Nice Fracky...that exhaust looks sweet and loud! Can't wait to see it after everything is back together.

 

Here are few photos from "standing around lookin'" height:

 

Well Done Phil........

 

The dual tips are indeed the ticket. Too bad no one else wants a quieter straight exhaust.

 

I have to report that Juston (badhogan) offered me dual tips originally -- and they sure looked very nice -- but I was into the whole oval tip idea at the time. Hind sight is often better than you wish it was, but experience is a great teacher. Juston can offer you any tip you want.

And honestly this is a great solution to the straight exhaust. Looking at Fracky's M7 diffusers, I don't think I'll be going with them. They look too big and poorly designed to me. I am actually thinking of opening up the vents above and on either side of the exhaust. Once you have a straight exhaust you don't need the heat shielding, so it's all pretty open back there.

 

I am looking at going to a single muffler, but for ease of install just use an existing muffler bay spot and hook it back around. What is the stock piping size going into the stock muffler(since it flows from the first to second muffler stock)? If i just did an adapter from that size to say 2.5" with a magnaflow, it should flow more then stock right and not be get-pulled-over loud right?

 

Check out the threads on "one ball" exhaust. You'll find all the info you want, need and more.

 

k, thanks

 

Dr Phil, still couldn't find the pipe diameter of the stock setup going into the first muffler. I ordered a 2.5" Borla so i guess i may have to adapt it down to fit but hopefully its not too absurdly loud. I may heat wrap it to reduce a tiny bit of noise before and after the muffler and keep the flow good.

 

Actually I think stock is 2 or 2.25, but not 2.5 (which is pretty much the standard for aftermarket R53 exhausts). Hence I'm pretty sure you'll have to reduce from 2.5.
Did you find anyone on the one-ball thread who has tried similar--then PM them.

good luck

 

Even though I didn't wanna cut up my battery box on the new car, I think I wanna do this again. I think I have figured out a way to make this all look OEM, we will see.

Anyways, here is the muffler I think I will use. I have to go to Summit to get a look at the muffler before I buy it, but I think it is chambered, or at least it does not go straight through.



I'm also using a Car Chemistry resonator, like this one.



It has an insert like this.



At only 12" long and 4" round it is east to tuck in the exhaust tunnel. It took quite a bit of rasp off of my one ball.

 

I got my 2.5" pro XS on the car late last week. Now that the packing is getting full of exhaust its got a little louder then at first install, but its surprisingly quiet for a single muffler. Rather then running down the middle and dealing with the battery box, it just exits under the bumper like a non S model. I think i may replace that part of the bumper with a non S one so it looks better, but it works well and was very cheap. The local shop did the adapter piece from the stock size to 2.5" OD with a nice clean bend.

98$ shipped on a offset in and out Borla Pro XS muffler from summit and 47$ to the shop for the pipe, the welding and even hangers.. they gave me a unbeatable deal. $145 and a nice deep deep tone an about 50lbs of the car.

 

Need pics............

 

nice thread!!!
when i look at the M7 diffuser i cant help to think that i can make the same thing...i might try one soon!

 

so somewhere in here i found the postabout resetting the ECU without the battery disconnect...

Did it and it seems to have helped it starting a little harder, plus gained back the lower revs the new exhaust seemed to have lost...if not more then what it lost. Anyones whos changed exhaust should reset it.

 

I've been doing my usual yearly project and doing a straight through exhaust and making the battery box shallower has been done.




Its loud, but not hugely louder than my old JCW, and has a bit too much drone at 2200-3800rpm. I am going to look at a different central resonator as the OEM isn't the best to be honest.

 

Here's my version of this mod...



...i used the R56 MCS muffler.
It is very loud, and snaps, crackles, and pops like crazy. Surprisingly enough, there is very little(if any) drone at highway speeds. I cruised it at various speeds and RPMs and it sounded fine from the inside, although when giving it gas up a small incline on the highway, it did drone a little, but nothing I can't live with. I will be installing the R56 MCS resonator to try and quiet it down some.
The car feels a lot more snappy and quick now, according to the butt dyno.
I also need to shorten the tips and paint everything black. I will also post pics of the battery install soon.

Here's some more pics...


...battery box gone after about 2 1/2 cut off wheels...


...i also used the R56 MCS hangers, there are pre-drilled holes in the rear "frame rail" which the hanger just slides in...


...here's the hanger inserted into the rear frame rail...


...the view from the rear looking in through the rear bumper grille. The R56 hangers worked out very well for this mod.

 

WOW I guess we found a great way to use all those OEM R56 exhausts now. Now I am thinking about doing this too. I wonder how it would be catless

 

Nice job Joaquin. Smart use of existing MINI parts! Now you've got some room back there for that other project...

 

Interesting you dont have any drone as I do, but I have also used the R56 central resenator and the pipe itself is from the R56. I moved the cat further back to hopefully stop it from breaking again.

What manifold are you using? I have a GTT/Janspeed.

Be interesting to see if adding the resenator also adds drone. One bloke I spoke to said it was the Y split before the back box that was causing the drone, but your findings dont back that up.

 

I'm guessing that would be REALLY loud...apparently the R56 MCS muffler is fairly free flowing.

Thanks Tony...the other project will be soon, I have to figure out longer lines and harness.

Hey Bhozar...i'm using the stock manifold with the pre-cat removed.
As far as the drone...really nothing inside the car, but I can hear the exhaust sound coming out the back, it's way too loud.

 

Ahh, my GTT/Janspeed makes a lot more noise than stock anyway. The drone isn't too bad on mine, just slightly irritating at the RPM's I mentioned earlier in this thread. Outside of those RPM's there is no drone when cruising.

I just about managed to fit the central resonator between the back box and central section.

If you look inside it its one continuous tube, with a half inch break near one end. I figure a decent resonator with lots of holes in would probably help keep the noise down a lot more, if you can get one at the same length to fit.

 

Which resonator are you using here...?


The R56 MCS resonator I have is about 1/3(maybe 1/2) the length of that one...so, i'm wondering if it will quiet it enough.

 

Hmmm I currently have a Borla Race and its pretty loud and I have had louder ... M7/Powertone. I would be willing to try out the R56 exhaust. (runs over to the marketplace)

 

That's the R56 resonator. It was chopped off and moved there. See the darker patch? That's where the half-inch gap is in the central pipe. Seems it gets much hotter than the rest of the exhaust as its dark with blue edges around that gap.

Perhaps the Euro R56 exhaust is a bit different than the US one?