Exhaust upgrade Opinions - NB8A

[devski]

Ok so, Next up for my NB8a is exhaust.

If someone could throw some opinions at me that would be great. I dont want a huge ricer drone, im just after a slightly louder deeper meatier sound than stock, other than that its performance over sound.


I was thinking about the full kit on mania but they dont really give many details on it.
Has anyone got this kit and can provide some information?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Jamie

[Mr Morlock]

if you are in Melb then Town and Country exhausts in Geelong gets good reports for a fair price

[devski]

I live in tassie but Im happy to take the trip for the right system.
I'll give them a buzz and see what they come up with!
Cheers

[emexv]

I just had my local shop make me a 2.25 mandrel bent system with 15" resonator and steel high flow cat. They charged me $440 fitted. I mated it to a stainless Magnaflow straight through muffler which I bought off a forum member.

I can't stop driving the car now, it is so much more fun. The system is pretty simple so I can't see why you couldn't get something done locally.

[geofiz]

I had my local exhaust guru weave his magic.

Started with Hi flow cat, 2.5" mandrel bent with no resonator and new hiflo muffler. $330 fitted. Sounded great on the track, but was a litle bit droney on the highway. Fitted a 12" resonator, drone all gone, but sounds really good, and seems to have a little more poke.

[rascal]

I had my local exhaust guru weave his magic.

Started with Hi flow cat, 2.5" mandrel bent with no resonator and new hiflo muffler. $330 fitted. Sounded great on the track, but was a litle bit droney on the highway. Fitted a 12" resonator, drone all gone, but sounds really good, and seems to have a little more poke.

I could almost repeat the above word for word, (except change drone to rasp), as this is basically exactly to what I did to my NB8A.

Mine was way too raspy without the resonator (sounded like a 70s mini cooper.) and the inclusion of the resonator took the edge of the rasp without changing the sound level of the exhaust.

prob still a little too loud for me on the highway, but
a) it doesn't get used on the road very often,
b) I don't really have anything else to use as a fair comparison and
c) individual's noise level tolerance is very subjective.

[pcmx5]

NOT really hard to get a reasonable note in an MX5 but if you want proven gains in RWKW AND a good note that is a different equation. It may be the any steel cat(alhough a decent one does appear to be expensive compared to the figure quoted) , resonator and straight through rear muffler may produce more power but the T&C has been shown to take an NB8B from 72 to 84 (or was that 86 Chris h?).

You can also be like me and spend a heap of $$$ before finding a solution that satisfies both aural and performance criteria and doesn't drone.

AK-Perth where are you!

Peter.

[devski]

NOT really hard to get a reasonable note in an MX5 but if you want proven gains in RWKW AND a good note that is a different equation. It may be the any steel cat(alhough a decent one does appear to be expensive compared to the figure quoted) , resonator and straight through rear muffler may produce more power but the T&C has been shown to take an NB8B from 72 to 84 (or was that 86 Chris h?).

You can also be like me and spend a heap of $$$ before finding a solution that satisfies both aural and performance criteria and doesn't drone.

AK-Perth where are you!

Peter.

Theres an exhaust centre about 30 minutes away from where I live that has a decent reputation. Once the holidays are past i'll have a chat to them.

The note is definetly important but if I could get power gains like that just from an exhaust i'd be rather happy!

[rascal]

..... but the T&C has been shown to take an NB8B from 72 to 84 (or was that 86 Chris h?).
Peter.

Theres an exhaust centre about 30 minutes away from where I live that has a decent reputation. Once the holidays are past i'll have a chat to them.

The note is definetly important but if I could get power gains like that just from an exhaust i'd be rather happy!

i think the quoted example was a rare one. Its not very often you can get 12rwkw (16% improvement) from just an exhaust on an otherwise stock n/a NB.
Half that is probably more the norm...

[pcmx5]

Rascal,

You have some dyno results that prove your contention ? Obviously your opinion would be based on a comparison between a T&C set up and something else?

There are many cat, reasonators and straight through mufflers out there and they are not all the same and from my experience (now probably after 25 plus exhausts) the placement of the components is also critical.


