UKSaabs

My rescue Aero is going to Albert 666 for an exhaust system next month. I have to decide on the spec.
My other Stg 5 Aero has a full 3" "Aerodyte" system with a fabricated manifold but that will be unnecessary. The traditional way in the past has been to install a JT. Although this is billed as a 3" d/p it is infact 2.5" round the first bend then crudely sleeved to 3", not even a cone transmission. A full 3" on the bend is very tight to the water pump so I dont want to go there unless absolutely necessary. My thinking is to have a nice 2.5" bend before opening out to 3" with a nice transition piece. I would propose 2.5" from the cat except for the tailpipe from the back box which would be 3" in order to better fill the hole in the rear spoiler. I will never take this car beyond stg 3. Another option is to go to 2.75 on the first bend but if JT use 2.5" I really dont see any point. What do folks think?

Hi Roger,

A 2.5" downpipe is fine for stage3 levels on a 9000. Or any T5 car for that matter.
Mine is running 324bhp now and im not seeing any EGT temp issues at that level with my Abbott 2.5" downpipe. At least not on Dyno runs, but sustained track driving would probably drive it over the edge.

But anymore than this then indeed you must have a 3" DP.
I had a car in 2 weeks ago that had a 3" DP on it from an unknown supplier. It was actually touching the oil filter, with some of the paint on the oil filter looking burned. So clearance is a real issue with the bigger pipe.

_________________
The SAAB Clinic. T5 Tuning. www.thesaabclinic.co.uk
97 9000 Aero 2.3T
Astra 1.8i SRi XP

That's interesting Paul. The oem d/p has a right angle bend so is clearly restrictive. Perceived wisdom in the past has been to fit a 3" JT but we know that is only 2.5" on the first bend. So, in your view 2.5" throughout will be fine, presumably as long as the first bend is a nice swept one. In that case I will probably go for a "JT style" i.e. a swept 2,5" on the first bend going to 3" for the rest of the d/p. A reducer to 2.5" after the cat and finish off with a 3" tailpipe with a nice rolled end.
324hp seems a hell of a flow for a TD04. Is it clipped and is that a dyno figure?

Abbott downpipes for 9000's were always 2.5". Mine and my sons are.
I believe they changed this about 5yrs ago to 3" pipe.

Yes 324 is a stretch, ive actually dialled it back a little bit now. Its all part of my testing to see how far things can be pushed.
I was aiming for 340bhp with my sons car which has the 1993 configuration. 15G turbo and the Lucas blue band injectors. But we have since found someone in Sweden that has reached 350bhp on factory 1993 setup.
Mine was dyno'd but not my sons yet, will be doing that one soon. We are using BDS motorsports dyno. (The garage that is often seen on the Car Throttle youtube channel.

_________________
The SAAB Clinic. T5 Tuning. www.thesaabclinic.co.uk
97 9000 Aero 2.3T
Astra 1.8i SRi XP

Left the car with Alan in Banbury. We have agreed 2.75" first bend then 3" down to the cat. 2.5" catback with a final polished 3" section at the tailpipe- rolled end, slightly oval. He had already mocked up the first section on his 9000 jig so was sure it would work but I have told him ok to go to 2.5" if any difficulties. We have agreed flanged connectors throughout rather than V-band which are now hideously expensive. Since we had already agreed a flange at the turbo instead of a V-band adaptor piece I didn't see much point.

My i ask what he is charging for this exhaust ?.
Ive had a lot of 9000 owners asking recently about exhausts as Abbott are telling customers they are not making 9000 exhausts anymore. Maybe they should take it off their website.
Ive been recommending folks to just use Longlife. Since they make it to what ever specs you want, and generally they make a fairly decent job of it.

_________________
The SAAB Clinic. T5 Tuning. www.thesaabclinic.co.uk
97 9000 Aero 2.3T
Astra 1.8i SRi XP

I can supply very sensibly priced v band fittings Roger

Thanks for the thought Mark but I have really gone off v-bands. In terms of dismantling ease it really is no advantage over a 2- bolt flange, particularly if the flanges and fastenings are stainless. A flange will also give you a few mm extra ground clearance over sleeping policemen !!!!
There could be a case for having one at the turbo but you then need an adaptor piece which is likely to compromise the sweep of the first bend. It's all very marginal ( I have them on my black Aero ) and since I can save a bit of money anyway I have decided against them.

I had a 3 inch system made at Redhill Classics with 1 silencer and 4inch outward rolled tip, they also renewed the flexi on the downpipe that cost me £550, took them 3 hours to do and a very good job done too

_________________
1995 Scarab 9000 Aero SC Map
1999 Mercedes SLK230
2001 Goodwood Green Audi B5 RS4
1999 Volvo V70 T5

The est. price was £1300 for a fully V-banded 2 box system with 200 cel cat. Price includes vat and fitting. I have opted for flange connectors so expect the final price to be nearer £1100. Not cheap but superb work.
I have a full 3" v-banded downpipe and tubular manifold by Alan on my other Aero with a catback system by Haywood & Scott, Basildon. Essex.

Price is in on my exhaust- and a nice surprise- £912!! ( incl. vat ) Some changes to the spec. Knowing I wanted a quiet system, Alan has fitted a 3rd small diam. silencer in the long straight after the cat. He found it easier to use a V-band at the bottom of the d/p so it has one V-band in the system. The tailpipe is a squashed inward rolled 4" one rather than 3" and beautifully fits the hole in the valance. I'll post some photos later.

Some photos of the system. The d/p is 2.75" going to 3" after the bend and continuing 3" to the cat. Note the strap holding the d/p to the block. It is then 2.5" catback except for the short tailpipe section which is a nice polished oval that sits very nicely in the rear valance. Note the 3 silencers, 2 at the rear in the oem position and a third narrow one just to the rear of the cat.
[url]vvv[/url]

Very nice shiny bits! LLooks and I bet sounds great.