I got it installed today! The hardest part was just getting the stock exhaust off. My dad had to cut the bolts off of the flex pipe flange (which was the toughest part), and we also made a cut through the stock pipe right after the muffler to get it off. After that, bolting the BBP exhaust on was a piece of cake, and everything lined up without having to do any modifications. I took pics before, during, and after the installation process. Does anyone know how I can upload them on this forum?
The sound results:
I am really pleased with how this system sounds. It has a superb, deep, rich, and mellow tone. It's not raspy at all, and there is only a hint of crackle when you let off the gas. It's not at all obnoxious, but it's just enough to make you smile every time you downshift. It's not as loud as I feared it would be either. There is no need to change out the large glass pack for a muffler. It actually does a surprisingly good job of keeping the noise level reasonable. It makes quite a bit more noise than stock, but no one should be labeling me as a ricer. I took video of it revving and driving by on my phone, but the sound quality wasn't as good as I had hoped. Inside the car, there is noticeably more noise from the back of the car. It doesn't drone or anything though, and I don't think it will get annoying over time. There are two especially noticeable rpm ranges where it seems to hit a resonant frequency of the pipe. One is at 1400-1600rpm, and the other is at 2400-2700rpm. It's a little noisy at 60mph, which is right in the 2500 rpm range. In town it makes a bit of noise too, but it's a much better lower frequency, and as I said before, it's not obnoxiously loud, even at those louder resonant frequency ranges.
The performance results:
It will be a while before I can see how the new exhaust affects my mileage, but the less restrictive exhaust is noticeable when driving. It pulls harder into the upper rpms, and it downshifts easier too. My 0-60 time actually improved by about half a second, so it definitely gained a little in the performance department.
Conclusions:
Overall, I am really pleased with the BBP system so far. I'm especially happy with how it sounds, which is relieving, since I was initially most concerned about it being too loud. Hopefully it will continue to live up to being better than I expected long into the future. Unless it turns out not to be made out of good stainless steel and it rusts quickly, I can tell you I got more than my money's worth out of this thing. What an awesome system for $130!