Has anyone noticed the wierdness of the S' exhaust? - MINI Cooper Forum

Spoolin' · #1 (**permalink**) Dec 21st, 2001, 10:24 AM

Has anyone noticed that the S' exhaust does not come straight out the center? take a look at ONLYS4ME's gallery picture. Don't get me wrong, it looks cool, but is it truly functional?

BruceK · #2 (**permalink**) Dec 23rd, 2001, 02:19 PM

In all the pictures I've seen the S tailpipes look centered in the middle of the car. I've looked but can't find the picture you are referencing. Can you show it or provide a link to it please?

Spoolin' · #3 (**permalink**) Dec 24th, 2001, 09:24 AM

Here we go, I think this should do it. Look closely at the right of the exhaust tips, they both hook a 90 degree turn as they exit the vehicle. Sneaky

Spoolin' · #4 (**permalink**) Dec 24th, 2001, 09:25 AM

http://www.mini2.com/gallery/persona...1/EPSN0029.jpg

BruceK · #5 (**permalink**) Dec 24th, 2001, 10:25 AM

Ahhhh.... okay, now I understand what you are saying!

Unlike the aftermarket exhausts for a classic Mini that run right down the center of the car in a straight line from the engine to the exhaust tip, the new S exhaust seems to take a much longer route. To me, it looks like the muffler (silencer) might be fitted in the same place as a regular MINI, but rather than exit the car on the right rear side like regular MINI's, it is plumbed over to the center of the car where it makes a sharp, 90 degree, turn before finishing with the twin "beer can" tail pipes. (Had to flip OnlySforMe's photo over to get the proper perspective.

)

I think I know the reason for the strange routing. Well, there are two reasons:

1. Styling - they wanted the S to look different

2. Routing - no easy way to get there. If you look at the picture below, I think you'll see the under-boot battery box unique to the S model. The S's battery doesn’t live under the bonnet like with other MINIs (in this way it is more like a classic Mini

).

The weird part is that in some of the offical S photos, the car appears to have two large mufflers (silencers) - one on either side of the body - feeding into each of the two exhaust pipes. Can anyone explain that?

noahe · #6 (**permalink**) Dec 24th, 2001, 11:12 AM

What appears to be a second muffler on the S may only be for appearance - symmetry. I hope I'm wrong, but I saw one of the spy shots of a S type rear in winter and only the right rear muffler appeared to have steam comming off of it, and the steel was a little discoloured, rainbowed, whereas the right rear was still dry gleaming steel.

This is not fact, just a guess.

BruceK · #7 (**permalink**) Dec 24th, 2001, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by me

The weird part is that in some of the offical S photos, the car appears to have two large mufflers (silencers) - one on either side of the body - feeding into each of the two exhaust pipes. Can anyone explain that?

If you look closely at this image, you'll see what I'm talking about. There appears to be a muffler on either side under the car as with a typical twin exhaust system.

Spoolin' · #8 (**permalink**) Dec 24th, 2001, 11:22 AM

Isn't the car cool enough without all of these faux add-ons? First we discovered that the lower intake inlet in the bumper appears larger that it really is. Then we see that the gas-cap is not as it seems. Now we find out that the exhaust, does not come truly from the center of the vehicle.

LMB · #9 (**permalink**) Dec 24th, 2001, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Spoolin'
Isn't the car cool enough without all of these faux add-ons? First we discovered that the lower intake inlet in the bumper appears larger that it really is. Then we see that the gas-cap is not as it seems. Now we find out that the exhaust, does not come truly from the center of the vehicle.

Bar Humbug

As long as the car handles as good as the Cooper I will be happy. I think it looks superb, no complaints at all.

Merry Christmas Ho Ho Ho

LMB

Spoolin' · #10 (**permalink**) Dec 24th, 2001, 12:13 PM

Sorry, wasn't my intention to bring the room down. Happy Holidays all!

