my buddy has the tomei on his 11 sti. its really quite when driving around town but screams when he goes wot haha he just has a catback

 

I have one on my '10 STi with Invidia catted DP. The newer ones have a resonator in them so they are quieter than the one you had on your 04.

Its not quiet, thats for sure. Interestingly enough, it has very, very little drone inside the car. You can hear that its making noise outside, but it's pretty subdued. Lots of people have been shocked at how quiet it is with the windows up.

It really does change a lot with RPM. Accelerating is loud, especially with windows down, but once at cruising speed or with constant RPMs under 3k it's really pretty mellow.

I don't use the silencer at all around town. Very rarely I'll put it in if I want to warm up the car before driving at like 6am or something. Then I'll take it out before driving. It quiets the car down a lot but sounds terrible and looks even worse.

 

I have one on my built 15' sti. I have no cat, elh, cams, etc. and the sound is awesome. Its not super annoying, and once the car is warm, you can barely hear it in the cabin. My fuel pump is louder than the exhaust at cruising speeds.

I had the ETS extreme, which were much louder and had awful drone.

I wont ever get a different exhaust.

 

Awesome, great feedback, thanks. Also my '04 had everything removed, zero sound insulation in the trunk making it worse...on this one I'm keeping those extra 5 lbs. of weight to control sound, just removing the usual extra weight for racing (subwoofer, tire, etc.)

Think it's safe running the Cobb Stage 1 OTS map with the intake? I know that won't optimize the hp available with the exhaust, but don't want to invest in the Protune yet...

 

Subbed for anymore opinions. I'm really interested in this exhaust. I'm kind of surprised at people saying it's not crazy loud (good for me).

 

I don't think anyone is saying it isn't loud...

It doesn't drone very much in the cabin at cruising speeds. But it is pretty damn loud outside the car. Cold start is very loud, WOT is very very loud, and even moderate acceleration up to speed is pretty darn loud. I don't think anyone would consider it to be a subtle exhaust.

However... it does sound awesome. And the slight angle on the tip makes it really reverberate off nearby objects while driving. It's like a mini tunnel effect on every tall median :lol:

So if you care about how much people outside the car hear you... might not be for you. If you don't mind that but don't want something that will make your head buzz on road trips... this is a great option.

It's also pretty phenomenally light. I can easily hold my whole catback outstretched in one hand.

Think it's safe running the Cobb Stage 1 OTS map with the intake? I know that won't optimize the hp available with the exhaust, but don't want to invest in the Protune yet...

Catback exhausts do not require a tune. If you add this exhaust, you won't have to change anything about your current tune.

EDIT: Just noticed you said you had an Invidia Ti exhaust on your 04... not a Tomei. You'll be stoked on the Tomei. It's in a whole different league. The Invidia exhausts are only Ti at the tip... the Tomei is 100% Ti. The whole thing weighs like 14 lbs.

 

I have this exhaust on my 16 STi with Cobb downpipe... It's loud. Very loud. But it also sounds amazing.

Even for being a loud exhaust, I'm constantly getting compliments on how my car sounds and inquires on which exhaust is on my car.

Cold starts sound like a helicopter is taking off outside. Once the RPMs finally drop to 750, the exhaust is not "annoying" loud. The silencer put the exhaust at stock exhaust sound levels. I know this because my neighbors brother has a stock 15 STi.

There are two times when you really hear the exhaust, WOT when the exhaust sound is able to bounce of the car or wall next to you, or while in a tunnel.

One thing I do not worry about while driving is not being seen. Drivers will hear you coming and then see you. This is a major plus for me because driving in Chicago traffic at times is scary because people change lanes without looking at times.

It's an extremely high quality, well-built, great looking and sounding exhaust that is on the louder side.



Here's a clip right after I installed the catback.

 

I just got one in July for my 08 Hatch and boy is it nice. I am catless however so mine may be a little different than everyone.

The drone is not bad actually, a little annoying on the highway at 3k but that's what the subs for.

It's not too loud if your not into it too much, but the second you go wot it gets loud, tunnels are much more.

I've been thinking about cutting that resonator off, has anyone done that before?

 

I think it would make it drone a ton more on the hatch if you did that. Honestly, mine doesn't sound much different than my buddies (with a 450whp built GD STi with no resonator). I don't think it really quiets it down much so much as improving the sound.

Cold starts sound like a helicopter is taking off outside. Once the RPMs finally drop to 750, the exhaust is not "annoying" loud. The silencer put the exhaust at stock exhaust sound levels. I know this because my neighbors brother has a stock 15 STi.

:lol: It actually kinda shakes my apartment (my garage is directly below my living room). Luckily there's pretty good insulation between my unit and my neighbors.

One tip... the reason it's REALLY loud (like that sound like it's trying to rip itself off the car) at startup is the air pump. If you blip the throttle super lightly it'll settle down to normal cold idle speed at ~1100 or so. Keeps it much quieter for those early mornings with no downsides except slightly higher emissions for those few moments before you start driving.

 

I had this on my 2013 wrx sedan with invidia catless DP. It was loud as f***. Cold start was so loud I felt bad for my neighbors. Needless to say I sold it.

 

Probably the same. One thing about the Tomei though is the super dry and crispy tone.