TheSamba.com :: View topic

Thu Sep 04, 2008 12:18 pm

When I bought my car back in April, it had a merged header and exhaust system along with a stupid-loud single glass pack muffler that looked lousy. I did the easy thing - pulled the muffler and replaced with a Eurotuck system. It looked pretty nice and had decent sound but like a lot of this stuff, it hung lower than a stock system.

Recently I came out of a driveway with a steep slope. It scraped and busted right where the pipe exists from the passenger side heater box.

Since everything needed to come off for a repair, I decided to switch to a stock, Danish made muffler from CIP with stainless steel pea shooters.

I finished the installation last night. What a difference! IMO the car is much more pleasurable to drive and seems to run smoother - stock 1600 DP. I am sure that the lack of noise and stock sound helps.

Seat of the pants driving indicates better low end torque although top end power appears to be slightly less. I only really noticed this on a very long steep mountain road at highway speeds. Any other time its not an issue. Engine compartment heat seems lower too.

For those with a stock engine contemplating changing your exhaust to a header, my advice would be not too. Whatever additional power that might be achieved, it will be negligible and not worth the downside of having one of these things on your car.

I also like the stock look better - just one person's opinion and experience.

Thu Sep 04, 2008 1:14 pm

I can't remember exactly where but a long time ago, I read that the reason the type-2 bus got a single tipped exhaust (even though it would have the same otherwise type-1 engine - so we're talking pre 1972 buses) was that the slight restriction on the exhaust gave the bus engine more torque...
It's been waaaaaay too long since physics and chemistry classes and honestly... back then I was probably doing more chemistry on my own :roll: so maybe someone else here can enlighten us on the specifics of this?

I too tend toward stock or at the very least stock looking exhausts now but this is definitely one of those things that's personal taste and age related. My youngest son loves those "phat boy" exhausts on his Vdubs as do most of his Vdub-enabled friends. Meanwhile I just built an old 1500 single port with stock german muffler and got to smilin' how "cool" it L@@Ks and how smooth it runs :lol: