HKS Hi-Power Spec-L Review
 

I've been having a hard time deciding the direction I wanted to go with my Evo X FE. Most of my builds have been domestic parts (ETS, Perrin, AMS, etc), but I wanted to do something special with this one.

The first things were most important on the FE. Get Recaros in, replace the brakes, shims and fluid, JDM front crash beam, Kansai tow-hook and fog deletes. Next is exhaust, 3-port, UICP, HFC, tune, suspension, wheels and tires.

There have been a lot of exhausts for our cars over the years and have heard so many. My goals were simple: Go lightweight and not have an obnoxious sound. I was debating getting a custom Ti exhaust made from ETS with a resonator, but at the end of the day I kept coming back to HKS/Kansai/Ralliart for the parts I admire. Will it be the fastest X? Nope. But felt it'd be a fun endeavor.

I started looking at the HKS Hi-Power Spec-L exhaust. The weight involved with it seemed to be extremely low. I saw it was under 21lbs total which is a crazy low weight for dual exhaust. They accomplish this by using thinner 3" piping, hollow mounts and cut weight out where ever they can. They finish it off with carbon tips. This sounded like something I was willing to try and potentially set the stage for my new build.

I got ahold of Joe at JM Auto Racing (evom sponsor) and he was extremely competitive with anyone else I got a hold of. He was also very quick in replies when I had questions about what products and prices were available. He had it in stock and it was at my door in three days from New York to the west coast. I'll definitely be revisiting them for future purchases. http://www.jmautosports.com

Arrival
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When the box first arrived I was blown away by the weight of the box. It was such a large box but I could easily grab it with one hand. My wife actually brought it in and commented how light it felt.


Getting Ready
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The excitement builds!!


Welds
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I've owned a few HKS products before and usually they are the cleanest around. There were a few weld splashes on the back of the canisters. The welds weren't as pretty / neat as I was expecting but they were functional.


Weight Savings
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The attention to detail on how to get the weight down was extremely impressive. The pipe didn't feel so thin it would easily dent, but strong enough for track days and light enough for weight savings. Another evom member (moparfan) pointed out that it is actually 1.6lbs lighter than the ETS extreme (no mufflers, just straight pipes). That should tell you the quality of materials HKS focused on to accomplish this.


Bastard Tow-hook Removal
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Part of the install, you have to remove the driver side tow hook. It involves moving the gas canister out of the way to get to the bolts that go through the frame. It would have been nicer of :mitsu: to swap the welded nuts and the bolts so it would be easier to get them out, but I believe because of the way the frame is molded there wouldn't be a way to get the long bolts out.


Final Install
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The exhaust install wasn't that bad. It comes with compression rings when the exhaust mounts are bolted together. The instructions are all in japanese so they didn't help me at all. I put the hardware to the side to figure where everything went, sort of using the instruction diagram as a guide. Must have the rubber mounts on correctly otherwise the cannons won't line up to the mid-pipe correctly. It is extremely stable and no way will hit the driveline.

The tips stick far enough out that I don't have to worry about any melting of the diffuser that came with the earlier versions.

The best part? This exhaust note is exactly what I was looking for! I'd say it is almost quieter than my stock exhaust, but has a perfect tone. No droning whatsoever throughout the entire RPM range. I keep finding myself turning off my music so I can appreciate the new note.

If it wasn't for the weld splatters I'd rate this exhaust a 10 out of 10. For that I'll rate it 9 out of 10. I'm extremely happy with this exhaust and look forward to using some more HKS products in the future.

I really don't like the welds, at that price I would expect some higher quality welds.

Maybe it's just me.

Exactly. I admire that you went with something different and the design of the system looks good. I like how they saved weight by doing the hollow hangers and cutouts. The welds look terrible though and I'm not a fan of the shape and size of the tips.
Overall a pretty nice exhaust system. Thanks for sharing!

Yep, that's why I pointed it out. I've had multiple HKS products through the years and haven't ever seen this. HKS has always had awesome amazing welds that belonged in a museum.

At the end of the day none of those welds can be seen unless you crawl under the car. The outside appearances of the exhaust is flawless. Maybe they cut some corners to start saving some $$, or this is a Friday exhaust.

The tips seem to look a lot better in person than in the pictures. They look stubby, but they actually stick out a good amount. From the top all you see is carbon fiber sticking out, and looks great. But appearances are definitely subjective.

The one part that keeps getting me is how smooth this exhaust note is. I definitely appreciate this note the most out of any exhaust I've owned.

I did about 150 miles of spirited driving yesterday and no drone anywhere. Not just no drone, but just a smooth happy feeling as the turbo spools. I do the homer simpson drool almost every time I bank a corner.

I still think you should of put ETS straight pipes on.

Looks good OP!

Hope to do business with you again soon!

Would be interested to see one of these in person. I feel as if the pictures don't do the tips justice.