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SOLO Mach Shorty or Mach Shorty Balanced?

6K views 23 replies 18 participants last post by  zepcom 
#1 ·
Anybody have an opinion on the two? Watching videos, I don't hear much of difference between them.
 
#2 ·
Sub'd. I'm in the market for exhaust, as well. Are there any performance differences? Can you swap out the mid-muff for an x-pipe.
Sorry, not trying to hijack your thread.
 
#3 ·
I have the Solo mach shorty balanced. Would go unbalanced if I did it over again b/c the balanced isn't overly loud, even w/ the Kooks headers. But I love loudness so it's hard to annoy me.
 
#6 ·
Had the unbalbanced and still wasn't loud enough for me even with Kooks mid length. Although, I am the minority on how loud the unbalanced is. Exhaust is all in the ears of the beholder. Goodluck with your choice
 
#5 ·
I have the Mach Shorty with Kooks mids. Not obnoxious in normal driving, good on the expressway. Get into it, and people will know you're there.
 
#7 ·
I have the Mach shorty w/high flow cats and I love the way it woke up the car! My butt dyno definitely notices a difference. With the radio off, I'd almost swear that I can actually HEAR the air going through the exhaust now! And it's not a leak, already had it checked by 2 different shops. I went unbalanced because I like the sound of the exhaust on the car & think Solo makes it sound like it should have new ... IMO obviously. It's cold & snowy here today, but I'll try to make a vid with my iPhone later this week to post up here.
 
#10 ·
I guess the real question was Balanced v Unbalanced.
Best I can tell from others is that the balanced has a smoother, tamer rumble.
 
#12 ·
I have the Mach shorty unbalanced on my gxp. When I called solo to ask questions about unbalanced vs balanced they told me the sound volume is about the same between the two with the unbalanced being a little noisier of the two. The difference between the exhausts was that the balanced would help with the sound when the motor transitioned between 8 cylinders and 4 cylinders. The balanced would smooth the sound out better than the unbalanced. If you're going to tune out AFM I can't see there being much detectable sound difference between the two.


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#14 ·
I have the unbalanced shorty paired up with pacesetter longtubes,and everyone tells me it's pretty loud..IMO it's not loud enough cold start is pretty fun though! On a serious note the unbalanced will give you a more choppy sound,almost as if you can hear each side of the motor...balanced will even it out
 
#15 ·
Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the Mach Shorty the loud system that Solo makes?

I have the Mach Shorty on my G8 (after calling Solo and saying to send me the loudest system lol) with HFC's and I love the sound! I personally don't think it is loud enough, but I also have never heard my car at WOT while not in the drivers seat, but from inside it sounds awesome!

I have had many people I know say that the exhaust is very loud though lol.
 
#16 ·
to add sound, replace manifolds with long tubes.

I guess most of the info here has already been raised ... but I'll add that the unbalanced verses balanced is a sound pulse pattern issue (like a cammed car verses a well-mannered car, ever so slight unique bank sound at certain RPM's) ... I far prefer unbalanced and have had that on my car the longest, and I've tried them all.

Sorry I'm late to the party but I was off the grid for a little while there. If anyone is still unsure, ask away and I'll try to give further help. Notice my signature... :)
 
#17 ·
Too be honest i would go big or go home. Get the Mach shorty, especially if you are not going to get the HFC's. The Drone is nothing, after reading what i did regarding the noise and then hearing it for myself i couldn't believe they even mentioned it. There really isnt any drone so on that note get the Mach Shorty as it is just a bit louder. And Remember the J pipes in the back really quiet the car down a lot inside. When i got in the car right after they were installed it still wasnt loud enough for me. I Got the Solo HFC's about 6 months later. Hope this helps
 
#18 ·
Judging by the pics on Solo's website:
1) The balanced has a chrossover/H-pipe.
2) The Shorty has a shorter mid-muffler.
3) Didn't see an "unbalanced" set-up, but I assume it's the one without a crossover/H-pipe.
4) Is there an X-pipe that takes the place of the mid-muff? Be it with or without headers. I hear of a lot of folks eliminating the mid-muff.
If I could come out cheaper buying an X-pipe and axle-backs, that would be nice.
 
#22 ·
I love my exhaust set up (see signature.) Very tame while cruising, and very aggressive when on the throttle. I've also heard the car drive from a different vehicle and you can tell it's got something going on lol. Turns a lot of heads and I get a lot of compliments.

The key is to mate either system (balanced or unbalanced) to a pair of longtubes. Best sound and performance for sure.
 
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