For $1,700, I'd spend a little more and get the JCW stage 1 kit.

Only you can say whether or not 10-15 whp or tq and sound is worth $1,700.
Many people mod for the excitement of tinkering and out of boredom, not because the performance gains are worth the time and money spent.

 

Turbo-Back will out perform both a muffler only as well as a cat-back only.

From our website:

"ALTA R56 DOWNPIPE TEST AND TUNE

After we tested our catback exhaust, next up was the ALTA 3" Downpipe in addition to the catback. The ALTA R56 3" Downpipe consists of similar parts as the cat back. Same 3" 304SS tubing, butadd a 3” CARB legal cat to the front section and rear section (just like the OEM), and high tech V-band clamps connection joining it all together. This makes for a complete turbo back system in full 3"tubing except for the first few inches are 2.5” tubing to make for asmooth turbo connection and gain clearance aroundthe header. One of the most important features is that the OEM heatshields fit over the downpipe. This we feel is very important as the turbo sits so close to the hood.

Onto the dyno test. Like the catback by itself adding the downpipe and midpipe netted very good gains. We gained more than 20WHP and 20ft-lbs which is awesome considering the car still runs the same boost levels during these runs. Besides the HP we gained during the runs, one thing we noticed was while the car was in its holding pattern on the dyno, itwas getting 7psi of boost now, not the 4-5. This is also seen on thegraphs by the huge 40ft-lbs gained at 2000 rpm! So another important thing to take note of! This would definitely be noticeable on the road at low rpm. Sure enough, on the freeway cruising around, we get nearlyinstant boost response.

We are setting the standard from which others will be judged from. Yes another company has an R56 exhaust out, but its 2.5” and they never did a before HP run. So they claim it makes 27HP because they made 202 at the engine, and since the stock car is supposed to make 175, it must make 27HP. Not very good proof IMHO.


"

Cat back:



Proof is in the puddin!

Also street pricing for our turbo back is in the $1500 range with shipping. Larger plumbing, full v-bands, dyno backed power gains, optional tip choices and color. ALTA- FTW!

 

Thanks Adam...for the info...I missed the part about the CARB Legal CAT with your site...I've looked at so many systems...that most say they are not CARB Legal.

 

Adam, I thought I read on your site that your system is 49-state legal, which would imply it's not CARB approved.

Did I misunderstand?

Also, you claim your catback system alone makes 10whp, yet nearly everyone out there claims this is impossible (bringing back bad memories about Borla/Maganaflow/Dynomax claims from the 90's about 25-50 hp gains from bolt-on systems)...

 

QuickSilver is also a great option, I know I loved mine. I'm also sure that the Way Motorworks exhaust is great too with his attention to detail and ability to test his product on the track as well as in the shop, however, I have yet to see the WM exhaust.

 

Maybe the graph suggests using the STOCK cats??? But pipe size might be an issue...not sure here. I just reread the down pipe section of alta's page and it does say that their down pipe with attached cat is not CARB legal. But the chart above suggests that they used a CARB legal cat to get those gains.

 

Sorry but I'm not going to argue with other vendors about exhaust size. I don't have time to do that I actually work on MINI's everyday as my FULL time job. I have the dyno sheet and will have someone post it, again mechanic not picture poster.

I'll put my money where my mouth is. I'll take off the WMW turbo back and install an Alta the same day and do same day dyno runs. And you can have all the people in the world watch it. To make sure I'm not faking anything, I have nothing to hide.
And at the end of the day I sell both the Alta and WMW so customer can make the choice.

 

Sorry for any confusion and I will try to resolve the confusion.

The Catalyst we use IS CARB approved. The DP that it is placed in is NOT CARB approved. So the point being made in the information is that the catalyst is of such high quality that it meets CARB approval (as well as EPA.) But since the DP has not been tested by CARB it can't be approved for use in CA.

Again, hope that helps sorry for the confusion.

 

The dyno results shown are real, repeatable, and consistent. It is NOT like the 80's and 90's. We measure at the wheels, not at the flywheel and don't mix cars, parts etc.

Hope that helps.

 

The second graph (at the bottom) is using stock cats and only the ALTA cat-back system.

 

I don't have a CLUE what you are trying to say. BUT, if the insinuation is that I DON'T work on MINI's and and that ALTA is not a full time job, I must respectfully deny that claim. While my company produces parts for other vehicles, MINI is and will ALWAYS be a huge part of my personal and professional life. From Classic's to R56's I love em all.

