[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
RE: 4kq exhaust
Eban,
I'll send you this post I did a long time ago.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eric,
Borla doesn't make a "system" per say, just for the 4kq. They do
have a muffler that will fit it however. FIrst you need to decide what
you want and how much you WANT to spend. My whole system ran about $375
installed. NOt bad when you consider the price of almost 1000 bucks for
an OEM system, and $675 for a Scorpion or something like that. Keep in
mind that if you want the power, it will be louder. IF you want power
gains, you need to upgrade the whole system to 2.5" piping from the
2.25"
stock size. Do this from the CAT back. Secondly, you need a straight
through muffler design. The Borla si one of the best. (If you want
quiet souond for the track then there is a procedure for modifying a
DynoMax muffler to be quiet and fairly good on the street, but take out
a plug and it is straight through for the track.) Third, I wanted long
life so I chose Stainless steel. Borlas leads the industry in this
dept. So, I got a Borla, 2.5" muffler from Audi Volswagen Specialists
in
Chehalis Wash. Max is the car guy there. Shipping takes FOREVER
though.
I'm sure there are many other dealers that would me more than happy to
help. Just make sure you get the right length of pipe.
Anyhow, I ditched the center resonator in favor of power. A
friend replaced it with a Borlas as well. At $170 apiece, that was too
pricy an option for mee. Probably don't lose much more power but more
money is a big deal for me. Anyhow, Stainless piping is expensive, as
is
Mandrel bending which also thins the metal. If you want Mandrel bent
Tubing then go with stainless but with a 2.5" exhaust on a basically
stock
engine, I dont thing you need it if a good installer does the work.
That
is key however, have a good installer do the work! Make sure you
specify
quality over price! And watch/warn them about the kink at the rear
where
the piping must go into the muffler. IT is a 180 degree bend and is
tricky to do right! MAKE SURE THEY DONT KINK THE PIPE THERE. If you
are
going to mandrel bend something, that would be it. Anyhow, then hang
the
system well and add a tip of your choice, or run it straight out for the
FUNCTIONAL LOOK, which blends nicely with the older bodystyle of my car.
OH, almost forget. If you dont use Stainless piping, at LEAST use
Aluminized Steel piping. It is generally heavier gauge and lasts much
longer too. Looks nice too. The shop I had do the work used this as
standard which was an indication of quality to me. Many other places
charged extra for it or said they didn't work with it much. I looked at
some of the work that the shops had done to pick my shop. Turns out
they do a lot of custom installs for the Hot Rod crowd. The piping and
labor cost me $160 bucks. Plus the price of the muffler.
As far as power gains go, I DID notice a power gain. NOt in that it
is much faster, but the power band is extended much farther up into the
power band now. I have power all the way to 5,500 rpm now. As before
it died much before that. At lower elevations, I bump off the Rev
limiter much easier now. I never did it before because it was such a DOG
up high, now I do every once in a while. To complement the exhaust, add
a K&N filter. I love them and they sound great when on the gas.
As for the sound of the Borla, well, its loud. NOt obnoxiously so,
(unless you drive around town in 1st and 2nd gear) :-) but it is
loud. I like the sound of it. It is nice at idle, and when you hit the
backroads, the sound is OH so Pleasing. I love listening to the engine
spin as I work it up and down while I scream through the twisties. At
55-60 mph it causes a low resonance in the car that gets annoying
afterawhile but it goes away if you speed up. If it is too loud, you
can always add a second Borla where the old resonator used to be! ;-)
Well, Erik, I hope this was a help to you. I am VERY happy with my
system and dont think it is possable to get such a quality job for such
a cheap price any other way. (Unless you own your own shop that is) If
you are looking for power and a good, robust sound, this is the way to
go. If you want a quite highway cruiser, go with a quiter muffler, or
two of them.
BTW, if there are enough lister who want exhaust systems for their
4kq, I could probably get the shop to make copies of my system and we
could ship them off. Pick the muffler of your choice and install it.
Just a passing thought. If anyone wants pics of my exhaust then maybe I
can get some and put them on my web page. L8R
Todd Phenneger aka: Zarati
1984 4000s quattro / New Red Paint
2.5" Borla SS Exhaust / Boge Turbo Gas Shocks
15" Wheels & 205/50 ZR15 Bridgestone RE-71s
Undergoing a Turbo Conversion :)