Shoelesscraig

Ok, ive got the Borla exhaust from the factory. It sounds good to me, I like that its got a very throaty sound instead of the raspy sound. I've been thinking about doing a header, but I wanted opinions on which would be the best for keeping that deep throaty sound and not going raspy/ricey. What do ya'll think??

Also, with the Borla on there, do you think I'd get a decent increase in HP by doing a header?? What do you think that'd do to gas mileage, better/worse?

Jaski21

I'll be watching this thread as I have plans to get the Borla exhaust and a good matching header.

OneLiterPeter

I have the Borla exhaust with an AlphaWerks header and Injen CAI.

The combo is a bit too loud for my taste so I've got a precision axleback on order to quiet it down.

You will definitely feel an increase in power with a header and intake. I can't comment on whether there's a significant increase with the Borla over stock as my tC came with the Borla.

Jaski21... If you're interested in my Borla... I'll be selling it next week. Make me an offer.

Jaski21

Remember there is a difference between the "TRD" exhaust made by Borla that comes as a dealer option for the tC, AND the true Borla after-market exhaust which is very similar in appearance and sound but is internally designed to add ~5 HP... the factory "TRD" exhaust does not improve HP in any mentionable way.

So my question is: do you have the dealer/factory added tC exhaust or the aftermarket Borla exhaust? How long have you had it? Are you the first owner of your car & exhaust?

Thanks.

PS. As for the noise level, I'll bet the AW header contributes alot. I'm still researching headers but I want a quiet header without a raspy sound.

Shoelesscraig

Still watching this, I know one of you guys out there knows exactly what Jaski and I need! Deep sound w/out that rattling raspsy sound!

OneLiterPeter

Mine is the true borla that adds 5hp. It has a small round straight through muffler as opposed to the TRD which has a baffled oval muffler. Mine also came with a Borla washable airfilter (K&N like). I am the first owner of the car and the dealer installed the exhaust and filter. The car has 3000 miles on it and the pipe is really clean with no scratches, dents, discoloration, etc.

As for noise levels... the Borla exhaust with a header is loud and a little bit raspy which may not be what you're looking for. IMO... the Borla that I have sounds best with the stock header. I should recieve my Precision Axleback today and will promptly install it when it arrives. I'll let you know how it sounds... Precision is more then likely the way for you to go if you want to stay on the quiet side.

Jaski21

After some more researching, the AlphaWorks header looks to produce the most HP gains and have the best construction/welds. However for nearly the same HP and quality, you can get the DC header for less $$$ and it's ceramic coated (the only one for the tC) which reduces heat build up. I think I've heard it's not as loud.
Overall, I've read that getting a larger resonator installed helps reduce the rasp considerably. There's a recent thread about it somewhere in here... I'll bet one of those new S-pipes from ZPI would help too.

OneLiterPeter

Resonators will help. I have two 30" Magnaflow's and with the Precision axleback my car's just a little bit louder than stock. The stock resonator is actually larger than one of the Magnaflow's but when you look inside... about 80% of it is just solid pipe so it doesn't really do much if anything at all.

Shoelesscraig

Sorry to dig this one up, I know its a few weeks old.

I just wanted to ask about the DC Sport header. First, do you guys think that this is a good quality header?? I've got the true Borla exhaust as well, came from the factory, but it has the round muffler and does not say TRD on it anywhere, says Borla all over it. I like the sound that I get now, I'm just looking for maybe a little more HP gain.

I want to keep the sound that I have now, I like it a lot. I dont mind it being a slight bit louder than it is now, but nothing too drastic. I want the sound to stay throaty and deep, I def do not want that raspy sound like a fart-can. I hear you guys talking about resonators, but I'm not familiar with them. Where do they go? How much are they?? Can I install myself?? And, last question I promise, can you recommend one that will make it sound deep and not raspy for me??

I know thats asking a lot, if you guys could answer these I'd appreciate it tons!!!

Shoelesscraig

Calling all exhaust experts!!! I know you're there...lol

Jaski21

From all my research, the most gains can be made from the MMW and Alphawerks Headers, however DC's header is nearly as good in quality and gains, at lower cost and is ceramic coated (lower heat). To reduce rasp, expecially with an exhaust that only helps produce more rasp (like the Borla or "TRD" accesory tC exhaust) many have found success in using a ~30" Magnaflow resonator to replace the stock one in the middle of the OEM exhaust pipe (correct me if I'm wrong guys). A Muffler shop can do this for cheap... this mod not reccomended for non-exhaust pros. The sound can't possibly be exactly the same when you alter the intake and exhaust flow characteristics as when your Borla sat on a stock system, but the resonator will tone it back down as close to it's original sound as you can get... + a few DB's perhaps.

Search around the site... there are many threads about peoples experiences, advice, and solutions to Rasp an exhaust tone dealing with the addition of a header. Good luck!

400amonth

Just FYI I contacted TRD months and months ago. The TRD does add 5HP over stock exhaust according to them.

400amonth

Look no matter what. It will not sound as good as it does now after you add the header. Thats just how it is. Period. I have spent mega bucks making mine as quite as possible and it still is 4 x louder than it was with just Intake and TRD exhaust. Just being honest my friend.

Shoelesscraig

Actually, that kind of honesty is what I want...I'm not really looking to be 4x as loud, I'm not building a race car, so if its really gonna be that loud i wanna know about it. I'd like the HP gains, but i mean, are they really THAT significant??

I would like my car to perform, but I also paid 21k for it, and its my daily driver, so I'm not wanting to make it uncomfortable to ride in. Thanks for the input...

BobbyBling

just to get one thing out in the open, the TRD factory exhaust, the one with TRD engraved into the tip, is NOT made by borla....its made by Walker. Look at the stamped number...it says Toyota babble, a number, then under that it says WALKER.

I know because i work for Walker, and yes...it adds approx. 5hp over stock, and eases up some backpressure as well as adds some nice tone.

kcautotc

hahaha, you tell them bobby. "god dang it bobby"
i think you ruined a lot of peoples ego, they thought they knew the 411. including me, i read on here the trd is borla a long time ago. btw, wtf if walker? texas ranger? maybe chaeper? makes sense, i always thought borla was a little to high for trd's tastes, since borla is 500 to begin with, trd wasn't makin any money. also, how did some of you have the borla exhaust "come with" your car?

zer0

The man doesnt lie. I took pics when I tore mine off my car.

Jaski21

I stand corrected. I was just repeating what I have read several times in other posts. Either way, they are both nice exhausts... the small HP gain from an axleback exhaust shouldn't be what people are going for... it should be the sound. And both of these exhausts sound great. They don't sound like lawnmowers, fart cans, tubas, or trombones. That's mostly why you pay several hundred dollars more versus a coffee can off eBay.

kcautotc

back to my question, how did you get borla from the factory? ive never heard of this?

Jaski21

I didn't get it "from the factory" or from the dealer. The dealer did install it for me though. I got mine from a scion life member who was changing exhausts.
If some people say they got their Borla "from the factory", they're either under the impression that the optional "TRD" exhaust is made by Borla, as many of us were, or the dealer was offering the Borla exhaust as an option. Most likely the former is the case.