Megan Racing 2G AWD (Prototype) Catback and Downpipe Review
Appearance:
This exhaust is absolutely a piece of work! Both the catback and downpipe are extremely straight. If you've seen the Apexi N1 or some other exhausts with a lot of bends, you'll really appreciate the straightness of this exhaust. Both the catback and downpipe are stainless steal and are absolutely gorgeous. It's simply the best looking exhaust I've ever seen. I have received an unbelievable amount of compliments on it. The only complaint I have a bout the catback’s appearance is that the tip looks a little small from the back. On my old GST I had an HKS Hyper which was nearly 4.5". My MR is only about 4". I honestly would rather it be a little larger just so it would fit the car better, however I think the rest of what the exhaust has to offer is well worth the trade-off of a slightly smaller tip. Some of you may actually prefer the smaller exhaust tip. Either way, if you’re switching from a bigger exhaust tip be prepared for this slight change. Initially I really did not like it, but after a few weeks I didn’t even notice it. Now, I actually prefer the smaller tip.
Sound:
If you’ve owned an Apexi N1 or HKS Hyper exhaust, be prepared for a slight change in noise level. The Megan Racing catback and downpipe combined give a louder, but still a very nice deep tone. At idle the exhaust is very quiet and has a slight rumble too it like most others. The difference comes when you put the pedal down. At this point, it really makes itself known! It's not like some other exhausts that seem to go quiet after 4000+ RPM. Instead this thing seems to increase its sound all the way to redline. Now, that’s not to say that the noise level is bad or unbearable, because that isn’t the case. To someone that has never owned a quieter exhaust like an Apexi N1, they may not even notice a difference. However, I would personally rather the exhaust be a little quieter.
Installation:
There isn’t much to note about installing this exhaust. It’s pretty much like installing any other aftermarket exhausts. The overall install went pretty smooth. The only difficult part was that the downpipe is so big you barely have room to turn the bolts when connecting it to the O2 housing. We originally thought we had it completely tight, but when we ran the car for the first time we had a major exhaust leak between the downpipe and O2 housing, resulting in a diesel-like truck sound. After taking more time to completely tighten the O2 bolts being careful not to strip to bolts, the leak was fixed and it sounded great as I described before. Just be careful not to strip the bolts, as it is very hard to get a wrench or socket completely on the bolts to be turned. Also, I tapped my EGT probe into the MR downpipe. This fit fine right behind the oil filter and is working well for me.
Performance:
After everything, there is definitely a difference in performance. The turbo spools much quicker and more top end power is available. Like any 3” exhaust and downpipe, the MR catback and downpipe combination really seemed to open things up while making the car much more responsive.
Conclusion:
Overall, I love this exhaust and downpipe! Simply put, it is the best looking and sounding exhaust I’ve ever been around. As I stated before, I've had many compliments on both the sound and appearance of the exhaust. If I had it to do over, I would absolutely buy this exhaust again. Stainless steal, 3", minimal bends, looks amazing, and sounds great! You really can't beat it for the price.
Pictures: (Exhaust is a little dirty, please excuse)
And just for fun, some of the car..
Megan Racing 2G AWD (Prototype) Catback and Downpipe
