Which would you buy and why? Is the Akrapovic worth the extra dough?

 

Cant say anything about the Alta exhaust, but i just got the Akrapovic installed on my car 2 days ago and the build quality is exceptional. The carbon tips look amazing . Installation was very straight forward and everything fits just as well if not better than the stock exhaust. I have only put a few miles on the exhaust. Iit is very mild (maybe a little deeper at idle), but I would think the sound will mature after 4-500 miles.

 

Leave the stock JCW exhaust on and save yourself the money. The exhaust on a JCW is one area that does not need improving.

 

Just sell him yours, and get some of your money back

It's not for everyone, but it works for me since I needed to upgrade exhaust with the other HP upgrades I'm doing (if i could just get all the parts in my hands)

 

I really can't explain some of the things that I did to my car. Most were done on a budget. Getting that Akrapovic Evo exhaust and DP was not one of them.

If I had it to do over I would have not gotten a used Akrapovic DP and cut out the resonator from the stock JCW exhaust. Which is how I wound up in this situation. The Akrapovic DP that I got second hand was defective and I wound up putting in a new DP and whole Evo exhaust shortly thereafter.

Its very well made and sounds great. But so does the stock exhaust.

If you want to spend $2500 get a nice set of coilovers like the KW V2s with TSW springs that Way sells. http://www.waymotorworks.com/kw-vari...r55-56-57.html. I think its a much better use of money for an upgrade.

 

Alright Sounds good to me. I do like the sound of the stock exhaust.

 

The Akrapovic is by far the best. Not only does it fit perfect, it sounds perfect. Everyone that has bought one has told me they were 100% satisfied with it and had NO problems fitting them. I plan to put one on my GP.
As for the Alta, I've installed them and they don't fit anywhere close to as well as the Akrapovic. Also 3inch is BS, it is too large as the MINI turbo isn't large enough to use a 3inch exhaust, the exh gas velocity drops off. And don't forget the weight. 3inch pipe weights more than 2.5inch.

Go with the Akrapovic and don't look back.

Bonus, the Carbon tips on the Akrapovic are sexy.

 

I cut the resonator off my JCW exhaust and the sound is amazing. In my opinion it is perfect in cabin and out. I get compliments on it all the time. Nice deep throaty sound. Sounds really crazy on a cold morning

 

Does anyone have pictures of the exhaust with the JCW bodykit?

Thanks!

 

Here is the Akrapovic/JCW combo…










-Steven

 

Thanks man! That looks super hot!! How are you liking the exhaust?
Did you opt for the down-pipe aswell? I am about to go this route, and any feedback would be awesome.

Coming from a mk4 VW R32, the JCW exhaust is just to quite for me.

Thanks again.

 

My pleasure The Akra is an incredible exhaust, fabrication is top notch, and I find the sound to be perfect. It is quite a bit deeper than the JCW in tone. I've been told it sounds amazing from several people, including a guy who followed me several miles to talk with me about it (mind you, my impression is only from inside the cabin).

I also, have the DP, which will allow a noticeable improvement in how quick the turbo spools up.

Keep in mind this is not what I would call a load exhaust, but a nice "tuned" sound. You might want to hear one in person before taking the plunge.


-Steven

 

I wish I could hear one in person, although that probably won't ever happen.
I realize this isn a loud exhaust, but I would assume that its quite a bit louder than the stock JCW exhaust? The you-tube video on the Akra website on the JCW exhaust sounds fantastic. Is it same to assume that is how it sounds?

I have zero pops and burbles from my stock exhaust, I am hoping this set up would bring that out a bit. I love those sounds.

 

I hesitate to call it louder. It is a lot deeper in tone, which gives the 1.6L some bark. Also, the pops and burble sound great in the lower scale. They don't have the near metallic ring of the JCW exhaust. The sound recording on the Akra site is very accurate


-Steven

 

Ok great. Thanks for the info! I appreciate it.

 

I have never seen a better aftermarket exhaust for a MINI than the Akropovic (you'll notice that this ain't a sales pitch--I'm not a Akropovic dealer). I opened this thread because I had a little chuckle at the thread title: it made me think 'Mercedes Benz vs. Yugo, which do you recommend?'