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Discussion
In 2009, I bought my dream car - a brand new Murcielago LP640. I Specced it just how I wanted it and put 21500 glorious miles on the clock over 5 years. I sold it in 2014 and have felt the loss ever since.
I’ve toyed with getting another Lambo and I’ve tried to find my old car a few times over the years to no avail.
I was 40 a couple of weeks ago and I couldn’t say what made me look on PH classifieds that day but lo and behold, an LP640 at Tom Hartley.....same colour.....same year......5000 miles more than when I sold it! Could it be?
A quick phone call confirmed my name was the first in the log book. I drove up 2 days later, put a deposit down and I’ve just driven her home today and she’s back on my drive way. I forgot how much I loved that car!
The chap who owned it after me, took excellent care of it and did 5000 miles in 5 years.
It changed hands again 6 months ago and the current owner has done less than 200 miles in the time.
He’s made some “alterations” that I need to deal with and I think it looks like I’ve saved the car from a lot of aftermarket customisation to come but so far it’s nothing too drastic and I think it can all be reversed.
I’ll post some pics in the morning if anyone is interested.
I’ve toyed with getting another Lambo and I’ve tried to find my old car a few times over the years to no avail.
I was 40 a couple of weeks ago and I couldn’t say what made me look on PH classifieds that day but lo and behold, an LP640 at Tom Hartley.....same colour.....same year......5000 miles more than when I sold it! Could it be?
A quick phone call confirmed my name was the first in the log book. I drove up 2 days later, put a deposit down and I’ve just driven her home today and she’s back on my drive way. I forgot how much I loved that car!
The chap who owned it after me, took excellent care of it and did 5000 miles in 5 years.
It changed hands again 6 months ago and the current owner has done less than 200 miles in the time.
He’s made some “alterations” that I need to deal with and I think it looks like I’ve saved the car from a lot of aftermarket customisation to come but so far it’s nothing too drastic and I think it can all be reversed.
I’ll post some pics in the morning if anyone is interested.
One of the things the last owner did was de cat the car. I did 150 miles in it today and it is so F****ng loud!
Anyone got any experience with any potential problems associated with this?
Carl suggested investing in new Cats from Capristo. Again any input welcome.
I understand it’s an MOT fail too so will need to get something sorted by July when it’s due.
The other changes are to the ICE. He put some lairy speaker covers with metal bulls on. I’ve got the originals so will probably get them put back on. New Pionneer head unit is fine as even the factory one was an aftermarket Kenwood so don’t think originality is a big issue.
There’s also a couple of new wires inside that I don’t recognise.
The new one has Apple Car play which is nice. No one can hear me on the phone though so I think there is a problem with the microphone.
The drive home was motorway but just kept smiling. So pleased to have it back and all the memories of the great drives I had before came flooding back. Looking forward to the next 20000 miles.
Anyone got any experience with any potential problems associated with this?
Carl suggested investing in new Cats from Capristo. Again any input welcome.
I understand it’s an MOT fail too so will need to get something sorted by July when it’s due.
The other changes are to the ICE. He put some lairy speaker covers with metal bulls on. I’ve got the originals so will probably get them put back on. New Pionneer head unit is fine as even the factory one was an aftermarket Kenwood so don’t think originality is a big issue.
There’s also a couple of new wires inside that I don’t recognise.
The new one has Apple Car play which is nice. No one can hear me on the phone though so I think there is a problem with the microphone.
The drive home was motorway but just kept smiling. So pleased to have it back and all the memories of the great drives I had before came flooding back. Looking forward to the next 20000 miles.
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Larry5.2 said:
Good to hear you got it back! I couldn't bear to ever be parted with mine...
I've got Larini sport cats with a Fabspeed exhaust which sounds awesome, but is still quite loud. Passes MOTs no problem. Sport cats with the std rear muffler box could be a good solution, or Fabspeed with std cats.... I had a Tubi on there before and that was louder strangely enough, despite being a substantial silencer box.
Thanks Larry, Thats really helpful. I don't mind loud but the straight pipes are quite warrbly and REALLY loud. Also don't fancy the fat every year for the MOT.I've got Larini sport cats with a Fabspeed exhaust which sounds awesome, but is still quite loud. Passes MOTs no problem. Sport cats with the std rear muffler box could be a good solution, or Fabspeed with std cats.... I had a Tubi on there before and that was louder strangely enough, despite being a substantial silencer box.
I've looked at the Larini site.
Is is just the primary sports cats that you have from them? Like these: https://www.larinisystems.com/collection/lamborghi...
