Monthly Archives: November 2011

Photo by: L.Vincenti

 2)Twin Loop Rear Muffler: 60mm pipe diameter; Maximum Power; Lower Sound output than Cannon muffler; No obvious exhaust noise from cabin on low and mid rpm; Quicker throttle response.

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A popular question that we normally get from customers and a popular topic among car forums is “Which flows better, oval or cannon mufflers?”

A mufflers main job is designed to muffle or eliminate sound waves generated from your engine. Mufflers may look the same on the outside but not all mufflers are created equal and can use different methods or sometimes multiple combinations (Chambered, Absorption, Reverse and Twin passes) to reduce noise levels.

Chambered muffler:

Chamber muffler designs can vary however the basic concept is the same. Above is an example of a factory chambered muffler design. First thing you notice is that there are 2 chambers; a main flow chamber and a resonating chamber. In the main flow chamber exhaust gasses flow through a perforated tube before exiting through to the outlet tube. While the Resonating chamber (the larger chamber) is where the sound cancellation occurs. In the resonating chamber, a specific volume of air and length is calculated to produce a wave to cancel out a certain frequency of sound. Thus reducing noise and drone level.  It’s good news then for car manufactures who have strict noise levels to meet or for people who require little to low noise level.

Good for noise restriction, bad for flow since it can create unwanted back pressure in the main flow chamber.

Absorption / Straight-through Mufflers

Example of a straight through muffler. Please note this is not an Xforce muffler.

Absorption straight through mufflers consist of a single perforated tube and have virtually no restrictions and offers the most flow.  A combination of stainless steel cloth/wool and fiberglass packing is used to fill in the void between the perforated tube and muffler canister, the packing helps dissipate and absorb sound waves (mainly high frequency sound).  Absorption straight through type mufflers are mostly your cannon type mufflers, but can also be made in a oval type too. The easiest way to tell is to hold up the muffler in question and look through one side of it. If you can see the other side then you have a straight through muffler!

Important factors that will determine the sound characteristics:

• Muffler size:  The larger or longer the muffler body/canister is, the better sound dampening effect it will have. Check sizing for a quieter and deeper exhaust note.
• Inlet and center tube size: The larger the inlet and tube sizes are, the higher sound level will be, (normally the outlet is the same size with inlet and center tube).
• Muffler packing: the material and density of the muffler packing are also crucial for the sound characteristics.

XFORCE chooses to use the straight-through absorption design for our sports mufflers, Testing has shown that they produce maximum power gain and overall a better sounding exhaust. For our mufflers we only use the best quality material for muffler packing.First layer is a heat resistant stainless steel wool used to insulate the high temperatures generated by high flowing exhaust gases, and for best sound dampening effect we densely packed the second layer with high-grade fiber glass. XFORCE also offers many variety of muffler sizes to suit all sorts of project cars. To check them out ,  click here

 Example of a straight through oval muffler. See how you can see straight through the other side. This is great for flow!

Please note this is not an Xforce muffler.

A Reverse Flow muffler.

A reverse flow or “turbo” muffler takes the exhaust gases on an S-shaped path through the muffler. The exhaust gases travels to one end of the muffler, is turned 180 degrees and heads back to the first end. From there it is again turned 180 degrees before it passes through the outlet. Great for producing sound cancellation waves and reducing noise, but the increase in backpressure and unnatural exhaust flow ultimately means that a straight through muffler will easily out flow this design.

A combination of Chambered + reverse flow type muffler+absorption. This muffler would almost create no noise. You can see that the exhaust gases has to flow through an absorption chamber three times before exiting, and a resonating chamber is included to cancel out any remaining sound waves that are missed. By looking at the arrows, flow would be compromised in the last and middle chamber. Lots of back pressure!

Twin loop muffler

In a twin loop muffler, exhaust gases flow in a natural spiral shape path through the muffler twice before exiting the tail pipe. It has all the advantages of the absorption straight through muffler and none of the reverse. A twin loop is effectively two straight through mufflers compacted in one.

The twin loop is great for vehicles with limited space but requires maximum HP and low noise level. They are popular choices for many four cylinder naturally aspirated cars such as Honda Civic, Integra.