Agreed, we have an advantage that we have in house dyno and other testing equipment and the size of our company allows us to do other things, that should not be twisted into that we don't care about, or are too busy to handle clients, or have lost the passion for the car.

Back to the design of the system, BIGGER IS BETTER. I have no concerns that if the two systems are matched and tested properly the 3" will win out in all cases (This includes other brands, NOT just ALTA.) But it is GREAT that you can offer your clients two different choices. More power = ALTA = FTW!

 

If you bought your car new you shouldn't have to worry about CARB until 6 years after the purchase date. Even after that it's not that hard to pass a sniffer with an exhaust.

90% of the power gain from an exhaust on a turbo car (10-15 HP in the case of the R56 based on testing) is going to come from the downpipe and cat. The rest of it is from the cat back (2, maybe 3 HP). A $300 muffler swap isn't going to gain any power, just noise.

 

Are you guys done slinging ***** at each other?

 

No problem...you clarified everything...thanks

 

Excellent point!

 

I didn't intend to throw anything. He carries ALTA, but at the same time I wanted to be sure that WE do love, care and cherish the MINI community. Not trying to invoke a pissing contest! (Not my style )

Let me know if I can help further!

 

NO Problemo!

 

Hey Adam,

If bigger is better, why did you stop at 3"? Is there not room to run larger plumbing? Will a 3.5" system win out in all cases over your system?

 

I got the DDM works catback installed at MotD. I love the way it sounds. It is also a 3in. My butt dyno say that there was an increase. I think they have a dyno chart on their site.

 

OK, so after a couple days and a couple pages of postings, all we have is a bunch of different options for exhaust systems. I still don't have even the remotest bit of education on what might constitute the best system based on my original criteria.

Adam is the only one who's offered hard facts, though a lot of people seem to refute those facts without posting any new facts of their own.

Is there no truly objective way to answer this question?

 

it's pretty simple... you go to the track to see who runs the fastest times
you can't hide there

 

RMW - what's the out-the-door installed price on one of your full turbo-back systems? As I said, I am in OC so I can easily drive down to you. Any special OC Law Enforcement price?

Are these systems ready to go, or do they require manufacturing? (either way it doesn't matter much since my car is over 1 month away from getting here.)

If you prefer not to post publicly, just PM me.

 

Thanks for recommending us, at this time we are only selling the Cat-Back Exhaust, not the turbo-back.

 

Because turbos work by extracting energy from the exhaust stream. Exhaust systems in non-turbo cars have to transfer 100% of the exhaust energy out of the vehicle, so they need larger diameter tubing. Turbos reduce the energy to about 60-70% of the amount of a non-scavenged exhaust.

For the exact same reason, turbocharged cars have a much quieter exhaust note, so better flowing (less quieting ) resonators and mufflers can be used. I just can't figure out why they cost more than "regular" mufflers

Tubing sized larger than neccessary is used when the exhaust has a lot of bends (or other constraints) that interfere with flow. The OEM pipe is an excellent example of non-optimal pathing

Now, having said that, I think the smoothness of the transitions inside the downpipe is just as important, if not more important, to making power than the exhaust pipe diameter. I'm pretty sure all the folks with aftermarket head work and/or headers will agree

[Disclaimer] My car was the test mule for the WMW exhaust. I was actively involved in the project, and I was a MAJOR pain in the *** about the fine details. For that reason, my opinion is heavily biased in a positive way toward his exhaust [/disclaimer]

The dyno sheet was in the car at MOTD, but we're still not unpacked yet from the trip (yeah, OCD about the car, slacker otherwise ), so Way's copy is buried somewhere in my crap. I'll post it as soon as I dig it up. The cliff notes version is that it gained around 7-10 HP and 10 ft/lbs of TQ across the RPM range, with even larger increases before 3K.

 

This is a good point. Our results are accurate, repeatable and consistent with those reported by other clients at dyno shops around the world.

Jan makes a good point, BUT then there are FAR to many variables in JUST a track situation. (Tires, driver, blah, blah, blah!)

It comes down to this, What do YOU like? What tips, plumbing size etc. Quality, reputation of the company producing it, warranty etc. Dyno results.

Not making a plug for ALTA, but we have been around forever in this community, R53 and R56. We support the community here and provide support on the phone etc. Hard to find that, at this price and performance point.

Let me know if I can help further!