[JCompton]

So I recently acquired a 981 S MT6 and other than the Bose system the only change I want to make is to the exhaust system. So which exhaust system and why? I am not gonna track the car this is just for my preference.

 

[ICNU]

You might as well be asking "what color is paint" or "how long is a rope" as there is no such thing as a consensus for a best exhaust. People are just going to tell you what they are currently using at the moment and nothing else will be gained from the discussion other than random opinions that you will end up researching on your own in the end anyway.

With that being said, one of the most commonly loved Porsche exhaust and sounds by many is the factory Porsche Sport Exhaust option (PSE). And then again on the other hand the majority of Porsche owners are old farts, some of which are afraid of loud noises and bright colors and will tell you just the opposite and that they hate it

There are other well known aftermarket exhaust makers such as Fabspeed and Soul that you can look into and check out their videos. Some will tell you that all of these exhaust drone and are unbearable and others will tell you that they love them.

There are other more exotic exhaust such as Akrapovic that range in price from a whole lot to sell an organ to get one, all with the same love/hate comments. Bottom line is that this is not a simple answer

Good luck!

 

[JCompton]

Well thanks for you reply I agree with most of it but, I was under the impression that consensus meant used or liked by most others? That is what I was looking for at the end of the day I know it will be my choice, as someone new here I thought I would ask what most others liked?

 

[ICNU]

That is the problem...you are going to get many different subjective answers regarding what "most other like" and not just one or two opinions. As I stated the Porsche PSE, Fabspeed and Soul are common choices if you want a start because they are well known, reasonably priced (by Porsche standards at least) and represented here on the forums.

Exhaust on these cars are a strange topic, as you will find just as many who claim they drone or hate them as you will that love them it seems, so its going to be a rabbit hole of research for you. I'm personally one of those guys who like the loud noises and will tolerate any drone over boring nothing that any other car may have, hence why my car is also racing yellow while others drive only white, silver and black cars. Porsche owners are an interesting dichotomy

My personal opinion and experience... PSE is a cup car style, higher pitched raspy wail that is devine above 5K RPM. Very little drone if any at lower RPMs but not as loud as Fabspeed in the cabin either in those ranges, at least to MY ears. Others may tell you otherwise.

Fabspeed has a deeper V8 like tone at idle and drones like hell at lower RPM under load because of all the extra base frequencies. It will also turn into a higher pitched wail closer to PSE at higher RPM that sounds great. The difference to me with them is the low RPM and idle sound. Ive had three Fabspeeds over the past 15 years and they all sound the same to ME. Again, others may have a different opinion.

Soul is well represented here with a big customer following and support from the owners, but I have never used one personally at this point in time to comment on the sound other than what I have seen on their videos

 

[mm981cs]

Personally I like the Euro sound of the Borla S, you can get Touring and race models as well and well under 2k. I had the S model on my Mustang GT, it was incredibly good sounding. Without Drone

 

[wasupdu]

The optioned PSE to me is perfect. It's enough to make some decent noise when you want and when off you can drive through a quiet subdivision at midnight without drawing attention.

 

[Mountaineer84]

ICNU is a wise dude, lol. I researched and decided to replace my stock exhaust with PSE, mainly because I wanted the ability to switch it off at times. I also thought keeping it all Porsche will benefit resell value. My first impressions were that the tone was deeper than stock and I kinda didn’t like it originally. But then it mellowed and now couldn’t imagine the car without it. It’s the real Porsche sound and a lot of fun to press a switch and open it up, especially in a tunnel.

 

[gelo]

I went from a valved Fabspeed to a valved Soul exhaust in my 981CS. Just as ICNU mentioned, the Fabspeed was more on the V8 side of things, especially with the valves open. The main reason for the switch was the drone on the Fabspeed (although I believe Fabspeed came out with a newer exhaust to in an attempt to address it). If i were to say that Fabspeed was a 10 on drone then the Soul would be about a 2 on that scale. Both are well manufactured. Maybe a slight nod to Fabspeed because it's so shiny, but who is going to be laying on the ground looking at the exhaust. If you're in socal, specifically Ventura County area I wouldn't mind meeting up so that you can hear it live.

 

[Augie]

You can listen to a hundred different exhausts on YouTube but not really possible to tell from there as they are done differently from different placement and distances.
You really need to hear the exhaust in person and from inside the car also. Many great sounding exhausts that will drone you crazy.
Best I've ever had out of Fabspeed, GHL, Milltex, PSE. Was the PSE by far.

