New Exhaust?

[Stevo9]

Evening all.

The standard exhaust on my standard S1 elise is on its way out and I'm assessing the replacement options. I have been hanging on for some time for a second hand system but suitable seems to come up so I think I will need to bite the bullet and buy new. I have been looking in all the usual places, but really fancy 2bular. It is pretty dear though and I was wonder if anybody has any experience of Jim's back boxs on a standard S1? Also is it worth replacing the whole exhaust system at the same time? It would be a hefty investment, and on a standard S1 is it really worth it?

Cheers

Stephen

[Shug]

Lots of positive experience of Jim's work on here. IMO, unless you intend to pursue further tuning, the full system is probably a step too far. That said, the standard S1 manifold is a work of horror and you'll gain some useful torque changing that out - which will actually make the car feel faster every day (unlike adding 10BHP just at the top end IME)

Also the separate downpipe on the standard system is prone to failure (you might find that the flexi section is already away) so you'd have to figure the cost of a new silencer and downpipe vs the full system from Jim. Will still be a lot cheaper to keep a standard downpipe with a backbox from the likes of Jim though.

Comes down to how much you want to spend and what your intended length of ownership/upgrade path is.

[tut]

The original also weighs a ton, so you will always get a good lowdown weight reduction.

tut

[campbell]

Stephen,

We put an S2 manifold and S2 stainless downpipe onto mine a couple of years ago. Put fresh nimbus heat reflector in as well between manifold and bulkhead.

Which reminds me, I wonder if there was a further wee heatshield that I didn't manage to source at the time, which is still missing!!

Anyway, according to Robin the S2 manifold makes working on it in future much better, but I am also aware of a 1 piece Piper manifold-downpipe, I think, might be what Shug is referring to, and this does seem to have a good rep. I was lucky enough to get the S2 manifold gratis, so the price diff to the 1-piece Piper was beyond my budget but if starting from scratch it's worth a look.

My tailbox is an early Blue Flame, stainless but with big can and they changed the design after a year or two for better fitment and access...with smaller can, slightly louder but not by much I believe. Mine fractured (which started the whole zorst replacement adventure for me in the first place) but because I like to so much I was lucky enough to find a stainless welder person who made it better than new and it seems fine still.

Campbell

[Corranga]

When my flexi went, I replaced it with the Eliseparts stainless replacement which was fine.

6 or 8 months later the spagetti manifold was gubbed (though at the time I thought it was just the studs).
Given the hassle of removing / replacing studs / refitting the manifold, I decided to make it a 1 time deal, and put a 4-2-1 on, which of course replaces the flexi section too so I had to sell that on.

It's not a difficult job (I managed it), but took me ages and it's a bit of a pita getting it all to fit, releasing engine brackets and jacking the engine into various positions etc and you need 2 people, 1 above, 1 below.
Personally, i'd do it only once, so if the cash is there, decide on your parts and do the whole thing. It'll save you in the long run if you decide on different shaped flexi or something if that needs replaced now too.

I found the car felt quite a bit quicker low dow with the 4-2-1 too, though mine already had SLS stage 1 type head work so the improvement might have been enhanced due to that.

My car has a brooke kensington back box on it which has remained through out.

Chris

[BiggestNizzy]

Sinilar situation to chris I had a 135 herad and cams fitted to mine after a HGF and all the power disapeared up the top end I replaced it with a full 4-2-1 system matted to the Janspeed roadpsort the original owner had fitted.

made it torquer low down aint cheap but as I keeping the car long term I dodn't want to replace it again