Planet Soarer: V8 Exhaust for the Soarer (SC400)

This is my UZZ32 SOARER with Four wheel steer and Active hydraulic suspension. Didn't get the photos very straight so it all looks a bit wonky! Exhaust consists of ceramic coated 4-2-1 headers, dual large high flow 2.5 inch cats, 2.5 inch mild steel press bent tubing, stainless Magnaflow 2.5 inch core x-pipe, Lukey Ultra Flow (called Dynomax in US) straight through mufflers and stainless tips. No drone or resonance inside car - all noise it outside. This system will be too loud for many - to reduce noise another set of straight through mufflers should be inserted between x-pipe and rear mufflers.

1. HEADERS

I had the headers posted from Sydney (only $25 !) - Terry Dementiev makes them himself and they are top quality and fit great - I recommend them. If you want some headers sent to you anywhere on the planet then contact Terry (Tex) canary@bigpond.net.au or tdementi@bigpond.net.au or phone (mob) 0403 188 345. More pictures and info here: http://planetsoarer.com/extractors/SoarerExtractors.html Chris Harwood the Mt Barker exhaust guy fitted a pair for $350 - took just over 7 hours all up to move both cats and x-pipe and bolt them in and change a few studs on each side. The X-pipe should be as close as possible to the headers - mine has been moved too far back and should be closer. Chris reckons the headers were very high quality - terrific welds, high quality pipe work - and very accurate fit. I got Tully from PowerKote to do the ceramic finish - again a premium job - very well done ($300). The exhaust guy was a AutoSpeed recommendation and Tully was a Zoom Magazine one - since both publications have a home in SA I get lots of local tips of who is good - very handy. The exhaust is heaven - I love driving it even more now - the tone, the pulse - it is fabulous - just leave it in 2nd gear and drive everywhere - nice tone accelerating and slowing down - it's great. I can feel the V8 pulse divide through the seat now (only slightly) - I'm very happy with them. Chris ranked the standard SOARER headers as equal worst he has ever seen! The picture below is the headers (painted black) and the standard SOARER headers.

	Fit the temp sensors before bolting headers to engine - you wont get them in afterwards!
	The headers need to be fitted from underneath - not a job for the driveway lying on your back with a couple of axle stands - You will need a full car hoist. I couple of studs had to be replaced on my engine.
The components are top quality - the mild steel pipe work is just press bent mild steel - regular quality. 2.5 inch dual is so large for a V8 that a bit of a constriction at the bends wont make any difference. The headers are 4-2-1 (interference type) - not equal length 4-1 type. More stock and custom header pictures here: http://planetsoarer.com/extractors/SoarerExtractors.html Listen to exhaust with headers versus without: http://planetsoarer.com/sounds/sounds.html The headers do replace the standard manifolds and bolt to the heads. Standard headers bottom left in photo above.
2. CATALYTIC CONVERTERS
High flow cats flow as well as mufflers and reduce noise as well - there is little performance gain from removing high flow cats - if you want a quieter exhaust then the cats will help. The highest flowing cat I tested was a Car Sound brand 2.5 inch part number 98006. The number stamped on it is CA/CE 98006 13505040. It is also made in the USA (www.car-sound.com). This one flowed much better than the one on the left and a bit better than the standard cats. See the Cat test page here:

