Tanabe has released in the last year a line of two quiet catback exhausts: the Medallion Touring and Concept G. The Medallion Touring seems to be the most popular, and a few people have reviewed them. The most in depth review of the touring is here:
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1225492

Clips of the exhausts on a USDM STi can be found here: http://www.tanabe-usa.com/soundclips.asp

There is little information about the Concept G. I have had several email exchanges with Tanabe folks in Japan, trying to learn more about the Concept G but they really don’t seem to know much (my initial email to info@tanabe-usa.com was responded to by info@more-japan.com). Here is what I have found out.

The Concept G catback is not the same as the Concept G Blue Turboback. The catback tapers at the downpipe, has a different midpipe design, and is quieter than the blue. The catback also doesn’t have the fancy blue end. The Concept G Blue is not a quiet exhaust and is not below 93 db.

Compared with the Touring, the Concept G flows more exhaust as the muffler is less restrictive. The Concept G is louder than the Touring, but still under 93db. They also differ in that the Touring has a “low deep tone” while the Concept G has a “low racing tone”. This is because the Touring has a “chamber type” muffler while the Concept G has “more of a straight thru type muffler”.

All of this information (and quotes) are according to my email exchanges. Any other information or reviews would be very helpful. I have asked the Tanabe folks several times whether the catback mates to a stock downpipe or a 3” downpipe or both, but have received no reply. I’m guessing the engineer knows but not the folks answering email.

Sorry this is not really a review, but hopefully it is a start of information and will become a review when someone replies with their experience.

http://www.tanabe-usa.com/exhausts/files/276_img1.jpg

I purchased this catback. Pictures of the actual unit are below. Quality is good, though not a work of art like my Cobb downpipe. A tiny bit of brownish discolor that I really don't care about. Based on my primitive weighting method the entire catback weights about 26lbs. This is based on weighing myself and then weighing myself holding catback on our home scale.
http://home.earthlink.net/~klattery/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/exhaust1a.jpg

The part where it meets the downpipe tapers to 2.5" inner diameter (I measured). You can see the taper here:
http://home.earthlink.net/~klattery/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/downpipemate2.jpg

A close up of where it mates to the downpipe:
http://home.earthlink.net/~klattery/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/downpipematetip.jpg

Other than the taper, it appears to be 3" inner diameter all the way back, and is certainly 3" inner diameter where the two catback pieces meet (I measured). The muffler tip is 4", slightly larger than my STi.

I'm hoping this exhaust is quiet, it's supposed to be under 93db throughout the RPM range. I doubt it's that quiet, but we'll see. I'm 43 with wife and kids, so I'll be trading it if it's too loud.

Hello,
Please report back how it sounds. I too am looking for a 3" cat-back setup that is not loud.

springsoby

I should report back after the weekend. In the meantime, here is a review sent me via PM, copied verbatim below (including bananas and what not). I asked the guy below to post his review, but he has not gotten around to it. If he wants me to delete anything below, just ask.

P.S. I bought mine from GripMotorSports.com, and it was at my door in less than a week. The exhaust comes with a 3" gasket and bolts for the midpipe to axleback connection.

Sorry it took so long to reply, I LOVE THIS EXHAUST!!!!:banana: I too wanted a quiet exhaust and was very pleased with the results. It has a nice deep note and the boxer sounds amazing! At 3,000 rpm it sounds damn near like stock and at 80 mph you cant even hear it. It is mated to the stock down pipe and it mounted up with absolutely no prblems and the fit is absolutely great. I installed it in about 30 min and it can be done with just a few tools. I purchased mine from www.prospecperformance.com for $550.00 with free shipping from Tanabe in Japan (drop shipped). The sound clips do not do this exhaust justice. I noticed a huge difference in power and low end as well as quicker spool. I will try to get pics for you of my car if you want. you will not regret buying this exhaust, its quiet, its powerful, and it sounds like a boxer should. :banana: :disco: :banana: :disco: :banana: :disco:

Let me start off by saying this catback is definitely louder than the stock STi at low RPMs. But on the highway - at 75mph in 6th gear (about 3K RPM), the concept G is just as quiet as stock STi. Two big thumbs up for the freeway – no annoying drone, just quiet.

When the car starts up you get a nice deep growl – much more aggressive than stock STi catback, and a shade louder. When you start to accelerate from idle you definitely get a very deep mean throaty sound that is significantly louder than the STi catback. I like the aggressive sound, but it is a bit loud for my stealthy taste. That being said, the Concept G seems quieter than the Evo2 or the Cobb (which are the two I was also considering for a while).

The other interesting thing is that this exhaust is really not that loud at high RPM. Though it is loud at low RPM, it does not keep getting louder. Given the way it starts, I expected it to grow VERY loud as the RPMS increase, but it remains kind of flat, and then at cruising it fades away. Listening to my stereo while cruising seems just as fine now as it did with the stock STi exhaust. My kids (4 and 10) didn’t notice any difference on the highway either.

I am a big fan of the STi catback exhaust which I still think is the best sounding exhaust. And that’s why I’ve had a downpipe + stock catback for almost 4 years now (I was second allocation STi). While I like the stock STi better, I like the Concept G enough to keep it, in my view the performance is worth it. Bikerboy Matt installed my exhaust while doing some other work, and he gave me a big thumbs up on it being a very quiet exhaust.

Cliff Notes: Concept G catback (not blue) is the one of the quieter exhausts I’ve heard, more so than Cobb or Evo2. It is VERY DEEP, and much louder than stock STi at low RPMs, but not high RPMs or cruising.

has anyone been running this exhaust lately? i saw the youtube clip of it on the white sti, but it seems pretty loud, even louder than my fujitsubo powergetter, which is supposed to be quiet. bump for a bad ass exhaust.

I have had the Concept G Blue since the middle of this past summer. The sound clips on Tanabe's website does not give it justice. It has a very deep throaty tone at idle. I had an older guy in a Maserati ask me if I had a V8 :devil: When you get on it you can hear the turbo spool. It is not the loudest exhaust out there.