Or do you have secondaries as well?
Fab speed I could only find in dollars
Is this what you have?
https://www.fabspeed.com/lamborghini-murcielago-su...
Pout of interest, any reason you didn't go for the whole system including sports cats for Fab Speed an decided to do part Larini and part Fab Speed?
Cheers,
LFB
Larry5.2 said:
Yes that's the one from Fabspeed. I called them up and they did a deal (pm me for more details).
I bought the car with the Larini primary cats and Tubi, but it was really loud and it droned around 2.7k rpm. Even though the Fabspeed has 2 token looking silencers, the X-pipe arrangement quietens it down.
What do you have as rear box?
Thanks. I’ll PM you shortly.I bought the car with the Larini primary cats and Tubi, but it was really loud and it droned around 2.7k rpm. Even though the Fabspeed has 2 token looking silencers, the X-pipe arrangement quietens it down.
What do you have as rear box?
I think the rear box is factory.
I did nothing to the car at all when I had it for the first 5 years.
I believe the chap who bought it also kept everything standard.
The last owner who only had the car for a few months is the one who started changing things. AFAIK, the only thing exhaust wise that’s different is the cats have been removed for straight through pipes. I have a picture of the cats that were removed. Please see below.
Given that nothing else has changed, I’m leaning towards the full fab speed system and get rid of the current straight through pipes.
Did you do the ECU remap from Fabspeed too?
If you buy the whole system they claim 52Bhp increase and 45KG weight loss.
I agree it’s strange. In all, he spent £13K on the car, drove it 100 miles in 3 months and sold it for less than he paid for it.
With the current straight pipes, will I physically have to take them out and replace the original cats just to get an MOT when it’s due in July? That seems like a real PITA.
With the current straight pipes, will I physically have to take them out and replace the original cats just to get an MOT when it’s due in July? That seems like a real PITA.
Larry5.2 said:
Strange that he would have changed the cats and not the rear box. Power and weight claims are probably a little high but not hugely. I didn't remap, but no doubt that could get the full power out of it... At least on my 580, the engine does not use an air-flow meter, so it just estimates air-flow based on throttle opening (and possibly inlet depression) so any improved breathing will be undetected.
That’s really interesting. I don’t know enough about the ECU but if wait you’re saying is true it could end that any power gains can’t be realised without an ECU reprogram to go along with a new exhaust. Larry5.2 said:
With a free-er exhaust you do get power gains even without a remap - engine works on a wide range of air-fuel ratio, but obviously can be optimised for power or emissions.
The primary cats are much more difficult to replace as the engine needs moving slightly.
The secondary cats are separate and bolt on before the back box. The replacement for these is also 'straight' pipes, and presumably they've been replaced too. I guess you could put these back to Cats, though I dont know if they pass an MOT - I guess they would.... Note that the Fabspeed rear muffler replaces both the Secondary Cats and Back Box.
Thanks for the explanation Larry. The only thing that’s been taken off the car are the Cats in the photo. I think they are the primary cats but I’m open to being wrong. Do you think they are the secondary cats?The primary cats are much more difficult to replace as the engine needs moving slightly.
The secondary cats are separate and bolt on before the back box. The replacement for these is also 'straight' pipes, and presumably they've been replaced too. I guess you could put these back to Cats, though I dont know if they pass an MOT - I guess they would.... Note that the Fabspeed rear muffler replaces both the Secondary Cats and Back Box.
I understand they’ve been replaced with straight pipes. I called SB Race Engineering as they did the work and they said that the last owner was thinking about a full replacement exhaust bud hadn’t pulled the trigger so the rest of the exhaust is completely factory standard.
At the risk of sounding stupid, I’m not sure I fully understand all the parts of the exhaust. I understand there are primary cats and then secondary cats then the muffler box then the tips. Is that correct?
There is a company in the States called Reid Performance who makes a DTP exhaust that claims to be the lightest available. There is a stainless version and a titanium version and he claims it’s 110lbs lighter than the factory unit! It replaces both the secondary cats and the muffler box.
The main thing he is known for is RWD conversions (a conversation for another day!) but he seems to be very highly regarded on a couple of forums and plenty of people using his kit.
Do you have any experience of him/the DTP exhausts?
AndyC_123 said:
Awesome, stunning car.
How did the price compare between what you paid originally vs what you sold it for vs now bought again, if it's not too personal of a question?
I don’t mind answering. I paid £64500 more than I sold it for.How did the price compare between what you paid originally vs what you sold it for vs now bought again, if it's not too personal of a question?
