Sports Exhaust ??

[REPLIC8]

Took my car out for it's first proper drive today, very pleased overall. However it is fitted with a nearly new standard exhaust of unknown origin & it sounds crap. The centre box sounds like an empty tin can.
I'm therefore considering replacing it with a stainless steel sports system, but mating it to a S/S standard downpipe as I don't want a tubular manifold. There are a few alternatives from the usual suppliers, so I was wondering have any of you fitted one of these systems and are they any good.
I'm not after any improvement in performance, just something that sound a bit sporty and most importantly something that fits properly.

Cheers, Andy [:)]



Andy
1981 TR7 FHC

[TR Tony]

Andy, back in 2007 the original mild steel system on my low mileage TR7 finally fell to pieces, so I got standard system in stainless, including the downpipe, from one of our usual suppliers as the replacement.

It wasn't a perfect fit, the garage that fitted it had to do a little heating & bending on the rear silencer pipework to get it all lined up, otherwise it was straightforward (once they had managed to get the original manifold to downpipe nuts/studs undone!).

In use it has been fine but it does have a different sound. From outside the car it sounds quite sporty but for the driver is best described as a faint metallic ringing noise especially when you accelerate. That probably makes it sound much worse than it really is but it is different to a mild steel system.

Tony

<font size="1">1981 TR7 FHC Cavalry Blue
1980 TR7V8 DHC Jaguar Regency Red - sadly sold!
1977 TR8 FHC EFI Factory development car Inca Yellow</font id="size1">

[FI Spyder]

Not sure how you can hear the center resonator, it should have a muffler after it. I fitted a Magnaflo SS muffler ($86 after discount) had a muffler shop weld it on as well as weld on my Thrush muffled exhaust tips that I liked the look of. That plus some additional tip hangers came to another $45. It's usually the muffler part that rusts out as it is the last part to get warm to expel any condensed water vapour so it sits in there to rust out so is the most important part to be SS. It sounds good yet quiet enough to drive all day without getting in the way. Can't get the tip any more but any tip you like will work, gives it a finished look as opposed to just a metal pipe sticking out. The muffler has rounded welded edges unlike most that are crimped giving a very well made solid construction.







- - -TR7 Spider - - - 1978 Spitfire- - - - 1976 Spitfire - - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra - Yellow TCT

[Hasbeen]

One of my 7s sounded OK when I bought it, OK but not great.

Not that long after I bought it the 6" or 8" tail pipe fell off the back of the resonator. Yes, bits do fall off tR7s. With the now slightly larger hole left by the departure of pipe, the thing sounded glorious.

With no time to go muffler shopping I looked around the place, & found a slightly heavier, slightly larger diameter bit of pipe, which I brazed on there. The old pipe was probably 1&1/2" or 2", the replacement was probably 2&1/2".

With this on, the thing did not sound quite as good as without any tail pipe, but still much better than originally with the smaller pipe. Thus I learnt you can make big changes in the sound of your 7, just by changing the little back pipe, or the whole resonator, you don't have to change the whole system.

With my current car I was lucky enough to score a Rimmer sports exhaust from a freshly restored 7, written off just weeks after being finished, poor bugger. It sounded awful, just an annoying drone, but appeared to work well. I had my friendly local exhaust specialist open the back of the resonator & weld a 2&1/2" bit of pipe in there, which gave it a nice little burble when working a bit, but is almost soundless when cruising at highway speed.

It probably could be improved with a bit of tailpipe tuning, but it is nice enough for me not to bother.

So there you are, if you don't like the sound of your exhaust, it is easy to tune it. Start by cutting a little off that tail pipe.

Spyder, have you run yours without that double tailpiece extension, & if so, what change does it make to the sound of yours?

Hasbeen

[FI Spyder]

No I haven't so I don't know. the tips are not just tips but muffled perforated type pipe inside so I'm sure they have some effect, just not sure what. When the muffler guy hefted it he said, "heavy, they're not rusted out."



- - -TR7 Spider - - - 1978 Spitfire- - - - 1976 Spitfire - - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra - Yellow TCT

[john 215]

Hi Andy,

Been years since I fitted a sports exhaust on a 4 cylinder, the last one was S.A.H. Triumphtune system, not been available for years and it actually fitted [:0], having said that there 4 branch manifold took some ' massaging ' !

