Exhaust Review: Speedtech 2.5 X-Pipe

Cliff Notes-Love it!

I have had the exhaust for about a month and have driven around 1500 miles.

The car has an APR ECU flash and a Sachs 2.5 clutch, but is otherwise stock.

I like loud exhausts. I started with a B&B on my E36 325i back in 2001, and things just got worse from there. My first NSX ran an RSR exhaust followed by a custom Anytime race-exhaust. I put a Borla on my E46 M3.

My current E28 M5 has a B&B exhaust. Rumbly and low, with great burble on deceleration.

My current NSX has Cantrell equal length headers, Taitec straight pipes and an aggressive ARK DT-S exhaust. The sound ranges from high-pitched exotic to nasty race-car, and can be heard for 2-3 miles.

I did a lot of research and watched a lot of videos before I purchased my exhaust. I was initially going to buy a used twin-can design, but fell in love with the exotic sound of the X-pipe design.

I liked the reviews and the modular, upgradeable design of the Speedtech exhaust, so when they put a demo 2.5 x-pipe for sale up on 6speed it was too good for me to resist.

Before the exhaust was installed, I was worried that it might be too quiet for my tastes. I was pleasantly surprised. I should have known an exhaust with no real muffler would not be quiet, even with 100 CEL cats.

The cold-start is mean, with a crackle and pop that settles into a low rumble not unlike a large displacement sport bike.

The overall sound is louder than I expected, given the smaller 2.5 design over the 3.0. That is a good thing. There is no real drone, but the sound is greatly amplified and not quiet at lower revs. It is not quite as loud as my NSX, but few things are.

I was very surprised at how exotic and high-pitched the sound is at certain RPM. As with my NSX, it plays a beautiful high-note at around 2700 RPM and sustains and raises it until around 3500 RPM.

It sounds far more like a naturally-aspirated 911 than I could have imagined possible.

I love the ability to hear the turbos as they spool.

At full throttle there is a nasty bark and the expected monstrous whoosh.

My butt-dyno can feel a decent increase in power as to be expected with such a free-flowing exhaust and 100 CEL cats. I would estimate that with the APR tune the power is something in the range of 530hp/540tq at the crank. It certainly feels like a car that could run mid 11s and trap in the low to mid 120s.

A friend of mine came over last Saturday for a car play-date, as my wife likes to joke. He has a long-hood 912 and a 996 C2. I took him out in the NSX and then the Turbo, letting him drive each after a short ride. He had a great time and was very impressed with each.

The Turbo literally scared him the first time I hammered it through the gears.

Before long he was giggling like a schoolboy as he unleashed full boost and re-calibrated his sense of speed.

 

Thanks for the review, lets hear it!

 

I haven't had a chance to make my own video, but Speedtech has a good video of the exhaust on youtube:


Skip to 0:26 if you don't want the Clapton intro...

I purchased the very system that was used for this video...

 

Thanks for the feedback and positive words, Ryan! That 2.5 X is a really great pipe.

I'm also glad to see you sensed the exotic nature of the sound because I always tell customers that we engineered our 2.5 and 3.0 X-Pipes to create a high end, very exotic wail. It's unlike any I have ever heard on a Porsche before....and it's reassuring to see you echo those words!

Glad you are enjoying it. We just made one for a somewhat local customer and he really loved it, too...

 

For anyone new to this forum or unfamiliar with the SpeedTech line, I thought this would be a good opportunity to explain the differences in our 996TT exhaust systems. Below are pictures of our Competition X-Pipe like Ryan reviewed above and our standard SpeedTech "quiet" X-cellerator cross-flow exhaust. Both are available in 2.5" and 3.0" (quiet and loud models) and both sound fantastic, while providing the quickest turbo spool due to the Hi-Flow 100 cell cats.

The X-Pipe Ryan reviewed has no muffling, just a pure X-Flow sound for those that enjoy hearing the car really sing.

Our muffled X-cellerator version (most popular) has the same X-Pipe internally with the pipe being perforated and stainless steel wool packing for substantially reduced volume and ultimate cabin comfort.

If anyone would like to discuss the sound levels of each model or would like advice on choosing the proper system for their car and sound goals, please feel free to contact Chad or Myself...from mild to wild, our 996TT "X"-systems offer it all and they are fully modular and interchangeable should your sound goals change over time. Also, our testimonials link below has countless Rennlist Member reviews of our 996TT systems and the YouTube link has lots of videos to enjoy...

X-Pipe


X-cellerator X-Flow Muffler


Best Regards,

John

 

Now that I have had some time behind the wheel with my new Speedtech 2.5” X-pipe and Softronic tune, I can now give my honest opinion and review of this combo for the 996TT. Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Speedtech in any way… just a happy customer.

Before I go any further, I would like to comment on the service at Speedtech. I cannot commend, thank and compliment John (and Chad) enough at Speedtech for their EXCELLENT service, knowledge and expertise. John spent hours on the phone with me over the course of a year helping me pick the system that was right for me. Because I am somewhat local, he drove his Turbo almost an hour to take me for a ride so that I could hear the system in person. What a guy!

