Jim De Arras

I'm looking for feedback on the various catback systems. I'm partial to stainless steel over painted, but of most importance is that it should be as quiet as the stock system under normal load. Louder under high boost is acceptable, but not sought. No big "ugly" (IMHO) exhaust tips, either, functional size only!

John

able to see it under the car. Should have it next week. I know that the MTM is quite. Below is Matthewk, and BrianN's feedbacks on the LL-Tek one:

I'll post some notes on my experience with the system so far, as there seems
to be interest. The fit is great. It bolted right up this past Friday with no
adjustments. Meineke charged me $40 and it took about 30 minutes. The front
stock clamps are reused and needed to be heated up with a torch to free them.
38 lbs vs 56 lbs stock. Entire system is painted red. Big 3 inch SS pipe, and
it has 2 flanged bolted connections which lined up dead nuts accurate. One
gripe is that the muffler will move over to the passenger side slightly after
driving. This is probably due to drivetrain movement caused by engine torque
rotation. Thus the tips (dual black chrome internally beveled resonated
beauties!) will be shifted a tad off-center in the bumper outlet opening. A
simple shove and symmetry is restored. A hanger modification should remedy
this. The tips extend about 2 inches past the bumper, the inboard one
protruding slightly farther which adds a nice touch, following the curve of
the rear valance.
Butt dyno: Turbos seem to spool more quickly. And 6th gear on the highway
from 70 mph on up has even more pep. Little need to downshift! The engine
seems to gain on redline more quickly.
There is a resonance at 1900-2300 at constant cruise which gives off a bassy,
low frequency droning in the cabin. I will try to get below or above this rpm
range by gearing if it bothers me, or I turn up the Bose! It seems to be
getting a bit less intrusive as the system matures, or I am getting used to
it. It does produce a good invigorating snarl from about 4000-5000 rpm!
Especially noticeable if you let off the gas in gear at high rpm, real ear
candy for the enthusiast. You can hear the engine rev now, which makes
shifting by ear easier. It gives the car a rally like, sporting personality
vs the stock system's quiet, silent thrust demeanor. It is a big change. Dr.
Jekyl vs Mr Hyde?
Well, maybe not quite that dramatic, but it comes awfully close. If you want
the Lexus like quiet, keep the stock system or perhaps look at another
system. If you want a car that revs more freely at the top end and offers an
exhilarating soundtrack, get the system.
Oh, and I must mention that the MTM chip-induced *sandblasting* still occurs!

Check out this link for my initial review:
https://www.audiworld.com/forum/m/s4/23986.phtml

I have since fixed the moving tips issue by putting a shaft collar on the
rear metal hanger. I also painted the rear muffler black.
The droning sound from 1900-2300 is not as intrusive as it was initially.
Perhaps the exhaust has seasoned with age, due to carbon buildup? Or I have
grown used to it? It is barely noticeable at steady interstate speeds between
2500-3900rpm. I like the sporty, throaty sound as it enhances the driving
experience. When you get on it, it snarls above 4000 rpm. I would not want to
go back to the coffin-like quiet of the stock system. The 2.7 biturbo has a
great sounding engine note that deserves to be heard. However, this is the
loudest I would want the exhaust to be.




The sound is good. There is no drowning rumble on the freeway, nor is it loud
under normal driving. However it comes alive during full acceleration, it
does make more noise. The fit was amazing it went right in, a perfect fit.
The only complaint about the design is that the flanges should be a little
bigger. The bolts are a little close to the pipe. Performance is good. I
think that there is a slight decrease in low RPM torque from chipped with
stock exhaust but the increase in upper end HP is evident. It definitely
smoothed out the power band over the entire RPM range. 4th gear pulls harder
than it did with the stock exhaust.

Another Drew

I'm waiting for something nicer to come out than what I've seen. Too many are just run-of-the-mill mufflers attached to different shaped piping.

I don't think Supersprint makes any for the S4 (at least not yet). Theirs is stainless steel with stainless steel packing in the muffler, dyno'ed for each application, and passes TUV requirements regarding noise.

Andrew<ul><li><a href="www.supersprintusa.com">www.supersprintusa.c om</a</li></ul>

Tristan

I have heard the Lltek exhaust on a chipped S4. The exhaust is very loud under full load, and only a little bit deeper and louder under normal loads. I don't think it will get you ANY additional attention if you're just cruising. My two cents.
Tristan

matthewk

I have a LLTek exhaust and it is good.

John

after you installed it? I should have mine at the end of next week. I am trying to decide if I should paint it black or sand the rear exhaust down. If the paint completely burns down where you can't see the red paint, than I will just wait. But my car is silver and I do not think a red back exhaust would look all that great. What is your take on the look of the back exhaust? wish it was just SS...