Will370z Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 A number of you expressed an interest in how the fitting went with the HFCs and my Stillen CBE. Some members were thinking of adding the HFCs to get that lovely noise but knew i was having fitment issues. For those that havent seen it here's an example of the impact it had on my car. Putting it simply it was awesome Unfortunately I've now had to have them removed and i'm back to stock cats. Two very respectable garages, both with prior experience of zeds and mods, were unable to get the Stillen and HFCs to fit properly. The issue appears to be the Stillen exhaust as it hangs very low. With stock cats that is ok as it still clears the cross member. The trouble is that the flanges on the HFCs end up a good inch lower than the stock cats. As a result the HFCS pull the Stillen exhaust even lower so it ends up resting on the crossmember, causing rather unpleasant vibrations through the car. Research on the US forums shows this is not an uncommon problem. General resolutions seem to range from: - inserting rubber bungs between the exhaust and cross member - lowering the cross member with washers - bending / cutting the exhaust Tarmac was kind enough to send along some Stillen HFCs to compare to the Berks. The Stillen HFCS were a good inch shorter but did not fix the problem. Here are some photos to illustrate the issue Berks and Stillen HFCs from one side lined up And the other - Stillen are a good inch shorter Heres the clearance above the berks HFCS And heres the clearance with the stillen HFCS And heres the clearance with the stock cats Now i know the stock cats have a lot of extra bits around the pipe but a comparison of the flange clearance shows they are much lower, a good inch to a an inch and a half lower vs or even clearer vs Net effect is that they keep pulling the exhaust too low. Heres a picture of the clearance my exhaust (temporarily wrapped for protection) was getting with the HFCS added : It just wasnt going to work so they had to come off. In all honesty though the sound of the standard stillen CBE is lovely and im more than happy with it. When i had the HFCs on it was fun blasting around with that lovely race car noise but in all honesty it was too loud for me. I did cringe a little in traffic and pulling away from home and work. As a weekend fun car maybe but as its my daily drive i think the noise would have been too much. I guess it was meant to be that way. So in summary my recommendation: If you have a Stillen CBE and want to add HFC's it should be fine BUT check the clearance you have above the cross member before the fit. If its close i would not recommend trying the HFCs as you will have the same issue i had. However if you have lots of clearance and want your 370z to sound like a thoroughbred race car go for it and enjoy it sounds amazing Hope this is informative and help avoid others having the problems i had. But its all sorted now and im very happy, just a little quieter I have to end with a huge thanks to Tarmac. Hes been brilliant throughout this whole process chasing Stillen and Berks and providing feedback and advice. You have been a star and sorry for all the hassle its caused. Thanks mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Great write up Will hopefully it will help someone else avoid some pain. I was one of the lucky ones to hear and even drive Rosie with the Stillen & Berks and although it sounded awesome I personally couldn't have lived with it day in day out.... So what are the plans now Stillen & stock cats? I would suggest getting twin cone intakes to complement the exhaust and add a little more growl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 Great write up Will hopefully it will help someone else avoid some pain. I was one of the lucky ones to hear and even drive Rosie with the Stillen & Berks and although it sounded awesome I personally couldn't have lived with it day in day out.... So what are the plans now Stillen & stock cats? I would suggest getting twin cone intakes to complement the exhaust and add a little more growl Twin cone intakes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazk87 Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Gutted for you mate. Rosie sounded really good. So do you think that this is a problem with the Berks HFCs and they will not really work with any exhaust? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazk87 Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 And are you selling the HFCs lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilMH Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Sounded really race car mad with the HFCs on (in a good way) However, I suspect that it might have got a bit much. I've had some pretty loud cars in the past and... yes its great for a quick burst but can start to grate on longer journeys. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 I dont think its an issue with the berks HFCs at all. I think its the combination of a low hanging stillen and the hfcs in general. Other exhausts dont seem to have this issue, Ioneabee's is fine (he has the berks HFCs and CBE). It just seems to be a potential issue with some of the Stillen exhausts so my recommendation is if you have a stillen check out the clearance before you buy. The HFCs are not for sale im afraid no, but if you are interested in HFC's i'd give Tarmac a bell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 Sounded really race car mad with the HFCs on (in a good way) However, I suspect that it might have got a bit much. I've had some pretty loud cars in the past and... yes its great for a quick burst but can start to grate on longer journeys. . So when are you getting yours added mate - looking forward to seeing how it goes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilMH Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 1st and 2nd May (other stuff being done at same time) . Not long to go now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 1st and 2nd May (other stuff being done at same time) . Not long to go now Well done..... I wonder how it will sound :wink: Will the syncro-rev sounded unbelievable