I reckon 6 years of maintenance and insurance would have eaten up half of that so all in all, I can live with it!
ThePrincipal said:
Lambo FirstBlood said:
Larry5.2 said:
Good to hear you got it back! I couldn't bear to ever be parted with mine...
I've got Larini sport cats with a Fabspeed exhaust which sounds awesome, but is still quite loud. Passes MOTs no problem. Sport cats with the std rear muffler box could be a good solution, or Fabspeed with std cats.... I had a Tubi on there before and that was louder strangely enough, despite being a substantial silencer box.
Thanks Larry, Thats really helpful. I don't mind loud but the straight pipes are quite warrbly and REALLY loud. Also don't fancy the fat every year for the MOT.I've got Larini sport cats with a Fabspeed exhaust which sounds awesome, but is still quite loud. Passes MOTs no problem. Sport cats with the std rear muffler box could be a good solution, or Fabspeed with std cats.... I had a Tubi on there before and that was louder strangely enough, despite being a substantial silencer box.
I've looked at the Larini site.
Is is just the primary sports cats that you have from them? Like these: https://www.larinisystems.com/collection/lamborghi...
Or do you have secondaries as well?
Fab speed I could only find in dollars
Is this what you have?
https://www.fabspeed.com/lamborghini-murcielago-su...
Pout of interest, any reason you didn't go for the whole system including sports cats for Fab Speed an decided to do part Larini and part Fab Speed?
Cheers,
LFB
These are the primary sport cats for an LP640...
https://www.larinisystems.com/collection/lamborghi...
As far as the rest of the exhaust, I like the look of this system:
https://lamborf
kinghini.com/collections/lamborgh...It does away with all the secondary pipes and the muffler box and is 110lbs lighter!
Ok, so Everyone I’ve spoken to has only got positive things to say about converting Murcielagos to RWD. I’ve met with 2 x owners who’ve had it done and heard from another 6 online all who have had it done and they have all said it transforms the car.
I’ve ordered the kit and I’m waiting for it to arrive. Larry 5.2 is a legend and has agreed to help me me fit it rather than paying someone!
It’s completely 100% reversible and it saves 75 Kg.
I’ll post some pictures if there’s interest.
I’ve ordered the kit and I’m waiting for it to arrive. Larry 5.2 is a legend and has agreed to help me me fit it rather than paying someone!
It’s completely 100% reversible and it saves 75 Kg.
I’ll post some pictures if there’s interest.
carspath said:
LamboFirstBlood …… lovely , lovely car . Enjoy .
Please could you elaborate as to why converting it to RWD transforms it in a positive way . It seems strange that Sant' Agata decided against doing a RWD version of the Murcielago .
The Principal : That was a really informative contribution
Please could you give us all a similar lesson on the 571 bhp , 6.2 litre version … I would really appreciate some further insight into the exhaust system of the earlier model variant .
Also , with respect to the 6.2 version , was the exhaust system identical in the Roadster and the Coupe ?
Thanks mate. It’s so nice having it back!Please could you elaborate as to why converting it to RWD transforms it in a positive way . It seems strange that Sant' Agata decided against doing a RWD version of the Murcielago .
The Principal : That was a really informative contribution
Please could you give us all a similar lesson on the 571 bhp , 6.2 litre version … I would really appreciate some further insight into the exhaust system of the earlier model variant .
Also , with respect to the 6.2 version , was the exhaust system identical in the Roadster and the Coupe ?
So every thing I have to say about RWD on a Murcielago is anecdotal and/or second hand because I haven’t yet completed my conversion. I’ve done lots of research and have spoken to a good number of owners and have seen 2 x converted cars and met with their owners for a decent amount of time.
One of them at least is on PH.
The pros that have been explained to me are:
Reduced weight - 75 KGs
Increased clutch life - approx 200%
Increased power/reduced power train loss
Improved low speed manoeuvrability
Improved handling
The con that has been explained to me is simply reduced traction.
An additional benefit of the conversion is it means other tyres can be fitted.
The Pirelli’s that come as standard are now 17 years old and tyre technology has moved on loads since then.
There are very few tyres that fit the factory rear wheels because they are 18 inches but very wide (335/30 )and that’s tiny by modern standards. There is a Toyo tyre that fits and it pairs with a slightly wider front than normal (which again would aid traction) which couldn’t be used with the standard 4wd set up.
Again, second hand only but I’ve spoken to owners and they say that the loss in traction can be more than made up for by changing the tyres so I intend to do that too.
The other thing is that the whole process is 100% reversible and if it don’t like it, I can put it all back with no permanent consequences.
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