The wait is over! I finally got a chance to have my Remark Elite Spec catback exhaust installed yesterday and after a day or so of driving around I think I can share some of my initial impressions with you.
First off, here’s what it looks like on the car. If it looks a little off position-wise, it’s because it is. Not the fault of the exhaust, but the installer, who mounted it with the right-hand tip a bit higher and tucked in than it should be. Unfortunately, it was too late to get it back in the bay to have re-adjusted because they already had moved on to the next customer and I didn’t feel like waiting any longer. No worries though, it’ll get sorted out eventually. It still looks good, and I think the tip size is perfect for the cutouts. Speaking of tips, I bought the stainless tip version. I wanted the blued tip version originally, but it was sold out and I didn’t feel like waiting, so here we are. Now that it’s on the car, I think this is probably the better choice after all. It’s nice and understated, and considering most people will likely be going for the blued version, it makes it a bit more unique I feel.
“But what does it sound like? – tell us dammit!”
My very first impression upon starting up the car was that it was a lot quieter than expected. I mean, the cold start was fairly loud initially, but after that it dropped down pretty close to the OEM stock muffler’s level and you could barely hear it idle at all. This is with my car being completely stock apart from the catback. Once I started driving, however, the difference from stock became much more apparent. At low revs, like 1k-3k or so, the sound is pretty bass-y, reasonably loud, and with a decent growl to it. It’s not brutal or overbearing, but you definitely know it’s there. Once you hit 4k and above, the bass drops away a fair bit and there’s more high end in the sound, but it’s never really bright or brassy sounding. Maybe the best way to describe it is like describing guitar tone, which is that it has a fairly scooped sound which gives it a very throaty quality that is a kinda unique compared to other exhausts I think. Another thing that happens as you hit 4k and above is that it seems to get quieter overall, though still reasonably audible. That surprised me somewhat and is very different to, for example, the J’s Racing 50RR system I had on my old Honda Fit. That got significantly louder as the revs climbed, and people around you knew it when you got on it. Of course, this is my impression from inside the car with the windows down, so what it sounds like outside I can’t really say. I do know though, that the cold idle outside the car is really percussive and you can feel it hit you pretty hard when you’re around the back of the car within 3-4 ft or so, so maybe the exterior sound is much more potent than it seems.
As for drone, the peak resonance point is around 3k rpm, and when you hit that you’ll definitely feel it, though again it’s not quite as bad as other systems I’ve had. In particular, it’s worse in throttle-off situations, but less so if you’re on the pedal even a little bit. Still, if you’re sensitive to drone, you may not like it, especially for in-town and urban driving where you tend to be right at 3k most of the time. Anything other than 3k, however, and drone is practically non-existent I’d say. Normal highway driving is quite pleasant and even mid-speed backroads where you’re at 55-65 mph are no problem at all as long as you’re not hitting 3k. Overall, if I had to answer is it an annoying exhaust to drive with, I’d say no, it’s quite tame most of the time, but I can only base that on prior exhausts I’ve owned and also the fact that I’m not overly picky about drone.
That brings us to the final consideration, which is do I think the exhaust is a good purchase and worth the money I spent on it? To that I give a resounding thumbs up – yes, it was worth the money and I am very happy with it. I think the quality is outstanding, and not just for the price, but objectively it’s simply top notch. The welds are gorgeous, the finish is pristine, and the sound is excellent and unlike other systems. Furthermore, my purchasing and delivery experience was smooth and hassle-free, very timely despite the logistical problems plaguing everything right now, and the exhaust arrived well-packaged and without any issues whatsoever. Add to that, I think the price is very reasonable for the quality of the product. Considering that I had never heard of Remark before until this purchase, and that I took a chance on them based on what opinions I could find around the ‘net, my purchase has been very satisfying and I would recommend this exhaust to others, no problem. Check them out, I think you’ll be happy.