James Saunders Posted September 19, 2001 Share Posted September 19, 2001 Has anyone upgraded from the standard side exit k-series exhaust to the competion one with the 4 pipes exiting side of car ?? whats the noise difference like and also any power increase?? cheers Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Gillet Posted September 19, 2001 Share Posted September 19, 2001 My understanding is that it does not make any difference in terms of power, will make you deaf...but looks so cool... Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmar Posted September 19, 2001 Share Posted September 19, 2001 Jimmy - first off I have the standard exhaust (due to error on my part when ordering DOH!), but from what I understand, you will not see gains of more than a few BHP if you keep the rest of the engine the same (either in standard form or SS mode) and this only if you remove the cat. However if you are planning upgrades later such as DTB's and programable ECU then the standard exhaust is one of the first things to be junked, and can be a major factor in BHP and torque as for noise doubt this would be much different if going through the same silencer. I am sure someone with far more knoweldge than me could tell you why rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberts Wallet Posted September 19, 2001 Share Posted September 19, 2001 Jimmy, I've just changed to the 4:1 and am well pleased with the end result. Looks better, has a more pleasing note and does feel better when overtaking in 3rd gear (or just might be me smile.gif). Also I can now go on track days as it's been measured at 95dB at Castle coombe last Tuesday. Cheers Gareth Edited by - Gareth Harrold on 19 Sep 2001 17:55:07 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted September 19, 2001 Share Posted September 19, 2001 You will get significantly more mid-range with the long primary competition exhaust, regardless of any other mods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V7 SLR Posted September 19, 2001 Share Posted September 19, 2001 Yep, and the cat does very little in the way of restricting. See Exhausts By Design web site for ways of adding long 4-1 and 4-2-1 primary/secondary pipes to the standard silencer. A very cost effective way of upgrading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Tipp Posted September 20, 2001 Share Posted September 20, 2001 if you are planning to do any other upgrades then get the 6 inch silence not the 5 inch one. That way you will keep the noise levels down. T 1 PPB - Superlight "Well yes officer I'm not arguing, it's just that [insert excuse here]..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Saunders Posted September 20, 2001 Author Share Posted September 20, 2001 Thanks for info chaps.. Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted September 21, 2001 Share Posted September 21, 2001 Hi folks See this months CCC with Black Tuscan on the front for details of exhaust tuning on Mike Bees cars. dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Gillet Posted September 22, 2001 Share Posted September 22, 2001 Yes indeed , very interesting article. I definitively would like now to fit a long primary 4-1 exhaust. (I guess the Caterham standard competition exhaust would be OK ) but need to keep the cat. Can "Exhaust by Design" do it? Cheers, Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Gillet Posted September 23, 2001 Share Posted September 23, 2001 Peter C., "You will get significantly more mid-range with the long primary competition exhaust, regardless of any other mods." Would your note encompass a stock 1.6K engine too ? I would like to get more torque at low RPM's to cope with the traffic without having to rev too much the engine. Cheers, Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP Posted September 23, 2001 Share Posted September 23, 2001 I'm looking to do the same upgrade - have a 1.6K SS. I put up a posting a few weeks ago about this "simple upgrade for 1.6KSS" on techtalk and got a very imformative response. I have spoken to Exhausts by Design and Powerspeed in Kent. Advice has been the same from both - 421 for increased midrange, 41 for improved low range torque and some small gains at the high end if the engine is to be further modified. For a standard SS they both recommended a 421. The problem is I'm down in the southwest these places are in Milton Keynes and Ashford respectively, and they say they need the car for at least 2-3 days. As I do have to work for a living it is proving logisitically difficult. Does anyone know of somewhere in the southwest where I can take the car for the measuring stage then drive away and then return for fitting? JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Gillet Posted September 23, 2001 Share Posted September 23, 2001 ...and I am located in the Paris region... How much do a 421 cost? do they retain the cat? Cheers Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP Posted September 23, 2001 Share Posted September 23, 2001 I've been quoted around £350 to have a stainless steel manifold made and fitted to my cat'd silencer. However as mine's kit built I'm tempted to go for a whole system (cat-less) about £500. James Edited by - jp on 23 Sep 2001 14:00:53 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Gillet Posted September 23, 2001 Share Posted September 23, 2001 Yes I am tempted too. The Caterham competition exhaust looks very good I think.And You just need to order it.. and then fit it yourself. