Hello people, back in Nov/Dec I was on a mission to find a replacement exhaust (stock exhaust completely rotted out) for my R53. My mini is stock and is my daily driver so I wanted something that wasn't obnoxious. I also refused to pay 1500+ from the stealership and none of the local muffler shops could fix me up. I also refused to pay for made in China crap as I try to avoid contributing to our own demise. Alta performance provided the most cost effective solution for me so I went with them but now I'm finding (wife drives car too) it way too loud.

Does anyone know of a good quality resonator that can be welded in place of the Alta resonator of my current exhaust? It Can't drone at all and must be able to tame the mini monster. I remember the exhaust channel being somewhat tight for fitting a more substantial resonator but there must be something out there.

Any assistance would be great.

(did a search but nothing of help came up)

 

how about a stock resonator?

 

Stock exhaust rotted out and is currently rotting some more at the dump.

 

im afraid your stuck at the moment, i would keep your eye out in the marketplace for a stock exhaust, most people give them away so long as you pick them up. the 1 sided exhausts are known to drone.

i dont think just a resonator will help. You could try something like this: http://vibrantperformance.com/catalo...products_id=46

i know they make good products, but you will most likly need a muffler as well

 

The alta is that loud? Guess I'm glad I went with the scorpion instead.

 

I think (hope) a good resonator will solve my problem seeing as the one that came with the Alta is pretty skimpy but then again you only have so much space umderneath there.

Thanks for the link btw, i will have to get underneath again and see how much space i have to work with.

 

Problem is the stock exausts is set-up as a single skinny pipe that goes all the way to the rear....goes to one side...one "ball" or can...that was the stock resonator....then to the other side...the muffler......
If you look at the milteck, etc units (dual side for no drone) they have a very skinny resonator...then a y-pipe that splits it to two small mufflers ...
A good custom exhaust shop might be able to look up one using the space that is left...and weld it in....
You might find it is best to sell/trade your exhaust....many folks like the Alta cause it IS louder than the JCW...
Not sure how a dealer quoted $1500 for the new pipes...checking with one of the vendors...massminiparts aka mini of Peabody ma, the full cat back unit for a stock s was about $500.....then add maybe $100 in brackets and hangers.(online parts vendors usually give about a 10 or 15% discount from dealer list)...the JCW is more...but maybe that is what was quoted....
I have been debating much the same...my stock units are about done... But want a pretty quite unit...JCW sound is fine...no drone...most run about $700 (milteck and scorpion are English, stratious is imported from China last I heard as are most every other performance unit I have seen as of late)....

 

so long as you have a pice that has the same piping diameters or really close, a muffler shop should be able to weld it in for you, since there is no reason to have the alta resonator cut it out and put the vibrant in. should help

stay away from magnaflow makes too much noise for you =)

 

heck, i have the stock resonator from my jcw. if you dont mind waiting a few weeks (till i get back to gainesville) ill sell it to you for super cheap; $20 or something. pm me if interested!

 

I have an extra stock exhaust for sale off my 05. Message me if you're interested.

I also have a resonator off a jcw exhaust for sale as well.

 

JCW center resonator pipe is great idea, make the connection after center pipe hangars if you go that route though. Remember the ALTA system uses band or strap clamps like the R56 at bottom of the cat as seen here.




I have the ALTA system on my JCW set up and love it. After trying One ball mod, JCW with and without resonator, and the Magnaflow, and now ALTA Sport Tone. The latter being the best by far, but I can respect your spouses concerns as well.

I did experiment some with making a single tip for the ALTA system while striving for a certain look. Used a section of pipe custom made by some friends at Meineke Muffler shop to dimensions I provided, a band clamp from NAPA, dremmel a few notches where it mates up with the ALTA system, and attached an single R56 tip at the end. As for diameter of pipe end where tip attaches, I decided upon a size whereas there seemed to be a vast amount of tip styles/designs available for better selection.

In the end, what I had inadvertently discovered was actual exhaust tip/design plays a significant role with respect to sound decibel and tone.

In the case of the tip I made here for my ALTA system, it made it so quiet it was very similar to a stock JCW system, even in the tunnels.

Cost for the band clamp was about $25 dollars from NAPA and the pipe cut, bent and expanded to my specs was $20.

Here's some pics:



R56 Tip went on like stock.



Band Clamp from NAPA - All Stainless Steel.



See straight cuts made by Dremmel tool to allow for decent clamping similar to ALTA's OEM set up.






As I wasn't performing a how to at the time, I didn't write down specifics but careful measurements and some searching it's not hard to make one and will be a less expensive fix and attaches to your existing ALTA system same as stock with no fuss. I would put some PB blaster on the ALTA tip fastening bolts days before you want to remove it, and keep spraying it on there while twisting it off. Makes it a lot easier to remove.