When choosing an exhaust system, I watched YouTube videos and searched 6SO for countless hours trying to decide on what I would want. I was very nervous about making a mistake and getting something “too loud” or “too much drone” or “not loud enough.” I was very apprehensive and almost nervous about making the purchase. If you plan on going with Speedtech and you share my feeling about an exhaust system… do not be worried… if you get something that isn’t to your liking, John will make sure you get you what you want.

Speedtech’s 2.5” X-pipe (with 100 cell cats) completely transformed my car. I was able to drive the car with the exhaust system installed before and after Softronic tuned the car. Before the tune, I could definitely notice a power increase, quicker spooling turbos, better throttle response and (possibly) the weight savings. After the tune… well that is a different story, which I will mention later.

First off, cold start may be one of my favorite things about this exhaust system. When the secondary air pumps are running, you get the meanest, deep-sounding crackle, pop and rumble. The sound is so great I start to laugh. When the cats are warm and the pumps are off, the car idles only slightly louder than stock.

When driving, the system provides a completely different driving experience when compared to stock. This X-pipe is absolutely amazing. I have to say, there is no drone with this 2.5” system. I know drone as my brother has a 997S with FabSpeed Superdrone Pipes. Speedtech’s 2.5” X-pipe is refined, smooth and totally comfortable when you need it to be. When driving aggressively, it is a complete beast. I refer to it as the “axe murderer in a tuxedo” (my car is black). It absolutely wails at WOT. It has the growl of a GT3, turbos are audible at all RPMs, it has a deep, almost diesel motor sound at low RPMs, and screams normally aspirated sounds at high RPMs. I now find myself winding out gears now, as opposed to stock where I would want to get out of gear because the engine sounded over-stressed. Now that I can hear the motor, it changed the way I drive the car.

For those on the fence between X-pipe and a muffler system… why muffle the incredible sounds that our engines and turbos make? I was very apprehensive about going with X-pipes because of the potential drone or the fact that it would be excessively loud. I felt that being conservative would be the best route when choosing an exhaust, but now that I have experienced this system for some time, I can safely say I would not want anything quieter.

After tuning the car, I cannot stress enough how the combination of exhaust and tune transform the car. I have read it a million times on 6SO and Rennlist and I have to agree 100%. Throttle response is better, engine idles smoother, the car just wants to jump out of its’ paint. I scare people, and myself, when I drive the car. Best part is that it is totally comfortable and easy to drive when I am just cruising. The cost was worth every penny and then some.

 

Steve,

Thanks again for taking the time to review our products and share your thoughts. As I mentioned on the other forum, it has been a pleasure having you as a customer and thanks for the kind words regarding Chad, myself and our products! We are always extremely pleased to hear back from one of our customers enjoying their SpeedTech exhaust so much.

As Ryan above and now you know, that 2.5 X-Pipe you have is a real winner in terms of sound and comfort for the 996TT. I wish everyone could hear it because IMO, it really is something special...Enjoy it and I hope to maybe see you and hear it in action at a PCA event soon! I would love to drive behind you for a while and enjoy the SpeedTech sound from a different perspective :-)

Take care,

John

 

We just built a 2.5 X-Pipe for a customer that changed his mind and ended up going with a 2.5 X-cellerator muffler system, so I have a brand new 2.5 X-Pipe completed and sitting on the shelf...I can set it up with cats or cat bypass pipes, if anyone is interested...

 

Just a quick note to thank John for his excellent customer service.

I had a minor issue with one tip after the installation and John came through with the necessary replacement parts and went the extra mile to make sure I was satisfied.

Greatly appreciated!

Still loving the exhaust after 5,000 miles of use since March...might move up to the full 3.0 X-pipe setup in a year or two for even more of that great sound.

 

+1

Had an X-pipe band snap and John sent me a new one for FREE!
Excellent customer service!

Nick.

 

Video?

 

I opted for the 2.5 Quiet as well. I wanted something more exotic sounding. The stock system just did not do it for me. I'm not into doing big mods. My car has a mild tune, suspension and short shift kit. This system ROCKS!

It truly transformed my turbo! I too tried to get out of first gear quickly but now I wind her out and it is a different experience. I've had my system for a short while and love this exhaust. At WOT she is something to hear. It does have that GT-3 sound. Do some comparison between this and the GT-3 sound on youtube and at least to me it sounds great.

The product is top notch and John is great at keeping in touch. You won't be sorry with this system. A nice mild roar when you cruise and she will growl at boost!

 

Ok guys, this is not easy for me to say but the bending kicked my *** this weekend.

I bought a HF 16 ton bender and a ten foot stick of aluminzed 2.5 to work on. After a few epic fails I went on you tube and found a few mods for the press which I built. Messed around with heat as well.
Then I tried pre filling the pipe with water, then pouring in the sand to displace the water and pack it tight. No joy.

If anything the bends looked worse. I'm going to either buy some mandrel bends or pay somebody to install the system.
I'm just not getting anywhere with the equipment I got and I don't have a good reason why which pisses me off.
I taught myself to paint so I just assumed I could do anything, lol.
I got new respect for the guys that can bend for real.
Cheers.

 

We will be fabbing up some 2.5 and 3.0 X-Pipes over the next week or so...contact us for special member pricing and quick delivery!

 

Do you have a distributor in the UK?