Cars Original Design: 2010-03-21

Basic Exhaust modification Guide

Many people are just too careless in exhaust modification. They love the cheap loud exhaust, which gave them additional 20 psychological horsepower. For the extractor, everybody seemed to be suggesting 4-2-1 extractor, which could be just right for their street cars but the problem is they chose a custom made extractor made by some non-reputable company or by normal workshop. Those extractors are no more than factory standard, or might be worse. Making an extractor is not as simple as wielding steel pipes together, or bending the pipes as you wish, but the calculation of the length and the curve of each pipe which are the most important. That is why tuning house or performance part companies produce tuned extractors at expensive cost. Cheap ones are waste of money.

1. 4-2-1 type extractor
This setup gives power through out the rpm range. Drive ability at lower rpm is quite good, making it the most suitable setup for street usage. Expect more top speed compare to 4-1 type.

Pro : Good power all across the rpm range, more top speed, good for cruising
Cons : Weak top end power, torque ends earlier

2. 4-1 type extractor
This setup gives more top end power. The low end power is weaker compare to 4-2-1 setup, but usually the power gain is significant from the midrange up to high rpm. This causes the torque range to come later, thus creating more horsepower at high range rpm compare to 4-2-1 setup. 4-1 is best for high revving motors like VTEC and MIVEC.

Pro : More midrange and top end power, higher hp, good for acceleration
Cons : Poor at lows, lower top speed compare to 4-2-1

3. I drive a Proton/Perodua.... which extractor should I get?
For Proton with 4G13/4G15, one of the best extractor by far in the local market is the PowerZone 4-2-1. It is made for better street performance and developed under proper R&D. HotBits also make extractors for 4G13/4G15 but a few reviews mentioned that it tends to get cracked after awhile. I would say, stay away from custom made extractors if you are looking for some performance gain, or else just get any brand/custom made if you just want to replace your old rusty ones. For those with 4G92/4G93, the OEM 4G92 MIVEC extractor should be good.

As for Perodua, there is not much choice for normal aspirated application. But if I am not mistaken, PowerZone do have tuned length extractor for Kancil.

Other than that, HotBits probably have extractors for various Proton/Perodua models.

4. Exhaust piping
Exhaust piping diameter is a crucial part in the exhaust system. For those with 1600cc engines and below, stick with anything less than 2.0" except if you had extensive jobs on the engine such as higher compression pistons or performance camshaft upgrades. For stock VTEC or MIVEC 1600cc and above, around 2.0" to 2.25" is acceptable. Some people even use 2.5" on stock VTEC (like myself) but the result is poor at lower rpm because the exhaust gas have less velocity to travel. Apart from the diameter, the piping route is also important. Straight pipes are not really advisable for street because they tend to get in the way when you're running on a road bump. It is annoying and you will get scratches on the bottom of the pipe, or worse bent pipes. Piping that follows the original route is the best. While it gives you stock appearance, many people claim that it gives better low end to midrange power compare to straight piping. While weak at low end, straight piping somehow tend to give better acceleration power because exhaust gas gets out easily because of the shorter pipe compare to stock.

5. Muffler
Muffler is more to cosmetic rather than performance. There is minimal difference in power output if we compare straight-thru type muffler (also known as N1 type) with s-flow type muffler (which usually have big resonator box). The later is seemed to be more preferable for street usage because more silent, thus giving more pleasant driving experience especially while in cruising mode. Personally, I would recommend Tanabe s-flow like the G-Medallion series because they are very silent when idling and cruising. This avoids attention from the authority. If you are going for N1 type, make sure it is made of good quality. Avoid imitations, they are widely sold by Wei Yip (tidak tipu customer) at surprisingly cheap price. Good exhaust doesn't come cheap but they are worth it. Try to spend some time to go to 'kedai potong' and try look for used branded exhaust. They are worth it. Other than that, exhaust with JASMA tag (not JASMA brand) should be good enough for street. From my experience and observations, JASMA approved exhaust tend to be quiet, unless the used mufflers are already running out of fiber. If your setup is still noisy, it is advisable to install a resonator (bullet silencer) in the middle.

The newer Proton Saga/Iswara has very good example on bad muffler setup. The exhaust tends to get noisy and noisy after awhile because of low quality fiber inside the muffler. Besides, normal cars should not have noisy exhaust, it is lame. They are even louder than my Tanabe even when my car is in VTEC mode!

