Does anyone run a Tanabe Medalion Touring exhaust on their car? Right now I have an HKS Hi Power Dual on my AP2 behind a Berk HFC. It might just be me and sensitive ears, but despite many great reviews saying little to no drone, I feel the exhaust drones a lot at 3-4k rpm. Cruising at highway speeds is fine, completely tame and quiet. However, I do my local streets driving at 3-4k. The HKS may not drone as much as some others but enough that it bothers me. I hear the Tanabe produces drone but only under 2k rpm, which totally fine with me. The car should never be anywhere near that rpm range anyways.

I'd love to hear it in person if anyone in the area has one on their car. I am located near Angel's Stadium.

Every non-OEM performance exhaust has drone somewhere in the rpm range. Certainly every affordable exhaust. I don't doubt several thousand dollars will get you one that's whisper quiet and adds a few ponies of power.

My Tanabe Medalion Touring dual exhaust behind a Berk 63.5mm high flow cat has minor drone on initial startup at idle speeds (like pulling out of my garage) and in the 2000 rpm range during deceleration. Literally none above that rpm range. Tanabe claims 93dBA noise levels and I measured mine at no more than 94dBA behind the high flow cat. Not sure the OEM noise level but the Invidia Q300 exhaust that resided on my car -- for a month! -- was in the 105+dBA range and especially painful in the 3000-4000 rpm range where the Tanabe is very livable. I made a pair of 600 mile/day trips in June in the 4000 rpm band and was never bothered by the exhaust noise. Once warm the Tanabe idles so nicely quiet she gets compliments when we're idling thru football game traffic.

You need to hear any exhaust from the driver's seat. Roof up and down. Warm exhaust. Notes here claimed the Q300 wasn't loud but they were wrong! So don't take my word on the Medalion Touring as gospel for your hearing.

-- Chuck

Wow thanks for this awesome review.

I was planning on getting the Q300 instead of the Medallion because it's few hundred dollars cheaper. Also I've searched and read several threads saying the Q300 isn't that loud so I figured there wouldn't be much difference in noise level between the 2. But 10+ decibels is a huge difference. Definitely getting the Medallion.

I can't compare the Medalion Touring to your HKS Hi Power. All I can tell you is where it has some drone on my '06.

I took a couple hundred dollar loss by buying the Invidia Q300 exhaust based on "its only a little louder than OEM" reviews here. If "a little louder" involves blood dripping from the ears, scrounging for ear plugs, and headaches, then it's only a little louder. Only the blood part is an exaggeration.

First Saturday cruise with my wife and catching her facial expressions in my peripheral vision -- and fingers in her ears! -- was enough to convince me the exhaust might have to come off the car. "It's fine if you like it." was her response to my question as to how loud it was. You know the Code! That convinced me the exhaust had to come off the car NOW! Took a week to get the Tanabe Medalion Touring dual from California. 30 minutes under the car and the swap was completed as all the hard work of removing the 1-piece OEM exhaust had already been done. Swapping a 4-piece system was dirt simple.

I took the dollar loss to price the Q300 to sell. I maybe could have got more money for it but I wanted it gone! And it was in less than a week. I delivered it half way to the new owner who had the OEM cat where the exhaust may sound different.

Hear any exhaust inside the car where you'll be.

-- Chuck

Thanks for the detailed response, Chuck!

I know all aftermarket exhausts will drone but if the Tanabe only does so at around 2k rpm then I am completely fine with that. I don't think the car has any business being at 2k rpm for long anyways. Most of my street driving is done at 3-4k rpm where other exhausts, and my HKS, tend to drone at. Now I just need to find someone in the area with one to give me a ride so I can hear!

I'm in Irvine. Paired with OEM cat and AEM V2. Installed it a few months ago.
I don't really notice drone. Idle when warmed up is quiet like stock.
Q300, HKS, and the Tanabe Medalion Touring were my options but after reading about the Q300 drone, I just spent the extra money for the Tanabe (Moddiction with the best price on these).

It does seem a bit quiet sometimes but I didn't want anything too loud in the first place. Fitment is really good too. Just hated the amounts of white smoke coming out from the oil from factory burning out.

If you can find one, the Greddy SE Single is pretty quite when you're in the lower RPMs. With the OEM cat, drone is around 3-4k, with a TP there's none.

The Tanabe white smoke is gone in a few days.

Single exhausts just "don't look right" to me on this car even though a few can provide some extra power and maintain a "gentlemanly" exhaust note.

The BADASS2000 up in Toronto is currently running the Medalion Touring to meet the noise limits of the Canadian tracks. When it's running that is. Some sort of misfire around 7000 rpm.

-- Chuck

I will be ordering the Medallion soon.

Currently I have the Ballade Sports headers and 70mm HFC. I was reading a couple of posts by Gernby that having a bigger hfc paired to smaller exhaust pipes will cause drone. I am just hoping that will be minimal.

I've had a few s2's in the past and all of which had the touring medallion. I really like that exhaust and am not a fan of single nor loud exhaust systems. It's a solid choice imo.