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MG MGF Technical - Which Exhaust/Manifold combo?

Hi folks,

I have a red P reg 1.8VVC with black hardtop which has currently done about 30K miles. I put the K&N kit on it about 1yr ago, which was great. The car is superb however, the exhaust is starting to pop and now I have the excellent excuse to buy a performance exhaust system! :-)

Therefore I was wondering if you guys had any idea about which exhaust gives the best bang for buck in terms of looks, sound and power!

Also should I go for an exhaust and manifold combo, stainless, etc Do you know of anywhere in the SE that can fit them and also do a bit of porting to the head at the same time! I want to unleash this baby!

Any help will be much appreciated

Cheers RichieR
Richie

Richie

If you want the loudest exhaust then get the trevor taylor...

If you want looks, then MikeS Daytona quad or the Janspeed, I personally have the Janspeed with a cat bypass tube and that is very loud

If you haven't already get some cat saver nuts from MikeSatur you will need them....

I got local Charlie Brown garage to put my Janspeed on
originally purely because I was on the original bolts
and it took them a couple of hours to free (good job we had already agreed the price first!)

-matt
M66 MAT
matt

As for manifolds, (and I presume it is the same across the Elise and F) you could do a lot worse then the Exhausts By Design version or a QED one.

They really are worth fitting.


Simon.
Simon

Simon, Is there a web address or tel # where can I get the manifold/exhaust combo.


Cheers Richie
Richie

http://www.exhaustsbydesign.com or co.uk I forget.

cost me 350 quid I think. don';t bother emailing them tho.



Simon.
Simon

Some time ago, somebody posted alink to a wild looking manifold, i can't even remember who it was. I would like another look at hte manifold though.

Hopefully be the description of wild, hte person will recognise it. cos it was wild as wild could be (well as wild as a bunch of bent pipes could be)

Matt

For sound*...

Trevor Taylor Fxtreme - "My ears are bleeding, but i love it!!"
Mike Satur Daytona - "Split personality, keeps a low rumble at low speeds & a higher pitched wail over 4500 rpm"
SP Supersports** - "Loud F-one like wail, plus pops & crackles"

For looks...

Mike Satur Daytona - "Interchangable tailpipe finishers in different styles (2 or 4 pipes), fully adjustable design to ensure a perfect alignment"
SP Supersports - "Nice big bore DTM style tail pipes, adjustability limited to height only, can cause melted bumpers by poor alignment & is also tricky to fit"
Trevor Taylor Fxtreme - "Looks pants, but i understand that it is possible to remove standard tailpipe finishers & fit off the shelf items"

For Power***...

Mike Satur Daytona - "+5.0bhp"
SP Supersports - "+3.7bhp"
Trevor Taylor Fxtreme - "+2.8bhp"

* = Noise levels can be roughly doubled by fitting a cat bypass tube
** = MUST be SP version, Miltek (the manufacturer) produce a number of different specifications each has it's own volume level
*** = Independant exhaust tests carried out by members of this BBS (including me!) & published in MG World #15 February/March 2000

OK, the above selection is based upon your initial criteria & the results of the exhaust tests we carried out. The Double S (MGOC) exhaust system is not included in the above despite it coming third overall in our test because IMO it does not meet your "sound" requirement.

The exhaust system is made up of 4 main components - The exhaust manifold, The "flexi-pipe", the Catalyst & the silencer. The above items are all silencers (& by this definition, they don't do a very good job!). There is also a power cat available & a cat bypass tube & they have an effect on the sound (change in tone & doubling of volume respectively). They do not make a lot of difference to the power outputs however. There is a stainless steel flexi-pipe available from Mike Satur (which i have), the main benefit being longevity. And i believe that Mike is also currently working on a new exhaust manifold which should give performance gains & reduce heat build up in the engine bay.

Hope this helps.

SF
Scarlet Fever

But I still think 4 exhaust tailpipes on an MGF is very ridiculous. The car just doesn't look too muscular enough to justify 4 exhausts, esp. when it fires up. In other words, it smells 'fake' from a long distance.

MY OPINION
Dirk

If you don't want Mike Satur's exhaust with quad finishers, then he'll sell you one with fabulous oval Porsche-a-like finishers- check out his web site.

