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Thu May 14, 2009 10:20 pm

Anybody have any experience with the Vintage Speed exhaust systems? I have seen their add in the classifieds and it looks like a quality system. I'd really like to see some installed pictures, other than the ones they have on their website. I am curious about two things: 1) How well does it fit? Specifically, how far below the apron is the muffler. From the pictures it looks like you can see a lot of muffler from behind the car, so some pics would be nice. 2) Anybody done any dyno tests to compare it to a merged header and muffler? I'm sure it doesn't produce the power of a full merged exhaust, but how much less? I'm shopping for an exhaust for my '63 Bug that will be getting a 2110. It would be nice to have something a little different, ya know. Any input and pics would be very appreciated.

Thanks!

Fri May 15, 2009 1:03 pm

vwchad wrote: Anybody have any experience with the Vintage Speed exhaust systems?

We have a forum dedicated to old speed: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewforum.php?f=44

Fri May 15, 2009 3:34 pm

He won't find it under there. It's a NEW german-look style exhaust.

vwchad - try running a search in this forum, somebody brought this up about a month ago when they drastically dropped the price on them (IIRC it was $199 or something like that.)

I don't know if anyone actually bought one though.

Kenney

Fri May 15, 2009 8:18 pm

Vintage Speed had a booth at the recent Bug-In 34 and I saw their stainless steel exhaust/muffler systems.

They had a 70s Beetle at their display that had the SS muffler installed, it fits well and sounded great. I should've took pics of the car.

Fri May 22, 2009 11:00 pm

Would be interesting to hear feedback from someone who bought one. Might be interested in something like this one.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=742429

Wed Jul 01, 2009 2:04 am

Hi,
Ronnie from Busoration did some test here:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3...p;start=20

I also did some DYNO test here:
VW BUS Merged 1 5/8" and turbo muffler 97HP 103ft lb 104.5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV5lsZrZyEM

Vintage Speed exhaust for VW BUS 95HP 107ft lb 98db

Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:03 am

I have been sent two systems to evaluate in the lab and also with field testing. I plan on doing this when I return from Vacation on a few different engines, both Type 1 and Type 4. I plan on comparatives with several other popular systems for overall output and BSFC.

I have been impressed with the quality of the system thus far, but I have found some areas that could be easily improved upon and I'll share that with the manufacturer when I send them the test results and summaries.

One thing I could not care less about is sound.

The same manufacturer also sent me one of their "Black mamba" billet shifters. This unit has also impressed me.

Wed Jul 01, 2009 11:42 am

Jake Raby wrote:

One thing I could not care less about is sound.

Very interested on why you would care less about the sound and how it would look (fit) on a Type I. I like the fact that it looks somewhat stock and fits in the stock location.

Looking foward to your performance evaluation too.

Mahalos

Wed Jul 01, 2009 11:46 am

Sound is not something that I "grade" any exhaust system on, because it doesn't provide anything useful to the engine, MPG or efficiency. Lots of things that make thing look or sound faster than they really are degrade performance.

I like the way the system fits and the ground clearance it affords as well.

Wed Jul 01, 2009 1:52 pm

Thanks for your info. Jake. Was looking for something that looks stock and is quiet and that would perform good on a 1776 up to a stroker engine.

Mahalos

Fri Dec 10, 2010 5:53 pm

AlohaVWfan wrote: Thanks for your info. Jake. Was looking for something that looks stock and is quiet and that would perform good on a 1776 up to a stroker engine.

Mahalos Here is the video you can hear the sound inside and outside of the Beetle

Sun Dec 12, 2010 7:07 am

Couple of videos of my bug with the Vintage Speed SS

Sun Dec 12, 2010 10:09 am

Volks World tested a variety of exhausts in their December 2010 issue, including the Vintage Speed Super Flow. They give it a high overall rating, with good fit and build quality. However, their performance rating was a middling 3 out of 5. A quote: "When fired up the exhaust did not sounds like a Beetle, emitting a deep burble more akin to a straight-six engine." Sounds like a good choice if you are looking for a nice look and appreciate the straight-six burble sound (which I like). Personally, my engine builder went for a CSP merged system - which I find a little boomy sounding.

