Looking for a cheap endpipe.

Originally Posted by The Big Dog

Was picking up the other car from the garage today and started talking to the spanner man and the MoT tester. One conversation led to another and the Alfa was mention.
"Your not the chap with the red Alfa with quad pipes?" asked the MoT guy
"Yes, whys that?" I asked?
"Cuz I was at the round about the other day when you blew my ear drums out and your sadly mistaken if you think that will pass the MoT!"

God knows what the rule is but make your you keep your old set up when/if you change.

Lol!

In Holland the MoT only checks the co2 emissions and checks for leaks, it says nothing about decibels.

PS: This wouldn't be you would it?

YouTube - Alfa Romeo GTV Cup 3.0 V6 24V Ragazzon

Guilty. Thats me!
Have now put a small center box in the Ragazzon center section to eliminate the blowing noise and get rid of the drone that I got from the 2k'ish rpm when pulling in high gears. Worked a treat and totaly improved it for me with out killing the noise.
England is getting like Switzerland. NO FUN!!!!

Nice result Big Dog, hope it passes the MOT

Hope mine isn't too loud for the MOT, do they have audio equipment to check these things?? I'm sure my garage doesn't.

I asked the same question and the answer.... By ear!
You shouldn't have it louder than the loudest in it's class. I was given this example - If you have a Escort 1.6 and want to it louder, you can but only to Escort Cosworth loud if you get the meaning. (More his meaning!) It stops boy racers with Nova's etc that blast out nothing but NOISE! He did explain it better but I could see the reason in some of the points.
My excuse is that it's in the same class as the 8c!!!!
So there is no decibel reader. It's all ears!!!!
Just hope that not all MoT guys are sticks in the mud.

Originally Posted by Markos

I would be massively surprised if your Ragazzon centre pipe for a 3.0 GTV didn't fit with a Ragazzon rear pipe for a 3.0 GTV; it has to fit. Would love to hear how loud it would be with no silencers at all.

I'm confused.

I replaced the centre muffler with a Ragazzon pipe, namely this one:

Alfa Romeo Shop - Tuning, Styling, Fanartikel und Modellautos - Alfa Spider und Alfa GTV Ragazzon Edelstahl Mittelschalldämpfer Ragazzon Edelstahl Mittelrohr 32085


Now I'm looking to replace the original end muffler aswell with the Ragazzon end pipe, namely this one:

Alfa Romeo Shop - Tuning, Styling, Fanartikel und Modellautos - Alfa Spider und Alfa GTV Ragazzon Edelstahl Endrohr 2x70 Ragazzon Edelstahl Endrohr 2x70 32098

But if you read the explanation on the endpipe it says:

"it replaces the central and rear silencers, therefore it is rather loud!"

I already replaced the central silencer with the Ragazzon pipe???


Can someone explain this to me?

I think they have described your 2nd link incorrectly. They have got confused because the rear section has 2 silencers. That 2nd link is exactly the part that replaced my rear section, and I think that will bolt straight onto your Raga mid pipe.

But do confirm this with them before you buy!

It is rather loud ! I had a bit of a blowing sound at idle and a drone when pulling in high gear around the 2k rpm mark with mine so I took it to my local exhaust centre last week. Had them stick on very small silencer in the midle of the Ragazzon striaght through pipe . This has solved the problem and didn't really make much diffrence to how loud it is!!!

Originally Posted by Gold

Thanks for that review!

As I guessed there's no way the Gtv is going to sound louder than a TVR. V6 vs V8.

I understand the 360 grips in the corners much better than the other two cars.

But it surprises me that you say the 360 feels the same acceleration wise in the first 3 gears as the Gtv 24V.

The Gtv does 0-60 in 6.7 secs, whereas the 360 does it in 4.5 s.

That's the same as an F40.

Surely there must be a lot of difference in acceleration feel between the 360 and the Gtv?

Your the man to ask

Also like this review from evo which kind of hits the same mark -
Alfa Romeo GTV | evo Car Reviews | Car Reviews | evo

Quote

This is a genuinely quick car, don't forget - 0-60 in around 6.5sec and over 150mph all-out. The previous day I'd been driving the Aston Vanquish and to be absolutely honest the GTV didn't feel a whole heap slower,

Originally Posted by The Big Dog

It is rather loud ! I had a bit of a blowing sound at idle and a drone when pulling in high gear around the 2k rpm mark with mine so I took it to my local exhaust centre last week. Had them sick on very small silencer in the midle of the Ragazzon striaght through pipe . This has solved the problem and didn't really make much diffrence to how loud it is!!!

Can you describe the material and dimensions of this small box? Maybe even pics ???

I might have to resort to that after my straightthrough endpipe arrives next week.

The straight through centre pipe is stainless steel though, I'm surprised your exhaust centre agreed to put all that work in and put a box on it.

Easy job really.
Job took 55 mins and cost £70 for box and Labour!
Will get a pic for you next with a appx size.

