Jump to content

General faq - and audio links


AWJ

Recommended Posts


  • 2 weeks later...

Hey all,

Was just browsing through the Lexus websites and found this great forum, hats off to it's members and moderators.

Anyways, so the reason I've been browsing is that my brother has left me with his 1992 SC400 (traded him my 1993 GS300 for it, did I come up?)

The car so far has an K&N air filter and 18" C5 rims.

I'm looking to add a little more performance on it.

In the future, hopefully I'll have enough money to add a body kit and a supercharger (forced air?)

But right now, I'm looking to invest in an exhaust system.

Been leafing through these pages, but I'm so unfamiliar with exhaust terms that it's hard to keep track of.

Went to intellexual and heard some of the noises that these exhaust make. I kinda like the ones that Rod Millen and Borla put out.

Are these the ones that are referred to in his videos?

1) http://www.rodmillenstore.com/sc_400/exhaust.htm

2) http://proficientperformance.com/Merchant2..._Code=BOR-11401

Now, are these two similar except for the sound they make?

I know the RMM are around $700 and the Borlas are around $500

They both have dual mufflers/tips? or do I have to buy two sets to make it look similar to my oem?

I read on proficient performance that the borlas are a cat-back, and someone in here said that the rod millens are axle-backs? (is that correct?) What's the difference in terms of performance/look/usefulness later on as i add the turbocharger?

lol, i'm pretty inquisitive, i apologize in advance.

but last question (and most important)

the sound of these exhausts

i heard the videos on intellexual and like both of them, are they consistent with your guys' experience in real life?

i have pretty picky neighbors, so i don't want to annoy them coming home late wiht a very loud exhaust (my bass bothers them enough)

i'd like a deep, consistent sound (not the metallic clingy sounds of greddy), but prefer it to be quiet (i realize that it'll be louder than stock) possible for when idling into/out of my garage.

do either of these fit the bill, or are there any other suggestions?

thanks so much in advance

danh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Axle back is referring to just the muffler. The rest of the piping is stock. So you're just buying the noise and some performance. The Cat-back refers from the catalyc converter to the exhaust tips. The Borla is better because it's a cat-back exhaust. It would have been better if it was a header exhaust, but that requires custom work.

Cat-Back:

Longer

Better performance-more air out and faster.

Better choice when you go to upgrade.

I don't think you want to tackle a turbo 8Cylinder, since it's rather complicated. Supercharging is the best. In that case, you'll want a custom exhaust.

I'm not 100% if the turbo exhaust from the SC3 will work on the SC4, but you can ask my fellow moderators (AWJ, and Lex_Luthor). they can answer that part.

My Choice, 92 SC400 w 4.9-li stroker, Tex headers, Dynamax mufflers, & 2.5" true -dual. Best bang for your buck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not 100% if the turbo exhaust from the SC3 will work on the SC4, but you can ask my fellow moderators (AWJ, and Lex_Luthor). they can answer that part.

It all depends on turbine location. The downpipe comes from there. Basically all custom.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hey guys

i have no plans for a turbo, but hoping to find enough money for a supercharger soon.

i appreciate all the help on the exhaust system, looks like borla is the way to go.

can i add piping on it later to make it better? when you say new piping, are yout alking about replacing the ones in addition to the borla kit? or replacing the ones that came with the borla kit?

is an exhaust system hard to install? i really have no prior experience (at all), and barely have any tools. but if imma start playing with my car, i'd hate to have other people do everything for my car. what do you guys think?

thanks for all the help

danh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm adding this link for a few people to check out. A member on the LS forum added it a couple of days ago. Their server is a little defective, and having a high speed connection will help speed up some of the applications. Apple Quicktime Required.

V8 Exhausts:

http://www.lexusgonewild.com/norCal_v2/V8exhaustComp.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Axle back is referring to just the muffler. The rest of the piping is stock. So you're just buying the noise and some performance. The Cat-back refers from the catalyc converter to the exhaust tips. The Borla is better because it's a cat-back exhaust. It would have been better if it was a header exhaust, but that requires custom work.

could you point me in the direction of this borla catback? all the borla website offers is a rear section.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

a shop near me built a Cat-back-onwards system for a friend, using Borla marked pipes and mufflers.

