Custom exhausts to achieve a sporty exhaust note?

[p1tse]

Off the shelf would be easiest for most such as milltek but there's no denying the expense and premium

Would you go custom?
The thought of the benefits would be style choice and fitment, although there would be no research into it so unsure into noise type, potential drone, and effects on car performance / economy

Just thinking ahead as considering a s4 (2094 4.2 v8) but factory it sounds rather tame.
I wouldn't want anything which wakes the neighbours, drones at cruising speed or in cabin

Anyone gone custom with positives and negatives?

[TurboHatchback]

I had a custom stainless system made for my 560 SEC by Torque Technique in Salisbury. It was expensive but a beautiful job and the sound was delicious. No drone, a nice rumble at idle/low revs and a dirty, dirty noise at full chat . It's a lot of money to spend if your current exhaust is still functional though, mine wasn't and OEM parts were hideously expensive so I went for the custom option.

[Baryonyx]

I had a custom cat back system made for my 106 Rallye. I went to AAS in Newcastle and got something handmade in stainless steel to my specification. Built and fitted for marginally more than a premade item, but I was able to specify my desired volume and tone. I was very pleased with the result, though that's not to say I wouldn't get a stock item in future.

[ToothbrushMan]

Custom is an overused marketing tool for most exhaust shops.yes they will take a range of stock bends and silencers and weld em together but thats not custom.theres more to it......

[panholio]

In my experience they are all too loud and droney.

[R6VED]

I have a 5.0 V8 and it sounded rather tame as standard. I spent £100 having the centre resonator removed = perfect and cheap.

I didn't want a drone and at normal cruising speeds it sounds standard, only when you boot it does it sound like Thor gargling hammers :-)

I am considering removing the 2nd cats for even more, but am concerned it may then be too much.

Wifey has just picked up a 4.4 V8 X5 and it sounds meaty when started up, but very muted when driving :-(
I am not sure she will be keen to do the same :-)

[Tom8]

I have a Miltek on my S8. Sounds just awesome. Not normally a fan of mods but this one is one you have to do with the S8 as it sounds a bit lame with a standard system. It is also easy to live with too, quiet when you want a gentle waft.

[kambites]

ToothbrushMan said:

Custom is an overused marketing tool for most exhaust shops.yes they will take a range of stock bends and silencers and weld em together but thats not custom.theres more to it......

Worst type of exhaust IMO, at least on a non-turbocharged car, because they will usually have made no effort to tune the scavenging properly.

[BOBTEE]

I put a Magnex cat back on my Focus ST, purely for the sound, worked a treat

[LuS1fer]

I imported a set of expensive Corsa axle-backs (rear silencers) for my Mustang with lots of hype about design and resonance cancellation technology, blah, blah, blah. Pretty heavy and ended up being a bit too quiet.

So I went to our local Pro-Speed exhaust shop and had some axle-backs made up which were much lighter, a tadge louder and were just as resonance-free as the Corsas.

Resonance is generally generated by long pipe runs.

[triggerh4ppy]

ToothbrushMan said:

Custom is an overused marketing tool for most exhaust shops.yes they will take a range of stock bends and silencers and weld em together but thats not custom.theres more to it......

This..

Any weld shop can create a exhaust. Not sure if they are any companies any more who are able to creata an actual custom which has been tested for resonance at different engine speeds.

[p1tse]

Thanks
That's what I thought
Not truly custom and tested

Rather ends of metal bolted on together
Scrap that idea for now as wouldn't know what one gets from it
Think fine if you want looks and loud and potential drone at revs but I would want a tried and tested

[andy-xr]

I think in light of those posting about custom, perhaps 'bespoke' is a better option? I'm a fan of the Powerflow system options, but they're hugely reliant on the garage you use. I've had two of them, both on Quantums.

The first was a work of art, perfect bends, weld marks barely visible, just the right tone from the backbox and fitted like a glove. Guys asked me how much noise I wanted, whether that'd piss me off, quietened it down a bit and gave me options around the 'boominess' of it

The second, which is on the car I own has visible welding burns, has been bent so it pretty much lines up, but not as good as the first. It still looks alright and sounds good (I wanted fairly quiet and it's a turbo car) so I'm not complaining.

Price point was decent enough, I think it was less than £200 from manifold back.

Edited by andy-xr on Monday 24th February 09:36

[Sensibleboy]

Custom places tend to not use mandrel bends...they just bend the pipe and crush it in the process...unless you pay for an expensive one of course...