Originally Posted by Gold

The straight through centre pipe is stainless steel though, I'm surprised your exhaust centre agreed to put all that work in and put a box on it.

If you have a Hi-Q nearby they'll do whatever you ask them to do w.r.t exhausts, they work in stainless all the time and will even make bespoke systems.

They do a good line in performance cats too..

It's about 12 inchs long and 1 inch thicker than the straight through pipe!
DIRTY MINDED SODS

I'm talking about this-









http://i38.tinypic.com/14buhqo.jpg

I would run your exhaust for a couple of weeks before making your own mind up on it.
Ray, who has just put a sports exhaust with sports cats on his DB9 sounds no where as good and even he has said that!
If I didn't use mine every day for work and only use it as a toy then I wouldn't of done it.
6 days a week going to work at 4am trying not to make too much noise = In car droning.

Will take a video next time shes warm of a REV UP the same as the previous clip.

Thanks Big Dog!

Where I ordered the parts they said unsilenced will be too loud. They said it would sound terrible. He suggested I just use the original mid silencer and the Ragazzon straight through end pipe as Markos has done.

I only drive the car on -some- weekends, so not all the time.
And I like loud. I'm one of those people who happily listens, with ears uncovered to F1 cars roaring by at 15 yards while others are cowering away

My only worry is that other people will find it ridiculously rackety, especially that one time I drive into the closed parking garage of the company I work at

But from your video it sounds relatively oke at idle or upto 2000 rpm. So the part has been ordered and should get here before the end of the week!

(it's also the 1x2 single pipe, not the 2x2 quad pipe setup you have so should be slightly less loud I think).

Would love some more video's of your car on country roads in 2nd and 3rd.

I did try it with the original mid box back on and it went on for 10mins before it was taken right back off again!. Not much sound with it for my liking
Try all combos and see what you get on with best

Originally Posted by The Big Dog

I asked the same question and the answer.... By ear!
You shouldn't have it louder than the loudest in it's class. I was given this example - If you have a Escort 1.6 and want to it louder, you can but only to Escort Cosworth loud if you get the meaning. (More his meaning!) It stops boy racers with Nova's etc that blast out nothing but NOISE! He did explain it better but I could see the reason in some of the points.
My excuse is that it's in the same class as the 8c!!!!
So there is no decibel reader. It's all ears!!!!
Just hope that not all MoT guys are sticks in the mud.

So does that mean there's no aftermarket exausts/induction kits for cossies; I think there proberly is. Souds to me like that MOT guy is making it up as he goes along, I'm sure there is a legal decibel limit but like you both say how would they measure it

If I get a chance I will pop into the workshops at work tomorrow and speak to the MOT men there and see wot there take on exaust volume is and see if they have any audio level measuring equipment.

He should tell you the same. There is no reader. It's done by ear/discretion. I have taken it to other testers also and got the same sort of answer. I was also told that if you disagree with the test or would like to check out of curiosity, you can pop along to a local VOSA and they do a free db test. They will then advise of the next steps needed to be taken if any. Also keep in mind we are talking about a straight through system.
Plus the fact that when you buy the straight throughs it states -To be used mainly for racing tracks. Not TÜV approved for road cars.

I think it's a total when I see people who stick a exhaust thats big enough you could fit your head in, on a car like a Saxo sounding like it having the T!TS beaten off of it doing 10mph! Whats the point? So I think I agree with them in a way.

I do agree, there are a few Saxo's / 106's around here with dustbin sized tailpipes - looks ridiculous and probably give them flat spots in the power delivery tgo boot

I must admit a straight through system is pretty extream for road use, although I thought it would be more antisocial untill listening to yours, just put a big smile on my face, and I'm now saving. Will take the advice you gave to Gold, and start with the rear pipe first. Hopefully this will also cure the anoying knocking on run down and tickover (when warm) where the previouse owner has had a cheap system fitted, and the rear section hits a bolt on the subframe.

Play this video:

DO NOT USE Default Viral Title Player

And scroll foreward to 1m57s.

The closest you will ever get the 916 to sound like an 8c is with a straight through Ragazzon setup.

You can't own a truly different car until you've perfected and unrestrained the 4th dimension; sound.

Originally Posted by The Big Dog

He should tell you the same. There is no reader. It's done by ear/discretion.

He Did Infact he showed me the official MOT instruction book, the official line is worse than your man said, using the cosworth example.

The book said that the vehicle had to sound simular to that of the same type with an exaust in reasonable condition. Thus a 1.6 escort had to sound like a 1.6 escort. Blimey your bloke was actually being lenient

He did say that in reality, if a loud car was borderline on several other items then it was more likelty to fail than a perfect car that was loud.

He also said that a car with a straight through system would proberly FAIL!

Bottom line is it is at their descretion So you need to find an MOT'er that is racing Alfa mad and not a grumpy old g*t!!

Originally Posted by Pete046