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Peco equal length downpipes - any info?

39K views 417 replies 32 participants last post by  james2375 
#1 ·
HNY folks! I was looking at a cheaper alternative for the very pricey Alfatune equal length downpipes for the V6 and found these Peco ones from Larkspeed: Peco Stainless Steel Equal Length Downpipes (Pair) for Alfa Romeo - larkspeed.com
Has anyone bought or tried these? If so what was the verdict on sound / fit / build quality etc.
They cost £307 + about £15 carriage to the UK. About £150 less than the Alfatune versions!
Any feedback gratefully received.
 
#2 · (Edited)
Peco have been going for years. But I thought they died a while back, maybe I was misinformed. I must be honest, even at my relatively young age, I only ever heard of then being put on cars that... may feature on Police Interceptors (Though this probably is directed towards back boxes than downpipes). But again, I could just be being a sceptical a***.:lol:

The reason you will pay so much for Alfatune exhausts, and probably many other such specialist Alfa exhausts is because they will understand the subtle behaviours of the Busso engines. As far as exhausts go; I hate to sound a bit funny, but you may as well spend the right money and get the right exhaust the first time. Even commonly made SS and Novitecs can suffer from issues with fitting; and they are quite rated in this community. You are comparing people who make good exhausts for a wide range of cars against people who make excellent exhausts for a small range of select cars, which is why you pay so much.

Peco do not seem to have a website (any more?), I would suggest that the company is acting in a highly contracted state. I'd be wary of any product I couldn't at least SEE on the Internet.

You can get into all kinds of circular arguments regarding exhausts, with infighting over which one is best. The only thing you can try in absence of many reports on here is try to gather more general information from other forums of other marques.

For my 2p, I'd save the extra and get the Alfatune one, or look for a specialist that will charge you more than the £307, but you can at least SEE the product.
 
#3 ·
Peco backbox ram raid!

Hi David, yes I get what you're saying about the "historical" significance of Peco backboxes on cars which might also feature 30cm wheel spacers!!
I'm not averse to paying for a good product, I just object to paying a lot for a product which may be very similar to another, without the "exclusive" name. At the end of the day, theres no mystical element to exhaust fabrication - if its the same quality SS, the right bore and it fits, then whats the problem?
Just to be clear, I'm certainly NOT criticising the obviously excellent Alfatune downpipes, just exploring alternatives.
Theres no performance advantage from changing to equal length downpipes - my interst is purely in the improved sound they produce. I'm just looking for feedback from anyone who may have tried the Peco ones already.
 
#5 ·
EL downpipes

Thanks, already read through that thread but he used "Longlife" not Peco pipes. Somebody out there in Alfa Land must have tried them surely??
 
#8 ·
Ok then, how about just a hint?? £100-£200 ish??

Also, do they reduce your ground clearance?
Cheers
 
#7 ·
EL Downpipes

Nice Dave. May I be cheeky and ask how much you paid to have them made and where you had it done?
 
#10 ·
Late contributing to this thread but I only just found it on a search because I was wondering if anyone had used Peco equal length downpipes too. It would seem not! I called Larkspeed and the guy knew very little about them, what they had been modelled on, had no photos and said they don't carry them in stock (he was apologetic about all this). After this I concluded they're too risky. Then I called Alfatune I assume the guy with an Italian ascent with scouse thrown in was Gus! He said they have sold out and wouldn't consider making a batch unless they knew they were going to sell all of them and making a one off for me is not feasible. Not good for me but I understand the logic. Not as much demand as there used to be apparently. So, after following the link to the guy who used Longlife, I am going to take my car round to them as it's very nearby and see what they say. I have to say though that the pipes in the photos on that thread look nowhere near as good as Alfatune's in terms of the neatness of the bends but then again £500 for the downpipes and a sports cat is pretty good.
 
#11 ·
"He said they have sold out and wouldn't consider making a batch unless they knew they were going to sell all of them and making a one off for me is not feasible. Not good for me but I understand the logic."



Having just read your post I quickly contacted Gus. I have been meaning to contact him for a while now for a set of equal length down pipes. I guess if anyone else reading this wants a set, now is the time as new batch needs to be manufactured.
 
#13 ·
Cost

CF3 for me please. Whats most of interest is the cost, if as I suspect they are £450 + VAT, then I dont need them that much!
 
#18 ·
My only experience is listening to You Tube videos of GTVs with similar exhaust setups with and without the equal length pipes, so not very scientific at all. Myself and a friend think they sound just a little more refined on acceleration and a lot better on deceleration, this of course is totally subjective. But I will in time get some for sure.

My favourite example is this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZYD4vYZkEU

I think the busso engine creates a great sound, but I am not a fan of the super 'raspy' 'tinny' sound on acceleration, or of spluttering overrun sound on deceleration. And I think this guy has got the balance just right.
 
