Gotta love that price...let us know when you get it put on!

 

yeah , i wanted to order it and had 3 options , none of them included a credit card transfer :(...so i got smarter and ordered it from factory parla italiano $220 shipped

 

That's great! (i hate you lol) I went to their website too, but from what I understood I had to be one of their dealers.

 

Congrats on the buy! I cant wait to hear what you think

Get it fitted asap and let us know what you think!

 

Wondering if this is the manufacturers website. http://www.ragazzon.cz/index.php?mai...oducts_id=2956

If so, it looks like this one has a cat? Does anyone know? And the big question - does removing the Cat make the big power gain? I need at least one Cat as I am in a strict smog state.

 

Yes that is the manufacturers website. The sports cat your looking at is very good however its 948euros!

Go here http://www.ragazzon.it/ for their complete product list for the mini, just go to that website and search the mini under catalogue..

I think you will have a small 2nd cat still on your car ? EU cars only have one cat whereas you guys have a smaller one after the downpipe so you shouldnt have a problem emissions wise And yes its quite common consensus that the big power gains in your exhaust system come from removing the cat in the downpipe..

 

The problem is I removed the 2nd cat when I installed my Cat-back system. Do you know if the high-flow cat's are much better over the original cat? It sounds like the main power gain from the new DP is just by removing the cat because there is not much else to that DP pipe.

 

High flow cats/dp will be better than the standard one but not as much as a full decat.. Most high flow cat systems are showing decent power gains over standard but i guess it comes down to how much you want to spend. If you def need something with a cat then there are plenty out there - Milltek, Alta, Ragazzon, Exhaust depot etc

 

I definitly need a cat unless I can easily take it off when I get a smog check, which I probably could, but I use this car as my daily driver so I don't want the smell or too much loudness of a decated dp. I just crave more power and the dp, intercooler, and new ECU are all I have left besides going really crazy on different turbo, etc. But if a high flow cat isn't going to get me the big HP change that everyone is saying a new DP can get, I don't think it is worth the money, right?? Maybe I can find a used one floating around...

 

Totally agree

It would be possible to take on and off when required but it would start to annoy you

Noise isnt to much a concern for me as my milltek resonator and silencer seem to be doing a great job restricting drone etc and i can say the smell is ever present, i find myself holding my breathe when i walk past my car when its running

The power gains on a high flow cat dp wont be as good as a decat dp and the killer for me is the high price of a high flow cat dp..

I would ask around and speak to people with high flow cats and see what they think! On the intercooler front, i was amazed at how well the forge intercooler improved my car, allover the rpm but the best bit is high revs as they seem to climb so much quicker.

 

any update for you us spec mini guys?

 

any updates you receive your dp yet?? i want to get one real bad

 

Mine was shipped on Thursday. I have to wait 4-10 days to receive it I believe.

 

keep us updated! what catback do you have? and you can get vids right? =]

 

im still waiting on mine :( ...and running out of patience ...just to get 2 birds with one stone, i also ordered the JCW suspension , since front cross brace and exhaust has to be lowered in order to fit the upgraded front stabilizer bar

 

If someone will it, I sell my Ragazzon downpipe.
Now that I put down from my Mini, it's in my box ready to ship.
Write me a PM if interested.

 

I finally got mine on after the nightmare of having one of the studs on the turbo flange strip off. I ended up having to remove the whole manifold with turbo to have it drilled and retaped.

I have to say that the fitment of the support brackets VERY off. I had to bend the bracket quite a bit just to get one of them somewhat screwed in. The other bracket is still of by at least another inch. Also, it's leaking at the flange, but I will open it back up tomorrow and put on some exhaust sealant.

As far as the sound, I really like it. It's kind of hard to filter out the whistling from the leak, but on some drive-by's it definitely sounds nice. No droning, no raspiness, just louder and more throaty. I will record some clips once I take care of that leak.

PS - As a technician, I would not recommend this as a DIY to anyone without a good amount of mechanical knowledge, unless you're looking forward to some bloody knuckles and frustration. Alta's DIY makes it look like a breeze! It's not! Even I had a hard time. Take it to a professional.

 

is it reversible for smog checks?

 

I never had any probs with mine. But then again i didnt fit mine - i took it to a garage

Glad to hear its all on, i hope you get that leak sorted but im glad you like the sound as i love it too.. Like you say no drone is the key, its nice and sporty sounding without the drawback of drone on motorways etc.

Looking forward to seeing some vids etc, keep us posted!

 

bloody knuckles??? ........yes!!!!! ...reminds me of my back in the days adventures with my Ford Probe GT Turbo , sounds like fun, now im even more excited about wrenching around....ill keep you guys posted.

 

throwing any cel's yet???

 

ok..my JCW suspension came in yesterday, and i also picked up Altas short throw shifter, given that downpipe is on the way, i decided to start wrenching around today , starting 9 am ....and well, after 6 hours, heres what i accomplished: both sway bars changed , all struts removed ( couldnt install new ones due to a fact that the picking guy , picked wrong springs for my car , actually i didnt even get any rear springs, i received 2 sets of front springs -morristown mini-) anyway, i have to get back to them on monday regarding that. Moving on, shifter changed, and downpipe removed, At first i was sceptical about the entire DP removal job, but after closely inspecting all "hidden" bolts, and giving the "tripod" pattern enough soaking in WD40, everything came out as smooth as butter, no bloody knuckles, or broken bolts ...cant wait to finish up the project, and drive hard

 

Me ? If so then no

Nothing beats a good hard days work on the car, time just seems to fly too! You did some amount of work and im glad you got your standard dp off with no probs. My garage said they had no problems fitting the ragazzon so seen as you have alot of knowledge it wont be a problem for you

Remember to post back and keep us updated when your all fitted, some videos too perhaps

 

I fixed my leak with some exhaust sealant. Now I get to enjoy the sound. I DID throw a DTC after my third drive. I'm hoping to find out if the simulator from o2simulator.com will work on the R56. The one they have is listed for '02-'06.

 

I know this thread is about the DP, but I will be patiently awaiting your feedback on the JCW suspension as well.