For those with Cobra non-resonated systems

[Amazing Crow 10]

I have been talking to Cobra about how unbearably loud my non-resonated system is and though they deny that there is any difference between mine and Jay's, they are keen to work something out to resolve this issue. My request was to supply resonators to us at production cost.

 

They will be offering reduced price resonator sections to us, but I need to give them an estimate of buyers so that they can work out how much they can supply them to us for (the bigger the batch the lower the production cost).

 

So, if anyone is interested in fitting a resonator section then please leave your name, it's not a commitment, as price can't be given until we have a gauge of interest.

 

1. Amazing Crow

 

[GT86Jay 202]

After 6 months with the system on my car I really would not want to be putting a resonator on it. Now mine is fully carboned up and been used with about 20k miles. It's quietened right down. Ticking over it's as quiet as stock and driving round town is only a little louder than stock. 

 

My system has also completely lost the top end high-pitch raspy-ness under load and revving. 

 

All i'd say is if the system is still new and you plan on doing a fair few miles then i'd leave it non-resonated and wait it out. Mine was really loud at first. But i'd be really gutted if it was any quieter than it is now.

[Amazing Crow 10]

I had mine on for 5 months and did 6000 miles, and though it did quieten a little when carboned up, it was still stupidly loud even with the stock 2nd cat put back on.

I remember yours at the exhaust meet last year when it was relatively new, and even then it was so much quieter than mine is with 6000 miles on it. I was constantly paranoid that it was blowing somewhere, but never was.

[steveoexige 11]

Mine was also horribly loud until Mark supplied and fitted a custom resonated centre section.

[Amazing Crow 10]

It was a custom resonator section? Interesting, were you able to compare it with Cobra resonator?

[rob275 1817]

Keith also had this issue, how they can turn their nose up is beyond me. Jay, yours was a tester wasn't it? So it's fair to say yours is probably different to everyone elses what's different about it I don't know but it strikes me that you're the only one with a quieter one.

[Lauren 2259]

I've got tbh, this just isn't good enough. It sounds like their systems vary in how loud they are. I wonder if it is to do with how well packed the rear box is? 

 

It's not because an unresonated system is too loud either. I have an unresonated Milltek with a decat and overpipe. No issues and I haven't heard of anyone having issues. My system may have quietened slightly but it was never too loud in the first place. I have 30K+ miles on mine. 

[Keethos 842]

After 6 months with the system on my car I really would not want to be putting a resonator on it. Now mine is fully carboned up and been used with about 20k miles. It's quietened right down. Ticking over it's as quiet as stock and driving round town is only a little louder than stock. 

 

My system has also completely lost the top end high-pitch raspy-ness under load and revving. 

 

All i'd say is if the system is still new and you plan on doing a fair few miles then i'd leave it non-resonated and wait it out. Mine was really loud at first. But i'd be really gutted if it was any quieter than it is now.

 

Yeah, but Jay, you've heard mine and I'm sure you agreed that yours was never as loud, the fact that you past a 102dba noise test a couple of days after you had yours fitted and the fact that I failed a 105dba test miserably with an astonishing 108dba a couple of months after having mine fitted is just mind boggling, especially when both you and I have virtually the same setup.  Mine did quieten down a little but still not enough to pass the noise checks on track and I'm sure if I added more and more miles to it, it would have quieten down a bit more, but I doubt it would have still gotten to a level where I could get on track with some of the more strict noise levels.  I'm just glad to see that it's not just me that's heard your system, was convinced that that was what we wanted volume and noise wise and went a head and ignored Mark's warnings of the non-res system being too loud as we thought we knew what we were getting.

 

Sadly Cobra are adamant that nothing has changed since Jay's system was installed and are all made off the same jig, though when I had my system first fitted, some of the pipes that were brought out were of the wrong length, turned out that if you take out the pipes from the same box then it's fine, they connect and fit the car, but if you were to accidentally mix the pipes up, you could end up with a system that wouldn't fit your car as it was either too long or too short, so there are differences, be it jigs or just the actual workers making them slightly differently to one another.

