Has anyone had any luck with black paint sticking to the exhaust tips? I painted mine but the sticky tires put out so much grit on them that it didn't take long for the paint on the lower part to wear off. Maybe powder coating would be more durable?

 

Black tips make the car look unfinished
Black tips reminds me of the OEM exhaust, with the chrome trim pieces removed

For myself, I hated the ugly chrome cans on my system, it looked tacky to see all this chrome at the back of the car, like I was trying to bring attention to the new exhaust. So after a year of hating it, I had the cans sandblasted, and then I painted them with several coats of flat black heat paint, nothing special, whatever they had at Pep Boys. It has been 4 or 4 years now, and that includes track events, and they still look great.

Say goodbye to the ugly chrome cans and hello to just chrome on the tips

 

^^ That looks great!!!

 

^^^ Thanks.

I have always love big double walled chrome OVAL tips, but as you know the AP1 had round tips and holes in the lower bumper. It took me a lot of time and patience, but I just used a dremel tool and cut out part of the black bumper section, and now my AP1 has oval holes and tips.

Honestly, I did not think the paint would hold up as well as it has, so for sure, the secret was the fact that I did spend the few extra bucks and got them sandblasted first.

 

The irony is, typically you don't really see the muffler cans, which is a good thing, but finding a pic for ya is a bit tough, because all ya see are the tips.

 

I say leave it mirrored if its in any sort of good condition. No matter how cool flatblack will look, to the untrained eye its gonna look cheap as shit, especially when it cracks and peels. Now if your exhaust is beat anyway, go ahead..

 

I think if it's done right, and on the right exhaust, it can look very good. I'm a huge fan of the canister being black, and the tip polished. Very OEM look. I've thought about doing this to my ASM single.

 

I painted my Q300 "Y" pipe and cans black. I have thought about doing the tips too.

 

When I had the T1R EM exhaust the first thing the officer said when he pulled me over is I saw the shinny can and that gave me probable cause to pull you over. He gave me a fix it ticket, I changed out my exhaust had it signed off and sold the exhaust. When I go back to a single, the first thing I do with it will be painting the can black and leaving the tip polished.


Brings a lot less attention to yourself, even if it doesn't have all that shinny mad bling bling yo!!!