[alcooker]

Hi Guys,

I have a couple of unpatchable holes in my centre section. I do love the sound the original system makes, so yes I could just go like for like, but at £300 for a centre section, I'd quite like to fit and forget an SS pipe.

I've done the rounds on YouTube, loving the set ups from Ayat and Fewleh, but I'm not intending to remove any cats and they're a bit louder than I'm after- mind you it'd be a good way to stop my wife driving the car:biglaugh:

Folk seem to be disappointed with Ragazzon sounds, I've read enough to put me off.
Scorpion looks okay price, but seems like the mid and tail section are sold as one package, so I'd have a redundant back box.
I had a feeling I'd read wizard were working on calming things down, maybe Dan could advise on that.

I think I'd rather go down the tried and tested routers oppose to trial and error at a local exhaust maker.

Any thoughts on what is closest to OEM?

Edit- I just sent Longlife an enquiry too, they must've done a GT V6.

Cheers.

 

[Cal]

Get something custom made out of mild steel?

I got a Scorpion fitted, but only really because i had to pass an MOT and be gone again. I'm with you, i liked the original sound with CF3 and stock exhaust system.

 

[fewleh]

My whole set up from the downpipes back is for sale, nudge nudge wink wink ;p

Although I'm seriously thinking about getting another GTA at some point just so I can have that sound in my life again. After 4 years of questing for the perfect sound.. an impending baby has derailed my life

 

[Chris M]

I had a Longlife system made for my old 145 QV a good few years ago and it was horribly noisy and boomy, even though it was supposedly a 'quiet' setup. I would be bit careful going for a system like this as you don't have idea what it will sound like until it's done.

I'm with you and love the OEM sound.

 

[alcooker]

I got a Scorpion fitted, but only really because i had to pass an MOT and be gone again. I'm with you, i liked the original sound with CF3 and stock exhaust system.

Same boat as me, I had a tiny hole last year as an advisory, but the MOT is due towards the end of April and I'm sure it will fail with the amount it's blowing now and in 2 places.
I take it you don't think the Scorpion is so similar to OEM? I see you're in Herts, if needs be could we meet up for a few mins so i can have a listen?

Fewleh, tempting, but i don't think it would fit and I don't think Hitchin is ready for an Formula 1 sounding Gt just yet.

Chris, exactly what worries me about getting something made, I just don't have time to keep faffing with different tone, boom reduction etc

Anyone with a wizard cat back around Hitchin area?

 

[Pud237]

I might have a good used middle section for you, I can have a look when back in after Easter.

Alternatively, its not that much work to cut the rotten skin off your old silencer and weld on a new one, 1mm mild steel does the trick. Coat of paint, job done. The end plates don't rust and neither does the perforated pipe through the middle of the silencer box. So as long as the visible exhaust is OK and its only the silencer skin that is holed, repairing is an option. If you want to keep the original mid section then that is what I would do if you can't get an original one at a good price. I've re-skinned a few backboxes and mid sections over the last couple of years, its not that hard to do. There is somewhere that makes a pattern mid section but the fit is appalling.

Al - if you're able to take the exhaust off yourself, just take it down to a local metal workshop and see if they'll do it for you. If you don't have anywhere nearby that'll do it you can always post it up to me. Basically anywhere that can weld should be able to do it. Or I might have a used one, will let you know.

Anything stainless steel will sound different just due to the nature of it being stainless steel. I also like the complete original system, its quiet as a mouse but you can still hear something special underneath if you have the radio off.

147 GTA middle & rear sections are not compatible. 156 GTA uses the same mid section but a different backbox, so if someone has a 156 GTA original mid section somewhere then that would do for you. The Wizard silenced cat-back on an otherwise standard car (no decats) is a lovely sound, loads of depth and character but not a lot of volume. I have one of these for my 156 GTA and also a mint condition standard system and I keep swapping them about as the mood takes me Its very different to the unsilenced Wizard cat-back. There's only a handful of 156s & GTs running with the centre silencer and most of those are using the mid silencer to bring down volume after decatting them. So its very unlikely you'll find one you can listen to other than the normal unsilenced Wizard cat-back sound, which on the GT sounds like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvDtc0easr8

Imagine that is set at about volume 8. With decat manifolds, it gets turned up to 11. With standard manifolds and a mid silencer, its more like a 5 and the original system is a 3.

 

[alcooker]

Cheers for that Dan,

I'll definitely have the Gt mid off you if you have it and it's decent enough, I can then get mine reskinned at leisure. It's gone right at the ends just before the welds.

I do like the idea of the lower volume Wizard, maybe a future itch to scratch. My car is a little louder anyway with the BMC CDA, it's certainly not a quiet cruiser.

Loving the KW V3's on the 159 by the way, very special!