6. Catalytic converter...to remove or not?
It depends. Cat converters are the biggest restriction to the exhaust gas flow. Removing it will definitely release some more power, but it is bad for environment. If your engine is badly tuned or always running rich, I suggest that just leave them on. Cat converters do not contribute anything to exhaust noise.

7. What is bullet silencer?
Some people also refer this as 'cherry bomb'. It is a small cylinder shaped resonator which usually placed in the middle of the exhaust piping. It functions as a muffler, to reduce exhaust noise. Due to its size, it is not as good as the rear muffler but still helpful because usually there is no space below the car that allows one to put a big muffler. To choose a correct size, the inner diameter should be more or less equal to the overal piping diameter to avoid restriction or bottleneck.

8. Flexible pipe
Usually installed after the extractor. The purpose is to minimize exhaust piping vibration and avoid the piping joint from being cracked. This is because the engine tends to vibrate and flexes backwards when rammed, so a flexible pipe will make sure that exhaust piping is not bent.

Somehow, rear wheel drive engines are exceptional because of the longitudinal engine layout that flexes to the left or right instead of front and rear.

Abt Sportsline gets its hands on Audi R8 Spyder

Whenever Audi introduces a new model, chances are that the folks at Abt Sportsline are going to get their hands on one. The German company has been tuning Volkswagens and Audis since the 1970s and has enjoyed success racing the Audi A4 in DTM and more recently the new R8 LMS. Needless to say, Abt knows how to properly modify cars bearing the four rings.

Abt's latest project is the droptop version of the Audi R8. Visually the car gets a new front grille, front fascia with carbon fiber spoiler, side sills, rear fascia, rear spoiler and lightweight five-spoke wheels. Even more importantly, the 5.2-liter V10 has been massaged to provide 600 horsepower, good for 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 199 mph. Finally, Abt provides a sport suspension system for improved handling. Follow the jump for full details and browse through the high-res gallery below.

Press release
The R8 Spyder is not just a cabrio, it is a teasingly beautiful open-top sports car of the top class, a real dream car - in particular ABT Sportsline's version. Their designers have contoured the lines of the open-top model athlete, and using the ABT R8 Spyder has redefined the word "roadster" with Bavarian thoroughness: the result is a vehicle whose power can be seen even when it is at a standstill. The front grill, front apron, side sills and rear apron with the rear spoiler as well as the dual-colour coated ABT BR alloys have been adjusted to the dynamic design of the car. As with the closed R8 versions from ABT, the team has designed all the components in order to achieve the sports car's optimum distribution of weight; all the parts are therefore made from carbon. As a result the performance can be converted into a maximum of driving enjoyment. Anyone who wants to systematically reduce the weight of their Spyder should use the new ABT CR Superlight alloys, as they also excellently suit the character of the ABT R8.

The V10 with 5.2 litre cubic capacity is used in the ABT R8 Spyder: this provides 600 welltrained horses (441 kW) – while in the series version there are 525HP (386 kW). The Spyder is able to sprint from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.8 seconds and achieves a top speed of 320 km/h. The roadster is therefore a hurricane for the road, giving lovers of fresh-air a new "tangible" term. Suspension springs from ABT provide even better handling, which in particular has a positive effect in the threshold regions of the Spyder. In addition the lower centre of gravity gives the mid-engine sports car an even more aggressive appearance. When you take a look at the car you can see that it is one of the fastest of the fast - and is really ready for anything, as you would expect from an ABT R8.

Cyberjaya Drift Challenge

The pictures shown below is captured by the representative of Federation D @ http://federationd.com/
Enjoy the shoots yeah.

Federation D Models

Nissan Fairlady 350Z

Mr Tengku Djan aka Founder of Federation D

Below are the slide show of the overall pictures taken during this event. Do have a look ya.

Evolusi KL Drift Carnival Part 2

The pictures shown in this post are contributed by Mr Jonathan Yip aka JonYKT @ http://www.JonYKT.com/

Toyo Tires Model

Below are the slide shows of the girls in the carnival. Enjoy!

Evolusi KL Drift Carnival Part 1

The pictures shown in this post are contributed by Mr Jonathan Yip aka JonYKT @ http://www.JonYKT.com/

Sponsored: TOYO TIRES M'SIA
Anjuran: Burning Rubbers EM(TOYO TIRES) & DBKL
Support: Feinto-D
Venue: Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur
Date: 20 Mac 2010
Time: 11 a.m - 7 p.m
Charges: Free
Format Acara : Drift Show, EKLD2 souvenier give away & Autograph Session with artist