^^^^I have had both PPE UL and EL headers. the EL headers do a very good of reducing drone. I have posted on this in the past.

Lou

 

Drone is subjective and can vary with environmental factors, rpm and throttle. One can't simply get in a car and drive it for 10 minutes and say it has no drone. I'm not stating that any exhaust mentioned in here has drone or does not have drone. I'm only providing information.

My Meisterschaft has drone. It only has drone with the valves open while cruising at 80 mph in 8th gear (2k rpm) when it's really cold outside (below 35). If I don't meet the exact criteria I just mentioned, it has no drone. Even still, what I consider to be drone, some others may not. I usually have the music up loud enough to not hear it anyway... But if I was worried about it under those conditions, I would close the valves and/or cruise in 7th gear.

 

^^^^My comment had nothing to do with the exhaust system. I was speaking about headers - ONLY. I too have an exhaust system with vacuum or manually actuated valves, the PPE dual mode system. With UL headers, I would experience drone (from about 1900 to 2100 RPM) so loud that it made it impossible for me to use my cell phone with BT - when the system was open. When the valves were closed, all was fine. With the EL headers (same exhaust system) I can now use my cell phone with BT - ALL THE TIME! Now, I rarely close the valves.

And, again, I have written many posts about this phenomenon.

Lou

 

My comment wasn't aimed at you. It was just general information since I seen people mentioning drone. I have the stock headers. If I had the EL headers then my drone might not be there either. But my drone is only present under rare circumstances, so it doesn't bother me much.

 

After searching & reviewing all the exhaust threads, haven't seen anyone mention Novel? Anyone have that exhaust system on their RC F?

 

PTS JOEZ exhaust made in the USA.

APEX-I exhaust if you want quad mufflers and tips, (optional resonated mid pipes or non resonated)

 

To my knowledge, no one has the novel system. Sounds great, but $15 k for a full system is quite a bit of cash

 

There is one owner out in southern california who has the full novel system.

 

This. Every aftermarket exhaust has the potential for drone. It's hard to get a free flowing exhaust and extra hp without it. The question when the drone reveals itself. For me, the Joe Z only presented a problem at 7 or 8th gear at 65-70 mph. I don't mind deep lower hz drone, but this exhaust's drone was in a frequency that made it hard to live with. The next person may not even notice it. I wound up doing j-pipes and now the drone is 90% gone

 

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/bui...f-pkg-tvd.html

If it wasn't so pricy I would have the Novel exhaust. I like the sound, but for 5 figures I'd rather throw a turbo on my RC F.

 

Thanks to everyone for the comments. This is my first Lexus "performance" car so I'm proceeding cautiously. My first priority is to improve the sound of the exhaust, but drone is a concern. I want to hear all I can from the V8 under strong acceleration, but not much while cruising at a steady speed.

So far I've heard mention of Borla, Meisterschaft, Novel and Apex systems (did I miss any?).

So here's another question: Do all of the above mentioned systems allow me to control the exhaust sound in any way? Or is the sound controlled the same way as my stock system ..... by switching between Normal, Sport and Sport+?

Thanks again.

 

​​​​​​can't forget about the Joe Z system. That was all the hype before the Borla came out and undercut it in price. The Borla also seems to be much louder than the Joe Z. I have the Joe Z and am perfectly happy with it.

Of the systems you named, I believe only the meisterschaft has the ability to open and close the valves.

Tanabe and Armytrix also have exhaust systems out for the rcf. The armytrix one sounds great - I think it's in the same price range as the meisterschaft

 

Only the higher dollar systems have valves (Meisterschaft, Novel).

There's a few more exhausts too. I don't know them all. But JoeZ is another. You can also get a custom job.

I too was worried about the noise level while cruising. I put 3k miles per month on my car. So I spend a lot of time in it. I often have to conduct business over the phone in the car. I am happy with my Meisterschaft axle back. Even with the valves open it's not obnoxious in the cabin while cruising. But if it's a really important call then I will close them. I have the remote signal programmed to my Homelink buttons and it takes all of 10 seconds to close them at any time. Under acceleration it screams with the valves open.

Someday I may try removing my stock resonators just to see how manageable the sound is with the valves. It's a cheap thing to fix if I don't like it. But something tells me I'd be mostly driving around with the valves closed if I did that vs. almost always having them open right now.

As for drone... You are more likely to get drone with a cheaper system IMO. Some people will swear by their exhaust, while others will say it has drone. I don't know what to tell you there.

 

Armytrix is a valved exhaust as well
Any exhaust can be retrofitted with some valves though

Invida, Amuse, Ark are other systems

 

Literally found out about Armytrix this afternoon when I was making calls for some parts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krqo...ature=youtu.be
Think about $4.5k and it's got more of a "modern" feel to it.