Has anyone changed the tips on their RB muffler? That stainless look doesn't do anything for me. Why would they build chromed headers and presilencers for the 1st gen and then leave the only part everyone see's (the muffler tips) that cheap "stainless" look? Lookin for feedback from anyone who has replaced the tips with something functional and a little easier on the eye's (and no, not the 4" fart tips). Maybe there's a reason they did it this way? Welcome your input!

 

Probably because it's has a cheap chrome-like look. I like the way they look.

 

Stainless steel is functional and good-looking, much better than chrome in my opinion.

 

OK - I agree, they are functional, but good looking.... ??the stock tips on my GSL-SE set up are good lookings. Don't get me wrong, it's a solid muffler but for the price they charge for this muffler, you would have thought they would have put out a little better on the tips

 

Mine arent SS anymore...They have a yellow hue to them from the heat...And my bumper is tuning colors . Its a white car, but now in a little area, its like tan from the exhaust...Either the heat or the physical exhaust, I dont know which...

~T.J.

 

If it is stainless and you want shiney then polish it! Stainless is way better than chrome any day. You can polish it to look chromed but it will never rust. Why would you want chrome if you have the real thing?

 

TJ, I have a red bumper on my car that's turning black smoked in that area, so it's probable the exhaust gas and not just the heat. Maybe they should have made the tips slightly longer??? I'm not sure, but I don't think the stock Mazda mufflers are doing this to the bumpers!? Anyway, if I clean the car each day (no I'm not gonna do that) I might be able to get rid of the smoked stuff, but I'm not sure.

 

With the VW Beetle, those chrome tips would only last one winter season and then they'd rust out. If you want chrome tips, maybe you can get some from an auto parts store.

 

The stock mufller on the GSL-Se has chrome tips and they hold up very well. There's cheap chrome and then there's the good stuff - for the price of this muffler, you should be getting the good stuff.
On the topic of polishing the steel tips on the RB, they are brushed steel - very difficult to bring out any kind of shine - I don't see how you could "Polish" them

 

Are they stainless steel? I don't have one, so I do not know. If it is, it is polishable. It will take some work, some polishing compound and a buffing wheel. And the benifit to doing this work would be that it will last a whole lot longer than any chrome tip.

 

it's a 70s-80's car, and personally, i think the RB exhaust looks great on it. RB changed something over the years because my brother has had his system since '87 and there's no changing of color in the muffler area of the bumper (and his tips extend a little past it) and from rotormotordriver's pics from a few months ago, i noticed that the tips seemed to have lost the resonators in them, plus their shape is slightly different. i don't know ... when i get mine, i'll see for myself.

however, given a choice between SS and chrome, give me SS any day of the week!

 

Well, I know my stock tips on my '80 are SS, because I recently polished the hell out of 'em. Regular steel CAN be polished, but will rust almost immediately, which makes me wonder about the RB tips being non-stainless steel. Seems they would rust very quickly if they were. Update: Just checked my old Mazdatrix catalog and it says that the tips are indeed polished stainless steel, so there you go. -Mike

 

Mine came polished, and when they get discoloured I just hit 'em with a blast from the wand at the carwash and they're right back to sparkling again

 

OK - must just be me. I find the RB tips to be very dull and non-descript. From what you guys are saying, these tips may have changed since I last bought this muffler 4 yrs ago. At that time they were like a brushed aluminum "look", although you could tell they were a stainless (kind of like your kitchen sink). Polishing didn't look like an option. I going to call RB and see if there have been any changes to the tips over the years - and, based on the pic in their web site (although it's tough to see), they do look a lot better than they used to. Thanks for the feedback..