2004 Infiniti FX45 - Flowmaster 80 series, with resonator or no resonator?

V

vancity

Member
Location
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Hi there,

I'd like to intro myself! I'm J from Vancouver, I drive a 2004 Infiniti FX45 with 85k miles, sport premium pkg with intel key :)|

JWT POP CHARGER is the only aftermarket mod I have - I get around 15mpgs and have had nearly all the common fx problems -.- still in love with the car tho!!

I've been creeping this forum for quite some time now and been doing extensive searches from this forum and the other infinitifx.org forum about the flowmaster 80 series! Watched all the clips for it and never really pulled the trigger to buy until i recently won a bid and scored it for 60 bucks USD! before shipping and taxes :p.

I am getting it installed and would like everything done in one shot, recently i wanted to remove the resonator but some clips on youtube have me second guessing. I know i will install the muffler for sure but my only concerns are, drone and raspiness - from removing the RESONATOR.

The drone I can manage but I cannot have a exhaust that sounds raspy! I just want to know your experiences esp. the 45's out there with the resonator on / off with the flowmaster muffler!

Can anyone chime in if I should remove the resonator or leave it on? again, main concern is raspiness/tin can sound.. i love the growl and wanted more umph from the stock so I am looking to replace the muffler which is happening this weekend.. and trying to avoid going back and forth to remove the resonator at a later date or go back and put it back on! hope you folks understand! I know this has been spoken of, the exhaust particullary but i wanted to pin point this and get an updated answer from you folks here at infiniti scene!

Thanks guys.. long post ill keep it short next time! pics and clips to follow in the latter days!

Cheers,

J from the great white north.:rotfl:



update: installed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi1zDdsek7I
 
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Welcome to iS. The only member i know having a flowmaster is pmanliu. He had it with a FX35 tho, perhaps he can chime in.
 
thanks soonster! yeah tons of fx35 folks have the flowmaster! I guess it would help to an extent but I know for a sure fact the fx35 differs in sound than the 45 so I guess it might be trial and error with this exhaust set up! Hope any more folks looking at this thread can share their experiences :)

Cheers,

J
 
Hey J,

I had the flowmaster on a FX35. As for removing the resonator, i would recommend against it. Try the flowmaster out with resonators first, and after a month or two if its still not loud enough for your liking then maybe remove it then? The flowmaster was awesome, great sound, and LOUD (not civic fartcan loud, but enough to hear to down the block). Unfortunately it also droned at 60mph so removing the resonator would probably make it worst. Best of luck and keep us posted!
 
hey thanks pmanliu!

ur right i have definitely been looking into other resonators to replace the stock one hoping that it will allow more airflow so more can be heard thru the muffler at the same time preserving the risk of raspiness and controlling drone! havent looked into brand and make of resonator but I will play it safe and keep the stock resonator on for now and throw that bad boy flowmaster 80 on the back of my 45!! I'll keep you in the loop with sound and pics soon! Cheers!!
 
Good call. I would keep the resonator for a while at least. Personally, I like the Flowmaster sounds but know that many others don't. 35's with resonator-delete seem to get more rasp complaints than 45's resonator-delete. I understand that you don't want to go back and forth, but you'll certainly be happy enough for a while if you do decide to remove the resonator.
Also, if you're turned off by the hassle of gong back and forth, I would not try other resonators. Just keep the OEM resonator on or off.
Looking forward to vids or sound clips.
 
Flowmaster with resonator is definitely louder than stock.

Panhgsa's "Leidi in Red" is a 35 with Flowmaster and resonator delete. He thinks it's too loud for his preference.
 
hey!! thanks so much porkandbeans. really appreciate your detailed insight on this.. it seriously has made me feel good with trying just the muffler first! fyi ive never seen a red fx here in canada.

cheers man!
 
pmanliu said:
Hey J,

I had the flowmaster on a FX35. As for removing the resonator, i would recommend against it. Try the flowmaster out with resonators first, and after a month or two if its still not loud enough for your liking then maybe remove it then? The flowmaster was awesome, great sound, and LOUD (not civic fartcan loud, but enough to hear to down the block). Unfortunately it also droned at 60mph so removing the resonator would probably make it worst. Best of luck and keep us posted!
Click to expand...


here you go http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi1zDdsek7I

---------- Post added at 12:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:01 PM ----------

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi1zDdsek7I:good:
 
as many of you guys know, i recently installed the flowmaster 80 series on my fx45.

the sound is superb and i love it! i left the stock resonator and used the stock tips so i only swapped out the rear section muffler.

ive had a SIGNIFICANT INCREASE in fuel consumption.. like REALLY noticeable. is this normal? is this known to happen if you just switch out a muffler?

I thought flowmaster was suppose to be LESS RESTRICTIVE thus better for fuel economy?

can someone chime in? also do i need to 'break' it in for it to get better? not sure... just cant wrap my head around 60 dollars of gasoline for 3 days of driving a total of 70 somewhat miles?
 
vancity said:
as many of you guys know, i recently installed the flowmaster 80 series on my fx45.

the sound is superb and i love it! i left the stock resonator and used the stock tips so i only swapped out the rear section muffler.

ive had a SIGNIFICANT INCREASE in fuel consumption.. like REALLY noticeable. is this normal? is this known to happen if you just switch out a muffler?

I thought flowmaster was suppose to be LESS RESTRICTIVE thus better for fuel economy?

can someone chime in? also do i need to 'break' it in for it to get better? not sure... just cant wrap my head around 60 dollars of gasoline for 3 days of driving a total of 70 somewhat miles?
Click to expand...

Give it some time. That being said with the flowmaster I got my usual 15mpgs and didnt think anything unnusual about it. However one time I was working on the exhuast and didn't tighten the bolts all the way resulting in a small leak. The mpgs shot up to 18. Didn't know if this was a coincidence due to change in temperature or driving style but maybe give this a shot? I only drove like that for three weeks before switching to a greddy exhaust instead.

Sent from my SCH-I535 2
 
ill do a quick search on how to do so.

---------- Post added at 11:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:40 AM ----------

found 2 ways.. disconnecting the battery itself on both terminals.. or some toe-dance thing..

which is more effective? which will clear any stored memory? ps. I dont mind resettting my presets. I just want to know which will give me the cleanest slate. Thanks :)
 
Original poster Vancity: When you changed to the Flowmaster muffler did you also change the exhaust pipes? I am currently considering of buying an Invidia set up but this seems to be a better financial option. I also here in Hawaii there is one guy with an HKS set up willing to sell me but I have not made a decision yet.
 
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