Exhaust shops in/around San Fernando or South

[3stagevtec]

Well.. in my case I had to make choices about exhaust size as well.. Stock is 2" to 1.75" but I decided against doing a custom exhaust and therefore went with the 60mm (2.36inches) Apexi WS2...
The thing about custom is, is it really worth the trouble to fabricate an entire custom exhaust to just bump from 1.75 to 2"? On the other hand, is 2.25" too big for your uses?... tricky situation


At the moment, im probably down on power to match, but I plan on putting on my DC sports 4-2-1 header (extractors) and also doing a level 2 cam upgrade.. should bring me up to the 165-170hp mark, and that will have to work for the exhaust setup...

Before you swap cams, post a review of the gains, if any on the Accord.. Do you have the F20 model?

[CD4Accord]

F20B2 SOHC and proud! Bisimoto Level 2 cam swap is going to be done sometime.. Was looking to source the cam core locally to save myself 100US, but i'll see how that goes..

Anyway, ive seen dyno gains of around 15% power on the level 2 so that should bode well for me...
http://www.bisimoto.net/forum/viewtopic ... 75e182c7b5

F22A is the closest you will get...

Anyway, i havent done a before and after dyno and will only likely use the dyno when I decide to use the Bisi cam gear to adjust my timing for power gains,,

[3stagevtec]

look at that torque curve!

my pops had a 6th gen with the F20B5.. it was one smooth revving motor with alot of potential.. my only issue with the car was the spacing between the automatic gears.. the gap between 2nd and 3rd was too big imo.. a manual on the other hand would be ideal!

[CD4Accord]

Well, I expect even better than the F22a because of the other parts and work im doing etc...

Concerning gearing, the car is auto and I dont have $$ or time to do a manual swap and only way im considering boost is if I go manual.. in the meantime, i'll take a nicepower increase on the auto....

I would probably have to agree with you on that, I think they made 2nd gear too long... in most cases (besides higher speed highway overtaking) it makes 3rd rather useless...

Anyway, back to the origial problem which is that I still have nothing to connect my header to my catback... If I go with a piece of test or flex pipe, how am I going to get one which will integrate perfectly into my setup..
Also, whats the advantage of one over the other?

[Alpha_2nr]

I am mainly looking to do the upgrade to help increase the overall efficiency of the motor.. Gas not cheap.. So any improvement I get in MPG would be welcomed.

Don't expect to get anything in the way of MPG gains from a "bigger exhaust" setup. If you hope to get more power with that system, it's because you're moving more air through the engine (athink of air as being equivalent to power)...and ultimately, that will require more fuel., or

If it were me, I'd look at other options before moving to an exhaust setup.....perhaps lightening your rotating assembly, and DEFINITELY, some sort of EM/piggyback before doing any "bolt ons"....


......because bet your last dollar, you would find minimal gains on many mods w/o on most modern engines without ECU manipulation.

Anyway, back to the origial problem which is that I still have nothing to connect my header to my catback... If I go with a piece of test or flex pipe, how am I going to get one which will integrate perfectly into my setup..
Also, whats the advantage of one over the other?

Most stock exhausts have either a flex joint somewhere, or a "spring bolted" flange to allow for some flex during normal operation.

Does the WS2 bolt on to a point where the "spring" bolts are used, or is that being retained anywhere else in the system?

If you are removing the "cat section" of your exhaust, and are doing over the flanging near to it (if there's any), then chances are, that you may need to use a flex section to make up for that loss.

E.g. my APexi N1 bolts on to the stock "donut" flange ex the DP on the WRX, where it uses those "spring bolts". However, my current PERRIN exh. uses a flat flange when mated with the new DP, both of which are flat flanged = no flex.

So luckily for me, the Perrin exh has a flex joint just after, to accomodate for that loss.

[CD4Accord]

Well, the stock setup uses flex pipe between the end of the exhaust manifold and the start of the exhaust... The car never came with a cat so they had to put something there...

Now that I bought the Apexi WS2 catback I have nothing to go there... Test pipes specific to this car with the correct gaskets etc wont be too much.. A resonated megan racing will be about $70 US if so much... Flex pipe, probably harder to get a price on and will likely require much more welding and work..

Whatever I choose though, I do not want it to mess with the sound of the ws2...

[CD4Accord]

So, back to my test pipe issues...

Considering that my exhaust is 2.36" (60mm) what size test pipe should I be looking at? 2.25" or 2.5"
I do not want to put any sort of restriction at the start of my flow so its an important decision to make...

Also, would the local exhaust shop make one for me (with proper fitment etc) or should I buy one in the US (Blox, Invidia or maybe even Megan) and bring it down with me....

Thanks

[CD4Accord]

Decided on the Megan test pipe for $50 because it was almost an exact match to the Apexi WS2 size and came in a resonated design which theoretically should reduce raspiness from the exhaust..
Megan isn't my prefered brand normally but in the end its just a piece of pipe to connect to more important pieces of pipe..

