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Solo performance exhaust owners

23K views 60 replies 29 participants last post by  Trooper800 
#1 ·
Hey everyone I am in the process of choosing a new exhaust for my 2013 rt. I think I have narrowed it down to solo, haven't really heard one in person but the price reviews I have read and videos I've watched and trust me I've read or seen them all lol lead me to believe this is the best choice for me.

Here why I am posting I want to hear from you owners all the reviews I've seen are of people that have just put the system on and haven't driven it too much since, I want to know how you like it now after many miles and getting it broken in.

How loud is it? How long have you had it? Is it comfortable driving with the windows shut out on the high way ? Do you find the cops are after you more or giving you tickets for your car being too loud? Just a few questions I would like answered.

And please folk I don't want this to turn into this system is better than that system kinda thing I've read all those topics and have come to the conclusion I am about 90% certain solo is for me.


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#3 · (Edited)
I've had mine since Dec. 2013 and have put several thousand miles on it. I've had three setups on my various RTs, Corsa Xtreme, Flowmaster super 40s with reso delete and Solo. Solo is my favorite. Loud when you want it to be (at WOT) and about stock sound level when cruising. I find myself with the windows down rolling through the gears more often than I listen to the radio now. Very well put together system.

Its not loud enough to attract law enforcement unless you're driving like an a-hole.

My RT is a 2013 A5 with intake and tune.
 
#5 ·
I went from stock to reso-dele w/ glass packs to Solo. I wish I had put the Solo on at the start, I've never been as happy with an exhaust on ANY of my vehicles as I've been with the Solo, it sounds great even when it's "quiet." I've only put 300 miles or so on it, maybe a little more, and it still brings a smile to my face for multiple reasons.

- I can drive on the freeway in 6th, flat, uphill or downhill and there's no drone, it sounds almost stock except for a faint rumble to let you know it's there. It is not drone.

- I can drive it anywhere and make it as loud or quiet as I want just by changing the throttle and gear/RPMs. I'm sure some people have thought "Oh, it's so quiet and unsuspecting, it should sound like...holy crap, it sounds awesome!" :D

It's a steal for the money and the build quality is awesome. Also love the round tips.
 
#6 ·
Will add my 0.02 to the mix. Mine has about 8,000 miles on it so it is very well broken in. Interior volume is very tolerable - can easily talk to someone in the passenger seat while cruzing on the highway. As expected, there is minimal drone. I say minimal simply because some have a higher threshold than others to drone issues. As for being too loud for police, I personally have not had any issues with this.

The initial tone of the exhaust is pretty close to what it ends up sounding like, but the metallic sound does dissipate with carbon build up.

You will likely find that up to 3,000 rpm is fun sounding. Above 3,000 rpm things start to get VERY fun without being overly loud. WOT above 3,000 rpm is a real attention getter for sure.

Hope all this helps
 
#7 ·
Ill echo the comments above. Have had mine for almost a year. Pretty quiet when you want it to be, and an intoxicating sound when you get on it. Can easily hold conversations with passengers. I too have the dual round tips. They look sweet.

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#9 ·
I've had the Solo MachX on my R/T Auto for 45,000 miles. I still love the added rumble when I start the car in the mornings. At steady throttle it delivers a nice tone, get into it and it growls, Romp on it and it flat out ROARS!!! I played around with the Jpipes to try to address the tone at highway cruising speeds, but wasn't really satisfied until I killed the evil MDS. I can carry on normal conversations while driving, and find myself rolling the windows down to hear it during spirited driving. I haven't ever been given a hard time by police, even after getting stopped blasting down a favorite backroad.
IMO, the Solo makes the Challenger sound like it should!
 
#10 ·
I've been a tester of solo products since 2010. It's the nicest exhaust I've had. Steve once told me " how can you say yours is the best if you haven't tried the rest". I've had blasting bobs ,zoomers, two different pypes system, solo machX, and now I have solo straight pipes.solo by far is the finest exhaust I've had. If you want a sweet sounding exhaust the machX is for you. If you want a bad a$$ sounding exhaust that's louder, then the straight pipe set up is for you. The good thing about solo is the straight pipe section is interchangeable with the machX muffler. You don't have to get a whole new exhaust. You just swap it tout. I have about 30,000 miles with there exhaust. They are all drone free. You can't go wrong when you go solo
 
#11 · (Edited)
Hi
I have a Solo Mach X on my 2013 RT 6spd. I've had it for 7500 miles and LOVE IT. Its loud enough to be fun but no so loud that it's annoying to neighbors. Nice purr at cruise and all the roar you could want at WOT. No regrets and would buy it again.

"You will likely find that up to 3,000 rpm is fun sounding. Above 3,000 rpm things start to get VERY fun without being overly loud. WOT above 3,000 rpm is a real attention getter for sure."

This is spot on...
 
#13 ·
I was also very happy with the Solo Mach-X I installed on my 6 speed car. (The car is recently sold...another story).

