again?! (and muffler ???'s)

[Ken Keith <auditude@impulsedata.net>]

She's driving me into the arms of an A4q 1.8t!

Yesterday I said it was ridiculous, today I don't know what to 
say.

I went to the post office today, like yesterday, and on the way 
home, my idiot lights start coming on dimly!

I get home and pop the hood, "Hi, how ya doin'?", the alternator 
belt is sitting on top of the alternator, like I dropped it down 
there from the top or something.

Granted, the belt probably got pretty tweaked from driving around 
with it _behind_ the pulley, but did it turn into a rubber band or 
what?  Why is this thing coming off?!

After it cools down a bit, I'm going to go to the local parts place 
and pick up a new belt.  Then I get to come home and undo what I 
just did to get there, and put the new one on.  Anyone wanna give 
me a ride?  How about that guy in the metallic grey Coupe GT that 
I saw going the other way today, "What's up man!"

<sigh>  Two days in a row, like it's a head game.  Plus, I got the 
'98 A4 brochure next to my bed.

I'm starting to actually think about getting an A4q, and keeping the 
4ksq for the mess-around car.  I can take most of my upgrades and 
accessories back off the Coupe. <hrm...>  And I should do this before 
I spend another $600 on the Stebro...

If I don't get rid of it, and do get the Stebro (as was the plan not 
30 minutes ago), I have a concern about their mufflers.

Their mufflers are a hollow chamber design with no baffles.  The 
sales guy described it as an open chamber 90% the size/dimension of 
the exterior shell.

Does this sound good to you guys for power?  I would think that if 
the exhaust path suddenly got large and then small again, that it 
would create turbulence that is not good for flow or HP.

This is where I'm at, aside from the bigger question.  I'm not 
particularly impressed with the Scorpion, because of its 
non-stainless mounting brackets, and little pipe to a big tip setup.  
Plus, I'm feeling ripped off by TAP lately due to the urethane 
bushing fiasco, _and_ they don't answer their email very promptly or 
well.

I called around today to muffler shops to see if they do mandrel bends, 
and they all said they didn't think anyone did it IN THE STATE.  My 
gut reaction is to open a muffler/speed shop that does mandrel bends.
Corner the market!

I doubt if BB Triflo is interested in doing a Coupe exhaust, and besides 
they're even more expensive than Stebro or TAP!

Stebro is willing to custom make me a 2.5" system if I be sure to tell 
them/order it by next Monday.  They are running another batch of Coupe 
exhausts, and that's the time to get in.  I want to get 2.5" (I think)
because I plan on having a big valve head and 4ksq EM later. (am I
wrong?)

The only problem is I don't know if I like their mufflers!

Does anyone have any idea about whether their design is good or not?  
You can see what the outside of their mufflers look like at:

http://infoweb.magi.com/~andypet/aq400c.htm  (center 4kq section) or
http://infoweb.magi.com/~andypet/aq400r.htm  (rear 4kq section)

Please help!  (That post about the person saying he loved his car but 
was gonna get a new Audi because he could afford it and he was tired 
of all the nit-picky stuff going wrong really struck a nerve with me 
today.  Uh..., I don't know what to say or how I feel...) 

I can pretty much afford one myself, but... <AAAAARRRGH!!!>

Ken
-- 
http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/garage/4153/