MINI2

MarkW19 · Feb 3rd, 2006, 03:07 PM

Yet more mods, does this ever stop!!

I had a magnex catback exhaust on my cooper, but took it off because it was too loud for me.

All I want is to make the car a BIT louder and give a deeper, sportier exhaust note. But I dont want it to be much louder at all, just to "tighten" up the sound and make it sound deeper & better.

I've been speaking to mini design in leeds, and they said they do a particular replacement manifold (keeping the stock catback) which they think will give me the sound I want, while also significantly increasing power.

What are everyones views on this? I always thought replacing the manifold would make the car extremely loud, and not really increase performance (on its own).

Mark

Root Ginger · Feb 3rd, 2006, 03:41 PM

The manifold generally adds more power than a cat back and with the stock exhaust should give a little more noise like you want.

If you added the manifold to the magnaflow then it would probably become very loud. It's all subjective though. One mans loud is another mans quiet

MarkW19 · Feb 3rd, 2006, 06:19 PM

True!

What I'd consider quiet is that you dont neccessarily think "thats a loud/boyracer/after market exhaust". It just sounds good, sporty & a deep note!

Also not to drone or be barely noticeable @ motorway speeds.

If the mini's noise is 2 now on a scale of 1-10, and the biggest loudest exhaust (so you cant hear yourself think) is at 10, I'd want it no more than 3, ie a small increase.

The magnex is by no means the loudest exhaust but it was still too loud for me!

Ian Kuah · Feb 4th, 2006, 03:41 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by MarkW19

True!

What I'd consider quiet is that you dont neccessarily think "thats a loud/boyracer/after market exhaust". It just sounds good, sporty & a deep note!

Also not to drone or be barely noticeable @ motorway speeds.

If the mini's noise is 2 now on a scale of 1-10, and the biggest loudest exhaust (so you cant hear yourself think) is at 10, I'd want it no more than 3, ie a small increase.

The magnex is by no means the loudest exhaust but it was still too loud & annoying & drony for me!

I fitted a Play Mini cat-back exhaust to my Cooper two years ago. It sounds great under acceleration and is as quiet as standard at cruise. This is how it should be.

A few months later, I fitted their four-branch manifold and free-flow cat. This increased noise considerably at idle and under acceleration. Noise at cruise is louder but it is a nice sound and the car is still reasonably quiet on a light throttle.

I have been thinking of adding some acoustic matting to the bulkhead/transmission tunnel to knock the sound level back a bit.

However, the extra punch and free-revving ability is indisputable, particularly when combined with the Gruppe M carbon airbox and re-mapped ECU to help use the extra air going in and exhaust going out.

MarkW19 · Feb 4th, 2006, 05:23 PM

But the extra sound is probably due to the free flow cat and/or the combination of manifold AND catback? If I just change the manifold and keep the cat/catback/exhaust the same the sound increase should be even less than just adding a "quiet" catback shoudnt it, ie. minimal?

Mike Edwards · Feb 4th, 2006, 05:51 PM

The extra noise is due to the material the manifold is made of and how much of it there is in the design.

Stainless Steel manifolds made by bending and welding thin-walled tube are always going to be noisier than cast iron manifolds due to a combination of wall-thickness and how elastic the material is.

MarkW19 · Feb 4th, 2006, 06:36 PM

I guess the only thing I can do is wait until MiniDesign have one of these particular manifolds in, and have a good listen to it and a test drive!

Feb 3rd, 2006, 03:07 PM	#1
MarkW19 Grinning Join Date: May 2003 Location: Leeds Local Time: 10:35 PM Posts: 3,622 Offline	New Cooper Manifold Yet more mods, does this ever stop!! I had a magnex catback exhaust on my cooper, but took it off because it was too loud for me. All I want is to make the car a BIT louder and give a deeper, sportier exhaust note. But I dont want it to be much louder at all, just to "tighten" up the sound and make it sound deeper & better. I've been speaking to mini design in leeds, and they said they do a particular replacement manifold (keeping the stock catback) which they think will give me the sound I want, while also significantly increasing power. What are everyones views on this? I always thought replacing the manifold would make the car extremely loud, and not really increase performance (on its own). Mark Last edited by MarkW19 : Feb 14th, 2006 at 06:56 PM.