 

[Pwaierst]

There are some neat and very good aftermarket exhaust systems available as some fellow enthusiasts have noted along this thread. Quality and Porsche Motorsport originality are key decision drivers for me regarding any accessorizing of my cars. If you are so inclined I would suggest considering FVD Brombacher solutions. Engineered and made in Germany. They are an Official Supplier to Porsche Motorsport. If upfront cost is an issue you could start with a sound version muffler for your 981 Base or S model (note: it is a blast with the very practical higher revolution range street driving capacity of the 2.7 “Normal” 981 motor). With or without PSE. Experience and enjoy the muffler. You will later probably want to buy and have professionally installed the matching FVD headers. This investment in the sound and performance of your 981 motor will delight you. I have the sound version muffler and matched headers on my daily driven 2014 981 Cayman 2.7 with manual Transmission. Purchased and installed just as mentioned above. Perfect for me. Sacrifice for the investment? Sure. Regrets over settling for something else? Not one.
As for what these systems do for a four-cylinder turbo charged 718 motor.... I’ve been behind the wheel of one of the stock 718 S models when launched. I honestly wanted to like it. If for no other reason than it is a sickly descendant of the 981 models. Call me a heretic, but years ago I felt the same way about the 912. Frankly anything would be an improvement. ‘Might as well wait for the “turbo-battery” editions of the 718 (“Battster”) and simply resign our driving to some expression of progressive civil obedience by being compliantly quiet. RIP RSK.

 

[SoCal_981]

I don't think there is a consensus on these things...... 20 different people might give you 20 different answers.

I did a lot of youtubing during my search and they all sound great imo and they all weigh much less than the OEM boat anchor.

Most all of them seem to have some drone, no matter if they claim they don't..... just going by real world reviews on most of them.

I ended up going with the Top Speed Pro 1 due to its sound and unreal price!!! Figured if I'm gonna have drone with just about all of them I might as well try this one out and save $$$

The weight saving alone was worth it, but the sound is what it's really all about.....
yes, there is drone, but it is easily avoided by shifting out of it and it really only happens when bogging

Here is my before and after vid

 

[DrkMtr]

I removed a barely used FVD Brombacher before selling my car if anyone in the northeast is interested.

 

[Augie]

SoCal 981 thanks for that. Sounds real nice and very muscle car like. I never heard of Top Speed Pro 1 before.
How much was it and is a cat back system ?

 

[SoCal_981]

Thanks, yes cat back system... weighs a fraction of the OEM

These guys were great.....No tax and free shipping!!!

Top Speed Pro 1 - Exhaust System (981 Cayman / Boxster)

The Top Speed full titanium cat-back features a hand welded and mandrel bent piping measuring 59mm in diameter. This system directly bolts on replacing the factory mufflers and cat-back piping. This system dramatically reduces weight while adding an aggressive sound without drone.

flat6motorsports.com

 

[Augie]

WoW great price too !

 

[JCompton]

That is an incredible price for a complete titanium exhaust system titanium is not cheap and MIG welded!!! Wow!!! Only thing missing is valves....

 

[Cayman6spd]

I went with Borla's Type-S exhaust. Very deep at low rpm. At higher rpms, throaty, high pitched flat six bliss. The fitment was spot on as well. Slight drone past 4K RPM in 6th gear.

 

[JCompton]

Well 4k rpms in 6th hear in my car is 110 mph!!! Won't be seeing alot of that... LOL!!!

 

[Stripes And Swoosh]

I don't think there is a consensus on these things...... 20 different people might give you 20 different answers.

I did a lot of youtubing during my search and they all sound great imo and they all weigh much less than the OEM boat anchor.

Most all of them seem to have some drone, no matter if they claim they don't..... just going by real world reviews on most of them.

I ended up going with the Top Speed Pro 1 due to its sound and unreal price!!! Figured if I'm gonna have drone with just about all of them I might as well try this one out and save $$$

The weight saving alone was worth it, but the sound is what it's really all about.....
yes, there is drone, but it is easily avoided by shifting out of it and it really only happens when bogging

Here is my before and after vid

Which part of SoCal are you in? I would love to hear that in person, if you dont mind, and maybe see if i can tolerate the drone .. lol.
Thanks.

 

[SoCal_981]

I'm out here in wine country, Temecula.... got plenty of great roads around here if you want to come on down