UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

PhilGTi wrote:Sorry to burst your bubble, but i was reading some reviews on Club Lupo and a good few people found that power was lost after fitting an after market exhaust on there GTi Lupos, it seems the exhaust is tweeked for best performance because the engine is already highly tuned. (supposed to be 100bhp and is from the golf)...

Just thought id let you know

Cheers Phill. Hence why my system will be made to the same spec as standard just maybe with a baffle removed for a bit of extra noise 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?)...

Cool plan! Yeh thats exactly what im after, apparently having different back pressure reduces the performance! I want something that just sounds better but is very subtle.. Might give powerflow a phone.

Nope, no tailpipe. I want the new system finished behind the bumper just like the standard system.

Si, when you getting your exhaust

oscar olop gti wrote:Si, when you getting your exhaust

At a guess, I would say 04/02/2006

Redline wrote:

oscar olop gti wrote:Si, when you getting your exhaust

At a guess, I would say 04/02/2006

Heh heh. Yep, 8 days to go!

Well poke me in the eye, didn't see that under the picture

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!

hmmm sounds good mate, i think u'd get used to the noise after a little bit of time but i know wot u mean, it can be very annoying having that sound just at the rev range where u wish to be holding ur speed!!

If it's resonating at 80, just drive at 90 instead.

Problem solved

Redline wrote:If it's resonating at 80, just drive at 90 instead.

Problem solved

So it seems. I'd like to keep my license though

Anyway, I've asked a few people and taken a few mates out for a spin and generally, the consensus is that I need to leave it a few weeks to settle in and get some deposits built up from engine emissions etc. Them the sound will naturally become a little quieter. The chap who fitted it says its best to leave it a few weeks before deciding on changing the centre section so until the end of the month, when I have some time off work, I'll keep it as it is.

Its only really when using half or full throttle (or anywhere between the two) that the exhaust makes itself known, I actually like the new note that it produces at idle and low revs!

Yeah, wasn't the most practical of solutions I know

But no I agree with making sure you get it right. My Dad fitted a Prodrive backbox to his old Impreza as it wasn't loud enough. End result being it resonated so badly at motorway cruising speeds that you needed earplugs for travelling any distance.

Was almost disappointed that VW fixed my exhaust when it started blowing. I was looking for an excuse to fit a new system.

Well, after today I think it needs to be quieter! I took a work mate for a spin around town and at one point came to a standstill in traffic opposite some parked cars. When I started to move away I blipped the throttle a little... and one of the parked car's alarms went off!

Need a quieter centre section I think. I'll try and get a sound recording of it before it gets changed though to demonstrate the volume.