Feb 3rd, 2006, 03:41 PM	#2 (permalink)
Root Ginger Amiga 500 to PS3 20 Years Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Slough, Berkshire Local Time: 09:35 PM Posts: 4,634 Offline	The manifold generally adds more power than a cat back and with the stock exhaust should give a little more noise like you want. If you added the manifold to the magnaflow then it would probably become very loud. It's all subjective though. One mans loud is another mans quiet It was acceptable in the 80's

Feb 3rd, 2006, 06:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
MarkW19 Grinning Join Date: May 2003 Location: Leeds Local Time: 10:35 PM Posts: 3,622 Offline	True! What I'd consider quiet is that you dont neccessarily think "thats a loud/boyracer/after market exhaust". It just sounds good, sporty & a deep note! Also not to drone or be barely noticeable @ motorway speeds. If the mini's noise is 2 now on a scale of 1-10, and the biggest loudest exhaust (so you cant hear yourself think) is at 10, I'd want it no more than 3, ie a small increase. The magnex is by no means the loudest exhaust but it was still too loud for me! Last edited by MarkW19 : Feb 14th, 2006 at 06:56 PM.

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Feb 4th, 2006, 03:41 PM	#4 (permalink)
Ian Kuah MINI2 Newbie Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: West Sussex Local Time: 10:35 PM Posts: 27 Offline	Quote: Originally Posted by MarkW19 True! What I'd consider quiet is that you dont neccessarily think "thats a loud/boyracer/after market exhaust". It just sounds good, sporty & a deep note! Also not to drone or be barely noticeable @ motorway speeds. If the mini's noise is 2 now on a scale of 1-10, and the biggest loudest exhaust (so you cant hear yourself think) is at 10, I'd want it no more than 3, ie a small increase. The magnex is by no means the loudest exhaust but it was still too loud & annoying & drony for me! I fitted a Play Mini cat-back exhaust to my Cooper two years ago. It sounds great under acceleration and is as quiet as standard at cruise. This is how it should be. A few months later, I fitted their four-branch manifold and free-flow cat. This increased noise considerably at idle and under acceleration. Noise at cruise is louder but it is a nice sound and the car is still reasonably quiet on a light throttle. I have been thinking of adding some acoustic matting to the bulkhead/transmission tunnel to knock the sound level back a bit. However, the extra punch and free-revving ability is indisputable, particularly when combined with the Gruppe M carbon airbox and re-mapped ECU to help use the extra air going in and exhaust going out.

Feb 4th, 2006, 05:23 PM	#5 (permalink)
MarkW19 Grinning Join Date: May 2003 Location: Leeds Local Time: 10:35 PM Posts: 3,622 Offline	But the extra sound is probably due to the free flow cat and/or the combination of manifold AND catback? If I just change the manifold and keep the cat/catback/exhaust the same the sound increase should be even less than just adding a "quiet" catback shoudnt it, ie. minimal?

Feb 4th, 2006, 05:51 PM	#6 (permalink)
Mike Edwards MINI2 Master My Classifieds Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Herefordshire Local Time: 09:35 PM Posts: 767 Offline	The extra noise is due to the material the manifold is made of and how much of it there is in the design. Stainless Steel manifolds made by bending and welding thin-walled tube are always going to be noisier than cast iron manifolds due to a combination of wall-thickness and how elastic the material is.

Feb 4th, 2006, 06:36 PM	#7 (permalink)
MarkW19 Grinning Join Date: May 2003 Location: Leeds Local Time: 10:35 PM Posts: 3,622 Offline	I guess the only thing I can do is wait until MiniDesign have one of these particular manifolds in, and have a good listen to it and a test drive!

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