 

[goremohekan]

might be worth finding out if imasaf make GTA/GT exhausts??

did a quick search on ebay but only 147 GTA came up..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/IMASAF-ex....2+GTA&hash=item5d5d707eeb:g:FrIAAOSwQJhUksTD

 

[alcooker]

I'd never heard of Imasaf, but a quick google led me to an almost identical thread:biglaugh:
http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-gta/714633-genuine-147-gta-exhaust-or-not.html

 

[goremohekan]

If you want a close to/better than original mild steel exhaust then imasaf are the way to go. I fitted one to my 156 2.5 V6....excellent.

 

[mjaz101]

I have a good used 156 GTA mid and rear box I can sell.
Where abouts are you located? I'm in Southampton.

 

[alcooker]

I have a good used 156 GTA mid and rear box I can sell.
Where abouts are you located? I'm in Southampton.

Hi, thanks for that. I'll just wait on Pud to come back to me next week, but if he has no joy and you're willing to split, then I'd be interested in the mid section. 156 Back box not compatible with my GT apparently.
I'm in Hitchin, Herts.

 

[Pud237]

Hi, thanks for that. I'll just wait on Pud to come back to me next week, but if he has no joy and you're willing to split, then I'd be interested in the mid section. 156 Back box not compatible with my GT apparently.
I'm in Hitchin, Herts.

Backbox is almost compatible, but the tailpipes are in the wrong position, GT tailpipes come straight out of the box, 156 GTA have a wiggle. The entry pipe, box itself & hangers are all the same. You could cut off your GT tailpipes and weld them onto the 156 GTA rear box and it would work then, but otherwise it won't.

Will let you know about that mid section.

 

[markies]

I used longlife in knebworth and must say v pleased with the result. A delicious burble on starting idling,but not boomy when driving. I'm only in Shefford if you wanted to have a listen.....

 

[alcooker]

I used longlife in knebworth and must say v pleased with the result. A delicious burble on starting idling,but not boomy when driving. I'm only in Shefford if you wanted to have a listen.....

It's a shame i didn't see this earlier, I was testing my 159's suspension on the roads between Old Warren and Ireland, brilliant wobbly road for seeing how planted ones suspension is. I could've dropped round only being about a mile away from you.

Anyway, i'll send you a PM with my number, perhaps you could text me and let me know when would be a good time to have a listen. I'll be away until Monday early aft.

Cheers.

 

[warniegt]

It's a shame i didn't see this earlier, I was testing my 159's suspension on the roads between Old Warren and Ireland, brilliant wobbly road for seeing how planted ones suspension is. I could've dropped round only being about a mile away from you.

Anyway, i'll send you a PM with my number, perhaps you could text me and let me know when would be a good time to have a listen. I'll be away until Monday early aft.

Cheers.

Mines for sale very soon as I have a replacement coming...

I had longlife make me a 1 into 2 silencer with an additional center silencer as they only had standard rear silencers, but I still wasn't happy with the boom between 1.5 and 2.5k rpm, so they made me a chambered rear box instead, still a 1 big pipe into 2 small pipes within the silencer like the original to keep the sound more high pitched (not wizard like though which was what I really wanted!). This was better though and it sounds great but there is still a bit of boom at that 1.5-2.5k rev range.

I really like it but it doesn't scream like the wizard at the top end so is more like the original just louder although not too loud as the center silencer is still there. I had the tailpipes to match the originals just slightly bigger.

Anyway it's done 3k miles and to be honest the wife who drives it during the week is gutted as she loves it but I want that screaming top end as I only use the car as a plaything at the weekends, so I'm selling it. I will be doing some videos of it soon to help with the sale so let me know if your interested before it goes on ebay.

 

[alcooker]

I have a good used 156 GTA mid and rear box I can sell.
Where abouts are you located? I'm in Southampton.

Hi Mate,

If you're interested in selling the mid section, let me know. If you want to sell complete, you could let me know. Either pm or [email protected]

Cheers

 

[BBB22]

My whole set up from the downpipes back is for sale, nudge nudge wink wink ;p

Although I'm seriously thinking about getting another GTA at some point just so I can have that sound in my life again. After 4 years of questing for the perfect sound.. an impending baby has derailed my life

Is your system still for sale Fewleh? I need some extra V6 noise in my life!

 

[pompeypete]

If you want a close to/better than original mild steel exhaust then imasaf are the way to go. I fitted one to my 156 2.5 V6....excellent.

I've been looking at those. Mine has CF2 manifolds, EQ length downpipes and more or less stock thereafter. It's quite boomy at idle which makes it sound a bit chavtastic sometimes.

Are they any good?

 

[alcooker]

I have a good used 156 GTA mid and rear box I can sell.
Where abouts are you located? I'm in Southampton.

Mike,
Cheers for the exhaust, should keep me going for a fair while longer. The small areas of rust are just surface, whereas I'm used to exhausts rotting from the inside. All cleaned up and sprayed the boxes with high temp to hopefully get some extra years out of it.

Thanks to everyone who offered a listen of theirs, but I won't need it for now. I'd still like to know how much a cutback wizard is though.

Thanks again Mike for getting them sent pronto.