Exhaust recommendations

My exhaust fell apart in a nice and noisy way this afternoon. The hanger bolt before the back box sheared and has caused the back box to buckle and break and the flange to pull of the end of the down pipe. I think all the parts are ****part and have lasted between 18 months and two years.

The front down pipe is a bit odd in that it is partly a 2.5 defender pipe cut and shut onto a series pipe which I welded up myself to fit the bigger manifold...this seems to be the only bit of weld that isn't knackered!

Before I fork out, what are the Steve Parker conversion exhaust sets like? I see he does one for a 2.5 petrol but it's not stainless but is still quite expensive. Do they last well?

If not would a Defender system fit on a series easily? Other makers who do stainless?

Ta

D

I've got a Steve Parker exhaust on a 2.5na in a 2a. It fitted well and bigger bore than the series one. It's only painted steel but is thicker than the old exhaust. Not cheap though.

The double s advert says that they do conversion exhaust to order in stainless. Never seen one.

Thanks Don, I think I'll give the Steve Parker thing a go - I know it'll fit and Rochdale is close enough.

Just called SP and they reckon over a week to get one in.

I reckon that's a bit poor given the price and that it's not even stainless.

I've heard bad things about double S (i.e. they don't fit!) so I'll give them a miss - any other ideas ?

Slightly off the wall but what about a custom exhaust, I've heard very good things about
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It's in Scotland but that's the north and so should be pretty close to you. There are quite a lot of exhaust makers so it's worth a check because sometimes its not as expensive as you might think.

i fitted a defender one to 109 and 88 but i had fitted 200tdi engines, they fit well and are quite cheap from paddocks

How well do they route on an 88 I though there were problems around the gearbox mount? Can I still have mud-flaps or does it get in the way?

If a straight defender exhaust goes on I'm half tempted to just fit a Stainless one from rimmer bros.

Sorry Don, just spotted your idea - that's a 4 hour drive and I'd like something that is easy to fit and off the shelf - also I need something by the end of this week if possible.

I'm surprised I can't find any information about how/if a 90 exhaust fits on a series - I can't wait for Parkers and I'm not going to blow a few hundred quid on something that doesn't fit so for now its gonna have to be another standard ****-poor Britpart one to keep me going while I look round...

I have experience buying precisely one LR exhaust, so take it for what its worth.

I bought a full Steve Parker SS system for a SIII 88 with Def 200tdi. Front section wouldn't fit. Couldn't get it close to the manifold. It went back to them, and despite assurances that it had been made on their jig, it came back a better fit. Much closer, but still wouldn't reach the manifold. Some jig.

They weren't really very helpful, just asking me to send pictures and then not commenting on what they saw. The whole way through I was made to feel as if I had fitted the engine upside down or backwards and that they couldn't be at fault.

I gave up on them and cut the bottom bend, replacing a short section with flexipipe.

Other than that though, it was beautifully made.

Thanks boguing,

I've ended up ordering a Rimmer Bros standard S3 stainless steel system - I'm hoping this is likely to fit! I know I will need to alter it - I have a 2.5 Petrol manifold which has a slightly larger end and a different clamp - so I'll have to grind that off and get my mate to tig a new end on. Plus it needs drilled for an oxygen sensor...

In the meantime I'll have to fix my current front down-pipe (needs the collar welding back on) and have a mild steel front and a stainless back. The front downpipe seems to have weathered a lot better than the mid-section though both are Britpart and both fitted at the same time - the only problem with the front is that whoever welded it must have a miserable missus he didn't manage any penetration...

It'll probably stay like that for a while - the front pipe seems to have lasted ok

Well turns out I didn't I ordered a 2" SS and it came with hangers and clamps for a regular exhaust. I called Rimmers and they said they'd send me some different hangers...a few days later and another call and they said they couldn't find them - I suspect they never had them!

So, this weekend I decided to bodge/fabricate my own by bending regular ones and adding spacers. In the end it's all gone together well and is fitted nicely.

The motor definitely goes faster! The carb will need retuning as it now seems to run quite rich at certain rpm/loads where it didn't before but it flew up to the top of the moors at in top/overdrive 60 against a head wind where it would normally struggle to reach 50 before in 3rd+overdrive.

The HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT though is the noise - its absolutely deafening. It's not me making a balls of fitting I leak tested it after the run and it is sound. It is just the silencer is really boomy - I sound like a knobhead in a Subaru! Not going to be much fun on long trips!

Has anyone else tried one of these systems, are the all loud or have I just got a duff silencer.

A lot of stainless systems can be loud/boomy when first fitted - the boxes are made of thinner metal than mild systems usually are, and they resonate more. As they start to get coated with soot internally, they often quiet down.

Thanks Adrian, I hope it does. I've just soundproofed the bonnet and got it really nice and quiet and now I'm back to not being able to hear the radio!

I'm going to try stapping some lead flashing to the box and see if that deadens it a bit. I suspect it is the silencer itself resonating at a lowish frequency...

Well worth a try.

My Steve Parker (see previous post) silencer box wasn't noisy, so I don't agree that it is common to s/s systems.

I suspect that some manufacturers cater for those that think that loud is better. Like I probably did when a bit younger.

I might end up having to get another silencer - I've just been out again and it isn't much better than when the old exhaust had broken off at the down pipe...it is quick though!

I think I would have liked it a few years ago when I was a bit dafter but you just look like a proper fool when you're in your forties. I can't see my clients being impressed when I turn up sounding like a 1940's bombing raid!

On the plus side, fewer pedestrians tried to commit suicide in front of me today...

So, I've now tried wrapping the silencer in lead flash which has helped with some of the boominess.

I also tried an exhaust baffle that you shove in the tail pipe - that made it a slightly louder more annoying crackle instead of a boom...

So looks like I'm going back to a normal pipe or maybe a steve parker - so question is before I spunk more money over this - is the steve parker 2.5 conversion exhaust quiet - does anyone run one?

"Quiet" is a bit subjective. The Parker box that I had seemed to transform the car.

Which was hardly surprising, because until then it was just a pipe from the turbo to in front of the left rear wheel.

What I can say is that exhaust noise disappeared behind the din from the gearboxes and soft top. I was happy with it.

Thanks mate, sounds promising, I'm guessing that's on a TD - that looks to have a slightly different silencer. I think I might order one tomorrow. How has yours lasted?

D

It was on a 200tdi, but turbochargers do a bit of silencing whichever engine they're on.

I had the car for two years after fitting the exhaust, and it was lovely and shiny when I sold it. No idea about the inside though, and that's where most exhaust rot starts.

If you're going for Parker, why not 'phone them and ask whether there are any choices in their range?