I haven't come across an exhaust company building a complete kit for anybody.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

It seems that the SC forum gets the same audio questions posted almost daily, so I thought it might be a good idea to have a FAQ for SC audio all by itself. There is much information to be had through searching, but a fair amount of it is vague or conflicting, partly due to the fact that some people posting in the "General" audio section don't bother to mention which Lexus they're referring to. In addition, it seems that many people are simply too lazy to search, so it have a "SC Audio FAQ, read this before posting questions" section. This FAQ should include, but not be limited to:

-Aftermarket equipment integration with factory system

-How to diagnose common problems/ links to repair sites http://www.technicalhelp4u.com and http://carstereohelp.com/strlexus.htm

-Audio wiring diagram located on this site

-How to remove door panel/rear deck/CD changer/amp on this site

-Links to all 20,000 subwoofer threads

This is a great site with lots of helpful information. I think that putting it all in one place will not only limit the redundant posts, but will make the job of dealing with the excellent, but problematic SC audio system that much easier for everyone. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Parenthesis fixed.

AJ, do you want links to search results, or outside links? I don't know of many external site other than what I posted, but I'd be happy to do the searching within LOC to provide the info I was have been reading through.

Edit:

On the subject of the SC subwoofer, and general freeair sub information:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...ic=5900&hl=subs

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...35&hl=subwoofer

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...61&hl=subwoofer

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...37&hl=subwoofer

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...56&hl=subwoofer

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...22&hl=subwoofer

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe we could get PIONEERSUBY to write a general troubleshooting section for this, since you can't always count on external sites?

Also, coming from a DSM background, I think that the format of this site:

http://members.shaw.ca/costall/1000Q/quest...italinformation

would be excellent for an audio FAQ section. It could be in this format:

_________________________________________________________________

SC400 Audio FAQ

What size are the stock speakers in the Nakamichi system?

The Nakamichi upgrade uses a total of seven speakers. Two tweeters and two 4" mids in the doors, two 4" mids in the rear deck, and one 10" "freeair" style subwoofer in the rear deck.

How many watts does the amp put out?

The 5-channel amp in the Nakamichi system is reported to put out 280 watts.

Can I upgrade my base system to the Nakamichi system?

Yes, but you'll have to run the necessary wiring to the trunk, since only cars that came with the Nakamichi system came pre-wired.

_____________________________________________________________

And so on...

Unfortunately, I'm just a newbie to this at the moment, so my knowledge is limited to what I've read by searching. Maybe PIONERSUBY and other regular audio contributors can help here. I don't want to post incorrect information or hearsay, but I really think this type of FAQ will help the newbies who can get 99% of their questions answered on one easy-to-read page.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I have been reviewing all the links in here for a 94 sc400 and I had a question. I was told by Car Toys that there is no harness adaptor that I can buy to plug into the stock harness for a after market cd player. is this true? and if so would anyone have a write up that tells me what wires i need to splice into? Im also putting in new speakers so should I go ahead and run new wire or splice into the stock wiring as well?

Thanks,

Justin B.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What size are the stock speakers in the Nakamichi system?

The Nakamichi upgrade uses a total of seven speakers. Two tweeters and two 4" mids in the doors, two 4" mids in the rear deck, and one 10" "freeair" style subwoofer in the rear deck.

How many watts does the amp put out?

The 5-channel amp in the Nakamichi system is reported to put out 280 watts.

2 questions:

1. Is the size of the rear speakers really 4"? When looking up my '92 SC400 at Best Buy, Crutchfield, and Circuit City, it looks like they claim the front mids to be 4", but the rear speakers to be 6" or 6 1/2". Now I know these may not be the best sources of info, but just looking at the speaker grills in my car leads me to believe that the rear speakers are indeed larger than the front. Any ideas?

2. If the amp outputs 280 watts, what peak wattage is necessary for each speaker? Is it divided by the 7 speakers, giving each one a peak of 40 watts? Or does more of the power go to certain speakers; say, the sub?

Thanks in advance.