Problem is though, I still don't have a number or location for specialist 2001 in st madeline. Last time I was in the country I tried to get the number to call but that was a complete failure...

[wagonrunner]

Problem is though, I still don't have a number or location for specialist 2001 in st madeline. Last time I was in the country I tried to get the number to call but that was a complete failure...

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=10.2728425&lon=-61.431427&z=17&l=0&m=b
manahambre road st. madeline.
come off higway at corinth.
follow road out to manahambre, make a right turn, and it's the last yard on the right before the road makes a sharp right.
if you reach st. madeline RC church, you've passed it.

[CD4Accord]

Muchas gracias Senor...

Truth is, now that you pointed out where I drive past there about 250 times in my life and never look twice to see the sign... I woulda figured it out from your description without the map but thanks for it..

Anyone know how their pricing is normally?

[3stagevtec]

I needed the map..

[CD4Accord]

Still puzzles me why they don't publish their number so that they can get more business.....


So i'm planning to install some ST anti-sway bars.. I have heard of having to take the exhaust off to fit them.. If this is the case, I can take off my exhaust and drive to my mech making the hell of all noise.. Get him to put it on.. Drive back to specialist and then do up my exhaust...
Anyone know anything about this?

[3stagevtec]

Still puzzles me why they don't publish their number so that they can get more business.....


So i'm planning to install some ST anti-sway bars.. I have heard of having to take the exhaust off to fit them.. If this is the case, I can take off my exhaust and drive to my mech making the hell of all noise.. Get him to put it on.. Drive back to specialist and then do up my exhaust...
Anyone know anything about this?

which of the anti roll bars pass over the exhaust? i can't remember how the Accord's are set up..

personally i wouldn't want to drive for any significant distant without the exhaust on.. the amount of heat your engine will pour under the car can never be safe..

what's funny is that i just removed my front anti roll bar to improve my ride..

[3stagevtec]

If you happen to talk to Farley J_force let me know how much he costs out of curiousity...

----

To everyone else, find me a # for Specialist 2001!

I spoke to Farley today and that guy really knows his stuff! From the way he spoke, i'd rate him very high in terms of experience, knowledge and skill.. The only downside is price..

Still looking for a number for the Muffler Specialist.. I feeling lazy to make the drive.

[CD4Accord]

Specialist 360-9949/ 698-0009 (Eston or Sharon)

Got it a few days ago... Give them a call and let me know.. I'm still out the country so I have to sort out myself when I come down..

[Alpha_2nr]

I spoke to Farley today and that guy really knows his stuff! From the way he spoke, i'd rate him very high in terms of experience, knowledge and skill.. The only downside is price..

You pay for quality. Have you seen some of his work with Stainless steel mandrel bent systems? The one HE makes? If you haven't been to his shop....go ASAP. The man even does custom Carbon Fibre work as well....

I've been by the "other shops" you commonly hear about...and Farley is THE BEST imho.


Period.




For the purpose of installing an exhaust though.....well.....you don't really need to go by Farley for that. But...he did install my Perrin unit on the WRX (and removed the Apexi). I can't recall how much it cost, but I think it was like 200 or something.

Of course, I had no fab-work to do....just bolt off and bolt on.

[3stagevtec]

I personally wouldn't even bother to go see Farley's work as his prices are out of my range. Of course, if I am into professional racing and looking to gain that extra edge over the competition, I will definitely make the sacrifice to go by him, but for my everyday ride any highly reputable shop, like Muffler Specialist 2001, will suffice..

I went to see MS 2001 this morning and the the guy there is also pretty knowledgeable, he even recommended the 2.0" system over the 2.25" system for me.. He says he works by appointment and judging by the look of his place and the way he spoke, I feel confident in his ability..

For comparison, MS 2001 quoted price was exactly 3 1/3 times cheaper than Farley to build a cat-back system for me.. But that does not include the mandrel bends and SS piping, which I really don't need for my application..

[Alpha_2nr]

I went to see MS 2001 this morning and the the guy there is also pretty knowledgeable, he even recommended the 2.0" system over the 2.25" system for me..

Ah...so I wasn't talking chupidness

[3stagevtec]

^ yup, you were dead on, especially in the low end torque department, smaller = better..

hear this, it turns out my factory piping is already 2"!! well, sorta.. I got samples of 2" and 2.25" pipe and the 2" lined up exact with my stock exhaust piping.. yet, when I measured the internal diameter of my factory pipe, I got around 1.75".. external diameter is just under the 2" mark..

so I guess I made the right decision with purchasing the 2.25" muffler, which should be right around 2.0" internal..

[CD4Accord]

Good to know that you had a good chat with 2001.. Thats exactly where I will be going to get mine done in a few weeks....

My set up is mostly bolt on, but he will have to weld the exhaust piping at one junction...
The APEXi WS2 is supposedly 60mm which works out to about 2.35".. A little bit large for my setup until I get the new cam in, but we thinking about the future here haha..