Varex Muffler

A VAREX muffler is a combination of a straight through and reverse type muffler. When the valve is shut closed exhaust gases are redirected away from the main flow path and through a smaller opening before exiting. Sound waves are reflected and cancel out any sound waves of the same frequency. Any escaping sound waves are dissipated and absorbed by the stainless steel wool and fiberglass packing. When the valve is opened it is essentially an absorption Straight-through Muffler providing maximum flow.  

To see the full range of high performance Xforce mufflers and Adjustable Varex Mufflers visit : https://xforce.com.au

Please note: All pictures and images belong to their respective owners.

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On the 29th and 30th of October, Skylines Australia hosted their first track day/show and shine weekend which is set to be an on going annual event. SAU received support from sponsors:

• X-FORCE
• Import Monster
• Castrol Edge
• Yokohama
• Race Pace
• Mothers
• Motive DVD
• Just Car

Skyline enthusiasts of all ages young and old from all over Australia attended the track day. 

The award ceremony was held at the Goulburn Hotel where the SAU members had a chance to win the turbo back X-Force exhaust system.There was an impressive turnout and SAU had booked out the function room on the upper floor of the GV Hotel. At around 9:00pm the DJ stopped the music as it was time for the X-Force exhaust give away. 

The ticket “Red A 3″ was called and there was absolute silence. Everyone checked their ticket before looking around for the lucky winner.From the crowd emerged Dee (SAU member Deesil) holding the winning ticket and sporting a giant smile on her face.Every one cheered and patted Dee on the back congratulating her. The voucher was handed over and the celebrations continued well into the night. 

Skylines Australia Nationals Show n Shine Appealed to everyone with a variety of daily street machines, complete customs, one off unique imports and of course the old school classics were all present. Show bags containing Xforce stickers handed out to the first 100 people through the gates. 

Whilst walking amongst the crowd we over heard a few enthusiasts discussing their exhaust systems and we overheard SAU member JPCR- 33 had an X-Force oval exhaust and hi flow cat on his R33 GTST so we set up a display next to his car. JPCR had said he noticed the X-Force exhaust had much better flow properties than the stock muffler, he also commented that it made a good note while not being overly loud.

A big thanks to all the organizers for all the effort put into the weekend, the Competitors for an entertaining track day, The Skyline enthusiasts for representing the car scene in such a good manner.

For more pictures check out :

Photo Set 1 

Photo set 2 

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Opening the box you instantly see that care and thought has been taken when packaging the Varex muffler from the factory. Moulded foam pads are used to hold and secure the muffler and its accessories from moving around and making contact with each other or getting damaged during transit.

The Varex Muffler.

Once you have the Varex muffler out of the box and in the sun light. The workmanship and quality of the Varex can really be appreciated; the tig welds are nice and even and are up there with the best. Polished 304 Stainless Steel is used throughout the build from its tip, body casing, flange and even its perforated baffle tube. Sitting on top of the muffler away from flying debris and water is the Varex motor which controls a valve to shut or open inside the muffler via a remote control. What’s also interesting to note is Xforce has also gone the extra mile and put a heat resistant sleeve to protect the wiring harness from heat and damage. As if the Stainless steel wasn’t used enough the guts of the Varex (and Xforce) muffler consist of a 2 layer packing. The most inner layer lined wrapped with stainless steel mesh and its outer layer packed with fibre glass.

Along with the Varex muffler you get everything needed for the install. (Universal Varex muffler may require modifying your old exhaust to fit). Included in the box you get a wiring harness which uses the 12volt cigarette lighter as its power source, a control box and remote control (current gen Varex only include 1 remote). Installation is made very simple by following the included Varex manual. With less wiring to do then a CD deck. Most backyard mechanics should be able to figure this part out in no time.

Misc. items 
Correctly sized polished stainless steel brackets are also included to help make mounting the muffler easier. Metal exhaust gaskets, nuts and bolts are all standard issue items you would find in any reputable exhaust shop and are also included in the box.

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Main photo by: Jet Rabe

Xforce exhaust systems are designed to be a true bolt-on option and power gainer. All exhaust systems are R&D in-house and dyno tested with proven power gains. 304 Stainless steel mandrel bends, and flanges are used in the construction for its strength, excellent heat resistance, rust proof, high flow (mandrel bends) and finish properties.

Everything in the system includes bolts, nuts, gaskets and everything else needed for a true bolt on experience.

Xforce always recommends a dyno tune after an exhaust item has been upgraded (like any other power mod) to fully utilize its power potential.

