These are probably the 2 most highly touted mid-high end (~$500) street-type exhaust systems on the market. I've had the fortunate chance to have used them both now, so I figured I'd write a small essay on the goods and bads of both. At some point, I'll add pictures to this, but right now, deal with the words. I'll break it up some, hopefully this will help some of you pick which one you may find more appealing.
Be advised, I had the RS*R for 15 months, the Tanabe has been on the car for 3 days, so I may be adding more findings as I go.
Construction
The RS*R is made from 409 Stainless with an applied ceramic coating. Piping is 60mm, no resonators, baffled oval muffler, 4" slant cut tip w/ rolled edge.
The Tanabe Hyper is 304 Stainless, 60mm piping, glass pack type resonators and a straight through oval muffler, 4" tip, straight edge.
Both have their name on the tip.
Installation
The RS*R is 2 pieces, a long mid-pipe with a rear section that goes over the axle before bolting together. New Hardware is supplied and stock hangars are re-used.
The Tanabe is 3 pieces, a short mid-pipe, an over axle pipe and a rear section. New hardware is included. Installation for both took a similar amount of time. Time is dependent on how long it takes to remove the old system as the new one can be bolted in in 20 minutes.
Fit and finish.
The fit of both was relatively similar. Both sit quite high in the exhaust tunnel under the car and pass over the rear LCA. The RS*R appears to pass over it a little higher than the Tanabe, but I can't be truely sure. The RS*R muffler hangs higher than Tanabe's. Part is due to the shape of the canister, RS*Rs is short and tall, Tanabe's is Long and slim, and the outlet path of the RSR allows it to sit a little higher. I don't forsee ground clearance issues with either. The Tanabe Tip, while the same diameter, looks larger because it's straight and the 4" section of it is longer. This is a personal taste issue, I believe the RS*R looks better. I plan on painting the Tanabe canister flat black, then I'll re-evaluate the appearance of it. Both sit fairly well in the bumper opening, the RS*R a little higher. I'm going to try and raise the Tanabe up a little, the hangers seem stretched a little, hopefully some new ones will pull it up to where it seems it should go.
Sound
I was a little surprised at this one. Its all personal taste, but here's my view. The Tanabe, hands down, sounds better than the RS*R. It is a little louder, but niether system ever reaches the point of intrusive. At 75 MPH for 3 hours, I wasn't bothered at all by it. You can hear it, but you just hear a smooth low pitched hum. The RS*R at higher RPMs tended to get a little.... I don't know what the word is... ill sounding. Not too bad, but it went from a nice hum type sound to something a little more grindy. Tanabe stays pretty smooth and melodic all the way up.
Power
Face it, with a D17 on the other end, don't expect miracles. The only thing I managed to notice between the 2 is that the RS*R had a tendency to die off a little at about 6000 RPMs, The Hyper Spec seems to hold on and keep the car pulling a little above that. Midrange seems about the same. I wouldn't expect more than a 1 HP difference between them on any dyno plot.
So basically, my final evaluation is that its a buyers choice. They both cost about the same, and perform about the same, its really up to the guy with the money. Pay for which ever one you feel you'll like more. I've got RS*R pictures and sounds posted somewhere, give me a little time and let the snow clear, I'll have Tanabe Hyper ones too. Either way, I don't think you can lose.
Just a quick note on the durability of the RS*R. The system may be stainless, but the hardware sure isnt, and I'm not convinced the flanges are either. It was incredibly difficult to crack the bolts loose again, and all the flanges were covered with a pretty good layer of rust, as were the welds. Most of the ceramic coating had flaked off as well. The piping and the canister itself (aside from the crash damage that did it in) held up just fine.
i have apex-i catback with a megan race cat
