TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sun Jun 15, 2003 9:46 am

Okay, starting to bolt some stuff onto my splitty. I've read a lot of these threads and have narrowed many things down. BUT for exhaust, say an extractor header and a single quiet pack; watching the bucks but not cheap. What do you think, Bugpack or Empi? As always, thanks guys & gals!

Michael

Sun Jun 15, 2003 10:22 am

Bugpack has worked for me. I've never tried Empi though.

Sun Jun 15, 2003 10:25 am

I've had both. Empi, from my experience, is s rung or two down on the quality ladder from Bugpack exhaust-wise.

Go ceramic coating. More $, but worth it.

Sun Jun 15, 2003 1:03 pm

bug-pack or S&S is much better then that empi stuff they just don't make it the way they used to

Sun Jun 15, 2003 1:20 pm

Like Deaffy said, the ceramic coating is worth it if you live anywhere that rust can live. A dry climate like Phoenix, you probably don't need to worry about it too much, but anywhere that rust can live, the ceramic coating will probably pay for itself in the long run. Bugpack headers and mufflers are avaliable already coated which is nice.

Sun Jun 15, 2003 4:15 pm

Apparently Bugpack headers and mufflers are now being made in Taiwan, which makes them similar to EMPI. These Bugpack parts used to be made by S&S Headers in the USA until last year. Buy an S&S and you will not regret it, based on my experience.

Sun Jun 15, 2003 8:07 pm

I bought a Bugpack Single QP about 18 months ago and it has worked fine. But getting it coated will prevent rust.

Sun Jun 15, 2003 8:38 pm

when i bought my bugpack exhaust all the welds on the flanges were different. a few of the welds were big globs inside the exhaust pipe that could impede the exhaust flow. i just used my dremel and grinded everything smooth. kinda shotty quality i thought but it seems to work fine

Mon Jun 16, 2003 7:40 am

Yeah, I had the same weld slag issue with the Empi header. It was a HUGE glob, too! Ground it out and went from there.

FWIW, you can try using POR-20 high temp paint on the header for a cheapy ceramic sorta look. Aircooled.net has instructions about "curing" the paint with the exhaust on the car in one of their tech sections. I used an improvised method of theirs when I put a stock exhaust on a Vanagon. Worked well for the muffler, didn't help the tail pipe.

Mon Jun 16, 2003 5:51 pm

Empi exhausts suck the royal rear end, Bugpacks are much better, for the price. I never heard anything about Bugpack shipping exhaust production to Taiwan?? Last I heard they were still making their exhausts in their Ontario, California facility...

Mon Jun 16, 2003 6:08 pm

The old empi extractors were good werent they?

Mon Jun 16, 2003 7:29 pm

take a look at kymco exhausts- the fit, finish and quality of their products are much higher than EMPI or bugpack, and the value is better. they are a little more money up front, but it is worth it. when i think of the hours i have spent fighting to get cheap systems to work, I wonder why i thought saving $20-30 was worth it.

Mon Jun 16, 2003 8:02 pm

My new S&S muffler has the original "Bugpack" name pressed into the rear of the muffler and what S&S did was weld over top of the second syllable so that it now says: "BugS&SHeaders". This is because they had already produced another batch of Bugpack mufflers and then Bugpack switched suppliers, so S&S was stuck with all these extras...

Wed Jun 18, 2003 10:48 pm

THANKS GUYS! Good advise all. I'll break the piggy bank and see if I can ante up the the ceramic coated or even the Kymco. Otherwise it's BugPack.

Thu Jun 19, 2003 5:20 pm

Wow, that's news to me, speirsn...had no idea. Bummer to hear another major outfit shipping all the more crap out to Taiwan. We need to bring the VW industry back to the US!! Hope S&S doesn't quit making exhausts here any time soon...I too will shop out a Kymco exhaust.