Lancer EVO 7, 8, 9 Turbo-back System includes :

• Wide open dump-pipe
• 3″ hi-flow metallic racing cat
• Hot-dog resonator
• 10″X6″ large oval rear muffler
• 4.5″ double-wall tip

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Test Vehicle: FPV FG 335 GT with “Coyote” 5.0L Supercharged V8 Engine, Factory Stock NO modifications and No ECU tuning involved during the testing.

Tested Products:

We tested the following exhaust systems:

• Twin 2.5” Cat-Back System originally designed for FG XR8 and FG GT 5.4L (Part #ES-FG50)
• Twin 3” Cat-Back System designed for FG  335 GT 5.0L (Part#:ES-FG55)

We use the same header and cats.

• 1”7/8 Header with 3” collector (Part #: HS-FG80)
• 100 cells metallic hi-flow racing cats  (Part#: ES-FG80-CATB)

Test Equipment:
Dynapack EVO 3000: Ideal dyno machine for R&D thanks to its unique hub-mount setup. This will eliminate tyre pressure & friction variations that could potentially affect the dyno results.

We mounted the dynapack machine onto our 4 post hoist, this allows us to test different systems and configurations without the need to remove the test vehicle on and off the dyno, this will also help eliminate variations during dyno setup.

Tested Procedure:

1.  Dyno run with complete stock exhaust system;
2.  Dyno run with XFORCE Twin 2.5” Cat-Back System(ES-FG50); Header and Cats remained factory stock;
3.  Dyno run with XForce Twin 3” Cat-Back System(ES-FG55), while headers and cats remained factory stock;
4. Dyno run with XFORCE 1”7/8 Header(HS-FG80), Twin 3” metallic hi-flow Cats (ES-FG80-CATB(100)) and Twin 3” Cat-back System (ES-FG55).

Dyno test method:
In order to maintain the repeatability and accuracy of the test results, we follow a strict procedure on every dyno run, with no other modifications except exhaust system is tested.

• During the first 5-6 runs, running temperature will increase toward optimal temperature, the power gains increased gradually during every run
• When the power gain is at peak level and begins to fall due to the overheating, the test is put on hold and the engine is let to cool down.
• Above steps are repeated until an average of the highest output is achieved.
• Any abnormal test results are discarded.

Test results:
XFORCE Twin 2.5” Cat-Back Vs. Factory Stock system
10~12 kwrw gain over the stock exhaust system

10~12 kwrw gain over the stock exhaust system

XFORCE Twin 3” Cat-Back System Vs. Factory Stock System
16~18 kwrw power gains over the factory stock system

16~18 kwrw power gains over the factory stock system

XFORCE 1”7/8 Header and Hi-Flow Cats Vs Stock Headers and Cats
(Both fitted with Twin 3” Cat-back)
15~16 kwrw power gains over the factory stock headers and cats.

15~16 kwrw power gains over the factory stock headers and cats.

XFORCE Full Exhaust System (1”7/8 Headers + 3” 100Cell Metallic Cats +Twin 3” Cat-Back)Vs. Factory Stock System 30~35 kwrw power gains.

30~35 kwrw power gains.

Conclusion:

• The Twin 3” Cat-Back has 50% more power gains than the Twin 2.5” Cat-Back, while the twin 2.5” system works well on the previous model of 5.4L N/A V8, the Twin 3” system is the obvious winner here for the supercharged V8 engine.
• Sound level of twin 3” cat-back is higher and deeper than the twin 2.5”. Combined with an XFORCE header and cats, users can expect an awesome V8 grunt. It has a distinct rumbling sound on idle, and a tough V8 growl at WOT.
• The full twin 3” system produced an impressing 30~35+ kwrw power gains over the factory stock system. The results are produced without any ECU tunings or other assisted power modifications.
• XFORCE system also shows to produce a “flatter” torque line throughout the range, improving every day drivability.

If users are looking for the ultimate V8 sound for their FPV 335 GT and power gains throughout the whole rpm range on a stock setup consider an Xforce Full Exhaust System as a very first power getter upgrade.

Important Note: Due to variations in dyno machine and vehicles, Dyno test results may vary for each individual car. 

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Mighty Car Mods show you a variety of sound comparisons of the full 3 inch exhuast, with Varex Muffler by X-Force on their S15. There is a complete install which is part of Season 02 Episode 04 which can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watchv=Ay_p6qUSYJE

For more info on Varex click “Varex” button in the main menu bar.

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