Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

I have fitted a few Varex mufflers recently and was impressed enough to give a 3.5 inch one a go. I didn't really want the whole loud/quiet thing going on so I was going to buy their optional rev actuated setup, unfortunately it has been discontinued. Anyway, I was hoping I could actuate the motor off the ecu via a load controlled output but decided to go the easy way. What do you think?

http://www.xforce.com.au/about-varex-remote-control-sports-muffler.php

The actuator is a little firm meaning I need around 30psi to open it fully, (10psi is enough to partially open it.) luckily that's no problem. Just have to run some thin airline to the muffler.

It should be quiet running around town and snap open when boost kicks in. I have another 3.5 inch mid-muffler to fit also. :cheers:

post-63525-0-60077700-1331260852_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/394207-sound-control-exhausts/
Share on other sites

That's really cool Scott. :thumbsup:

I guess it's possible to change how much boost is required to open the exhaust up by changing the leverage point. That would make it a viable option for guys running less boost than you.

Let us know your experience after using it for a while. I wonder if you will find it a little bit restrictive before you get up to full boost, or if you won't notice it at all....

I will find out soon, it goes on this weekend hopefully. If I lose a little midrange I don't mind, as long as it's not laggy.

I can change where it comes in by getting a 4psi actuator or making my own perhaps. I can also change the closed position so it flows a little better. See how it goes I guess. I can always weld the motor back on if I dont like it.

Hey Scott, in your 3rd pic where the 2 pipes join, it's partially blocked from the pipe underneath. What's the science behind that? Is that to help the gas flows combine with least interference or was that a pic of work in progress & there's more to cut out?

As I'm running stupid boost the wastegate is almost there for looks. (well for tuning anyway) That pipe is 2 inch and the hole is less than half blocked so its more than big enough. It will promote better gas flow and make the 3 inch turbo pipe the dominant one into the 3.5 inch. I can always cut it open if it boost spikes but I have the opposite problem at the moment, boost still dropping off at the top end.

Should have it finished today. :cheers:

Just got back from the test drive, no rattles or bangs. :thumbsup:

It seems about the same noise at idle but its much quieter in the midrange and even the top end, though I cant be sure its opening properly yet. Boost seems to come on quicker and I can really hear the turbo spooling now.

As a follow up, I am very happy with the exhaust, I changed the spring in the actuator by cutting it apart, now it opens at around 2-3psi and turns from a quiet street system into a loud race setup as boost hits. I'm planning on adding an external spring to fine tune the actuator next.

Hopefully I will be getting it tuned this weekend to see what gains there are, if any. The turbo definitely feels more responsive down low with the added back pressure.

Nice work as always Scotty.:thumbsup:

How stealthy have you been able to make the actuator on the muffler?

I'm assuming you guys have the same problem in Vic that we have here in NSW; the filth know (or think they do) what a Varex looks like and they just target them because they're essentially illegal.

Yours will obviously do fine in a roadside noise test (no boost; no noise) which is quite clever, but is the baffle easily seen if you look up the pipe?

Cheers, Dale.

Nice work as always Scotty.:thumbsup:

How stealthy have you been able to make the actuator on the muffler?

I'm assuming you guys have the same problem in Vic that we have here in NSW; the filth know (or think they do) what a Varex looks like and they just target them because they're essentially illegal.

Yours will obviously do fine in a roadside noise test (no boost; no noise) which is quite clever, but is the baffle easily seen if you look up the pipe?

Cheers, Dale.

You cant see the actuator unless you're laying on the ground or have it on a hoist, even then would they know what it does? Its all hidden on top of the muffler next to the spare wheel. I could put the heat shield back on and hide it completely if I had to.

You can look up the muffler and plainly see the valve, I was thinking a tip that dumps down would fix that. No way they would get their knees dirty. lol.

As long as it seems stock from the outside, that will lower my chances of being singled out. If they pop the bonnet i'm probably screwed.