On the left is the small cat - often used for compliance in Australia because they are cheap and nasty and restrictive - many cars have all the exhaust go through this one small cat in place of the centre resonator! No cheap nasty small cats on my car - I have a pair of the big mothers on the right - maximum flow. The cats on the right are double skinned all the way around - not just the top. This protects the cat from bumps and knocks. Cats with a single wall on the bottom will sustain internal damage if scraped on the ground or knocked (very likely below the car in this position) - this will damage the internal structure of the cat causing blockage or the cat disintegrating and going out the exhaust. So again don't waste money on cheap cats. A good cat costs as much as a good stainless muffler -so wear it. A good cat won't significantly reduce the performance of your car - you need to put mufflers on anyway to make it quiet - so a cat will help with that anyway. Cats are designed to reduce the following poisonous gases in your exhaust: · Carbon monoxide: A poisonous gas that is colorless and odorless. · Hydrocarbons or volatile organic compounds (VOC's): Produced mostly from unburned fuel that evaporates. Sunlight breaks these down to form oxidants, which react with oxides of nitrogen to cause ground level ozone, a major component of smog. · Oxides of nitrogen: Contributes to smog and acid rain, and also causes irritation to human mucus membranes.
3. Balance pipe (x-pipe)
A genuine stamped x-pipe reduces noise, reduces nasty drone or resonance and improves horsepower.
	Tru-X Pipe, 2.5", 2.5" Core, 15" long, part number: 10788 http://www.magnaflow.com/03hardware.htm
	I haven't compared the old fashion "H" pipe (joining the dual system with a normal piece of pipe at right angles) to the NASCAR type "X" pipe. I have seen dyno where a very long V8 supercar type x-pipe (pdf on my site) gave an extra 10 kW over an H-pipe. And another article saying the shorter x-pipe was just as powerful as the long x-pipe but with a better "tone". Since I had to make a choice I went for the short style x-pipe. The standard Soarer comes with a long style x-pipe with a resonator in the middle of it. So you will need a balance pipe of some sort: - H or X, short or long. I recommend leaving the front section of your exhaust with the long x-pipe and just replace the rear four mufflers for stage one and see how you go.
4. Mufflers
Straight through quality mufflers reduce noise very effectively. Japan spec standard mufflers are "Turbo" mufflers - reflection type - not straight through and don't flow very well and very quiet. US mufflers are already straight through - replacing them isn't going to make much difference compared to the Japan spec cars. I have fitted only two mufflers - this will be too loud for some.
The rear mufflers are double offset. So to fit the space properly you will need double off-set mufflers to go back in. One reason why I went for the Lukey UltraFlow (called Dynomax in the US) - it is a double offset muffler.
The Magnaflows are not double-offset	http://www.magnaflow.com/03mirrorrace.htm
The Lukey UltraFlow is my favourite muffler. Part number LSU17272. Read the link for more info, pictures, testing and where to get them in Australia.Soarer_Rear_Muffler.htm In the US you want the Dynomax SS Ultraflow site: http://www.dynomax.com/mufflers.stm
5. Tips
Tips is a personal choice - I wanted stainless tips - cost a lot more - but last and last - mine have taken on a slight gold colour. I wanted a rolled lip - not a straight cut, and I wanted the tip to follow the contours of the cutout. So these are the ones I selected:

Upgrade path for your V8 exhaust
stage	Japan Spec exhaust	US spec exhaust
1	Unbolt rear mufflers (save for later), replace with Lukey UltraFlows or straight through pipe (I have heard the straight through pipe option - not to bad).	Leave the rear mufflers alone, unbolt middle mufflers and replace with straight through pipe.
2	Unbolt middle mufflers, replace with more Lukey's for quite sophistication, or plain pipe for louder sound.	Unbolt front section, replace with plain pipe and x-pipe - may need to modify middle section to fit.
3	Unbolt front section, replace with plain pipe and x-pipe - may need to modify middle section to fit.	Unbolt rear mufflers (save for later), replace with Lukey UltraFlows
4	Headers and dual high flow cats.	Headers and dual high flow cats.
	I used pressed bent mild steel 2.5 inch diameter - 2.5 inch is oversized for regular V8, 2 inch or 2.25 inch is plenty. Mandrel bends? - cheaper to use press bent larger pipe - the V8 doesn't have the same needs as a forced induction engine.

Saturday 14th September 2002

1. HEADERS

2. CATALYTIC CONVERTERS

3. Balance pipe (x-pipe)

4. Mufflers

5. Tips

Upgrade path for your V8 exhaust