-Gene

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Decided to put this here also, because inevitably, people won't Search and will not find the thread I posted it in. :unsure:

Most will agree that a high Qts, Low Fs, and high Xmax are the most important qualifications for a good IB/Freeair sub. This list is hopefully accurate, but certainly not complete. Feel free to add drivers that you find that stack up well with those listed. Maybe the mods can edit my post with new info so we can keep it tidy and all in one place.

-------------------------------------------------

Soundstream Exact 10

FREQ. RESPONSE (Hz) : 25 - 1.7k

Fs (Hz) : 30

Qes: 0.4

Qms: 12.87

Qts: 0.332

Vas (Ft3) : 1.117

Xmax (INCHES) 0.51

SPL (dB) : 89.6

HOLE SIZE (INCHES) : 925

WOOFER DEPTH (INCHES) : 5.3

RECOMMENDED ENCLOSURE (Ft3) : 0.5/0.75

RECOMMENDED ENCLOSURE TYPE : Sealed/Vented

Free Air

-------------------------------------------------

Elemental Design e1OO.44 / 14

T / S Parameters

Qts : 0.59

Qes : 0.76

Qms : 2.69

Vas : 20.5 L

Sd : 0.0312 m^2

XMag : 18.3 mm

XSus : 21.1 mm

XMax : 18.3 mm

MMd : 128 g

Re : 2.39 ohm

Fs : 32.3 Hz

Bl : 11.36

Mounting Depth : 5.5" (139 mm)

---------------------------------------------

JL Audio 10IB4

Fs 37.5 Hz

Qts .769

XMax .3"

Mounting Depth 5.69"

8 ohms

Vas 2.93 cu ft

------------------------------------------

Kicker Freeair F10c

Fs 32.4

Qts .407

XMax 7.7mm

Monting Depth ?

4 ohms

Vas 2.88 cu ft

-----------------------------------------

Image Dynamics ID10 4

Fs 30 Hz

Qts .42

Xmax 10mm

Vas 2.89

4 ohms

Mounting Depth 4.625"

------------------------------------------

Pioneer TSW-254?

--------------------------------------------

Assuming price or mounting isn't an issue, the driver that looks like

it fits my needs is the Elemental Design e1OO.44 / 14 so far. Maybe

someone who has info about the Pioneer Freeair can add the t/s

info.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, disregard my last post. It seems to have been talked about at length in this post:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...?showtopic=4079

Here's another good discussion (although I wish there were model numbers for the speakers they mention):

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...?showtopic=4483

I'd love to see some recommended speakers listed w/model names/numbers. Anyone? Also, the front and rear are 4" midrange. Can they be replaced by 4" 2-way or 3-way speakers? If so, how do they work in tandem with the 1" tweeters in the front? Obviously, I have never installed a car audio system before.

Thanks.

-Gene

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good Evening,

I replaced all four Nak 4" with Rockford-fosgate 4" 4204 2-way, and the sub with an R-F 10" RFZ3810.

We had to back off of the treble's detent setting, but it sounds good no matter which seat you sit in.

We chose the 8-ohm sub because the original Nak sub was 5 ohm, and some of the posts said never go below the amp's minimum. There is, of course, limited info on the Nak amp. Better safe than buying another.

Good Luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good Evening,

I replaced all four Nak 4" with Rockford-fosgate 4" 4204 2-way, and the sub with an R-F 10" RFZ3810.

We had to back off of the treble's detent setting, but it sounds good no matter which seat you sit in.

We chose the 8-ohm sub because the original Nak sub was 5 ohm, and some of the posts said never go below the amp's minimum. There is, of course, limited info on the Nak amp. Better safe than buying another.

Good Luck

Thanks for the reply 2XLexV8! I listened to those very same speakers in Best Buy the other day and thought that they sounded much better than the 4" Pioneers they were next to. I've been reading good things about the Inifinity 4" Kappa's though. They're more money, but I'd like to at least hear them before making a decision.

Anyway, I was wondering - did you simply replace the 4 4" speakers and the sub and leave everything else alone? In other words did you have to do anything with the tweeters (disconnect?), the wiring, the amp (did you have to add another amp for the sub)? Also, did all of the speakers fit properly without having to adjust/cut/drill anything?

Thanks!

-Gene

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership