Larini 4-2-1 manifold, how does it compare?
Discussion
Hi everyone
I don't post on here very often but in this case I'm wondering if you guys can offer any opinions since I've had no response to this question on SELOC or MLOC.
I want to buy a 4-2-1 manifold for my standard S1 Elise with a view to preparing it for some decent power upgrades most likely from DVA Power. I have a Janspeed sports exhaust plus a decat and a Hurricane filter and my next induction/exhaust mod is going to be the manifold.
I have been looking around on various sites at the different manifolds available and I have seen the Larini Sports Manifold on Elise-Shop. This is the only 4-2-1 that I don't seem to be able to find any reports on, but I know Larini exhausts are well thought of. The Eliseparts own manifold is nice to look at but very expensive and I don't care about aesthetics since the manifold is hidden away as soon as you install it.
Does anybody have any experience of the Larini manifold compared to the Piper/Janspeed/Eliseparts equivalents? I'd be very interested to hear about them.
Many thanks
Graham
I don't post on here very often but in this case I'm wondering if you guys can offer any opinions since I've had no response to this question on SELOC or MLOC.
I want to buy a 4-2-1 manifold for my standard S1 Elise with a view to preparing it for some decent power upgrades most likely from DVA Power. I have a Janspeed sports exhaust plus a decat and a Hurricane filter and my next induction/exhaust mod is going to be the manifold.
I have been looking around on various sites at the different manifolds available and I have seen the Larini Sports Manifold on Elise-Shop. This is the only 4-2-1 that I don't seem to be able to find any reports on, but I know Larini exhausts are well thought of. The Eliseparts own manifold is nice to look at but very expensive and I don't care about aesthetics since the manifold is hidden away as soon as you install it.
Does anybody have any experience of the Larini manifold compared to the Piper/Janspeed/Eliseparts equivalents? I'd be very interested to hear about them.
Many thanks
Graham
I cant comment on the larini, but when I was tuning up my K series (I had a DVA head/cams etc at one point running about 160bhp) I found the manifold (mine was a Piper 4-2-1) made next to no difference with that level of tune on stock ECU...well it certainly wasnt worht £500 + fitting etc to gain about 2bhp and 3 lb/ft
unless you are going for a 180-200bhp K series then i wouldnt waste your money - just get Dave to tidy up your current manifold (he usually does this anyway) when he does your head.
I did back to back RR runs with various mods from stock + sports cat, induction, exhaust, cams, big valve head and manifold...out of all of them, the best bang/buck are cams and big valve ported head - you can get 155bhp just with those...the rest will give a couple of bhp each at best.
If i was doing it again, from a std 120bhp car, then Id just go head/cams/exhaust/induction, get 160bhp ish and leave it...any more is serious dosh which could be better saved up to put a different engine in there.
unless you are going for a 180-200bhp K series then i wouldnt waste your money - just get Dave to tidy up your current manifold (he usually does this anyway) when he does your head.
I did back to back RR runs with various mods from stock + sports cat, induction, exhaust, cams, big valve head and manifold...out of all of them, the best bang/buck are cams and big valve ported head - you can get 155bhp just with those...the rest will give a couple of bhp each at best.
If i was doing it again, from a std 120bhp car, then Id just go head/cams/exhaust/induction, get 160bhp ish and leave it...any more is serious dosh which could be better saved up to put a different engine in there.
Hmm, thanks for the advice. In that case why do so many people buy 4-2-1 manifolds? I'm all for spending money on the bits that count, but it was my understanding that if you get porting done/big valve head then you need to get more air both in and out of the engine hence the need for a bigger throttle body (52mm or DTH) and a 4-2-1.
I would like to get around 160bhp to start with, but wouldn't draw the line there. 200bhp would be great eventually. This is never going to cost the £10k that a Honda/Audi would cost which I can't justify in one lump sum.
Thanks
Graham
I would like to get around 160bhp to start with, but wouldn't draw the line there. 200bhp would be great eventually. This is never going to cost the £10k that a Honda/Audi would cost which I can't justify in one lump sum.
Thanks
Graham
people buy them (like I did) because they think it will make a big difference...it does, a bit..but not noticable...certainly not £700 noticeable by the time its fitted/wrapped etc if you are paying someone...the std manifold dosent really get restrictive until you are like 180bhp+
like I said, I know people running 180bhp on DTHTBS with Emerald etc and they still dont have a 4-2-1 fitted
you are looking at about £4K to get 180bhp if you pay someone to do it...160bhp is the sweet spot on £/bhp ...once you want 200bhp (semi reliably - say 20-30K between rebuilds for road use) then you have to crack the engine and replace everything...at which point you may have well have saved your cash and put a bog std 220bhp Honda in there that will do 100K miles +
...im speaking from experience here - theres no cheap way to get 200bhp out of a K series, and when you do, it isnt going to last...it seems more easy to afford doing £500 here, £1000 6 months later on cams, £2000 on a head job, etc, but when I count all the money I spent on tuningt he K series originally (interspersed with new gearboxes, 3 head gasket failures and a few other repairs), i could have paid for a Honda if Id saved my cash for 2 years......
if you do get one, spend £50 on a RR run beforehand, then get it fitted, then go back and do another £50 on the RR and see what the difference is and come and post it up here...I did a few years back and was very disappointed.
im not saying dont do it...just trying to explain that you can spend £2K on bolt on bits to get 10bhp, £4K to get to 180bhp and still not be happy, then you end up selling it all for £1500 (if you are lucky and you havnt killed it by then) and going Honda anyway
like I said, I know people running 180bhp on DTHTBS with Emerald etc and they still dont have a 4-2-1 fitted
you are looking at about £4K to get 180bhp if you pay someone to do it...160bhp is the sweet spot on £/bhp ...once you want 200bhp (semi reliably - say 20-30K between rebuilds for road use) then you have to crack the engine and replace everything...at which point you may have well have saved your cash and put a bog std 220bhp Honda in there that will do 100K miles +
...im speaking from experience here - theres no cheap way to get 200bhp out of a K series, and when you do, it isnt going to last...it seems more easy to afford doing £500 here, £1000 6 months later on cams, £2000 on a head job, etc, but when I count all the money I spent on tuningt he K series originally (interspersed with new gearboxes, 3 head gasket failures and a few other repairs), i could have paid for a Honda if Id saved my cash for 2 years......
if you do get one, spend £50 on a RR run beforehand, then get it fitted, then go back and do another £50 on the RR and see what the difference is and come and post it up here...I did a few years back and was very disappointed.
im not saying dont do it...just trying to explain that you can spend £2K on bolt on bits to get 10bhp, £4K to get to 180bhp and still not be happy, then you end up selling it all for £1500 (if you are lucky and you havnt killed it by then) and going Honda anyway
I've got a Larini 4-2-1. I just did it as part of a complete Larini system because I'm in NZ and freight is such a killer that if I was ever going to do the 4-2-1 thing it made sense to do it at the same time as the rest of the Exhaust. As said, it'll only be a 2-3BHP difference so in isolation, it won't make much difference. The Larini's probably not quite as good as a solid (non-flexi) manifold, but it's been good enough for my car. With a full Larini exhaust and a Hurricane + throttle body my car's now making a genuine 135bhp on the stock ECU.
I wrote all this in the present tense, but should have written it in the past tense as the car's now sold
But yeah, if you want to, do it... it'll make a bit of an improvement, but don't expect it to work miracles.
I wrote all this in the present tense, but should have written it in the past tense as the car's now sold
But yeah, if you want to, do it... it'll make a bit of an improvement, but don't expect it to work miracles.Okay, you've put me off the idea sufficiently thanks 
I've just bought a 52mm Trophy 160 throttle body and silicon hoses to free up the throttle a bit, that's a worthwhile upgrade over the plastic one I reckon, so maybe I'mm just get the DVA 160 upgrade (K13A) during the next 12 months and be done with it.
