Guys,
I think I'd like to get a new pipe for the DS. With all the fuss over noise & such I think I'll just go with a slip on so that I can easily go back to stock. My concerns are I want one that will put power across the band but mostly I want the low end power. Most seems to address the DS's lack of this so thats good. Another concern is noise. I want a quiet one, yes I know it will be louder than stock but I don't want anything crazy loud.
Fit & Finish & quality are important too. I'm thinking of either a FMF, WB, Custom X, & HMF. The HMF caught my attention because of it's $190 price. Does anyone have any experience with that pipe? Any other slip ons I should consider that are maybe just released?
So guys from your experience which is the one to get? I need to be sure I spend my money wisely !

 

Due not go with the Custom-X-II cost too much, is weight 4lb more than stock and does not pass the 94 dB test here in the US. I would go with eather the FMF or White Brothers E-Series.

 

I would guess a disc based tailpipe pipe would be the quietest. That probably rules out HMF. CT Racing has a disc tailpipe pipe that will work as a slip-on but they don't normally sell it this way because they use larger diameter head pipes for more topend power. Alba uses a disc tailpipe for $399 (includes headpipes). I don't know if the tailpipe works as a slipon.

 

Definately go with White Bros.
Adjustability is definately the way to go.

 

If you want bottom end go with fmf power core 4. Fit and finish is out standing. It's not to loud but it has a decent bark but if you want quiter they make a quite core endcap for it. I hope this helps you out.

 

I've done some dyno testing on "disk type" mufflers and would like to share my results. Although the idea of "tuning" the exhaust seems nice it doesn't seem to test that way. I've found that they gained nothing[lost power and torque in most all cases] when the # of disks used kept the noise at a reasonable level. When enough disks were added[in the area of 15-18] to make an increase in power, the noise was noticably louder than any other style of exhaust. While flow through designs are louder than a disk system with just a few disks in, they produce less noise for equal power and more power for equal noise.

I see that the Custom X has been getting bad words lately, and it's too bad that it will not pass the stringent noise restrictions in the NW, but it was by far the quitest exhaust I tested that had gains worth while. I'm not sure that any after market exhaust can increase power and still pass these tests. It is heavy, but it's quiet,makes power compairable to other full exhaust systems, and has an excellent fit.

Just my opinion and the factual basis that it was formed on. I don't know anything about the HMF, but it might be an alright unit.

 

I have yet to hear from anyone at all with the HMF, though the price sounds great. You could always be the first one in the forums to buy one and be the Guinea Pig for the rest of us!

My decision was between the Custom-X Series 2 and the White Brothers E-Series. I ended up choosing the White Brothers for two reasons: Shipping time, and overall cost. I believe the Custom X may in fact be a slightly better pipe in a couple of ways: 1. Who can argue with a chrome pipe? 2. The technology used to create the pipe sounds very logical. I believe the sound it does produce for the power seemed quite good. Overall, I'm just a recreational rider though, and I figure I could use the extra $120 difference somewhere else.

The White Brothers Pipe is clean, (All the welds look perfect) the install isn't bad, it's noticeably lighter than stock and the power gain is noticeable. I think if I were really concerned about power not worrying about cost, the Custom X would have been the pipe for me.

One thing I liked about the Custom X Series 2 is that I have a dyno chart for it, so I know where it produces power, and how much. The White Brothers ..... Who knows. It feels a lot better than stock, but until someone slaps it on the dyno, no one will know just how much better or where.

what we need is a company that doesn't sell say, exhaust pipes to test all the various models starting with stock on ONE DS so that we could get a perfect side by side evaluation of all the pipes and not even have to take into account the small differences in power between our DS' as they came from the factory. Oh well, we can all dream, can't we?

 

I have the yoshimura slip on, I love it although it is louder it is all bite, kinda sounds like a harley. Fit and finish is excellent I got it for $225 from Denton Racing. I also had to get heavy duty clutch springs as my clutch started slipping from my mods.

 

Guys,
I ordered the HMF slip on.
I hope it's a good one, I guess I'll find out. I was told the packing has a 10 yr warranty. A guy from rsperformance (the place that sells C'dales with the HMF on them) said it's the most bang for the buck. I heard that FMF designed Cannondales exhaust, & they are using a HMF instead. Hopefully that means something. The thing that bothers me is the db rating is 98. Seems kinda high. I'm not sure of the weight of the pipe though. They say it has a deeper tone than the others. I guess I'll find out. I'll post what I think of it.
Blackhawk, Since I'm going to be the DS guniea pig I'll certainly take donations to add to my HMF pipe !

 

Andrew,

I'll give you all the donations you want at 2 cents each.

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