Most of the modern systems seam to ' fit where they touch ' Simon up at Robsport list a sports system and I know Ben and the other lads would be more than able to fit it so it don't bang on the body.

https://www.robsport.co.uk/index.php/ct ... st-systems

Cheers John


LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!

1976 Speke FHC Beauty Now with an overdrive conversion

1979 3.5 FHC(STATUS PENDING!!)

1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6, BUILT NOT BROUGHT !!!!

[silverseven]

Im still running about 50% of my original exhaust system, the original tailpipe was replaced with an original unit about 15 years ago.
When the centre muffler rusted out 2 years ago I had it replaced by a simple straight pipe the same diameter as the stock tube.
Personally I think it sounds great , yet not to offensive to raise the eyebrows of the cops or neighbors.....

I've also fitted an F150 bolt on chrome tip to finish off the t/pipe at the back.








Ron.

[Beans]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by REPLIC8</i>

... The centre box sounds like an empty tin can ...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Maybe it is empty!
I used to have a sports system many moons ago,
and in a fairly short time all sound deadening was blown out of the centre box.
As a result it sounded rather hollow (while driving the car and when knocking the box ...)
Fitted a new centre box underneath and all is still well.

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1976 TR7 FHC (needs some TLC ...)
1980 TR7 DHC (my first car, a.k.a. Kermette)
1981 TR7 FHC (Sprint engined a.k.a. 't Kreng
</font id="blue"><b>[url="http://www.tr7beans.blogspot.com/"]<u><b><font size="3"><font color="red">My full Blog</font id="red"></font id="size3"></b></u>[/url]</b></i></center>

[paulheritage]

Probably doesn't help, but I bought a complete used stainless sports exhaust inc. manifold (from ebay when cheap) a couple of years ago and just had it fitted last month and sounds much much better with a little raspy note. Seems to fit very well from front to back but can't tell who the manufacturer is. The manifold looks slightly different to current ones but definitely worth the upgrade from standard.

Cheers Paul,

1976 TR7 2.0 FHC, ACG 3115 - Java Green (on the road)
1976 TR7 2.0 FHC, ACG 2367 - Carmine Red (on the road)
1980 TR7V8 3.9 DHC, Orient Blue (on the road)
1977 TR7V8 4.0 FHC rally car, ACG 35005 - Tahiti Blue (complete, no MOT)

www.TR7.co.uk

[gaz]

Don't know if this works:

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn20 ... -26-41.mp4

Stainless steel sports with tubular manifold and K&N filters BAL needles
Make your own mind up if its worth changing

www.classiccarrunblackpool.co.uk

1981 DHC 2.0 Litre
1980 DHC pedal car
1982 DHC TR-ailer in the making

[REPLIC8]

I think I'll have a look & listen to a few cars at shows this year them make my mind up which system I want. [:)]



Andy
1981 TR7 FHC

[Graham.Fountain]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by silverseven</i>
When the centre muffler rusted out 2 years ago I had it replaced by a simple straight pipe the same diameter as the stock tube.
Personally I think it sounds great , yet not to offensive to raise the eyebrows of the cops or neighbors.....<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

My 7 Sprint's only running with the center box, and no back one. It sounds great too, but not too loud either - passes MOT and such. The problem is that the back box cantilevers on the mounting, and with it missing, the mechanical balance is wrong, and the pipe keeps settling on the axle. If I need to get a new box (if the car lasts that long), I'm gonna do it like yours, with a back and no center box.


TR7 Sprint VVC 697S (some of)
TR7 Sprint A TR7 16V (fake, rusty):
B&Y '73 Doly Sprint (kids!)

[silverseven]

yeah i'm not so sure the rear box does much other than resonate the sound. One of my friends (bendder on this forum) did the same mod as you , and I think my car is louder.



Ron.

[windy one]

On my current wedge, I dont have any emmisions equipment, and no ceter muffler. Only the rearward muffler. It sounds really cool without being abnoxiously loud or annoying.

I had a TR7 Spider years ago that I installed the Monza setup I got from (?). Small glasspackish center and rear dual oulet. Sounded truely British! [8D]

Johnny

[trekcarbonboy]

Header straight back to rear muffler on my car also. Sounds great. Not obnoxious at all.
Aside from the header, none of it is "TR7 specific". Just took it to the local muffler shop and said have at it.

Craig '75 2.0 FHC