There's just no way I can justify a Honda install as much as I would love one, that's like buying the whole car all over again and it took me three years to pay for that! What I'll probably do is tune my car to more acceptable power levels around the 160 mark, then if (when) I get itchy feet in the future and assuming I have the cash I will just buy a second higher power car, maybe one with a Honda already fitted. I don't want to let go of my S1 you see, it holds a lot of sentimental value and it's one of the rarer colour combos.
I've just bought a 52mm Trophy 160 throttle body and silicon hoses to free up the throttle a bit, that's a worthwhile upgrade over the plastic one I reckon, so maybe I'mm just get the DVA 160 upgrade (K13A) during the next 12 months and be done with it.There's just no way I can justify a Honda install as much as I would love one, that's like buying the whole car all over again and it took me three years to pay for that! What I'll probably do is tune my car to more acceptable power levels around the 160 mark, then if (when) I get itchy feet in the future and assuming I have the cash I will just buy a second higher power car, maybe one with a Honda already fitted. I don't want to let go of my S1 you see, it holds a lot of sentimental value and it's one of the rarer colour combos.
Edited by GreyKnight on Sunday 5th August 10:19
GreyKnight said:
Okay, you've put me off the idea sufficiently thanks I've just bought a 52mm Trophy 160 throttle body and silicon hoses to free up the throttle a bit, that's a worthwhile upgrade over the plastic one I reckon, so maybe I'mm just get the DVA 160 upgrade (K13A) during the next 12 months and be done with it.
There's just no way I can justify a Honda install as much as I would love one, that's like buying the whole car all over again and it took me three years to pay for that! What I'll probably do is tune my car to more acceptable power levels around the 160 mark, then if (when) I get itchy feet in the future and assuming I have the cash I will just buy a second higher power car, maybe one with a Honda already fitted. I don't want to let go of my S1 you see, it holds a lot of sentimental value and it's one of the rarer colour combos.
I had the K13 kit and a 52mm body - made 155bhp and was V nice to drive and probably the best VFM upgrade i ever did on a £/bhp ratio I've just bought a 52mm Trophy 160 throttle body and silicon hoses to free up the throttle a bit, that's a worthwhile upgrade over the plastic one I reckon, so maybe I'mm just get the DVA 160 upgrade (K13A) during the next 12 months and be done with it.There's just no way I can justify a Honda install as much as I would love one, that's like buying the whole car all over again and it took me three years to pay for that! What I'll probably do is tune my car to more acceptable power levels around the 160 mark, then if (when) I get itchy feet in the future and assuming I have the cash I will just buy a second higher power car, maybe one with a Honda already fitted. I don't want to let go of my S1 you see, it holds a lot of sentimental value and it's one of the rarer colour combos.
Edited by GreyKnight on Sunday 5th August 10:19
Dont certain K variants need back pressure across the 'zorst ports to operate efficiently? If that is true then you are going to have to develop a "choke" in the zorst system at som place, it would seem the most efficient place would be the manifold.
Just speculation, please correct me if I am wrong.
Just speculation, please correct me if I am wrong.
chorlton said:
I have a Janseed 4-2-1, seems to give a bit more low down torque, can feel the difference. Though my old manifold / downpipe was knackered which necesitated the janspeed buy.
Same here.Had to replace my original following a crack.
Car seems to pull better (especially in the midrange)than other 111s, but definetely not worth the extra £££.
I'll be looking at the K13A in the next 12 months too. Getting some driver training (from Plans Motorsport) first though, as I think it'll help me out a bit. Have you had any driver training? Not my place to tell you that you need it, but most people on here/ SELOC say it's a good thing to do, particularly if you are upgrading your car's power.
Also, I'm about to change my S1 exhaust for a Janspeed Roadsport but have been warned that if I get an induction kit as well then I might have problems with noise at some tracks. Any idea what your current db rating is? Ever been turned away from a trackday?
Also, I'm about to change my S1 exhaust for a Janspeed Roadsport but have been warned that if I get an induction kit as well then I might have problems with noise at some tracks. Any idea what your current db rating is? Ever been turned away from a trackday?
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