SPT EXHAUST?

[rurso01]

Not sure how to compare it, but I just drove my new 2013 5dr yesterday after putting Dynamat Extreme throughout the hatch area and doors, and the SPT exhaust is pretty loud. I've never had a loud car, so I'm not sure how to compare, but I can tell you I'm worried about the volume of the exhaust in the cabin. I'll get you more feedback in a few weeks.

Oh no... lol. Now I'm back at square one.

[rage-wrx]

Not sure how to compare it, but I just drove my new 2013 5dr yesterday after putting Dynamat Extreme throughout the hatch area and doors, and the SPT exhaust is pretty loud. I've never had a loud car, so I'm not sure how to compare, but I can tell you I'm worried about the volume of the exhaust in the cabin. I'll get you more feedback in a few weeks.

Dynamat will do nothing to shut out the drone from any exhaust . I know because I have dynamat installed as well.

[mstanfield]

Remember though, I'm not sure how the original sounded inside as I never drove it with the original exhaust in place. It may be similar. All I know is, it sounds awesome overall. But it seems quite loud inside so far. I will respond again a few days/weeks later once I've had time to really get to know my car. And, one other disclaimer, the only other fun car I have ever owned was a Nissan GTR 2009, and it had a very quiet exhaust. I have never owned a car like this, so I'll have to get use to the sound.

[rurso01]

Yeah let me know on Sunday/Monday as I will be adding the exhaust at the time of purchase Monday if I go through with the exhaust. Thanks man

[mstanfield]

OK, here's all I can give you. The exhaust can be very loud, especially if your are running in sixth gear on a 40MPH road. Otherwise, it's what I would call manageable. Not sure what I'll think in another month, but right now I'm liking the loudness.

[rurso01]

How is the highway sound? Thats my biggest concern. If the cabin noise is that bad I may just go stock. Is it an exhaust I will be waking my neighborhood up with? lol. Will every cop in town here me coming? I appreciate you reporting back so quickly.

[cohland]

For those of you that own the SPT exhaust on a hatchback, please help me by rating the loudness inside of the car from 1 to 10 (compared to stock). I am unable to hear one in person and do not want too much "drone" while on the highway at constant speed. Thanks!

Let me begin by establishing a few data points on a scale of 1:10, just my impressions:

1: 2011 Forester Automatic (quiet, basically no exhaust sound in the cabin)
3: 2013 Stock WRX Exhaust (hatchback)
6: 2013 SPT Exhaust in WRX hatchback: your neighbors will definitely know when you light it up.
10: open exhaust

I bought the SPT exhaust as part of the purchase deal for my 2013 WRX base hatchback, and luckily for me I kept the OEM exhaust, just in case. After a week, I had the dealer put the OEM exhaust back on the car, and I sold the SPT exhaust.

For me, the SPT just rumbled too much, and it revealed what some call the classic boxer sound, sort of a "bap bap bap" that I did not care for. On acceleration it sounded great, but the low- to mid-range booming got to me. On a drive over the Coast Range and back, after 5 hours I had a pretty good headache going, although part of it was probably due to having the windows open. On a 6-hour roundtrip freeway drive today, with the OEM exhaust and the windows up, I had no such problem. I find the OEM exhaust to be "just right": some low RPM rumble (not too much) and what I call a "burble" on deceleration. Winding it up into the boost, I like to hear the gearbox and the turbocharger not being drowned out by the SPT exhaust.

I think it's a good idea to wait until you can hear the SPT exhaust in the body style you want, rather than take a chance and get one without hearing it first. It might cost you a little more, but if you get it and don't like it, you may lose about $300 if you have to sell it: I did.

A side note: the OEM exhaust on my 2013 WRX hatch does not visually resemble the OEM exhaust on the 2013 sedans I see on the dealer's lot. What I see on the sedans looks like the SPT exhaust, but the window stickers don't indicate SPT. I think there may be a different OEM exhaust for the sedan and hatchback, and I don't mean the obvious difference in fit. I think they are taking the effect of the body shape (interior volume) into account when they tune the exhaust for interior sound level. Maybe I'm giving Subaru too much credit here, but that's my guess.

Chris