So even though I am SLOWLY breaking in the car, one very odd feature of this Skyline NISMO is how quiet it is. Even at full throttle.
So, I began to research what kind of aftermarket muffers/exhaust systems were available for this car. Turns out, as the laws here in Japan are quite strict it means that there are very few offerings. Basically, each exhaust system has to be certified for a particular vehicle, and technically the Skyline Nismo is NOT the same car as the Skyline 400R on which it is based (as a limited edition car, the NISMO is homologated on an individual basis, not in a batch like the 400R), and so I couldn't buy an aftermarket exhaust for the 400R and be done. No, the paperwork has to say the exhaust is for the Skyline NISMO, otherwise the car will not pass shaken in the future.
Being a NISMO car, of course Nismo offers a titanium version that saves over 10kg.
 |
| https://www.nismo.co.jp/products/web_catalogue/exhaust/sports_titanium_muffler_v37.html |
But... why the DLC coating that makes the tips look black? Who thought of that? I mean they should offer a non black version! And of course the Nismo pricing... and it looks just as constrictive as the OEM system.
As I was pondering what to do, my friends at Mine's told me that Trust/Greddy was coming out with a system certified for the Skyline Nismo. (The photo below shows the system for the 400R upon which it was based, looks like the page for the Skyline Nismo has been taken down...)
 |
| https://greddy-shop.com/?pid=168483153 |
The Nismo system has a pipe diameter of 51mm, and a tail diameter of 110mm. The Trust system has a pipe diameter that starts at 60mm and expands to 70mm, with a tail diameter of 115mm. For any turbo charged car, better exhaust breathing should result in better response, right? And just the straightish pipe arrangement should in itself mean less restriction!
So, I found a day where I was free and the guys at Mine's said they had time, and drove down (got honked at and a thumbs up by a trucker who was excited to see one out on the road, I guess?)
 |
| Still think I made the right choice on the color. |
 |
| They had Nakayama-san pull it into their garage for me. |
 |
| I don't understand why the engine bay was so exciting but I guess they wanted to check it out! A future VX-Rom for this car? |
As I drove back home, the difference was immediate! To be honest the car still felt fast, but wow it sounds SO much better, befitting the twin turbo 3.0 VRDDTT it has! And of course it looks fantastic too!
But there was one weird thing, I started hearing a weird buzzing sound from the rear seats. At first, I thought it was because I hadn't removed the factory clear plastic from the rear seats (yep...). Now, it turns out that this car has two electronic aids to adjust the ambient cabin noise. One is Nissan's Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), and the other is the Active Sound Enhancement to supplement the natural exhaust noise.
And guess what - on its 1 year check up, the dealer figured out that the ANC was acting up by trying to counter the new exhaust tone! That led to a buzzing sound coming from the rear speaker that is used to cancel out ambient noise. So I had them turn it off, but leave the ASE... so now the car sounds perfect!
I wonder how many other owners out there with a Trust Power Extreme R muffler had the same issue?
