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Bianca Miata - Exhaust
 

Since I got the car, every part of the cat-back has been replaced. The muffler went first, not by choice, but because it was starting to fall apart and sound horrible. Recently, the pipe from the cat to the muffler was replaced, as one of the exhaust hangers ripped itself out of the pipe, leaving a gaping hole for exhaust and much noise to exit.

Update: Oct 7, 2002
Well, after the Great Lakes Tour with the Miata Club, my headers decided to finally bite the dust. One of the pipes cracked all the way around, and was pretty much hanging loose and rattling. Sounded like a dirt bike too. So I got some stock headers from a wreckers down in Langely and Chris installed them, with header wrap too. That stuff sure smokes and stinks for the first while. The car feels noticably laggard up in the high-end now, and I don't really notice the increase in low-end power that the stock headers are supposed to bring. Oh well, at least I can rest easy knowing they aren't going to fall apart any more.

At high RPMs, the engine really sounds like it's struggling to breath. It doesn't sound as free and happy as it did before. The intake stays a lot cooler, however, with the wrapped headers. The exhaust has also taken on a very different sound. It's deeper, and not as raspy. It also has a bit of a nice gurgle to it. All in all, I'm happy with it.

Update: Mar 25, 2003
I've decided to replace my exhaust in the near future. I'll be getting a fair chunk of change from my yearly bonus, and a bit more back after I get the car painted and finish the ICBC claim from the break-in/theft in January.
I've all but decided on the exhaust I want. Good-Win Racing has an exhaust I really like. A friend has the M2 version on his car, with the removable baffle, and it sounds pretty good. The M1 version, without baffle, was released about a month ago, and the version with baffle should be out in the next month or so. I like the idea of the removable baffle, so I can have a decently loud exhaust, and put the baffle in so it doesn't drone when I'm out on the highway for a long drive. As with the M2 exhaust, it's all polished stainless steel, so it looks great, and lasts.
If, for some reason, I don't get that exhaust, I'll probably get a Thermal. Again, it's all polished stainless steel. I've heard quite a few cars with a Thermal, and it sounds great on the 1.6L engine.

Update: May 28, 2003
Well, the RoadsterSport M1 was delayed again, but I finally got it, and had it installed last Thursday. It sounds awesome! I wrote a review for the miata.net forum:

Good-Win Racing RoadsterSport2 M1 Exhaust

The past weekend was this year's incarnation of the annual Okanagan Topless Miata Sun Run in Kelowna, BC. I've had this new exhaust on order, and it arrived just in time to be installed before I left for the weekend. And by "just in time", I mean 30 minutes before I was scheduled to leave. I decided to postpone leaving by a few hours so I could have the new exhaust for the weekend, to put through the paces.

I was a little apprehensive about having an untried exhaust for what is, to me, the biggest Miata weekend on my calendar, but I was not disappointed. Quite the contrary, this exhaust left a permanent grin plastered to my face.

After a short trip around the block, I was off. I had a 5 hour drive ahead of me, through one of the quieter, twistier highways in this part of the province. Initially, the exhaust was quite a bit louder than I had expected, and was a bit much to deal with on the highway. I quickly noticed however that while the exhaust resonated almost painfully from 3000-3500 RPM, above that, it got quieter. I spent the rest of the trip cruising at around 4000 RPM, with plenty of runs up to the redline when the road got twisty. As the drive progressed, the entire tone of the exhaust changed, the drone became less unpleasant, and I started to notice a rather sporty burble.

Throughout the rest of the weekend, it continued to change to a deeper tone, get more burbly, and gained quite a bark. Blipping the throttle now produces a very rewarding aggressive bark from the tailpipe.

On the way home, along a slightly different route, the highway manners were pronouncedly more pleasant. The drone is quite tolerable, and it cruises quite comfortable at around 3500rpm.

Having returned home, I'm back at my daily commute. Yesterday I drove to work and back with the top down. The exhaust was pleasant to deal with, and made the constant stop and go of the commute fun, due to the wonderful burble when I slow down, and the bark when I blip the throttle to downshift. I drove today with the top up, without any trouble from the drone.

To sum it all up, I would say this is a great exhaust for sporty driving, or a daily driver. Many thanks to Good-Win Racing for taking the extra time to produce a great product.


Last Updated:September 15th, 2004
Email me: miata@lewisd.com
Derek Lewis