ARK PERFORMANCE INC : Done with the Coupe, Now with the Sedan as Promised.
05-21-2010, 02:46 AM
#106
05-21-2010, 02:57 AM
#108
I am sure that this 2nd prototype will look much better than the first prototype in the pics. This one will have clean weldings and top craftmanship expected from any quality aftermarket exhaust.
Damn I can't wait..
Damn I can't wait..
05-21-2010, 04:26 AM
#109
Registered Member
UPDATE: DUN DDUN DDUUNNNN!!!
Just confirmed w/ Alex that the 2nd prototype is finally here and sitting @ their shop!!
I am going to try to make it in tomorrow for the final fitment & the install tomorrow if I am able to ditch work early. If not, it will have to wait til Monday. Damn.. if I have to wait til Monday, it will be the longest weekend of my life.
Anyway, if the fitment is good, it will stay on the car. However if there are fitment issues, it will have to be shipped back to Korea for the final adjustment. Damn fellas, wish me luck! I am hoping that all goes well and I get to ride home enjoying the sweet sound of my new ARK catback.
Will keep ya guys posted as always.
Just confirmed w/ Alex that the 2nd prototype is finally here and sitting @ their shop!!
I am going to try to make it in tomorrow for the final fitment & the install tomorrow if I am able to ditch work early. If not, it will have to wait til Monday. Damn.. if I have to wait til Monday, it will be the longest weekend of my life.
Anyway, if the fitment is good, it will stay on the car. However if there are fitment issues, it will have to be shipped back to Korea for the final adjustment. Damn fellas, wish me luck! I am hoping that all goes well and I get to ride home enjoying the sweet sound of my new ARK catback.
Will keep ya guys posted as always.
05-21-2010, 11:53 AM
#110
__________________
Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote
05-21-2010, 12:54 PM
#113
Unfortunately.. I won't be able to make it to the BBQ/meet @ ARK this sunday. However, I will definitely be at the upcoming Irvine Spectrum meet. I am hoping to have my rear bumper painted and also have my spoiler installed by then.
lol it's not a one piece right (hfcs possible, yes?)...stupid question? haha...
05-22-2010, 04:04 AM
#116
UPDATE:
Alright guys.. my long waited Ark catback system was finally installed today!!! I took an early day from work to head over to Ark Performance in Montclair earlier today. All in all, the fitment is near perfect for a prototype IMO.
I arrived @ the shop around 2:30pm. When I got there, Ted & Alex were working on another customer's G37 6mt coupe. The install for the coupe was a production model catback which has been released for a while now. After seeing the exhaust installed on the coupe first hand, I can vouch for them that the fitment and the sound for the coupe setup is perfect!
After they finished his car, we all took a lil pizza break thanks to Ted who is the owner of the shop. Finally, we got my car on the lift and the guys went at it. After about an hour of wrench time, they were able to make everything fit perfectly. Once they were done, I anxiously got in my car to start it up. Let me tell you, it was music to my ears! It had a nice aggressive rumble to it. IMO it sounds very similar to the FI exhaust but much louder. Alex used a decibel meter and took a videoclip of exhaust at various rev points. We then pulled the car off the lift. Ted and I went for a ride around the block to make sure that everything was right with the system. Overall, I am pretty happy with the Ark catback exhaust so far. Only thing is that it's a lil bit too loud for me right now, but I will wait for it to break in first before I comment on the true sound of the exhaust. It's too early to judge IMO. So far after about 60 miles since the install, there is absolutely 0 rasp but there is some droning around lower rpm around 2200 to 2800 rpm. However, I will have to wait it out and put some more miles on it first to be able to truly judge its sound.
Alex took a lot of pictures and video clips of few drive-by's.. so he should be uploading those soon hopefully. I will promise to personally make some of my own videoclips & take some pictures to share w/ you guys soon. I will be stuck @ work tomorrow but hopefully I can squeeze in some time after I get home.
Anyway, good night for now.
Alright guys.. my long waited Ark catback system was finally installed today!!! I took an early day from work to head over to Ark Performance in Montclair earlier today. All in all, the fitment is near perfect for a prototype IMO.
I arrived @ the shop around 2:30pm. When I got there, Ted & Alex were working on another customer's G37 6mt coupe. The install for the coupe was a production model catback which has been released for a while now. After seeing the exhaust installed on the coupe first hand, I can vouch for them that the fitment and the sound for the coupe setup is perfect!
After they finished his car, we all took a lil pizza break thanks to Ted who is the owner of the shop. Finally, we got my car on the lift and the guys went at it. After about an hour of wrench time, they were able to make everything fit perfectly. Once they were done, I anxiously got in my car to start it up. Let me tell you, it was music to my ears! It had a nice aggressive rumble to it. IMO it sounds very similar to the FI exhaust but much louder. Alex used a decibel meter and took a videoclip of exhaust at various rev points. We then pulled the car off the lift. Ted and I went for a ride around the block to make sure that everything was right with the system. Overall, I am pretty happy with the Ark catback exhaust so far. Only thing is that it's a lil bit too loud for me right now, but I will wait for it to break in first before I comment on the true sound of the exhaust. It's too early to judge IMO. So far after about 60 miles since the install, there is absolutely 0 rasp but there is some droning around lower rpm around 2200 to 2800 rpm. However, I will have to wait it out and put some more miles on it first to be able to truly judge its sound.
Alex took a lot of pictures and video clips of few drive-by's.. so he should be uploading those soon hopefully. I will promise to personally make some of my own videoclips & take some pictures to share w/ you guys soon. I will be stuck @ work tomorrow but hopefully I can squeeze in some time after I get home.
Anyway, good night for now.
05-24-2010, 08:44 AM
#118
I believe the coupe guys said the same thing about the ARK sound as well. Sounds good but loud. If anything, it will get louder after break-in. Do you feel any power gains?
05-24-2010, 02:32 PM
#119
Well, I was told it should quiet down a lil bit once the break-in. I spoke to a guy when I was @ the shop who is running the Ark + Berk on his 370z. According to him, it was a lil loud after the initial install, but once the exhaust was broken in, it got much more quiet. So he able to install the HFC once the exhaust was broken in.
As far as power, I cannot really tell from my butt dyno. Low to mid range seems to be about the same, but I do feel a slight pull @ the high end. But my car really needs a tune first to be able to maximize the gains from these mods since my bolt-on mods are pretty much finished now.
I will give it a week or so for me to really say how this exhaust is going to sound.
As far as power, I cannot really tell from my butt dyno. Low to mid range seems to be about the same, but I do feel a slight pull @ the high end. But my car really needs a tune first to be able to maximize the gains from these mods since my bolt-on mods are pretty much finished now.
I will give it a week or so for me to really say how this exhaust is going to sound.
06-02-2010, 11:44 PM
#120
New video clip is finally up! Thanks for uploading/editing everything, Alex.
FYI The new stuff start @ 2:21.
Btw don't freak out cuz of the smoke! That's perfectly normal when you install a brand new exhaust.
<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/l0bkccP2nVk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/l0bkccP2nVk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
FYI The new stuff start @ 2:21.
Btw don't freak out cuz of the smoke! That's perfectly normal when you install a brand new exhaust.
<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/l0bkccP2nVk&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/l0bkccP2nVk&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>