Exhaust Ideas, Melbourne, Se Suburbs

[Little]

Hey all, i know this has been done to death, but if ya don't mind i'd like some ideas & dont mind shout outs to local workshops,

I've just gone over to where ( i thought ) RE customs in Springvale was & found there's something called Punjab motors there now. ( not a word of a lie ) Anyone know where Ray went?

I'd like to put an exhaust on an R34, the main point right now is I want to avoid the stereotypical droning and being extremely loud at Low RPM.

This possibly means i may need to go for something that has a butterfly valve in there but I'm open to any options to just get the job done.

So, can anyone from their experience recommend a workshop, or put me on the track to getting the job done? I had great support from you guys last year when i put some BC coilovers in, as of now it's still going well. Cheers!

Alex

[Leroy Peterson]

RE customs moved further down the court (this was years ago) and then closed their doors. Ray now works for RTR in Dandenong (along with the dyno).

Punjab motors specialise in taxis.

[Kinkstaah]

To answer further, do not go that way.

SE suburbs you have two choices, really.

1) Havoc Fabrication

2) Scotty nm35 on these forums.

If you'd like to see a RE/RTR exhaust vs say, a scotty nm35 exhaust, you need look no further than under my car.

You will quickly see why there is no 3) in the list above.

[Birds]

Performance Exhaust in Ringwood

Buy a Varex muffler and take it to them

Get a mild steel turbo back with mandrel bends

Don't look back

[scotty nm35]

Performance Exhaust in Ringwood

Buy a Varex muffler and take it to them

Get a mild steel turbo back with mandrel bends

Have it rust out in 5 years and be back at square one.

FYP

I think you will find mild steel and ethanol moisture like one another a little too well chemically speaking.

[Birds]

I don't know where he mentioned ethanol

But on that note...no complaints from my exhaust yet and it runs E85 fulltime...

Mild steel systems sound infinitely better than tinny stainless which seem more likely to drone IMO

[Kinkstaah]

I don't know if its relative to my supernatural bad luck, the person who made half my exhaust, or the qualities of E85 vs Mild steel...

but holy f**k rust batman.

0/10 would not Mild steel ever again.

[Birds]

Can't comment on yours, too many factors including the Greg factor, but mine is ace after running three years of E85.

May also help that there is a thick layer of unburnt fuel / soot lining the pipes from when I was running a rich 98 tune. Either way she's structurally sound and if she ever gives way then I get a straight out exhaust thrown in for free

[Little]

Fellas i've got a quote for 1800 bucks to do the full dual tip varex, this is the mild steel setup & includes the mandrel bends & install.

Sounds like you guys are running Ethanol - I only plan to use 98 and i drive it a couple of times a month. Honestly though if it's going to rust out i'd consider stainless steel, depends whats causing the rust?

I get what birds is saying though, my main point was not to be droney, and from this vid

Sounds pretty good (55 s onwards) though its hard to tell when stationary.

This setup seems to tick all the boxes, just seems to leave a ? on reliability. asides from rust, how reliable are the varex valves?

* Scotty whats the difference between doing things your preferred method and sticking a Varex muffler on?

[Birds]

If you're not far from Melbourne east, you're more than welcome to come have a listen to my RB25DET running mild steel 3" from the turbo back with a resonator and a twin tip Varex at the end. I supplied the Varex and the "cat", Performance Exhaust in Ringwood did the rest for $600. This was a good 5 years ago.

Couldn't be happier with the sound myself. It's not too loud (albeit illegally loud with Varex open), nice burble on idle, screams up top, doesn't drone at any rpm (even if it did the Varex is always there) and the Varex is still opening and closing brilliantly.

[Birds]

Also all systems on street driven cars rust out with surface rust eventually, even stainless given enough time and not maintaining it. Mild just does it quicker, within like 6 months. Black mild steel is good enough to hide the look. Stainless looks like ass when it has spots all over it IMO.

mild4lyf

[rehab2010]

RE customs moved further down the court (this was years ago) and then closed their doors. Ray now works for RTR in Dandenong (along with the dyno).

Punjab motors specialise in taxis.

Fark me, how much the car scene has changed. I still remember RE Customs when they were in Nunawading, before they re-branded

Performance Exhaust in Ringwood

Buy a Varex muffler and take it to them

Get a mild steel turbo back with mandrel bends

Don't look back

Performance Exhaust actually moved to Nunawading/Vermont. Its currently located in Trade Place.

[Kinkstaah]

I should say my exhaust appears to be structurally sound, was made a few years ago now. I just have one half made by Scotty in Stainless and one half made by RE in Mild steel. Working anywhere near the exhaust results in so much rust in my eyes/on things that it feels like you're gonna put a finger through it.

I am sure many a mild steel exhaust is fine. My approach to it is get it done once, right, though.

....this doesn't explain why I've had it done twice, but look, the logic is still sound!

[Birds]

So it's just surface rust? If so I say harden the fk up

Otherwise, your real problem with the exhaust may be two letters long...

[Birds]

Performance Exhaust actually moved to Nunawading/Vermont. Its currently located in Trade Place.

Interesting - been years since I've been to them. I used to live in Vermont too, so that would have only been handier for me.

[scotty nm35]

Chemical rust inside and out, which will eventually rust right though, starting with the mufflers. I give untreated mild systems about 4-5 years before failing on petrol or ethanol due to the acidic nature of the exhaust. (petrol or ethanol)

Stainless on the other hand, if good grades are used, will literally last forever other than needing to repack the muffler, and the materials are usually less than $200 more.

After fitting many Varex mufflers over the years and having most of them fail in the same way, (including mine) I recommend not getting one of those overpriced crap heaps and just run a pair of stainless absorption mufflers.

With two stainless mufflers, a flex and a few Vband clamps I can do a stainless 3 inch system for $800 to $1000, so that system sounds way overpriced unless it's a twin 3.5 inch.

[Birds]

After fitting many Varex mufflers over the years and having most of them fail in the same way, (including mine) I recommend not getting one of those overpriced crap heaps and just run a pair of stainless absorption mufflers.

Maybe the problem lies in the installation

How did the Varexes fail?

I must have struck it lucky; both Varex and mild steel piping still intact after 5 years...willing to accept I could be an outlier but I'll happily recommend this setup based on my ongoing positive experience with it..,

Touchwood (touchmildsteel?)

[scotty nm35]

They fail stuck closed usually, other than that I have no idea if it's mechanically internal or the dodgy electronics. I have seen it at least 8 times now, sometimes on newer mufflers. How many K's you done on it Birds? Ever got it hot at the track?

Considering the price, and the hassle it is to repair them, why not just use decent mufflers that quieten the system down all the time. Considering I can get a similar muffler without the valve for $100odd, you will pay close to $350 more for the valve and remote which is crazy considering the (lack of) quality. I was the one pushing them years ago, but I have been let down too many times.

Installation issues? It's not a 5 speed auto valve body replacement we are talking about.

[Odium]

<3 the varex on the evo... granted it's not running big power, but it's a godsend to be able to run quiet if I need to, eg approaching a booze bus or driving through the CBD or arriving at a business meeting

[scotty nm35]

<3 the varex on the evo... granted it's not running big power, but it's a godsend to be able to run quiet if I need to, eg approaching a booze bus or driving through the CBD or arriving at a business meeting

You heard my evo, it's quieter than the Varex on my Stagea when it's closed yet still makes enough power to smash both of you at Sandown. .

So what you guys are saying is you want a loud 3 inch which you can make quiet when you want, as opposed to just making it close to legal DB and not having issues?

A Varex is nearly $500 these days, I just don't think they are value for money anymore.