InsiderMINI · #11 (**permalink**) Dec 25th, 2001, 08:30 AM

The Cooper S exhaust does exit via the two centre tailpipes. As the system passes the fuel tank on a Cooper S, it bends towards the rear LH muffler (I think) from here it shoots across the car to the opposite muffler and then eventually routed towards the centre of the rear bumper and turns 90 degrees to the chrome finishers. The Cooper S therefore has 3 mufflers in the system - 1 intermediate just after the manifold joint and two rear muyfflers either side of the battery (which is in the boot/trunk floor).

Basil · #12 (**permalink**) Dec 25th, 2001, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BruceK

If you look closely at this image, you'll see what I'm talking about. There appears to be a muffler on either side under the car as with a typical twin exhaust system.

It was this very picture that made me part with my $1000 deposit. The twin mufflers to each side of the rear twin pipes are the biz.

If they're not mufflers what are they ?. I hope the "S" still has some integrity left by the time we all get ours!

BruceK · #13 (**permalink**) Dec 25th, 2001, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Basil

It was this very picture that made me part with my $1000 deposit. The twin mufflers to each side of the rear twin pipes are the biz.

If they're not mufflers what are they ?. I hope the "S" still has some integrity left by the time we all get ours!

As I understand InsiderMINI's explanation, there are 3 mufflers on the Cooper S, but the final two mufflers mounted on each side of the car are NOT separate and equal (like with a V8), instead they are plumbed in sequence so that all the exhaust gases flow through the 1st muffler, then the 2nd muffler, and finally all the exhaust gases flow through the 3rd muffler before exiting the twin exhaust tips.

Look at OnlySforMe's picture below which shows the 90-degree bend the gases must follow before exiting through the twin tips. In this picture the LH side muffler seems to be the 3rd and final one for the Cooper S. It also seems clear that both tips are functional - one is not decorative as was speculated earlier in this thread.

noahe · #14 (**permalink**) Dec 25th, 2001, 11:37 PM

So... Can anyone explain the setup? The twin tips are to look cool, because the diameter of the feeder pipe is no larger than the tail pipe. Essentially the Cooper S has three smaller cans and the Cooper has one large one.

I suspect that the the three shapes are as follows: A resonator to give the Cooper S it's described more distinctive tone and to engineer the backpressure. Then two sequential low-restriction mufflers for good flow, and between the two of them, adequate noise reduction. There's not really much point in splitting the exhaust in two for an inline engine.

There is another less cool reason of course. A single muffler didn't fit around the battery box. At any rate, it seems like a lot of plumbing to replace when it goes.

I for one don't let these things get me down of course. It seems a wonderful car. I always expected a car that would ellicit such emotion would be something unattainable, like a Porsche or a Ferrari. I'm just so pleased that I'm going to have a Cooper S with only a little financial stretch, that everything else just gets the volume turned down to me. Bring it on in whatever form the designers can dream of. I'm sure we'll all applaude when we first fire one up.

Basil · #15 (**permalink**) Dec 26th, 2001, 02:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by noahe
So... Can anyone explain the setup? The twin tips are to look cool, because the diameter of the feeder pipe is no larger than the tail pipe. Essentially the Cooper S has three smaller cans and the Cooper has one large one.

I suspect that the the three shapes are as follows: A resonator to give the Cooper S it's described more distinctive tone and to engineer the backpressure. Then two sequential low-restriction mufflers for good flow, and between the two of them, adequate noise reduction. There's not really much point in splitting the exhaust in two for an inline engine.

There is another less cool reason of course. A single muffler didn't fit around the battery box. At any rate, it seems like a lot of plumbing to replace when it goes.

I for one don't let these things get me down of course. It seems a wonderful car. I always expected a car that would ellicit such emotion would be something unattainable, like a Porsche or a Ferrari. I'm just so pleased that I'm going to have a Cooper S with only a little financial stretch, that everything else just gets the volume turned down to me. Bring it on in whatever form the designers can dream of. I'm sure we'll all applaude when we first fire one up.

Ahh..... an excellent voice of reason.....yes I was just winging before. Must be the pome in me.....my apologise. Roll on mid 2002.....

And thanks also to BruceK, with the help once again of OnlyS4me picture......