Reimax Exhaust

Growing up..

Many things come and go as we progress through life and grow older and wiser. For me one of those things was a loud exhaust pipe on my car. It was approximately 2 years ago I decided to go for the most extreme upgrade solution from my worn out Weldina NE-1. It has been a blast for about 1.5yrs however in the last 6 months it has been slowly starting to get old and I started to consider other solutions.

This feeling was born not of a single reason however it was more a accumulation of a number of reasons. 

What began me thinking about other options was from my last visit to NPCT where I was told that my current cat-back system piping diameter was to large and I was loosing some low to mid range engine response and power delivery. The top end was quite nice but yes this was something I increasingly began to notice.

Over the following year small factors started to bother me. The second was that most workshops I took my car to and was leaving it with them for an extended time (including NPCT) ask me to bring along the silencer for the Tomei. Which was annoying as due to my OCD I feel a need to wash it every time i remove it.

The third was there are moments where I would like to cruise (especially long distance drives) with less exhaust noise. Also having to shift up a gear or clutch in when driving past cops was getting old too.

Finally the fourth reason was once every 2 years for the shaken (MOT equiv) inspection here involved a cost in order to get it to pass the dB noise test.

It was the accumulation of these factors which made to reconsider my current exhaust solution. It was time for a change and as Konishi-san of Best-R told me with a laugh that I'd grown up last time I met him to discuss him about this.

The contenders

I considered a couple of options. HKS Super Turbo Exhaust, Fujitsubo Legalis R, Tomei Ti Sports and the Reimax exhaust.

The HKS Super Turbo Exhaust provided the best value for money as due to over supply in the Japanese market they can be had for a 70% of original retail price. With a main pipe diameter of 85mm.

The Fujitsubo Legalis R is the most affordable and the smallest diameter main pipe diameter of 76.3mm and would be the most ideal size for the factory BNR34 turbos of the S1 engine.

The Tomei Ti Sports  and Reimax both with a pipe diameter of 80mm they a little big larger than the Fujitsubo but smaller than the HKS.

The verdict

An exhaust says a lot about the company which produces/ sells it. Tomei is a company which gives the most highest level of performance for the least amount of money. Which also can be seen in their exhausts. However the Tomei I decided to remove from the list early on as despite the Ti Sports being road legal I thought it was time to go back to a stainless steel system which would be more fitting as I am intending to use my car as a GT and for it to be comfortable on long trips.

The Fujitsubo was tempting not only for it's price and for the piping specification however I was somewhat concerned it might be a little too quiet.

My primary concern was reducing the pipe diameter which any of them all would offer a reduction over the Tomei Expreme Ti which has a diameter of 89.1mm.

Reimax was always a curiosity for me as their exhausts are quite popular over here with GTR owners. The guys at NPCT also spoke highly of them back when I discussed exhausts with them so Reimax it was.

Reimax or Reinik as they were previously known are a Nissan affiliated workshop whom are responsible for Nissan's international projects including the Spa 24hr BNR32 race program and the Le Mans programs (R33 LM and R390 GT1) so they like Omori Factory have extensive experience with RB engines.

ARQRAY

Below is the JASMA certification (the certification required for a exhaust system to be road legal on Japan roads) which came with the system. On it I noticed the manufacturer, ARQRAY rather than Reimax so i decided to look it up.

ARQRAY it turns out is a high end exhaust system workshop which primarily makes aftermarket exhaust systems for European makes from BMWs to Ferraris and Lotuses. With distributors across the Pacific including the USA, Australia, South Korea, China, Taiwan and Thailand apparently they are known to those in the know for having impeccable workmanship. As Skylines are not on their website list the Reimax systems are custom made by ARQRAY for them. ARQRAY are known for custom made to order systems for their customers. This pretty much sealed my decision. I would love for the opportunity to do a full feature on them and Reimax in the future on s side note.

Reimax stainless exhaust

 As expected of a workshop which make European exhaust systems the quality was impressive even for Japanese standards which are excellent by anyone's measure.

I happened to be taking a much needed break off work this week so I gave Konishi-san of Best-R a call if i could drop in for a quick fitment. 

Both him and I were please to find how much more quiet it was upon the first turn of the key. I should now not have any issue come shaken time. Idling it produces a very low frequency hum.

I really like the welded  "Reimax" plaque which is a nice touch.

The end pipe also has a unique and tasteful look to it.

The previous mentioned quality and finish is amazing.

Here's a sample of what it sounds like with a hold at 3k RPM then free rev above that range.

It has a good balance of being quite in the right areas and giving good sound when you put your foot in it.

Driving impressions

In short it has returned the character of the S1 engine. Other than being able to cruise along at 2k RPM in a more civilised fashion what stood out more was the much increased usability of the engine. This exhaust definately suits the character of the RB26 S1 giving a much flatter power and torque band in the lower and mid ranges which is where the S1 cams especially shine. This is not to say the top end is sacrificed and it still pulls as hard as it did with the Tomei in the top end. I am yet to take it for a full shake down on a more spirited drive but am looking forward to it but initial impressions I am very happy with.