You cant see the actuator unless you're laying on the ground or have it on a hoist, even then would they know what it does? Its all hidden on top of the muffler next to the spare wheel. I could put the heat shield back on and hide it completely if I had to.

You can look up the muffler and plainly see the valve, I was thinking a tip that dumps down would fix that. No way they would get their knees dirty. lol.

As long as it seems stock from the outside, that will lower my chances of being singled out. If they pop the bonnet i'm ............ screwed.

^^^^^corrected!

You cant see the actuator unless you're laying on the ground or have it on a hoist, even then would they know what it does? Its all hidden on top of the muffler next to the spare wheel. I could put the heat shield back on and hide it completely if I had to.

You can look up the muffler and plainly see the valve, I was thinking a tip that dumps down would fix that. No way they would get their knees dirty. lol.

As long as it seems stock from the outside, that will lower my chances of being singled out. If they pop the bonnet i'm probably screwed.

Yeah, as I was saying; they seem to be well clued up on them over here, and they're really starting to target them.

A nice burnished 45deg Stainless mandrel would make it a lot harder to see in; and also provide additional attenuation, as it directs sound down. On my old 48mm Weber fed 2.4 stroker 180B SSS; a 45 deg downward facing tip made a huge difference.

As you say; if you don't attract the attention to begin with; that's half the battle won.:thumbsup:

Good luck with the tune; any plans for a run down the quarter in the near future?

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Actually, that's not entirely true. It's also the same motor in the 1st gen Nissan Cube but they're rare as hen's teeth.  
    • Yeah it is always worth testing and balancing actuators out of the box, just set the pressure regulator on a compressor very low (eg 5 psi) and increase it slowly to see when they both move.....unfortunately while you may be able to adjust the length of the actuator rod to minimise any difference, the actual pressure they move from is not adjustable so you need a well matched pair. And yes, the VCAM is probably contributing; the earlier in the rev range they come on boost and the slower the revs build (I think your demo was in 5th), the more you notice it.  Driving at WOT through 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc you will probably never hear it as any shuffling starts and is over super quickly
    • oh they were with that motor, you need to remove the engine to change the spark plugs (don't have to, but it does make it easier)
    • I certainly fall into the annoyed camp, but glad to hear that if it's happening at low boost then I'm not likely going to blow a turbo and end up with metal shards in my oil. Just feels like it prevents me from really driving it without hesitation and "peak" performance. Wonder if it's the VCAM, it did an impressive job of shifting the torque curve and faster spool, but maybe now it's "too fast" and there's too much air for how open the throttle is.  Based on some other threads, will also do some reading on synchronizing the actuators. They are the default actuators that come on the Garrett's and I would think they would be set the same coming from the factory, but if the turbos don't actually work exactly the same way at the same time as previously mentioned, it would be worth making sure the actuators are actuating together properly
    • I went down this rabbit hole before, ended up sourcing a motor from the UK (I'm in Japan) which also didn't function correctly. With the original motor, I disassembled it and reassembled it and it works somewhat, sometimes. What I could deduce from all my screwing around is that there is calibration of the gears on the inside of the motor and two ramps on the main gear which activate switches that operate the motor and move the sunroof either to retract into the roof or tilt. Where I got stuck was that, it seemed in my case that one or both of the switches that are activated by the ramp on the gear did not always activate and thus the motor did not move, causing it to sometimes not retract or tilt (apologies, I've forgotten which way it didn't work.).  Of course this part is discontinued at Nissan now, it's the same part in the S15 but no other models. I also contacted the manufacturer of the component for schematics - forgot the name, they're based in Gifu - but they declined to share the information due to being bound by an NDA, sadly. Looking through my pictures now, it seems I last had a crack at this in 2022. See, I so kindly wrote "open" and "close" next to the switches. If you figure it out, please do tell me. Those little switches, with the red buttons may need to be replaced.
×
×
  • Create New...