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP Posted September 23, 2001 Share Posted September 23, 2001 Pierre, I wasn't referring to the Caterham supplied part. Although I've never examined it closely, I am told that the Caterham part is not as well made as those specifically made for you by some these other independent specialists (and the price is almost the same). Also, while fitting the exhaust is fairly simple, enlarging the small round hole in the body to accommodate 4 pipes may not be. I have seen many pictures of cars where this has been done very badly and it really affects the overall image of the car. Just something else to consider... James. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Day Posted September 23, 2001 Share Posted September 23, 2001 Just fitted the Caterham 4-2-1 with 6" box. Not too difficult to fit but had to enlarge the exit hole which took most of the time. Good excuse to by a Dremell. Tried it at Bentwaters this W/E & although have no reference figures the car certainly feels quicker. Reason for change: old box had blown most of its stuffing therefor wanted quieter system with hoped for more power. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilyhands Posted September 24, 2001 Share Posted September 24, 2001 Whereas as I would normally recommend a custom made manifold to an exact spec. (I've used EBD and Powerspped amongst others and they are excellent), Pierre is not ideally placed geographically and his car is probably LHD which gives a couple of logistical problems, if his car were RHD a friendly UK based owner could have a manifold tailor made and ship it out. As things are the Caterham long manifold is probably best as it's a guaranteed fit, that's if it's available for a left hooker. Oily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted September 24, 2001 Share Posted September 24, 2001 Pierre, My comment was only really that the standard exhaust is in my opinion a *fault* that needs to be fixed. If you get any of the caterham variant competition exhausts you will see a significant improvement in drivability. I am yet to be convinced that there is significant advantage from the 4-2-1 on a standard 1.6. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Gillet Posted September 24, 2001 Share Posted September 24, 2001 Well Oily , I am puzzled. What is the difference between a RHD and a LHD car exhaust? Since the engine is oriented the same way, I thought that the difference would be that the driver of a LHD will get deaf while it would be mostly the passenger of a RHD... Peter, thanks for your input. I noticed that cylinders 1 and 2 on the one hand, and 3 and 4 on the other hand of the standard Caterham 4.1 are connected in a very short Y, prior to their junction into one. It seems not to be the best set up according to the article in CCC.It seems that "junction" on the competition Caterham exhaust is perfectly symetrical. JP, that's good to know. Well I agree carving the side panel must be scarring... Cheers, Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilyhands Posted September 24, 2001 Share Posted September 24, 2001 Pierre the differences are i) the presence of a pedal box and associated cabling ii) the presence of the steering column and shaft. These both make life difficult FWIW I agree with PC on the long 4:1 making a big difference even if it is not the ideal configuration because it has to be better than the quite awful short 4:1. I think a 4:2:1 could be persuaded to work well on the 1.6 if the primary and secondary tube sizes were chosen correctly. Oily Edited by - oilyhands on 24 Sep 2001 16:55:54 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Gillet Posted September 24, 2001 Share Posted September 24, 2001 Oooops, I had forgotten the driving column shaft! You are absolutely correct, I noticed that Caterham had been obliged to ovalize one of the primaries of my Seven to clear the shaft. This certainly does not help... So I have to check with caterham if their competition exhaust would clear the shaft. Cheers, Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Prescott Posted September 24, 2001 Share Posted September 24, 2001 Ooops, I'm all over the place now Edited by - john Prescott on 24 Sep 2001 17:27:37 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Gillet Posted September 24, 2001 Share Posted September 24, 2001 ...a fast learning curve! In fact I sould say steep! Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted September 25, 2001 Share Posted September 25, 2001 Caterham do a specific LHD competition 4-1 for the k-series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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