Exhaust: The Budget Way

[kcjones]

I'm getting ready to do some work on my glt wagon.

Over the past few weeks, I've got it running pretty well. I want to do a turbo-back exhaust, but just don't have the time/money right now, so I've pondered an alternative.

I absolutely hate the stock muffler. It's big, bulky, and has no personality. I've decided I want to remove it. The "flight path" of exhaust gasses must travel through an S curve of muffler packing, and this eats away at my brain.

muffler.JPG (4.63 KiB) Viewed 3249 times

I'm not looking to get the turbo to spool faster, or increase the diameter of the current set-up. I just want this muffler gone, and I'm sure anything else will at the least light up a little at high RPM.

I plan to cut the pipes close to the muffler, but far enough away to re-clamp it back on if things get hairy. I figure two couplers @ 30 degrees ought to allow a 22" 2.75OD muffler to bolt right on with wiggle room.

I'm not sure what specific brand I want to use yet.

Any insight/comments are welcome.

[phat78ta]

i personally like the sound of a flowmaster, but its all up to you for sound. once you remove the "suitcase", there will be lots of room for the new muffler. I have been looking into doing this also, just haven't had the time yet. Too focused on getting the manual swap going.

[Treyho33]

i have a 98 v70 n/a and one of the first things i did was put a borla muffler in place of the factory muffler and it has a very unique and powerful sound.

[matthew1]

For anyone following this topic, this Volvo Performance Exhaust article has a number of excellent do's and don'ts. It's not written with budget as the goal, but it does take cost into account.

[kcjones]

I've been doing some window shopping.I think I'm going to try the Dynomax VT. The reviews seem to be pretty high.

I did notice that the tailpipe has a terrible "non-mandrel" bend as it passes the rear trailing arms. I might have to rid of this as well.

[kcjones]

Fantastic news. MUST READ!!!

I was on amazon, getting ready to order a Dynomax VT, but quickly learned that reviews are TERRIBLE. Apparently the spring trap door system ends up making the muffler sound like a game of kick the can.

So, I increased my exhaust budget and hoped to buy an OBX turboback system from amazon for $440 + shipping cost = about $500.

But then, Google happened

I searched on my smartphone to show my buddy a picture of the "bang for the buck" exhaust I was about to get, and Google directed me to a website called "Sparktec Motorsports".

Their price?

$380 shipped to my door!!!!!!!

So I ordered it. And waited. Then worried.

The site uses Yahoo.com shopping checkout (which I had never used/seen). Yahoo shopping didn't show any "Order Received" confirmation or anything. Just "Order Placed; Date and Time". Then I started looking at some reviews about the company. Oh the horror. Tons of complaints of no response from the "two friends who own the company". Complaints for never receiving the parts and still being charged. Even complaints filed with the BBB.

I sank in my chair. I thought the interwebs had finally had their way with me.

WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!

I placed the order late Friday afternoon. Got an email Tuesday Morning. Shipping confirmation and tracking number

I received the exhaust Friday late morning in an large OBX Racing Sports box. It looked like UPS drug it behind the truck.

I opened it up and laughed. Even though they took the time to wrap and tape each pipe, they (I assume OBX) were too cheap to reinforce the box properly. They stuffed about 15 smaller, flattened boxes all over the place to keep it from falling apart, which it did anyway. Luckily, all of the pipes were O.K. 1 had minor scratches.

Sparktec is NOT a scam in my book. Not for the price, ease of ordering, or the shipping time.

I really like the new exhaust and it's a breeze to install. All T304 stainless. Great welds. Lifetime warranty. Free extra downpipe. What's not to like?