Sun Dec 12, 2010 9:37 pm

i use one .. i have 38mm header and superflow muffler with twin outlets on a 1974 L bug
yes, it does sit a little low when viewed from behind. it is the german look style....others have said, that looks phat! looks like a big engine in there, at first i thought it was too low but have grown to like the look. it doesn't interfere with anything from a clearence perspective. my car is running 17 inch rims and the guards sit just above the 50 series tyres on the back and have never had a problem with speed bumps etc scraping.
it is not noisy on a 1916 eng with pretty standard heads and w110 cam. there is more induction noise inside the car.
it is not drummy or "thumpy" sought of sounding like some other systems and appears there is no drone noise at certain speeds or sustained rev ranges, cruising at steady speed is quiet.
which is probably the bit i dislike most about some performance exhausts.
it is strong and well made and arrived extremely well packed, was easy to fit. doesn't work with heater boxes though they do make a similar muffler for heater boxes but not with headers.
the headers do interfere with the sled tin under the pushrods so a little creative modifiying is required to run all the tin.
phil.

Sun Dec 12, 2010 11:27 pm

Quote: the headers do interfere with the sled tin under the pushrods so a little creative modifiying is required to run all the tin.

Can u post a pic of your mods to the sled tin?

Mon Dec 13, 2010 4:47 am

chrisflstf..haven't finished mod as yet..am waiting for industrial shields to close in the side where heater box goes..then need to reshape the back 2/3 of the sled.
check photos in gallery (vintage speed exhaust) one shows underneath shot
tin has to be reshaped to sit above 2 and 4 header pipe
phil[/img]

Wed Jun 15, 2016 8:25 pm

I was using an Empi GT muffler on my ghia due to the ground clearance I needed, and trying to find a quiet exhaust.

I hated it for my convertible ghia. Sounded like a hot dune buggy - and was just too loud and throaty. Maybe when I was 20, when I was into stingers - it may have been awesome. But at 50, I'm liking to hear the birds and stereo too.

Just received our Vintage Speed 125hp muffler with the "Extra Quiet" baffling offered through Aircooled.net, and installed it today.

One of the best fitting things I have every put on a volkswagen. Top notch welding - such a nice product.

The sound is solid - much less like a "hot rod", but more like a higher end sports car. Absolutely love it.

Hard to imagine my happiness after dropping a whopping $500 on an exhaust, but it's true. Wish I had done it long ago.

When I measured the sound with a sound meter, the VS was 10-15db less than the empi at idle and 3k.

Wed Jun 15, 2016 9:01 pm

^Looks great! I just put a VS sport exhaust on my new 2175 bus build. There was a noticable difference in sound compaired to the EMPI Phatboy I was running, my wife even noticed. Fit, finish, tone and ground clearance is nice. I do think my engine is losing some performance with it compaired to the merged header and my milage isn't as good as I'd like. But the engine is still
New and tight, time will tell.

Wed Jun 15, 2016 9:59 pm

bluedot wrote:
When I measured the sound with a sound meter, the VS was 10-15db less than the empi at idle and 3k.

I opted for the extra quiet option and couldn't find any word on its performance as "quiet" but now I'm glad I went for it. Haven't even ran it and I know it will be killer. Clears the short filters by a good margin.

Sat Jun 18, 2016 7:41 am

I had a VS muffler on my 63'. It looked good, sounded good, can't attest to any performance loss or gains. My only gripe is the flanges were extremely flimsy, and easy to bend if you're not careful. I fought leaky flanges the entire time I owned the exhaust. I used graphite compression gaskets, high temp rtv, various torquing methods, it was a pain.

Some crappy pics