A decent steel high flow cat by itself has made 4rwk or more on a number of different cars on a Dyno Dymanics Dyno.( Chris h and Johnd)

An NB8A fitted with the same exhaust but not a high flow steel cat made 8 RWKW on the same day( Leon w)!

Unfortunately I don't have the dyno sheets as i am not the owners but if I got their permission then i could probably get them from Dyson Automotive who performed the runs.

A couple of other guys also got similiar results at a dyno day i organised at Dysons a couple of years ago(including one guy who spent $1000 on a T&C and got almost as good a result as a another guy who had spent $3000 plus or so) so I can asssure you those sort of results are with reason, although individual cars e do differ greatly.

This is on a dyno that is consistent as per comparisons with 3 MX5 Vic Club dyno days (on Caulfield Jags, Dyno Dynamics Dyno)unlike that one in the North that seem s to be about 10% higher, not that there is anything wrong with that as dyno's are really about before and after comparisons.

I am not in any way saying that the T&C is the best set up and i have no financial connection with them but wasted heaps of $$$ seting up my exhaust and have now (pretty much by elimination/chance ) found something that seems pretty good and is backed by results.

Peter.

[Okibi]

If you want more than a "cat back" exhaust take a look at the SMB extended secondary and high flow cat - I think Mania stocks them.

[pcmx5]

Update of my last post that should have been "Dalton Automotive".

Conceed that 14RWKW increase is a great result and that you cannot guarantee it everytime(but there are many egs that are close) but half that means you have been ripped off by someone with no experience and/or dyno results.Sounds nice doesn't equal gain in RWKW, and many good sounding exhausts drive you crazy on the overun and at cruising speed.

Peter.

[ak_perth]

I recently decided to take the plunge into the "minefield" of getting a sports exhaust for my Clubman. I say minefield because there are just so many options and routes to go down. My Clubman's exhaust was stock apart from a 2.5 inch hi-flow Cat that the previous owner had installed.

After scouring all the posts regarding exhausts i was none the wiser so i PM'd Peter (aka "pcmx5") to ask his advice as he is clearly very experienced in this field. Peter was very helpful and told me what specs i should have. He said to go for a 12 inch hotdog perforated resonator, a hi-flow muffler and 2.25 inch pipe. I found a custom exhaust garage and they made the exhaust to my specs. I ended up going for all mild steel components made by Lukey Walker.

Peter warned me that if i was going to get a chrome exhaust tip fitted not to go above 2.5 inch due to the "boom" it might create. Unfortunately i kind of decided to get a 3 inch tip. When i drove the car home i was very alarmed to hear the "boom" Peter warned me about. It made my right ear hurt, the kind of pain you get when you're in a plane and it's coming down to land.

I took the car back to the exhaust garage and they said that the "boom" was due to the resonator being too short and it should be louvered not perforated. Louvered resonators are slightly more restrictive breathing wise, not so good for performance. I contacted Peter and he said that it was down to the 3 inch exhaust tip. At home I found a short piece of 2 inch plastic pipe and put that down the exhaust tip. I started the car and hey presto, no "boom". The large tip must have been acting like a trumpet, distorting the noise.

Anyway, i took the car back to the exhaust people and they removed the tailpipe with the welded 3 inch exhaust tip and replaced it with a 2.25 inch mild steel tailpipe.

The car now sounds perfect, just how a sports car should. Absolutely no "boom" or drone in any situation. It has transformed the car sound wise and it feels more revvy and powerful across the rev range. The noise the exhaust makes is rich and fruity, loud but not stupidly loud. I dont do a lot of freeway driving but the little that i do is perfectly durable sound wise.

I must just add that my car also has a Mania CAI which may or may not alter the exhaust note a bit.

Cheers all and thanks again Peter

AK

[93_Clubman]

Full Loch Stewart/ Garry Stewart system here. Headers are branded 'CES', who are in Brisbane - more info here: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=37008

[devski]

Cheers for that ak_perth, Sounds exactly like what I want!
Also the only shop down here with a good reputation use Lukey products!

I might just print your post off and throw it at them ^^

Much thanks to all who shared opinions