I placed the order for the kit on a Monday and had it at my door Friday. Considering it shipped from New York I would call that fairly quick. Packaging of materials was good; nothing damaged during shipment.
I drove the rear end of the car onto rhino ramps, and removed the stock system fairly easily (using Teflon spray for the rubber hangars). After unpacking the new muffler I noticed the tips were dual slanted tips (ala Redline) instead of the advertised quad round tips. Not a big deal for me since I like the look of slanted tips, but had I been dead set on the quad round tips this would have been a big disappointment.
Install instructions were included in the email I received with the tracking number. However, these instructions, which are identical to what is on the Solo website, could use some updating. The instructions state the stock cat converter gasket can be used for installing the new exhaust. This simply isn't the case as the stock gasket isn't thick enough Correction: The stock size donut gasket IS large enough to seal the larger diameter of the new exhaust pipe BUT requires use of a sealing compound. I used Permatex tailpipe and muffler sealer. Do not use Permatex copper silicon gasket; it doesn't cure hard enough to create a good seal. Alternatively, a new, thicker, gasket is included in the kit (I still recommend using a sealant with it). Note, if you use the stock gasket the flex pipe of the exhaust may contact the side of the transmission cover. This happens because the mach exhaust is bent at a sharper upward angle than the stock exhaust. If using the thicker donut gasket the exhaust can be rotated away from the cover. I elected to just remove the transmission cover.
Lastly, this exhasut isn't compatible with the Kappasphere ReBar. I was slightly bummed about this since the ReBar was the first meaningful improvement that I made to my car, but I understand companies can't always design products with other aftermarket parts in mind.
The first drive actually felt like the car lost power. I'm assuming that was because the battery had been disconnected, and the exhaust needed to be broken in a bit. After more driving the car noticeably accelerates faster. The sound is exactly what I was looking for; louder but without sounding ricey/raspy. Much more rumble. It's very apparent during accel and decal. When cruising, the Mach exhaust is just as quiet as the stock system. No drone.
Overall, I'm satisfied with the purchase of the Mach exhaust. I emailed Solo about the above issues with their advertising/install instructions. Considering the reputation they have this was very unexpected. I'll be looking for a high flow cat at some point, but now it's not guaranteed that I'll be buying it from Solo.