 

I'll put my name down initially Amazing Crow but I currently have a res system installed from Mark so I might have to take this up with him rather than directly from Cobra but Mark's in talks with Cobra anyway so add my name just to add more ammo to the situation.

 

I know Deacon also isn't happy with his non-res system so hopefully he'll be on shortly to add his 2 pence.

[rob275 1817]

If pipes are different lengths it screams poor manufacturer to me... It's like buying a mars bar only to find out some gremlin in the factory ate half of it.

[Mark@Abbey M/S 235]

Guys hang on as I have said to Keethos we need to try his system on our Abbey Car before we can go any further. Hope to have this done very soon.

Steveexige your system was resonated as fitted by Abbey the noise issue with your car is the FA20 headers.

Amazing Crow, can I ask why you did speak to me the supplier before going direct to Cobra.

I did say on the initial group buy that I felt the NON Resonated system is too loud as I had run one on my car before changing to a resonated system.

I am currently driving back from France will look into more later on.

Mark

[Mark@Abbey M/S 235]

Lauren, comparing a Milltek non resonated road Cobra resonated is like comparing chalk and cheese.

[Keethos 842]

Hi Mark, please don't take this the wrong way but it's irrelevant the fact that you warned us that the non-res system was too loud, as you mentioned in your post, you felt that it was too loud but how you feel about a system is irrelevant compared to those of us who have actually heard a non-res system first hand and was pretty much sold on exactly what we heard i.e. Jay's system which has been on numerous Cobra stands and car meets.

[Amazing Crow 10]

@Rob

The guy I spoke to at Cobra said that Jay's was produced on the same jig that the rest of ours were, his was not a prototype or any different from ours, I'm told.

 

@Mark

I contacted you for help and you didn't even show enough courtesy to send a reply but instead asked Keith to talk to me about what's going on with his car.

Saying you 'told us so' about the volume doesn't help, we had our own opinions based on hearing Jay's as we did not know that we were going to get a different system (I never saw you state that either). You can't expect us to trust your opinion over our own after hearing the 'advertised' product. 

[GT86Jay 202]

Mine will be at Barkston Heath at the TSS on Sunday if anyone wants to compare. 

 

Mine was very loud when first installed. But has gradually quietened down. If it had of stayed as it was when I picked the car up i'd probably have gone Resonated too to make it a nicer daily driver.

But it's never been 'too loud'. 

 

I tried both systems on the day I had mine fitted and can confirm mine is definitely non-resonated and went with the advice that the system would quieten down. (Which it did perfectly) 

 

I'm also prepared to drive down to AbbeyMS or a meet if anyone wants to compare or get evidence of my system. 

 

Also saying the Miltek and Cobra is like chalk and cheese is a little naive. I don't think mine is too far out from Lauren's system. 

Me and Lauren were both at the Blyton sprint and volume wise I don't think they're much different. Just a different note in the high-end. Cobra system is a bit more deep and crackly than the Miltek. 

 

And I believe this is what Keethos went on when buying his Cobra system!

 

Someone else who had the same system fitted by Cobra who I've met whilst working in Sheffield and had communication with has no problems with it and I've been out in his and sounds very similar. I don't believe they are on this Forum though. 

 

The proof is that at Snetterton I ran 97dB whilst Keethos got 108dB. I also attended Blyton park TSS a few weeks after my system was fitted and only got 101dB with an almost brand new system!

Something must be wrong! For any exhaust company to think 108dB is an acceptable volume level is ridiculous! 

[rob275 1817]

@Rob

The guy I spoke to at Cobra said that Jay's was produced on the same jig that the rest of ours were, his was not a prototype or any different from ours, I'm told.

 

 

Keith said Cobra practically said the pipes in the kit are not interchangeable, they would match if they were assembled on the same jig would they not? If pipes don't match up that's f*cking dire IMO...

 

I think they are telling one story to one person here and another to another. Jay developed the Kit with cobra, not to say it is any different from anyone's but if anyone's kit is going to be different it would be his most likely. Mark has emailed me anyway, can I suggest you guys liaise with Mark with this as an argument will certainly have more grunt coming from a Tuner rather than a few random end customers. He will help you guys get it sorted, but bare in mind he also has a business to run and cannot dedicate his time solely on this exhaust issue or GT86's for that matter. 

