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Varex Vs Ecv Vs Quieter Exhaust

ricknismo
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ricknismo Grand Master

ricknismo

Posted
Posted

I have a few options or just suck it up and put the car in high gear through town. I have a 3.5 Inch Kakimoto Exhaust and its LOUD.

Option 1. Varex which has a Fob that electronically controls a valve thjat diverts the air around and through the baffles in the muffler. This will require welding as I have a single piece system.

Option 2. Apexi ECV that is chord operated and gets put behind the cat and has to have a cable into your car.

Option 3. Get a new system. I'm sure there are plenty with good power and quiter than mine.

What do you think?

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Shitbox Enthusiast

Shitbox

Posted
Posted

Varex - needs a cable through the car aswell, i beleive

maybe get someone to weld a joiner (sandwhich) plate on the end of the pipe so you can try a few different things without making too much of a mess

also, hooker mufflers are awesome if you wanted a muffler in the middle of the system that noone will see. dunno if itd make it any quieter actually, theyre pritty open!

Touge Kyousou Experienced

Touge Kyousou

Posted
Posted

Varex doesn't need a hole drilled - just feed a small power cable from the boot to where the varex unit sits.

OP,

I bought my car with a BLOODY LOUD exhaust (modified trust pe2), got so sick of it i went and bought an xforce 3.5" catback (large mid muffler, rear cannon) and it still got to me so i had the rear cannon removed and installed a same size piping varex. One of the best things i've ever done to a car. It actually gave the car that nice rb sound too, can't argue!

KING87 Rising Star

KING87

Posted
Posted

Would depend on weather you wanted to only make it quite as you drive 'through town' or make it quiet all round.

I have a ECV valve with a chord into the car in my 3.5" and i only use it when our finer law enforcement officers are about or want to sneak home without waking the neighbours as it killes the power that much when it is activated. To be honest i rarely use it..

To fix the problem totally without compramising power the best solution in my opinion would be to change exhausts.

hope that helps a little

Cheers

Matt

ricknismo Grand Master

ricknismo

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Have a youtube search for apexi ecv or varex.

The varex seems to be the more effective and actually still allows a fair bit of air to flow as it is re directed around and through the baffles of the muffler.

The ECV seems to make a 3.5" system turn into a 0.5" system but I suppose if it is only used when the boys in blue are around then the lack of power wouldn't be an issue, I just question the back pressure it may cause.

KING87 Rising Star

KING87

Posted
Posted

Yeah im not too sure on the exact DB reading that it drops. would only be a few at a guess. ricknismo is exactly right mine feels as if it is a 0.5" exhaust with the valve closed and it does create alot of back pressure. I only use mine when im trying to be sneaky :D and am very aware not to put the right foot into it lol..

bayslideblue Collaborator

bayslideblue

Posted
Posted

Yup Varex is the go, I just got mine installed a month ago. It doesn't block airflow like ecv it redirects it, so there's not a huge power reduction when the valve is closed.

I use it at least once or twice a day. When I come home late so as not to blast neighbours, when I have other people in the back and want to have a conversation, when cops are round etc. And when I want to have some fun.....open the valve, switch to high boost and foot to the floor.

I've got a 3" stainless turbo back with high flow metal cat, no mid muffler. And it actually sounds really good too, no drone and it's got a nice low pitch growl.

Do it :D:)

Touge Kyousou Experienced

Touge Kyousou

Posted
Posted
Is the Varex fully opened or closed?

i.e. can you adjust it to sit somewhere between either extremes?

Yes, gotta get the timing right on the remote (in terms of holding the button down)

Brandon Veteran

Brandon

Posted
Posted
Yeah im not too sure on the exact DB reading that it drops. would only be a few at a guess. ricknismo is exactly right mine feels as if it is a 0.5" exhaust with the valve closed and it does create alot of back pressure. I only use mine when im trying to be sneaky :) and am very aware not to put the right foot into it lol..

I thought the ECV can be adjusted from 0-100%? It wouldnt be a 0.5" system if you dont have it at 100%. I was under the impression that you can have it at 20-40% when cruising to reduce the drone and maybe 80-100% when getting pulled over.

Brandon Veteran

Brandon

Posted
Posted
Mine is either open or closed, no in between option. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to rig up though.

Thats what I thought. And I'm pretty sure with the Apexi ECV, you can control the position of the valve though the controller. I've downloaded the manual before and there's a knob which you can adjust the percentage.

Birds Grand Master

Birds

Posted
Posted

Got pulled over for inspection and they looked at my exhaust and said nothing of it. Aside from Varex written on the pipes, they look just like normal shiny mufflers. But the idea is to close the valve when you get pulled over so that of you have to rev the engine it sounds quieter than factory.

Also I have the twin tip varex and it allows me to control the position of the valve depending how long you hold the remote button for. It's not just open/shut. But really, all u want is open/shut anyway. I'd only use it for cops, starting up car late at night / coming home, and for highway cruising when you don't want an exhaust drone. Best modification I've done to the car, and when open they do actually make a good exhaust note.

Birds Grand Master

Birds

Posted
Posted

Don't think so mate, it's not a roadworthy issue, it's an EPA issue. If you have the ability to make your car louder than the legal limit at the flick of a switch then the EPA won't trust you with it :P

When I got sent for a noise test I negotiated the possibility of getting passed with the varex if the "loud" mode was less than the legal limit. It wasn't, I came in at 98db. The legal limit is so quiet (the factory Skyline systems just scrape in) that you will not want to bother having a varex if you plan on making it sit on the legal limit with loud mode...quiet mode will be pointless. The point of the thing is to have a legal sounding quiet mode and an illegal sounding loud mode, to give the police a quick slip...and that's it...they're illegal and I can see why even if I don't agree with it :)

Nee-san Grand Master

Nee-san

Posted
Posted
Don't think so mate, it's not a roadworthy issue, it's an EPA issue. If you have the ability to make your car louder than the legal limit at the flick of a switch then the EPA won't trust you with it ;)

When I got sent for a noise test I negotiated the possibility of getting passed with the varex if the "loud" mode was less than the legal limit. It wasn't, I came in at 98db. The legal limit is so quiet (the factory Skyline systems just scrape in) that you will not want to bother having a varex if you plan on making it sit on the legal limit with loud mode...quiet mode will be pointless. The point of the thing is to have a legal sounding quiet mode and an illegal sounding loud mode, to give the police a quick slip...and that's it...they're illegal and I can see why even if I don't agree with it :blink:

Birds, What is the actual noise differential like between open and closed and I ask this of the others not just the Varex, as I've been cautioned about the noise before and to make it legal it would probably have to take a good 20db out of it... ?

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