Fit and finish are very good.I had the system for manual cars without the trombones (J-Pipes) and under certain engine loads (mostly @ 1600-2000 rpm) and granny driving it there was some cabin drone. I learned to " drive around it" most of the time. Cruising speed in 6th was quiet, LEO's never gave me a second look. Once you get over 3,000 rpm or mash the go pedal heads turn for miles (ok not miles but....). Give the J-pipe system a consideration so you can tune the "drone zone" to match your driving style/neighborhood.

My neighbor directly across the street told me he sported an immediate chubby every time I fired the R/t up in the garage, the bark was just right. I would buy it again.
 
#14 ·
I am also considering the mach x on my 6spd. My question is can you reuse your stock tips are do you have to purchase one of there tips. Alson on that j pipen do you have to tell them. To add it or is it included in the kit. As far as installation. Is this something that can be done in your driveway?
 
#16 ·
The automatic/MDS exhaust comes with the J-pipes and works fine with the 6-speed, the manual exhaust is without J-pipes. They have a tip-less option as well, but I went with the round tips for a change. :) Enjoy!


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#17 ·
SOLO MACH X is what I run, they rock! I got the quad rounds, no regrets!:thumbsup:
 
#18 ·
Thanks to all, i went ahead and ordered the mach x with j pipes. Hopefully i will receive it by friday and install saturday. Cant wait.
 
#20 ·
Here's what you have to look forward to, but keep in mind I am running shorty headers. Sounds awesome, love the snarl and it's nearly stock quiet inside when cruising. Perfection! :D

 
#21 ·
Here's what you have to look forward to, but keep in mind I am running shorty headers. Sounds awesome, love the snarl and it's nearly stock quiet inside when cruising.
That's an R/T, right?
 
#24 ·
Based on the sound of the previous exhaust pre- and post-headers, it made the exhaust slightly louder but not much and made it a little more throaty as well. All I know is that I love the current sound. :D
 
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#25 ·
I've had mine installed for about 5000 miles now and I love it even more now than when I first installed it. Cruising around it's the perfect volume, and if you hear it from outside it's one of the best systems I have heard.

Also another point to be made is that it is one of the better performing exhausts on the dyno as well, not that you can base much on the performance you get from an exhaust system alone, but it's nice to know they have dyno graphs on otherwise stock cars to back up their claims. :bigthumb:
 
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#26 ·
So, what are J-pipes supposed to do that makes them desirable?
 
#28 ·
They are effectively resonance chambers that cancel out sound waves of a specific frequency (depending on how the J-pipe is adjusted), think of them as resonators that don't affect performance.

The J-pipes, to the best of my knowledge, are sold with the auto systems to help eliminate any drone that is associated with the MDS. If you have a 6 speed they are not needed. I have driven mine to try and get it to drone and it won't at any RPM.
Actually, I spoke with the owner of Solo and outlined my mods and concerns, he is the one that recommended that I get the auto/MDS system to ensure that I don't get drone. He also said the MDS system shouldn't change or decrease the sound of the exhaust on the outside and if it did then he felt it shouldn't reduce it by more than 5%.

I don't doubt that the non-MDS system sounds great and drone may be minimal, but I didn't want to take any chances with drone, I wanted it gone and the MDS system with J-pipes is the sure-fire way to ensure that.
 
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#27 ·
The J-pipes, to the best of my knowledge, are sold with the auto systems to help eliminate any drone that is associated with the MDS. If you have a 6 speed they are not needed. I have driven mine to try and get it to drone and it won't at any RPM.
 
#29 ·
All-
I've been listening to more & more clips of the Solo system and.......I might just be almost sold.
I like a deep tone---the Challenger is a fairly large car, and I think a deep tone suits it best---but I can't tolerate drone. Would you say the real-life tone is deeper than the recorded tone...or just about the same tone?
 
#30 ·
The one thing I don't hear in person that is in the video is the "thumping" of the exhaust at lower RPMs and the one thing that I do hear more of in person than in the video is the "snarl." Those two differences aside I'd say the video I took is pretty accurate, provided you're listening to the video on a decent audio setup.

When it comes to drone, I really don't experience any. You can hear the sound of the exhaust when you get on it, but you're hearing the sound and not feeling it reverberate. It's also quiet inside under load and hard acceleration and virtually silent when cruising on the freeway. You can have a normal conversation without raising your voice, in fact I hear more wind noise than exhaust noise when at speed.

If it would help, I'd be more than happy to take a drive and record audio/video from the inside with the windows rolled up.

My biggest concern before I ordered the Solo was losing good exhaust tone in an effort to get rid of drone, as if I needed a quiet(er) exhaust to get rid of the drone and that is definitely not the case. The Solo is quite a bit louder outside than the reso delete but probably 90% quieter inside and the stock exhaust was probably 90-95% quieter than the reso delete, with 100% quieter being silent.

Anyway, let me know if you want an inside video posted and I'll get that for you this afternoon.
 
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#34 ·
like DJ hemi, I am almost sold on the solo. Price and little to no drone. I can't live with drone....thats why the expensive corsa extreme. Is still under consideration. The stocck exhaust also still in play. I'm amazed out how little, virtually none, negative comments I have heard on solo. ALL other systems....i have read some negative comments...none on solo.
 
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#35 ·
Love my solo's 22,000 miles later and only better! Great customer service as well!
 
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