fight that lower priced knockoffs are good for the economy because there probably not. I can however blame the big corporations who go out of business.
Valid point made before was selling a lower tier priced exhaust from HKS, thats a great idea.
#43
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if you want to play, you've got to pay. however, if you're fine with getting by with cheap, counterfeit, knock-off, fake products, by all means have at it. just don't lament the day when more aftermarket tuning companies close their doors because the market is saturated with knock-offs from second-rate, copycat companies.
i for one bought replica vertex kid from next mod...if you wanna talk about the economy how is spending $2-3k for a piece of plastic from Japan helping the US economy? Its not...
I bought high end work wheels because the quality and craftsmanship of those wheels will not be matched but a company selling cheaper products. But on items such as an exhaust or a roof spoiler i really cant blame if ppl decide to go the cheaper route..
I really wish people get off their high horse and stop judging...
#44
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i wouldnt necessarily say this is a replica. because the design is similar to tanabe doesnt mean its a tanabe replica. it doesnt even sound like a tanabe. arent tanabes quieter than this? it was just stated by one of our members because it kinda looks like it.
m2 is its own brand that produces quality stuff at a "reasonable price", and just because its on ebay, a lot of people tend to just call it an ebay product. we buy HKS products off ebay that are legit. arent they ebay products? some may say you get what you pay for, but hey! some products, we get more than we pay for. and that's what makes us happy. and thats also why i wait for reviews before purchases. if i know the product is a quality item and its good stuff for a good price, why not. just because its m4d tyt3 jDm, doesn't mean we gotta get that product specifically.
this can be an example to show the differences. just look at stasis's photo vs this link
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is2...-like-new.html
just my 2 cents.
m2 is its own brand that produces quality stuff at a "reasonable price", and just because its on ebay, a lot of people tend to just call it an ebay product. we buy HKS products off ebay that are legit. arent they ebay products? some may say you get what you pay for, but hey! some products, we get more than we pay for. and that's what makes us happy. and thats also why i wait for reviews before purchases. if i know the product is a quality item and its good stuff for a good price, why not. just because its m4d tyt3 jDm, doesn't mean we gotta get that product specifically.
this can be an example to show the differences. just look at stasis's photo vs this link
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is2...-like-new.html
just my 2 cents.