even changing from 2nd to 1st at 10mph..... But there are times you don't want to blow passers by's trousers off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 1st and 2nd May (other stuff being done at same time) . Not long to go now Well done..... I wonder how it will sound :wink: Will the syncro-rev sounded unbelievable even changing from 2nd to 1st at 10mph..... But there are times you don't want to blow passers by's trousers off All depends who they were......... Victoria Wilde Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 1st and 2nd May (other stuff being done at same time) . Not long to go now Well done..... I wonder how it will sound :wink: Will the syncro-rev sounded unbelievable even changing from 2nd to 1st at 10mph..... But there are times you don't want to blow passers by's trousers off All depends who they were......... Victoria Wilde I believe a different sort of 'blow' is in order there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisS Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Glad it's all sorted Will. Now enjoy her and put some miles in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 Dave - in my dreams mate Chris - Thanks and totally agree. Shes done quite a few already and i have every weekend from now until wales booked for trips and 3 zed meets lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Glad it's all sorted Will. Now enjoy her and put some miles in. I don't think he needs ANY excuse to put some miles in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisS Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Think I'm only 4.5 hours away. Shall I put kettle on lad ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glrnet Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 I've got a low mileage 370z stock zorst if you want one Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 I've got a low mileage 370z stock zorst if you want one Will - so thats where i left it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 I've got a low mileage 370z stock zorst if you want one Will Stick it on the 350 got to be worth a few ponies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Really useful write-up Will. I was seriously considering adding the Berks, but the clearance issue and conclusions re the noise level have made my mind up. I will stick with just the Stillen which I agree sounds great as it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottyZ Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 When I had the Akrapovic and Berks fitted there was very little clearance to the crossmember. Though it wasn't resting on it, whenever I went over an uneven or bumpy road surface the exhaust knocked against the crossmember. This I couldn't live with so took it back to the garage (CS) and I think they removed one of the exhaust mounting brackets from the car and bent it slightly and it did the trick - more clearance and no exhaust knocking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted April 22, 2012 Author Share Posted April 22, 2012 When I had the Akrapovic and Berks fitted there was very little clearance to the crossmember. Though it wasn't resting on it, whenever I went over an uneven or bumpy road surface the exhaust knocked against the crossmember. This I couldn't live with so took it back to the garage (CS) and I think they removed one of the exhaust mounting brackets from the car and bent it slightly and it did the trick - more clearance and no exhaust knocking. Yeah we did look at various options, one was to lower the cross member with washers but didnt really fancy doing that as you are reducing the area of contact between the cross member and car chassis. Decided best to leave it all as it was. Glad you got your issue sorted, also indicates its not just a problem with only the stillen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Met with Wiill yesterday at TGM - both 370s up on the ramps alongside each other and Tom was able to verify the maufacturing issue that led to the problems when fitting the BERKs/Stillen HFC's - see here. Comparison between Ebized and will370z Stillen exhausts.pdf (The first page shows some of the changes in manufacture that are not at issue and Will has decided to leave the bandage that Darren-B added on as a precaution in case the pipe hits the brace as the seperation is minimal) Have to add that I have had absolutely no problems with the Stillen on mine since it was fitted in January 2010 and have been 100% happy with it Another big thumbs-up to Tom making space to get the problem checked out and hope you back gets better soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 I dont think its an issue with the berks HFCs at all. I think its the combination of a low hanging stillen and the hfcs in general. Other exhausts dont seem to have this issue, Ioneabee's is fine (he has the berks HFCs and CBE). It just seems to be a potential issue with some of the Stillen exhausts so my recommendation is if you have a stillen check out the clearance before you buy. The HFCs are not for sale im afraid no, but if you are interested in HFC's i'd give Tarmac a bell. yep - no clearance issues at all - just a slight fitment issues which is pushing the left tail pipe 10mm further out - it's not noticeable unless you look straight down on them. But we're still having a fiddle to try and get them right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The G Man Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 When I had the Akrapovic and Berks fitted there was very little clearance to the crossmember. Though it wasn't resting on it, whenever I went over an uneven or bumpy road surface the exhaust knocked against the crossmember. This I couldn't live with so took it back to the garage (CS) and I think they removed one of the exhaust mounting brackets from the car and bent it slightly and it did the trick - more clearance and no exhaust knocking. I have the same set up and had the same issue, I just inserted one washer in each bolt of the cross member and hey presto! issue gone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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