Exhaust on a chipped car

[xburbx]

How much power do you really feel out of a chipped car with a borla exhaust or anything similar. Is it worth the money when the car is already chipped?

[xburbx]

im refering to " is the exhaust worth the money"

[Howard Hughes]

Aside from a chip, I'd say exhaust is the best mod you can do.


So with a chip I'd expect to see some gains.

[xburbx]

i have the chip, im just debating between exhaust, vs cosmetic mods. if the exhaust doesnt show enough improvement for the money, i can just get tips and put the money into some cosmetic mod. if people feel differently and think that the exhaust is a definite increase from a chipped 1.8t, then ill do that

[DDQ]

I cannot say I noticed a dramatic difference from the exhaust, but it is a must-do if you plan to get all you can from your engine mods. Sometimes you get the placebo effect from mods that make the car "louder". However, it's certainly not a worthless mod, and will only help. But don't expect big gains just from an exhaust, especially unless you go cat-back. The biggest restiction is at the manifold for the air escaping the cylinder. After that (expecially on a 1.8) the differences are negligible.
But you cannot go wrong with a more efficient exhaust setup.

Read this: http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/Miscella...austtheory.htm

[xburbx]

interesting article. so from what i gather, even though an exhaust system is good, i might be better off spending that money on rims

[wakko]

better off on suspension =p

[xburbx]

anyone in the jersey area that has a chip and exhaust that wants to give me a quick ride in their car lol

[DDQ]

Originally posted by wakko
better off on suspension =p

Ditto that! Always do suspension before rims, IMO.

[xburbx]

i have sport suspension so its not too bad

[goduke]

Until you put on a set of 18s.

[xburbx]

im lost? will there be too much of a wheel gap

[JMG]

Originally posted by xburbx
im lost? will there be too much of a wheel gap

18s with Audi Sport Suspension:



18s with aftermarket suspension:

[DDQ]

Originally posted by xburbx
im lost? will there be too much of a wheel gap

When you properly plus size your wheels, you do not change the overall diameter, so the wheel gap will never be affected no matter if you run 15s or 18s, because the tires compensate for the difference (otherwise your speedo and odometer would be off).

It's just that there is the illusion effect. When you have big rims and thinner tires on the car, the wheel gap appears more pronounced.

I prefer the uniform wheel gap surrounding the tire. Meaning, the gap on the sides of the wheel well matches the gap on top. That requires you have no more than about a two finger gap all around.

[xburbx]

between jmg's pics and ddq's info , i get it. it would look damn stupid

[DDQ]

Originally posted by xburbx
between jmg's pics and ddq's info , i get it. it would look damn stupid

It just won't look too tasteful. If you come across a great deal on rims that you can't pass up, then I'd say slap the wheels on there with the intention of getting suspension done soon after. But, if you have to decide on what order to spend your mod money, then I'd say suspension should come before rims. Way before.

[Zodiak]

it's entirely up to you. You'll only be able to appreciate your new rims when walking towards your car. Also expect city roads to turn into major obsticle courses, cuz you'll be dodging potholes and metal plates like crazy.
vs.
The exhaust which you'll enjoy every time you rev the engine, and even more so when you go WOT.

[xburbx]

ive been leaning towards go before show so ive been researching exhausts. i notice a lot of people say i lose bottom end power and gain top end. i dont want to lose that torque off the line. any suggestions

[Zodiak]

Originally posted by xburbx
ive been leaning towards go before show so ive been researching exhausts. i notice a lot of people say i lose bottom end power and gain top end. i dont want to lose that torque off the line. any suggestions

You won't lose much low-end torque as long as you stick with something no bigger than 2.75. I'd suggest 2.5. I'm running the 1st gen borla, sure there's a little less low end torgue, but you'll also see a little less turbo-lag.

[awe4rings]

If you go turbo back, you will notice just about double the performance gain on average as if you went cat-back. The only problem is that the sport cats are +- $600..pretty hefty ontop of a $600-$800 catback system.

[xburbx]

so 1200ish for a turbo back?

[joeya103]

are you fwd or quattro?

i know that for fwd cars, downpipes aren't included with exhaust systems (i'm looking at the milltek). without the downpipe, your low-end torque should be more or less unaffected. i heard it's a bigger downpipe that definitely shifts your power to the upper RPMs.

but yea, even with quattro catback systems, if you don't go too big, you should be okay. the only people who don't lose power with the bigger systems (bigger than, say, 2.75") are those with turbo upgrades like the T28 kit. For stock turbo or even K04, 2.5 is generally the best size without losing too much kick in the lower rpms.

BTW, my opinion matches that of DDQ. If you find a great deal on wheels, I say hop on it. The gap will start to bother you after a while, yes, but it doesn't look "stupid". My brother had rims on a sport package, and it looked alright, at least for a while. Stock rims are even worse, IMHO, unless you have stock non-sport SUV suspension (in which case, you must drop NOW)

[joeya103]

Oops you said Borla, so you must be Quattro. Go for it =) Go or show, your call. Then again, suspension is sorta go AND show...

[xburbx]

should i go with a turbo back system, is it that big of an improvement

[awe4rings]

Originally posted by xburbx
so 1200ish for a turbo back?

That is correct. They say the catback system runs you + 8 - 12 hp and a new high flow cat will do + 6 - 10 hp.

[xburbx]

so i could see anywhere from 14-22 hp

[onewhippedpuppy]

I'm kind of jumping in on this late, but are there test pipes for the 1.8T to remove the cat altogether? I know the legalities of it, but Kansas doesn't have emissions testing or inspections (yes, there are a few advantages to living in KS). I researched 944 Turbos before I went with the more family friendly A4, but in the 944T a test pipe alone was good for 10 or 15 HP. Is this even an option on the A4?