Well, I'm pretty excited! I installed a Milltek exhuast on my 2005 MCSc last night. It sounds and looks great! Not too loud and a nice throaty sound with the occasional burble and growl. It stinks a little but I understand that that smell will dissipate with time (https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50073). The Cabrio exhaust comes with its own set of hangers. I found that removing the old hangers from the rubber holders is made easier by that magic elixir known as WD40. Spray a few shots of that to the old hangers, wait a minute and you can slide them out relatively easily (well you still need some effort) as it both slickens the rubber and makes it stretch easier. While the exhaust was out, I (finally) installed HSport lower control arms and when putting everything back together I installed the M7 USS (which, by the way, has all the bolt, nut and allen key sizes wrong in the installation instructions).

Anyway, I'm pretty psyched! I just thought I'd share.

 

I put the milltech Cat back on about 3 weeks ago...sounds great and appears to have a bit more umph in the mid range (04 MCS) yes the smell will go away shortly as it "breaks in" Seems like a quality product! Also sheds probably 15-20lbs too!
Congrats!

 

I've mentioned this once before as well... In addition to the weight loss and great initial sound, after break in it sounds even better. One of my favorite mods so far

 

Congrats! The Milltek is awesome, isn't it.

Let me know if you experience rattles from the USS making contact with the resonator on your Milltek and/or the stock cat. I've been holding off on installing mine because of these reports and having other projects.

 

I heard about that, too. I asked the seller about it (Way at Way Motor Works) and he said that he was unaware of any issues. There's about 1 1/2" between the USS brace and the resonator and cat. Unless the pipes really expand when heated, it seems unlikely that there will be any issues - but I'll keep an ear out.

 

Were there any fitment issues? Or, was it a straight up plug-and-play install?

 

No fitment issues at all. It was a relatively easy install. Of course, I did all my usual sort of "if there's two ways to attach - choose the wrong way first" stuff. Some of my specific (but small) gotchas:

1. I struggled a bit to fit the pipes together and used a rubbet mallet to set them all the way in.
2. I first attached the hangers to the mufflers and started to attempt to set them in the rubber holders. That was dumb. The hanger should be seated in the rubber holders first and then attached to the mufflers.
3. Unless you have a helper, you'll need some boxes to support the exhaust under the car while you attach it all.
4. Removal of the old exhaust works best front (cat) to back. Installation of the new exhaust works best back to front.

The whole thing took me about 5 hours but that included removal and installation of the exhaust, installation of the lower control arms and installation of the M7 USS and helping my son with his homework and freaking out about misplacing the control arm installation instructions and - yes - just being generally incompetent

 

Congrats on your install.

Now get out there and drive around.

Full throttle is the most fun.

Now your children and family can tell when you arrive home along with all the neighbors.

At least it IS a pleasant sound.

 

I'm getting a Milltek cat-back on Saturday. It's waiting at the installer's for me. Ohhhhh, yeah. This thread has me psyched now. Just two and a half more days or so!!

 

I love my Milltek!!! It's got just the right burble and purrs!

 

Nice to see happy customers here on NAM. We are the importer and still remain pleasantly surprised at the number of systems we ship out every day. Enjoy them. Milltek and Stratmosphere will have a new-model Mini S as soon as they are available for development of those new systems. -Pete, Stratmosphere. 1.866.533.1777

 

Do you have any pictures of it? I have heard alot about this exhaust but i want to see what it looks like from some different angles