Installed Thermal Exhaust

[itguy61]

Installed this last night. The exhaust system removal and install is not difficult from a technical perspective if you have the right tools. I have a cordless impact driver and that made a huge difference. Took me about two hours but I don't have a lift so that included getting the tools out, lifting all four corner of the car and moving all the tools around under the car as I went from spot to spot. Oh and being I am in Texas it was 95 degrees .

I did have to use a 15" extension and a u-joint to get to the upper two nuts at the front part of the system. I would also recommend using penetrating oil on all nuts and rubber exhaust hangers. If I had a lift I think I could have done this in less than an hour easily.

I have only driven the car about 10 miles so far but so far I like it. People say this exhaust is quiet, maybe in relation to a Borla but in relation to the stock exhaust it is not. There is a small amount of drone but he stereo totally covers it. And the drone seems to be only at rpm's between 1500 and around 2000. Very low volume though.

I like the sound, it is noticeably deeper than stock, not raspy or tinny. I would describe the sound as a bit deep and warm, audio guys will understand the warm part. I will post a follow up when I get more drive time. At this point this seems to be a very nice system for those who don't want something as bold as a Borla or as quiet as the magna flow.

 

[Manaz]

Well done doing it on stands - it's amazing how much harder it is to work when you have less room around you and have do do it all lying on your back! Your feedback on the exhaust sounds good as well - it's an interesting design with that resonator chamber. It looks like a helmholtz resonator, but not the same as others - from what I understand of helmholtz principals, the resonators are normally a tuned size , and the others I've seen tend to be much smaller).

The compromise between Maganflow quietness and Borla sounds ideal - I suspect it will settle in time as well as it carbons up a little - that tends to reduce (further) any tinniness.

95°F, or about 35°C for those of us who have adopted metric - at least under the car you're in the shade.

 

[RandallK]

Right on, I was one of the first few who bought it when they released it and couldn’t be happier..

It has a deep tone and gurgles from time to time which I love.. not tinny, raspy or cheap sounding

 

[Kamauxx]

Adding SSR's mid-pipes gives it the perfect balance of aggressive and un-annoying.

 

[techguy888]

Since this is the only aftermarket exhaust with OEM-style anti-drone plates on the tips, it's been at the top of my list for awhile. I think this review just put it over the top. Thanks!

 

[Gtecko]

thats awesome to know there is another good exhaust out here. I would love to know how it compares to the MBRP one
any clips ?

btw, kudos to you for doing the job yourself !

 

[Kamauxx]

thats awesome to know there is another good exhaust out here. I would love to know how it compares to the MBRP one
any clips ?

btw, kudos to you for doing the job yourself !

Search youtube. Should be a few clips on there.

 

[itguy61]

I could only find 1 clip so I took a chance. I think it is an underrated exhaust system. Nice middle of the road if you don't want exhaust as aggressive as Borla or as epensive as Ark. And yes, half the time doing this is moving around under the car and having to get back out and find the tool that is age the other end of the car, UGH!

I would record the sound but it seems as though that is hard to do without the right software and microphone.

 

[Kamauxx]

I could only find 1 clip so I took a chance. I think it is an underrated exhaust system. Nice middle of the road if you don't want exhaust as aggressive as Borla or as epensive as Ark. And yes, half the time doing this is moving around under the car and having to get back out and find the tool that is age the other end of the car, UGH!

I would record the sound but it seems as though that is hard to do without the right software and microphone.

You're right. It is hard to capture the sound of any exhaust system without proper equipment.

May of last year I made a really detailed video review of Thermal's exhaust. It had drive-bys, throttle blips, hard launches, soft launches, and interior clips at different speeds and RPMs.

Unfortunately a few months after I published it to YouTube a guy searched my license plate and somehow found out where I bought the car and where I live. Things became really creepy and stalker-ish and I deleted all of the content I had previously uploaded.

I will say the best way to listen to any exhaust video on YouTube is by using a nice pair of headphones. The speakers on computers/phones generally don't do a good job reproducing the sounds.

 

[itguy61]

That sucks, that would be nice to see. There are some creepy people around these days.

 

[WildBill]

You're right. It is hard to capture the sound of any exhaust system without proper equipment.

May of last year I made a really detailed video review of Thermal's exhaust. It had drive-bys, throttle blips, hard launches, soft launches, and interior clips at different speeds and RPMs.

Unfortunately a few months after I published it to YouTube a guy searched my license plate and somehow found out where I bought the car and where I live. Things became really creepy and stalker-ish and I deleted all of the content I had previously uploaded.

I will say the best way to listen to any exhaust video on YouTube is by using a nice pair of headphones. The speakers on computers/phones generally don't do a good job reproducing the sounds.

People are tools, the video was well done and totally had me sold that Thermal was the right choice.
Now I just need to prioritize it in the budget...

 

[MIGULZZ]

if drone is minimal you should invest in sound deadening, I am running just a muffler delete(no pipe added) and the drone significantly changed when I added sound mat to the spare tire area and under the rear seat, I can only imagine how much more it would help if I did a bit of the floor in the rear as well.

 

[itguy61]

I will drive it a while and see if it is even going to bother me. It is minimal and not audible with the stereo at the level I listen to it. If it bothers me I will probably do what you did. Did you use Dynamat?

 

[MIGULZZ]

nope used noico from amazon

 

[K8 Stinger Store]

Since this is the only aftermarket exhaust with OEM-style anti-drone plates on the tips, it's been at the top of my list for awhile. I think this review just put it over the top. Thanks!

Let us know if we can help you with a discount on the purchase, just shoot me over an email if interested. Sales@K8StingerStore.com

Kia Stinger 3.3T - Thermal R&D Catback Exhaust System

 

[itguy61]

Let us know if we can help you with a discount on the purchase, just shoot me over an email if interested. Sales@K8StingerStore.com

Kia Stinger 3.3T - Thermal R&D Catback Exhaust System

You guys got this to me very fast, Thanks! You were good about answering my questions also.

Between K8 Stinger Store and Khartuzers we have a couple of good vendors around here.

 

[Manaz]

Interesting - the description on the K8 Store talks about Helmholtz tuning - I wonder why there is such variation between implementations - could be tuning aimed at different frequencies, or just the larger chambers on this are an exact multiple of the smaller chamber sizes (so will still cancel out the same frequencies).

I do wonder if moisture/builds up in a closed-off chamber like this, and if so, how these exhausts deal with that?

 

[K8 Stinger Store]

You guys got this to me very fast, Thanks! You were good about answering my questions also.

Between K8 Stinger Store and Khartuzers we have a couple of good vendors around here.

Awesome, thank you for your order with us!!!

 

[techguy888]

Let us know if we can help you with a discount on the purchase, just shoot me over an email if interested. Sales@K8StingerStore.com

Kia Stinger 3.3T - Thermal R&D Catback Exhaust System

Thanks! Closing on a house next Tuesday so I might wait a couple weeks

 

[K8 Stinger Store]

Thanks! Closing on a house next Tuesday so I might wait a couple weeks

Welcome, and thank you to the others that reached out and emailed for the discount code.

This offer applies for anyone out there who is interested in ordering with a discount.