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Courtesy Nissan Exhaust
By Shell Black
Click here to
read some notes about the Courtesy B-Pipe on a 200SX SE-R.
Well Jeff Naeyaert and I finally had a weekend void of distractions to test Courtesy Nissan's 2 ½" mandrel bent stainless steel cat-back exhaust. Through a long, hot, dirty day switching exhausts at the dyno we found some interesting results.
To see how my car was configured please click here (less Stage 2 pulley upgrade and silicon vacuum hoses).
Baseline exhaust: Stillen header, Random Tech Cat, Stromung B-Pipe, Borla/Nismo Exhaust
A quick note - my last pull on Team Dynotech's dyno BEFORE the Stage 2 pulley upgrade was HP 134.2 Torque 130.0 and at Area 51 Performance's Dyno it was 135.0 and 129.9 - I'm up between 4.5 - 3.4 HP from just the stage 2 pulley upgrade!?! I know - with the gap between runs it is hard to say conclusively how much the Stage 2 pulleys contributed, but hey, I'll take that on my 113K engine!!! The only other engine modification that I had done was to replace my OEM vacuum hoses to silicon hoses, but that's another article!
We then switched to the Courtesy Nissan 2 1/2" mandrel bent stainless steel cat-back exhaust. Before putting on the exhaust I measured the Random Technology catalytic converter and it has a 2 ½" outlet.
So - I GAINED 2.8 - 2.9 HP (1.6 Torque gain) using the Courtesy Nissan exhaust! This is also the highest Dyno numbers that I have EVER run - my previous best was 140.7 on 10/8/97.
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The Courtesy exhaust matches the smaller diameter exhaust in torque and horsepower below 4K. Above 4K the Courtesy exhaust is the clear winner all the way to redline. Up top the larger diameter exhaust proves to be an advantage. |
Just for grins we ran the car with NO exhaust
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The graph shows the two runs made with the Courtesy exhaust with the red line being no exhaust on the car. Notice the loss of both horsepower and torque past 5K RPM. On the bottom of the picture is the Max HP & Torque for all the runs (Baseline exhaust - Borla/Stromung; Courtesy Cat-Back; & no exhaust). |
I only got a brief run up and down the street to get a "Seat of the Pants" Dyno with the Courtesy Exhaust. Of course I was hammering it to see how load the exhaust was and I creamed second gear at 7K, breaking loose the tires to an elongated chiiiiiiiirrrrrpppp. Of course this HAD to be repeated after the U-turn back to Team Dynotech. Briefly cruising at 60 mph (not advisable on a 35 mph road for long periods) drone was minimal, but the exhaust would speak up quickly much like my Borla if I goosed the accelerator.
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This is an overhead side-by-side of the Borla and Stomung combination versus the Courtesy cat-back solution. The bends are similar and both the Courtesy and the Stromung have the resonator in the B-pipe. |
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Though an overexposed picture this shows that the Courtesy setup is in fact a bit larger in diameter. The Courtesy exhaust has been on Jeff's car for over a month, and is dirty, but you can still see the finish difference between the stainless Courtesy B-pipe and the coated Stromung. |
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Quite a difference in tips. The Borla "intercooled" tip is one of the most conservative in the market place - one of the reasons I chose it, not to mention it's durability and relative uniqueness. The Courtesy "Greddy Style" tip, one of the largest at 4 ½". The Borla is also a stainless, my tip has been highly polished by "Shiny Bill," a Harley guy here in Dallas. |
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That, my friends, is 2 ½" exhaust. B-Pipe pictured. |
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For a 4 ½" tip - it really doesn't look that overstated once it has been installed. |
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It hangs perfect and square. |
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The bends follow the OEM path over the rear suspension back to the catalytic converter. |
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This is where I wish I had some calipers. The outlet diameter inside the tip is NOT a full 2 ½" but just over 2" from what I can tell. It is definitely larger than Borla's exit diameter. This might be the secret why the Courtesy exhaust is not losing any HP or Torque below 4K RPMs over the Borla/Stromung combo yet still has such great high RPM performance. |
What I know at this point is the production units are manufactured in Taiwan for Courtesy Nissan. Courtesy gave the donor OEM pieces so that the mandrel bends and hangers would be EXACTLY like the OEM parts for a perfect fit. The unit hangs absolutely dead square, does not rub, and looks like my Stromung except extra "beefy" and a polished stainless finish.
There are two styles of tips available as well as two types of muffler cans. As far as tips go there is the larger "GReddy Style" megaphone angle cut tip that measures roughly 4 ½" inches across and is the one seen at the dyno. The other tip is a "Dragger Style" tip that is thicker with a rounded edge with an angled cut.
As far as the muffler cans there is a "Bullet Round" and a "Bullet Oval." The total area seems to be pretty much the same with the "Bullet Round" being a perfectly round canister and the "Bullet Oval" being more wide than tall in proportions, though not nearly as flat as the Borla / Nismo.
As of 5/12/99 list price at Courtesy will be $350 for the muffler (either style, either tip) and $475 for the complete Cat-Back exhaust (Muffler and B-pipe). Contact Vince McCurley at Courtesy Nissan for details about availability and pricing: 972/644-3942 or 800/527-1909. Please note that my measurements are not 100% exact as I did not have calipers, but only a tape measure.
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This shows the different muffler cans that are available. This series of pictures was taken on 5/12/99, when Courtesy's first shipment had just arrived. On the left the "Bullet Round" and the right the "Bullet Oval." The tip is the same - "Dragger" Style. |
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Side by side comparing the "GReddy" style tip (4 ½") on the left vs the "Dragger" style tip on the right (3 ¾"). Both muffler cans are the "Bullet Oval." |
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The same end with one muffler flipped upside down showing bolts and gasket for the connector on the back of the muffler. |
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This shows the bigger diameter of the Courtesy muffler pipe versus the Borla. Notice the Borla actually starts at almost the same diameter at the end of the gooseneck but flares down right at the connection. |
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Here is a shot comparing the pipe diameter between the Greddy / Trust for the SE-R (left) vs the Courtesy exhaust for the SE-R. |
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One more comparison versus the Greddy / Trust. The Borla is in the far background. In comparison to the Borla / Nismo and the Greddy / Trust, the Courtesy muffler has the bigger diameter pipe. |
Notes on the Courtesy Nissan B-Pipe on a 200SX SE-R
Comments & Pictures by Eric
Waterman
I recently installed the Courtesy B-pipe on my 1996 SE-R. The install was not that difficult and everthing lined up just right. I was real surpised that it lined right up to my Stillen rear muffler section. The welds were very clean and it came with all the gaskets needed. The gasket that attached to the muffler was too small and I ended up using the one that came with my Stillen. The sound wasn't that much louder. It gave the sound a little rasp to it without being too annoying. Throttle response increased even though the dyno didn't show an increase. The problem I see is the ECU was not given time to compensate for the exaust.
