Hello,

I have installed a Devil Exhaust on my S and thought I would share a little write up for those who are interested.

SOUND QUALITY AND LEVELS:
The sound quality that comes out of this exhaust is great. It has low rumble at idle and a nice sporty tune when the revs are up. Inside the car, it is not louder than stock (if you can believe that), it is just a different note like a deeper rumble. There is no drone whatsoever. Outside the car, it is a bit more than stock and less than a Borla. If you are looking for an "announce your presence" system, this is NOT for you. It might actually be too quiet for some, but I don't want to turn you away by that. It definitely sounds nice.

BUILD QUALITY AND APPEARANCE:
As you may have seen on some pictures, this is a twin exhaust axle-back system that connects to the stock pipe with a Y junction. Some postings have been concerned that this is not a fully stainless steel system. That is not true. The manufacturer states that this is full 304 stainless steel with stainless/INOX chrome tips and mandrel bends. The entire system, except for the tips, is coated in a semi-gloss black paint. Devil is a huge company in Europe with impressive facilities and has all the resources that are comparable to Borla, Magnaflow and the others. All of their products meet the ISO 9001 standards, which means it passes the highest build quality standards of many countries, including the US, UK and all EU countries. Out of the box, it makes you say "Wow".

The tips are a little bigger than what most people on MCO seem to prefer, but are still classy in appearance.

INSTALLATION:
The only downside to this exhaust is that since it is an axle-back system and not a cat-back, you have to cut into the stock pipe towards the rear of the car. While this can be done with a saw and the connection coupling they provide, I recommend taking it to a shop and getting it welded at that point. Obviously, the process means you have to be sure about this and not want your stock system back.

After that part, the rest of the fit and finish is top notch. Everything fits into place easily and the hangers don't have nubs on the ends. Everything also hangs evenly so that nothing is hitting another part of the car.

One advantage of being an axle-back, for those of you in CA, is that the system is fully CARB approved.

PERFORMANCE:
The manufacturer claims 5-7hp gain. That seems about right, but I have no verification from a dyno. However, I can attest that there is no feel of torque loss whatsoever, even right after installation. Some free flow systems take about a week for the ECU to adjust. The torque is definitely spunkier compared to stock and has an improved pickup.

PURCHASE:
I bought this system from Diamond Racing. I would highly recommend them as their service and attention to detail is second to none. Their local vendor, Rally Tuning, even took effort to find a shop in my area that had experience with Devil exhausts. Many thanks to Cy and Tracy at Diamond and Rodrick at RallyTuning.

ONE FINAL NOTE:
Sorry, this last part may sound like a sales pitch, but I have to add it to defend the rally faithful. Many people on MCO have not heard of Devil and question the reputation, so I would like to just give a little background info.

Devil is a large company in France that has been in business for over 40 years. They specialize in building exhausts for small performance european cars and most of their testing is done with the professional teams on the rally circuits.
Some of their more famous accomplishments include the following: They were the OEM exhaust for the Team Esso Porsches of the late 70's/early 80's driven by Bjorn Waldegaard. They were involved with the mighty Group B cars of the mid-80s, like the Peugeot 205T16 and Renault 5 Turbo (400-500 hp beasts). Most recently, they are the OEM exhaust for the WRC Peugeot 206, which has been the reigning Manufacturer's Champion for the last 3 years. For those who don't know, the 206 is very similiar in engineering layout to the Mini Cooper (tranverse engine, short axle, wheels at each corner, great handling).


So, in short, they know what they are doing. I hope this write up provides some answers for some people. IMHO, Devil makes a great product. If you are looking for a well-built exhaust with a nice note and is not loud, you will not be disappointed.

 

now that i think of it.. if its an axle back and you get approx. 5-7... cant you ask a welding place that does fabrication to make a pipe all the way to the cat? you know.. hoping for maybe even 6 to 9 ponies perhaps? will that work out or no?

 

Thanks for all the great info. I have liked the Devil Exhaust since I first saw it and now I would strongly consider it. I just wish it wasn't French.

I think the bigger tips look awesome!!!

 

The FRENCH will REGRET their actions I for one like the looks but will not buy it. I learned a long time ago to say away from FRENCH or ITALIAN automobile.One would suspect parts are the same

 

Haha! Yes, it did take me a while to get over the fact that it is French. If I was not such a rally nut, I might have considered otherwise.

nammerz - I don't know if it would make a difference unless the cat or headers were replaced with higher performance versions, because you would just be replacing a pipe with another pipe. Maybe if the pipe was of slightly larger diameter, but not too large that you would lose torque.

 

Looks sharp! I'm still waiting for what M7 has coming-out relatively soon...

With regard to the Italian reference, generally speaking, Italy does not produce for the masses. That is not their forte would be more accurate... not something felt to be appealing or ingrained into the culture, as explained to me. So if one's impressions are derivied from let's say Fiat or Alfa, then I would understand. There is not an emphasis to make VWs or Hondas in Italy...

They are artisans that would rather produce a handful of something very special, than refine a mass production items for many to purchase. Italy is not known for Levis, but for fancy suits, not for sneakers but dress shoes... one could go on with such analogies with marble, wine, etc. Passion is focused in the extreme or deemed high-end products that denote the good life, and as a maker, puts one in elite company...

And when it comes to exotic (fast) rides, well, names such as Maserati, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Lancia, Ducati and Bianchi come to mind. My experieces are solely with a Fiat. And yes, the expression Fix It Again Tony is valid

_________________
2003 IB MCS

 

Thanks for the write up.
Sounds good as an alternative to the Borla street.
I like the "Devil" on the HUGE twin tailpipes!
Nice black color also a plus for a Black MCS.

 

>> I just wish it wasn't French. I don't get it..

Anyway, the Devil exhaust sounds pretty slick! The description of the volume of the system sounds like the quicksilver I got. The system itself looks nice and different with it's big tips! The fact that you have to cut some piping may put people off but I would think this would appeal to people who just want a slightly louder, deeper sound and decent performance increase, think current Borla (non race/sport) owners.

 

Looking at those twin tail pipes with the Devil name on it makes me think of pitchforks and pointy tails
ops: