After mulling over the wide variety of systems for the VB, I decided I wanted to go single exit. I wanted a well built exhaust, an aggressive sound that was on the louder side, but not obnoxious to the point my neighbors hate me. So I took a gamble and went with the Borla Atak that has very little in the way of information about it on the internet.
To start, it arrived in perfect condition, with perfect welds all around and clean, smooth bends. The muffler and axle back are one assembly, with a mid pipe, and a front pipe that connects to the factory flange. This means only two clamps are used, and the borla front pipe mates perfectly to the factory flange without an adapter.
Install was easy. Doing it on my garage floor with the rear jacked up, rolling around on a creeper, it only took me about an hour. However, the fitment between the axle/muffler section and midpipe was extremely tight. It was quite a struggle to get them fully seated together, not aided by the fact that I used exhaust sealant as well. Otherwise, the hangers were in perfect position and it took minimal adjusting to get everything aligned as needed.
Once installed, the tip pokes out just a bit past the rear bumper. In borla's own images, the tip appears to be fully recessed/flush with the bumper. Either that's simply how mine was cut, or I had some extra room left between the axle/mid sections. Either way, I happen to like the look of the poke that's there, there are no leaks, and there is plenty of clearance between the tip and bumper to avoid any melting.
Now, how does it sound? Pretty much like Borla's video. A bit more rumble in person, but otherwise the video is quite representative. Cold starts are obnoxious, as they always are on this car, but the idle is pleasantly deep, and very tame. Under 3k revs are definitely noticeable, but not ridiculous. Once you pass 3k and especially are making boost, it opens up quite a bit and is only a little quieter than an unmuffled system. When shifting past 5k at WOT, it pops and bangs quite a bit, with occasional pops and burbles on downshifts at lower rpms. This is not what I'd call a gentleman's exhaust, so if that's what you want, look at the s-type.
Finally, drone. For my purposes I am specifically referring to the bassy resonance that can occur on certain systems, in certain gears, at certain rpms. NOT the sound of the exhaust humming away without resonating the cabin. The absurd whole car booming that occurred on cold start with the stock system is gone. The actual note of the exhaust is noticeably louder, but the bassy reverberation is gone. Around 2k in 5th and 3k in 6th there can be a tiny bit of drone if the engine is under slight load, such as when going uphill with cruise control on. Otherwise, there is little to no drone. The exhaust however is always audible to some degree, but it quickly blends away when listening to music at a moderate volume. In cabin it is still easy to have a conversation, so long as you aren't romping on it.
Overall, I am very satisfied with my choice, and enjoy the look and sound. If you want a single exit that's just a little quieter than say an AWE track, but louder than their touring, this fits the bill. It won't piss off your neighbors too bad, so long as you don't live on top of them.
Also, the pops and bangs make me giggle - 10/10