My biggest annoyance is how hard it is to get a header with a 2.25" collector.. for some reason they all seem to stick with the stock honda 2" collector size (and gasket)
I mean, I could get a Bisimoto header, but $1000 USD i'll pass for now

[CD4Accord]

So, I finally got the Apexi WS2 and my DC 4-2-1 installed today.. We had to do some improvisation seeing as the fools who sold me the test pipe sent me the wrong one...
Also, most of the hangers didnt line up with the car so we had to do some cutting and creating new mounts for the exhaust as well as change a few hangers etc

So, the problem now is this.....
The thing sound superb at idle and high up in the revs but from 2000-almost 5000 I have a horrible raspiness.. to the point that it sounds like a cheap bamboo exhaust...
I know that the mid-pipe between the header and the catback exhaust (once again I have no cat) is straight pipe but the raspiness is ridiculous....
I have never really heard complaints about the WS2 being raspy, even with people running straight test pipe like I am.. What would be the main cause of this? Could it be the straight pipe, or the actual header itself?

I could just go back to the exhaust shop and get them to install a huge resonator instead of mid-pipe but that would run me another $400 and i'm already out quite a lot on this entire thing..
What if after all that, i still have the raspiness?

[Alpha_2nr]

^^

Could it be the straight pipe, or the actual header itself?

Possibly both. The lack of a cat will add volume.....perhaps in your case the added volume is manifested as a raspy tone. Remember (AFAIK) that almost allof Apexi's catbacks (including mine) are intended to be just that....catbacks...as in, after the cat converters. Chances are that sound checks and the like (db readings, tone etc) by Apexi during design almost always done with the stock header/cat combo. They make their systems as "OE replacement" spec. And I'm guessing that it sounds superb with that.

That said, a co-worker had an EK4 with a WS2 Noir.......sounded pretty good, and not raspy by any stretch of the imagination. IIRC, that was mated to aftermarket headers also.

[CD4Accord]

Well if the car never came with the cat, and the original piping there never led to raspiness makes me wonder the difference between the two..

Obviously the new exhaust has a larger diameter and only 1 in-line silencer/resonator
That said the original piping also included a 2nd resonator.... which fit just about where my straight pipe now is...
I'd be willing to have a second one put on, but i'm just worried about putting the money in and having the same problem..

Another thing worth considering is that possibly the cat's that came on these models in the states acted as a resonator somehow....
I do agree entirely that the exhaust is NOT supposed to sound like this and I have never heard of it being this raspy in any case before...

Gonna have to go back to the shop tomorrow to test

[Alpha_2nr]

Well in Apexi's defence ( ) I've yet to hear a bad sounding WS2 (I don't like very loud exhausts either).

Maybe you have a leak (flanges?) perhaps?

W.r.t. the custom resonator, as I'm sure you already know, that's a hit-or-a-miss kinda ting.

[CD4Accord]

I would still vouch for APEXi 100% as well... I have never heard a bad exhaust from them.. (price talks I guess)...
As far as we tested I have no leaks.. we changed every single gasket from engine go back just to be safe and everything came back clear...

Also, I agree about the custom resonator... I could put out the money and end up finidng it to be the same or worse!

[3stagevtec]

^ worrying news for me as I don't have any inline resonators for my system!

My new 2.25" header back exhaust is going up this Friday.. Still trying to locate a newer (used) Grand Vitara resonator..

[CD4Accord]

Well the problem with using stock resonators is that size... If I had kept the stock accord res it would have been 1.75" or so vs the 2.25" for the rest of the system.. Huge restriction thereby negating any flow gains from the new one...

I not really mentioning names but you know where I did my install and im impressed overall.. I just feel like i should have known about the raspiness before i left the shop....

Can any generic resonator do the trick? How would I know what size is ideal?

[3stagevtec]

That's a tough one but I believe it depends on the design of the resonator.. If it is a straight through design with the perforated core (the new model Grand Vitara uses these) then that would work on almost any vehile IMO..

If it is a chambered design, then that would depend alot on the type of engine / number of cylinders etc..

To be honest, I wouldn't mind a single 1.75" 'restriction point' in my exhaust system to get rid of any annoying noise.. If you find any straight through perforated used resonators from vehicles with a similar sized engine, please let me know.. I need to find time to go digging in a scrap yard..

[CD4Accord]

Then again, the entire concept of raspiness tends to stem from changes in pipe diameter.. So, by using a smaller resonated chamber it can actually increase raspiness (theoretically)....

I have the option of using the resonated test pipe that couldnt fit and weld the flanges on either side... That MIGHT be able to help with the rasp... I just want my stealthy APEXi deep rumble... (if I can even hear that with the AEM intake)

Anyway, i'll see what they saying tomorrow and take it from there

[ardin]

hell yea they're the best in the caribbean,
if yuh feel specialist has a competitor u name them,
i set up the test, and we;ll see who money would be lost.
specialist is the best dude.