Can someone explain to me the testpipe smell?

[rnp614]

So I'm really on the fence about whether or not I want my test pipe installed at the same time as my milltek. What sort of smell does the tp produce? When do you smell it? i.e. all the time, only at stop lights? only with windows down? Or with windows up too? I've tried posting in other threads but never got answered

[Grishbok]

it smells like gasoline and exhaust gas. Sniff your tailpipes, and imagine a little bit of a gasoline odor to it.

You will smell it through the vents, through the windows, whatever is open and allows the wind to blow the smell through.

The reason it smells is because there is nothing there to collect the unburnt fuel/hot exhaust gases and convert them into less harmful less odorous gases. (catalytic converter)

[AudiWxGuy]

you forget significantly less pollutive.

[3thrd_a_4]

The guy driving behind you when your ripping down the street smells it way more. Inside the car is barely noticeable[up]

[elwigglero]

you forget significantly less pollutive.

You're not saying the test pipe is less pollutive than a standard cat, right? It's extrememly pollutive. It makes Al Gore cry.

[SEXICÄN]

The smell is pretty sick! i don't smell it unless i just drove the piss out of my car and then came to a stop. Peole who drive behind me smell it all the time!

[rnp614]

Shoptime is expensive down here so I'm torn about trying it out and then paying an hour or 2 of labor to get it taken out....what to do what to do...

[AudiWxGuy]

You're not saying the test pipe is less pollutive than a standard cat, right? It's extrememly pollutive. It makes Al Gore cry.

I meant more. WOops.

[Mr.Audi]

never have i ever smelled it in the cabin.... now after romping on it for a while and then stopping you can smell it all around it....... but never in it.

[elwigglero]

I meant more. WOops.

I figured...Just didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. [up]

[Grishbok]

if you dont really want to deal with it, you can get a high flow cat. Their catalytic converters that allow a higher rate of flow, kind of "inbetween" a testpipe and a stock catalytic converter.

[VegasAIV]

if you dont really want to deal with it, you can get a high flow cat. Their catalytic converters that allow a higher rate of flow, kind of "inbetween" a testpipe and a stock catalytic converter.

where???!

[Msu2312]

it smells like gasoline and exhaust gas. Sniff your tailpipes, and imagine a little bit of a gasoline odor to it.

You will smell it through the vents, through the windows, whatever is open and allows the wind to blow the smell through.

The reason it smells is because there is nothing there to collect the unburnt fuel/hot exhaust gases and convert them into less harmful less odorous gases. (catalytic converter)

i dont smell my Test Pipe through the vents only time i smell it is after flooring it stoping at a red lightwith windows down or when you have tail winds at a stop with the windows down aswell, other than that if windows are up ive never smelt it

[supamannn99]

shit, whenever i cruise with my windows down, normal driving, its always up in my cabin. smells like shit, and sounds like shit. i love the power gain though [up]

[extremesport3]

Its the smell of power!!!

[SilverBullets]

i think yall just convinced me not to buy one lol

[Grishbok]

buy a high flow cat instead. about the same price, you can pass emissions, but it allows for higher flow rate than stock. (give or take) Not as good as a test pipe, but some of them are good middle ground.

[JRMSLINEA4]

buy a high flow cat instead. about the same price, you can pass emissions, but it allows for higher flow rate than stock. (give or take) Not as good as a test pipe, but some of them are good middle ground.+1

[Charles]

Since when can you find a high flow cat for 80 bucks (the price of a VMR test pipe)??

Honestly, I have never smelled anything. Well, I do when I'm standing at the trunk and the car is on. I heard all these people talking about the $hitty test pipe smell, but when I got mine, I was stumped...didn't smell a damn thing. You should be fine.

[Grishbok]

universal high flow cats are + - 100$

[Slo.Mo.Shun.]

Some people here must have an exhaust leaks, have them checked out.

I have yet to smell my TP with my windows up, or even when other catless cars drive in front of me.

[kinglui17]

It smells of a sunny, Spring day in the Swiss alps or sometimes of a cool, crisp ocean breeze...

In all seriousness, I have never smelled any exhaust inside the car whether I am crusing or driving hard. The only time I can smell anything is if I happen to walk behind the car during warmup. As HID mentioned, some of the people posting here should have their systems checked...

Lastly, I don't think that Al Gore would necessarily be against a test pipe. See article:

http://www.sepp.org/Archive/controv/controversies/catalytic.html

[Grishbok]

I was driving behind an evo with a testpipe, it did not smell like victory.

[rnp614]

It smells of a sunny, Spring day in the Swiss alps or sometimes of a cool, crisp ocean breeze...

In all seriousness, I have never smelled any exhaust inside the car whether I am crusing or driving hard. The only time I can smell anything is if I happen to walk behind the car during warmup. As HID mentioned, some of the people posting here should have their systems checked...

Lastly, I don't think that Al Gore would necessarily be against a test pipe. See article:

http://www.sepp.org/Archive/controv/controversies/catalytic.html

Wow, interesting read

[Grishbok]

http://www.sepp.org/Archive/controv/...catalytic.html


But researchers have suspected for years that the converters sometimes rearrange the nitrogen-oxygen compounds to form nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas. And nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas, more than 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide, the most common of the gases, that is warming the atmosphere, according to experts.

what is this? SOMETIMES? thats not science, catalytic converters use precious metals to undergo a thermal reaction which has a predetermined chemical formula outcome. How can this "sometimes" result in N2O?!?!? Under what specific conditions does a catalytic converter create N2O? It doesnt just happen, thats ridiculous.