Nice summary Matt & Andy :o)

The manifold question is interesting- and thanks to Mike Bees for the info he's provided me. Unfortunately, nothing is known as regard to the advantages of 4-2-1 systems on an otherwise standard engine, but the torque gain on a VHPD engine is impressive. Worth checking out IMO.

PS Price of a new exhaust circa 300-400 UKP. Price of a 'trick' manifold circa 400 quid.

Rob
Rob Bell

>> But I still think 4 exhaust tailpipes on an MGF is very ridiculous. The car just doesn't look too muscular enough to justify 4 exhausts <<

But they mirror the styling of the F-ONE light clusters, 4 circles above & below...

Aesthetically, whether they make the car appear too powerfull or not, they look good IMO, especially with the F-ONE rear lights.

SF
Scarlet Fever

Stu's told me of a parallel thread on the Elise BBS regarding manifolds. Checkout:

http://www.british-cars.co.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=lotusbbs&mode=thread&access=&subject=2001&source=T&thread=200102252346521738

Very interesting...

Rob
Rob Bell

Has anyone come up with a decent replacement manifold yet? does the Lotus one fit the F?
Tony Smith

>> But I still think 4 exhaust tailpipes on an MGF is very ridiculous. The car just doesn't look too muscular enough to justify 4 exhausts, esp. when it fires up. In other words, it smells 'fake' from a long distance.

For once I agree with Dirk ... 4 pipes = fake ... if you've got the performance to back up your 'maxed out' *F* then no problem. Its the equivalent of those 'suped up' Novas or even a Renault 5 with Boxster style xtra wide bore exhaust (seen a couple of those recently).

Understated/subtle style is what the *F* requires.

Gaz
Gaz

With only two pipes some people have asked if mine is a V6. Four pipes does not always suggest muscle, it suggests cylinders, four pipes would suggest a V12. This in turn will usually turn out to mean muscle though :-)

I think this is one for Roger, fitting a V12 in an F now that would be a challenge. Is a K-V12 on the cards?

No, it's just for those who have a Ferrari fetish. Like those who want a polished metal ball on a stick to change gear :-).

NO, NO, don't mention the Ferrari like (Fiat) rear lights (sorry just thinking to myself)....Doh!
Tony Smith

Interesting question Gaz, and one I intend to find out about fairly soon (ideally before the 60k mile service). The answer is hypothetically yes- but there may be some detail differences in the length of the primaries and secondaries that might adversely influence the suitability of fitment to an MG.

The most pressing issue in my mind is the lack of a flexipipe: a proper 4-2-1 manifold has secondaries that appear to extend under the engine and only merge just before the catalyst mounting flange.
This appears not to be a critical issue on the Elise, but on the heavier MGF, the torque reaction may induce sufficient movement to severely shorten the life of the manifold, manifold flanges and even the exhaust system mounts. I maybe overstating the problem, but I would be glad to hear of other people's thoughts on this subject.

Rob
Rob Bell

...& 2 DTM style "baked bean cans" (a la SP) doesn't look fake? Especially when it starts up & a Formula 1 like wail emerges from the car. Personally, 4 smaller tailpipe finishes looks more in keeping with the car than 2 "dustbuns" poking out through the rear bumper IMO, why do you think i sold my SP? Trust me, i live in Essex & if anyone has ever been to Southend on a "cruse" night, with millions of 205 GTi's, Renault 5 Turbo's, Golf GTi's, XR3i & RS Turbo's all fitted with the latest crap sounding drainpipe exhausts then an unusual four pipe system, with a crisp, deep note smacks more of genuine performance than the muffled drone of Peco's or Janspeed "headache inducers".

I live in the "tasteless custom cabrio" capital of the world. "Dazza 'n' Shazza" sun visors, Escort cabrios & Golf GTi's as far as the eye can see. Essex is probably the only county in England where they think you are a tourist if you havn't got fluffy dice hanging from the rear view mirror!! Scarlet may not be at the top of many peoples "best looking F" league table, but in Essex, she is head & shoulders above the personalised convertables in the taste stakes, due in part, to the quad pipe exhaust.

SF
Scarlet Fever

This thread was discussed between 26/02/2001 and 04/03/2001

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