[Keethos 842]

Rob, I didn't say that Cobra said they weren't interchangeable, it's just something that I saw where some of the pipes were different lengths when taken out of different supply boxes, for example I've seen different length tail pipes and different length pipes from the back box that connects to the tail pipes as well as the non-res pipe that comes in 2 parts I believe, two sets would equal the same overall length but if you were to swap the same ends over then you could end up with a system that is shorter and another that is longer.  Again, all this was observed from when I had my system installed, not being told by Cobra or anyone, just to make things clear.

[rob275 1817]

I see, my bad, I still stand by that they should be the same lengths... lol

[Mark@Abbey M/S 235]

We have fitted 4 non resonated systems all are what I call very loud. That is why I said thy where loud. After spending time getting cars trough noise tests I do understand what is noisy and what isn't.

Amazing Crow, I thought I had sent you a reply looking back it didn't send I apologize for this, sorry if it came across bad.

The couple of systems makes we supply and fit on the GT86/BRZ's I list as the following quietest to the noisest (like for like thou all with or without a 2nd cat delete pipe)

Milltek resonated

Milltek un-resonated

Cobra resonated

Cobra un-resonated

These are my opinions.

I have spoken to Matt @ Cobra today we are going to discuss this matter further tomorrow.

I will help you guys out by pushing Cobra to look after you if you don't want to buy the resonated centre section at a reduce cost.

I am also looking into the fitting issues with regards the tailpipes.

I feel Jay system is quieter than any other un-resonated system thou.

Leave it with me for a few days. To get some measurements of noise levels speak to Cobra.

Thanks

[Lauren 2259]

Lauren, comparing a Milltek non resonated road Cobra resonated is like comparing chalk and cheese.

 

Mark, I was comparing a non resonated Milltek to a non resonated Cobra system. This is a fair comparison I feel. 

[Mark@Abbey M/S 235]

They are like chalk and cheese I will say.

Miltek systems are less aggressive we have found or more mature another way to describe them.

[rob275 1817]

I met up with Keith after he had his Cobra system swapped out, the Resonated system on Keith's car was still louder than my Resonated Milltek, perhaps it's Keith's car   Wasn't louder by much. But if I was going to compare the Cobra and Milltek based on what I heard, the Resonated system is more on par to the Non-res Milltek in my opinion.

[Mark@Abbey M/S 235]

Had a chat with Matt @ Cobra.

 

We are willing to offer the resonated centre section for 20% off of the retail price which is £195-00 inc vat so making a final cost of £156-00 inc vat no minimum numbers.

 

We will even fit the system free of charge if needed or ship the resonated centre section to you free of charge.

 

Any questions ask away.

 

Hope this helps you guys out;

[Amazing Crow 10]

Thanks for the help Mark 

[Will T8WMM 28]

I know I'm hugely late to this thread, but I feel it's an appropriate one to post in. 

Anyone running a resonated cobra with a catless manifold? 

I've got the non-res and have just had a catless mani, now it's very very loud! So I'm getting the cobra resonated mid section on Monday to bring the volume right down.

 

[GT86Jay 202]

2 hours ago, Will T8WMM said:

I know I'm hugely late to this thread, but I feel it's an appropriate one to post in. 

Anyone running a resonated cobra with a catless manifold? 

I've got the non-res and have just had a catless mani, now it's very very loud! So I'm getting the cobra resonated mid section on Monday to bring the volume right down.

 

I had the Cobra un-resonated with the HKS Equal Length Catless Manifold. Berk Front pipe which was catted. It was very loud! 

I then put in the resonated centre section and it was much better, resonator killed a lot of noise, i'd say the most noticable change wasn't just volume, but actual note. It because a lovely deep rumble, rather than high-pitch raspy sound. It killed all the cabin drone and made it really good! You still got a lot of volume on WOT though through the rev range. But round town you can be pretty civilised. 

Well worth going resonated and much better sound IMO.