The article fails to address the fact that the N2O they are encountering is not a result of the design of catalytic converters, but a failure to properly assess the manufacturing and composition of the materials used. What they are saying is that 1+1=2 SOMETIMES.

[kinglui17]

Grishbok, I am not a scientist, so I'll have to think back to my science electives in college to respond. Bear with me.

You are correct, 1+1=2 always because there are no variables, i.e. 1 is always 1. Did you ever consider that there are variables such as air temperature, humidity, altitude, particles in the air, urban driving vs. rural driving, etc. that affect the combustion of an engine and related exhaust gases?

My post was intended to offer "rnp614" something to chew on to decide whether he wants to read further or not. I am not offering scientific proof. However, please feel free to share with us the definitive answer on whether catalytic converters do in fact contribute to global warming and add to the infinite sadness of Mr. Gore.

[IceMole]

On my old FD3S RX-7 it would actually sting my eyes during the summers.

[Brent27]

You smell that rabbit ? I smell fear...http://culturegarage.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/super_troopers.jpg

[Grishbok]

In the lifespan of a catalytic converter, yes it does, precious metals used in the catalytic converter are incredibly toxic after their properties are dismantled by years of use and exposure.

My initial assumption was in fact wrong, because in order to create N2O bond, you need EXTREME energy, which in this case, would be heat. Now, if gas and oil particles are caught inside the catalytic converter, they "could" store enough energy to create a nitrogen bond. This is however, VERY rare as it requires intense amount of energy and the molecules on their own do not have a strong dipole attraction. It could happen, but i think the more likely culprit in this scenario would be mercury in the catalytic converter, which would act as a much better catalyst when heated and when added to combustion would produce a n2o bond.

[Insane_Audi]

^rocket scientist

[Maverick]

keep in mind if you have a white car, you basically need a car wash every other day. TP not only smells gas and exhaust fumes but also it shoots out a lot of black particles.
I never have a smell inside but with the rear seats folds down then I smell it(maybe because of the V6)

[dizwhoadayjohn]

is the testpipe the pipe underneath the car or the pipe connected to the turbo?

[Charles]

It's bolted to the turbine housing of the turbo, so, theoretically, unless you have a leak, the only place you could smell anything, would be at the tail pipes.

Like i said, the only time I smell anything is when I'm out of the car and standing by the trunk.

[Charles]

Double post

[yettavr6]

http://www.sepp.org/Archive/controv/...catalytic.html



what is this? SOMETIMES? thats not science, catalytic converters use precious metals to undergo a thermal reaction which has a predetermined chemical formula outcome. How can this "sometimes" result in N2O?!?!? Under what specific conditions does a catalytic converter create N2O? It doesnt just happen, thats ridiculous.

The article fails to address the fact that the N2O they are encountering is not a result of the design of catalytic converters, but a failure to properly assess the manufacturing and composition of the materials used. What they are saying is that 1+1=2 SOMETIMES.

Towards the bottom of the article it mentions that auto manufacturers believe it happens when the cat is still warming up, and they believe they can take care of that by making the cat warm up faster. That's from 1998...i was just reading that pdf on the 2.0T FSI the other day. In there it mentions some sort of warm-up phase where the injectors fire twice per compression, and this heats the cat up to operating temp in about 45 seconds. So basically, that article is severely outdated (11 years)

[akasch]

keep in mind if you have a white car, you basically need a car wash every other day. TP not only smells gas and exhaust fumes but also it shoots out a lot of black particles.
I never have a smell inside but with the rear seats folds down then I smell it(maybe because of the V6)

oh man I have never read this before but I was literally just about to buy one and now I'm back up on the fence. Having a bunch of black crap around the exhausts does not sound appealing

[wayneB7]

keep in mind if you have a white car, you basically need a car wash every other day. TP not only smells gas and exhaust fumes but also it shoots out a lot of black particles.

Yet another reason I won't be getting one. I can't say that I am overly enamoured with the black exhaust tips on my B7 .... that and the brakes. And if the TP adds to the soot then that makes it even worse ...

[rams456]

shit, whenever i cruise with my windows down, normal driving, its always up in my cabin. smells like shit, and sounds like shit. i love the power gain though [up]

i've always wanted to hear stasis exhaust + test pipe
is there any possibility you could make a video of it?

[supamannn99]

i've always wanted to hear stasis exhaust + test pipe
is there any possibility you could make a video of it?

Sure, I'll see what I can do. i've been really busy for the past few months. i've been wanting to do it for a while now.

it doesnt sound that great to be honest..

[adub]

I loooove the smell of my test pipe. Who doesn't like the smell of gas? My wife gets nauseous really easily over smells and it doesn't mind her one bit. Your going to love the improved throttle response and low end torque [:D]

[Msu2312]

Its the smell of power!!!

x2

[Maverick]

Yet another reason I won't be getting one. I can't say that I am overly enamoured with the black exhaust tips on my B7 .... that and the brakes. And if the TP adds to the soot then that makes it even worse ...

not just tips, but the whole rear bumper.
I don't mind it. I wash the car often. my car is blue so it doesn't show as bad

[Msu2312]

I was driving behind an evo with a testpipe, it did not smell like victory.

he was in front of you wasnt he? sounds like victory to me :)

[lask8ter134]

miltek high flow 200 cell all the way baby!! retail $999.00. I got mine brand spanking new here the classifieds from a desperate guy for $350.00, yea talking about a sick discount lol