#21 ·
Guys I did some detective work on google with very interesting results. From a discussion among MG owners on their forum, I found out that Peco turned into Cybrand, which is basically the manufacturing arm of Cybox. So I decided to call them up. The guy I spoke to told me Peco folded in 2011 and they absorbed some of their tooling and staff, they also took ownership of the Peco name. He also told me that they had worked with Alfatune to make their downpipes. I was trying to push to see if this means they are the same but given a different name and as far as I can tell the answer is yes. They are SS, lifetime warranty and use mandrel bends. Cybox can do them for £307 but if several of us get together and they make a batch it will be a bit cheaper (easier said than done). May I suggest that if you are interested the first step is to speak to Jerry/Gerry at Cybox on 0151 343 0330. He is very helpful and I think maybe Cybox have realised they have missed a trick here. I think I am going to go down this route but not instantly, mainly because I don't have my car at the moment (it's being restored and is sitting in the paint shop queue).
I am CF3.
 
#23 ·
Good detective work James2375. Thank you. £307 is much better than £450 from Alfatune. And mandrel bends means they will be in one piece rather than pieces welded together. I need a set for a phase 2 v6.
The Japanese ones look good but are just too expensive.

For the poster above, CGC, wondering how equal length front pipes affect the GTV sound, this is my experience.
1. They remove drone from the exhaust ( should there be an after market exhaust)
2. They tend to accentuate the tonal changes throughout the rev range. These tonal changes are already there with the v6 but are accentuated. They make a drive more pleasurable as distinct tonal changes every 500 revs are even more distinct and crisper.
3. The lower rev range is .... ..... I am not sure how to explain but drone is removed and it is a bit meatier when under load. 2000 revs let's say.
4. In the higher rev range the engine just screams

Overal they make the v6 sound more refined. Not quieter. Not louder, but refined. They make the v6 sound even better than it did before. And makes it sound like it is of a much more expensive and exotic Italian marque. These make the v6 sound even more Italian.
 
#24 ·
interesting, I don't want my exhaust to sound any louder, it has a nice deep burble at low revs but does get a bit raspy at higher revs. I don't want to lose that boxer-ish rumble it has at the moment if I fit EL downpipes!
It would be nice to get rid of the drone a bit though as it does get tiring on longer journeys, £307 doesn't sound too bad a price. I wonder how much powerflow or supersprint would charge?
 
#31 ·
No worries, I'll be sure to post some pictures and audio when I get them fitted. :thumbup:
 
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#33 ·
[/QUOTE] For the poster above, CGC, wondering how equal length front pipes affect the GTV sound:

Overal they make the v6 sound more refined. Not quieter. Not louder, but refined. They make the v6 sound even better than it did before. And makes it sound like it is of a much more expensive and exotic Italian marque. These make the v6 sound even more Italian.[/QUOTE]

My take on the sound is that EL pipes remove the "boxster" off beat burble (like a Subaru) and produce a more even regimented "straight six" sound, which is more creamy and smooth sounding.

If exhaust pipes are unequal in length, the sound from half the cylinders is slightly delayed, resulting in a more lumpy sound.
(Think Harley Davidson compared to a Japanese four cylinder bike!) Not quite the same technically of course but for a convenient example it works nicely. :teacher:
 
#34 ·
For the poster above, CGC, wondering how equal length front pipes affect the GTV sound:

Overal they make the v6 sound more refined. Not quieter. Not louder, but refined. They make the v6 sound even better than it did before. And makes it sound like it is of a much more expensive and exotic Italian marque. These make the v6 sound even more Italian.[/QUOTE]

My take on the sound is that EL pipes remove the "boxster" off beat burble (like a Subaru) and produce a more even regimented "straight six" sound, which is more creamy and smooth sounding.

If exhaust pipes are unequal in length, the sound from half the cylinders is slightly delayed, resulting in a more lumpy sound.
(Think Harley Davidson compared to a Japanese four cylinder bike!) Not quite the same technically of course but for a convenient example it works nicely. :teacher:[/QUOTE]
Did you manage to put an order in with cybox? I'm thinking about a set and just wandered if they were going ahead with yours?
 
#38 · (Edited)
Cybox do sport cat and decat for V6 cf2, I've seen them on eBay. If you call them up you'll probably find they do them for cf3 too.

Edit: just had a look and can find decats cf2 & 3 but not sports cat but like I say if you call you will probably find they do. Other option is buy a universal 200 cell and get power flow or long life to make you one.
 
#43 ·
TBO i like the boxer-esque burble, Because my flexi pipes are blowing I just want the cheapest and easiest way to replace the front down pipes! My mechanic said I could just buy new ones and have them welded in but it maybe more sense to just replace the whole thing, with stainless steel straight replacements. And with the EL pipes I'm slighty put off by the way they overlap each other and would they catch on speed bumps or uneven road surfaces for example?!
 
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