Well, its fitted!
The chap who did the work at Unique Exhausts is a top bloke and he's done a fine job. Really neat! As for the sound...
Well at idle it is a little bit louder, and sounds throatier. Blip the throttle and you can hear that its definitely no longer standard! It sounded OK at a standstill, I blipped the throttle a few times held the revs at idle, 1000, 2000, 2500 and it was louder than the OE exhaust but not overpowering.
But as I have found out, the sound produced at standstill, and the sound produced whilst on the move and under acceleration, are two different matters! Up to 1500 revs its rorty, sounds a bit like the Skyline down the road from me but obviously considerably quieter than that car. In the mid-range between 2300 and 3900 it becomes a lot louder under acceleration and half-throttle. I found that on the way home down the M6, cruising at 80 in 5th, that it is too loud for my own tastes. Its not deafening but its about 3 times louder than standard as an estimate. At 70 the story is pretty much the same, just a slightly different pitch.
Once above 4200 revs, the VVT must kick in because then it sounds brilliant
and is only a smidge louder than standard. The exhaust note changes completely as the revs rise up to 6500 (didn't take her any higher) and the resonance at 80mph is gone. Cruising at 90mph is much better!
In town speeds, in gears 1 thru 4 and speeds of up to 40mph everything is quieter than up at motorway speeds, although it is still apparent that the Polo doesn't have a standard exhaust any more! Again under acceleration the exhaust is a fair bit louder than standard but it quietens down once you come off the throttle, or hold the car at 30 or 40mph.
I bet you're thinking to yourself, after all I've said about having a quiet exhaust, why on Earth have I gone and had it made louder than the OE system? Its quite simple really. If I had started out with a quiet-as-possible system, and then found that IMO it was too quiet, there isn't a lot that can be done. However if its too loud, it can be quietened down with relative ease.
I'll be going back to Stafford to have it made quieter, it needs to lose about half of that noise at 80mph if I'm honest. I can still hear the radio but its just that at that precise point in the rev band the new exhaust resonates throughout the car. D'oh! The only way to find these things out is by going for a drive though, as I said at standstill the character is somewhat different.
Sorry for the essay
and thanks if you just made it through all that, I wanted to give as good an account as possible FYI! If anyone wants to meet up and have a listen you are welcome but I think it will be going back next Friday or Saturday for some muffling (which has already been offered by the chap at the Powerflow garage).
As he said, his definition of "a little bit louder than standard" and my definition, are probably (and understandably) quite different!
however the fact that the new system will be stainless steel will make it louder just on its own (mild steel absorbs the sound more?)...
