sports or standard

[retromadness123]

Hello guys need so help deciding, basically I have a mk1 golf gti, and the exhaust needs replacing, at the moment it had a peco big bore,done by the previous owner, but I was wondering what to go for I seen sportex exhausts on ebay or shal I go back to standard, it has coil overs and deep dish bbs wheels so just need peoples opinions on what will be nicer many thanks all help appriciated

[ChasR]

Sportex are OK and can last a few years. But they are not always the best of fit and they are loud. Pretty loud! You do get what you pay for.

I'd recommend stock but I've rarely had an aftermarket exhaust or OE equivalent from Timax, Arvin Meteor etc. last me any time on a car. This is why most of the cars tend to end up on sports exhausts.

If it were me I'd either get an exhaust custom made up or get something like a Jetex system ; they tend to be decent but quiet, especially if you can get one in Stainless.

[retromadness123]

The current one I have is a peco big bore and that's pretty loud, does pop and stuff but I'm now leaning more towards stock it be more subtle and not sound to bad when driving lol think I'm getting old

[Deleted]

Unless you have done other tweaks to the engine spending money on a 'sports' exhaust is just a waste of cash, all you are doing is making the car louder and possibly even losing power.

[duggers]

Disagree with 1300dolly to the extent that if you buy something decent and make the necessary adjustment to the mixture which is very simple on k-jet you will get better throttle response as the gases are moving out better. I agree that what you won't get is much if any power gain.
I fitted a Jetex system on my last rocco (1.8 8v k-jet) and it definitely improved the response.
You can get really good gains with a cam and ported head even though these engines aren't crossflow.

A good quality standard system is always a good option as it will work as intended and sounds quite lively on these at revs anyway without 'shouting' like cheap after market ones

[ChasR]

Mar 24, 2017 21:22:37 GMT @1300dolly said:

Unless you have done other tweaks to the engine spending money on a 'sports' exhaust is just a waste of cash, all you are doing is making the car louder and possibly even losing power.

I'd normally agree but IME I have never had or neither have my friends had a stock system last any length of time. That and not all sports systems are made the same.

Examples?

-Focus 1.6 ; The Arvin Meteor backbox was rattling by 8,000 miles/a year. Funny how the warranty is a year...
-Pug 306 GTi-6 ; shot within two years ; I fitted a Jetex in the end ; it was quieter than what I removed!
-Same for a 106 GTi as above.
-A friend went through 3 (yes, 3!) Timax backboxes on his Clio 172 in the space of 20 months! A genuine silence and all is fine 3 years on ; it was however £90 for just the backbox.
My 172 was the same going by the receipts ; part of the reason I bought the car was that it had a stainless system.

The stranger thing? The pattern systems were louder than the genuine items despite being an 'OE' manufacturer. My custom system was quieter!

While I like a cheap and stock solution I also hate doing jobs twice or as a mate in my example , three times!

I do know on a Golf the Jetex systems are quiet. But they are not the easiest to fit ; the system is all in pieces ; Hence my suggestion for a custom system.

[retromadness123]

Thanks guys, I had a look at the exhaust and its had a 4-1 branch manifold think its a Ashley, then it has a short length of pipe connected to the middle pipe then finished off with the peco big bore,the original had a manifold then a down pipe then middle section and back box,I'm bit confused about it all now,I think I would get a stock back box and remove the big bore as its shot plus last owner has made a mess I seen he had rivited a plate on to the exhaust and dumped load of gun gum around it, I opened the casing and its completely hollow , to my knowledge don't there be some sort of wool fibre in these rear boxes , but it defo needs to go, its a complete mess, I then gradually see how the rest of the system is I can see some silicon around connections and the weight of the exhaust has broken a few rubber hangers lol wish me luck looks like this is going to be a long one , but a stock back box for around £30 is my first call as its bad