Stephens: I did not understand you when you stated a built in muffler,cross pipe and tubi. Are you referring all of this to the middle section muffler or are you referring to the rear mufflers as the tubis? I just referred to my parts manual and I see a small canister just behind the cats which the manual refers to as the central muffler. Then two piped branch off of that and continue on to the rear cans which is where my tubis are now. I have heard through the grapevine that your car is really loud. Are all the 550's that way when you replace the rear and middle mufflers or only yours due to your choice in pipes? One guy posted earlier stated about a full tubi car that sounded apacolyptic. I am wondering just how bad it is? My car is already red and draws enough attention. The last thing in need is a car that sounds like it is running open straight pipes, although I bet it would run good)
Apocolyptic is a good description and sums up my car right now. That is why I would suggest having a small muffler built into the test pipes to replace the cats, which is what I intend doing.
I still say the tubi rear boxes produce an uncomfortable and unnecessary boom, and as such the stock rear boxes are far better apart from the considerable weight difference. Also, the VERY CONSIDERABLE expense of the Tubi is money firmly flushed away in my opinion. But it does look nice. I don't see a muffler in the cat pipes being very practical to install/fabricate... the cats are a complex shape. I see some small silencers built into a Mk5 center section... basically a Mk3 as per photo here with silencing installed AFTER the exit from the siamese, in the short straight section. But as stephens car has proved... if the cats stay installed, the extra silencing is totally unnecessary, unless you want a full stealth approach. Image Unavailable, Please Login
So..., if I already have the $$$$$$ and boomy tubi, and don't see any logic in going back to the HEAVY stock rears, now what? A Mk. 5 and a.....?
Well then, the )( pipe I make has reduced the boomyness of Stephens car considerably, but not completely, so you will be better off. But for those 550 owners with completely stock exhaust currently, I say DONT waste the $$$$ on the Tubi rear boxes, leave the stock ones alone, fit ONLY a centre pipe...tubi, stebro, quicksilver, mine or whoever, and save money, get a better noise and gain real power. But it's up to you. I can't feel the weight difference a Tubi rear box set makes when driving the car, but I do know the boom is annoying. They do look nice though, and they are beautifully made.
The std mufflers, even wired open are still too quiet and lacking in real tone IMO. What you need is what I have now, but 25% quieter.
But you haven't tried the std boxes with the )( pipe. remember, the )( pipe is not JUST a siamese scavengeing power increaser.. it also REMOVES the centre silencer
I have tried x-pipe with standard mufflers, x-pipe with mufflers made by the guy in Sydney (unbearably loud, even with cats left in place), straight pipes with resonators replacing central muffler etc, so lets just say, I've done a fair bit of messing around already.
Test pipes, x-over in the pic earlier in this thread and Tubi. At a track day last week, the 550 is still quieter than a 360CS (85db at 30metres V 88db at 30metres), but sounds MUCH nicer IMO. I now find myself driving with the drivers window open at tracks with concrete barriers and walls, so I can listen to the car. Sounds ultra tough coming down the gears too. I was going to get a set of small mufflers incorporated to quieten it down a bit, but I haven't been pinged for being too loud at three track outings so far and I love the sound,so I might just leave it until track management cracks it.
Better than Tubi for power, very heavy though. Each std muffler weighs over 20Kg. I'd suggest you talk to some of the US guys about Cargraphic etc. Tubi is way over priced and over rated IMO.
Stephens ............ I already have tubi's with an x-pipe on my 550 ....... put the tubi's on first ..... then six months later the x-pipe. Adding the x-pipe really gave me more of the note I was looking for at higher rpm's. My question to you was .... what do you think about the x-pipe with standard mufflers? I did it the other way around and was wondering about this combo .... does it give you a better tone and elavated sound level (over stock)? Did you like this combo, or is the rear muffler replacement a must, with or without the x-pipe. I'd like to keep the overall sound and tone of my current setup ... but wouldn't mind a slight reduction in idle rumble and volume. Thanks,
Stephen and Phil, With the installation of the Quicksilver test pipes, do the oxygen sensors go right back in without modification? I have a 550 with the Tubi "race" type rear section (small tubular with perferations) and am interested in the MK3 )( center section and the test pipes. Is there any need for ECU recalibration with that setup? Thanks, Paul
I would recommend you reconsider. The car would be too loud, even for many race tracks. My car with Tubi's (box silencer) is only legal at full race meetings. At track days I drive past the sound meter on part throttle, so I'm not booted off, for excessive noise. Without an ECU reprogramme you will also get the check engine light.
The oxy sensors should go back in without mod... in theory, but on stephens car they fouled the bell housing and needed re-alignment... but I'm assured any future pipes wont need that. ECU will be safe without mod, but you'll get the check engine light, and I think there is a little more to be gained from an ECU tweak. Stephen is right about the noise with the cats removed... RACE CARS ONLY, or fit extra silencing.
can we look forward to )(-shaped Christmas presents from you? MK3, MK4, Mk5, who cares, as long as it's an )( ? yours for better audio, James
Ha ha.. Yes, I've just got one more race this weekend, then my schedule gets back to normality with only one final endurance race in December. I'll do my best...
Has anyone tryed the Quicksilver siamesed center section on a 550? Are there any pluses or minuses between it and the MK3 of Phil's? Paul
I'm (one of?) Australia official QS agent, and I haven't even seen thier sports centre section for 550, but I belive it isn't siamesed, it's just open. It retails for GBP880.
