Decat pipe

[Speedtrip]

I'm considering fitting a decat pipe to my 360R as I'd prefer a more roarty exhaust note. Can anyone confirm how much difference it would make? Also would it release anymore ponies, not that the car really needs them?

I'm assuming figment is very straight forward by just removing the silencer, springs and loosening the clamps etc. On reassembly should the joints be sealed?

Thanks in advance.

Andy

[John Vine]

My R400D bypass pipe produced a slightly harder/harsher exhaust note, but very little if any extra performance.  My main reason for fitting it was to preserve the cat, having suffered a severe bout of misfiring that killed the original.

I don't use sealant but I think some folks use a suitable silicone compound.  Fitting is as you describe and is a doddle.

JV

[Speedtrip]

Thanks for your response John.

Sounds as though it's not a particularly worthwhile modification after all. Perhaps it needs some more thought...

Andy

[JNC]

Supposedly 5bhp  don't know how you tell apart from rolling road 

[Speedtrip]

Thanks John,

I'm more interested in an improved exhaust note to be honest. The YouTube video of the 360R racing a Range Rover SVR suggests a nicer tone than in my car.

Not sure.....don't want to waste £300!

Andy

[John Vine]

Perhaps I should have added that, not only do I wish to preserve the cat, but also my hearing (what's left of it, that is).  I wear earplugs all the time in the 7, so the exhaust note is inevitably muted to say the least.

JV

[JNC]

I was always  disappoint at the sound from my D ( looks like sports car ) but doesn't sound like one , So I decat and fitter the smaller R500 silencer 

[paul jacobs]

At least the decat. pipe won't ever wear out, so if you get one and then decide it isn't worth it, you can sell it again for only a slight loss, possibly no loss if you find a secondhand one.  Win/win, what's not to like?  Unless you feel really guilty about putting all those unburnt hydrocarbons into the atmosphere of course?

I have one to sell from my old CSR, now sadly gone, but don't know if it will fit other Duratec cars?  Maybe an SV?

[John Vine]

And they polish up a treat!

JV

[JNC]

Very nice John have you done the primary's as well ?

[John Vine]

Oh yes. But I confess to having them all polished professionally:

JV

[JNC]

John do wrapping the primary pipes really make any difference ?

[John Vine]

Yes it did.  In my attempts to reduce cabin temps, I first of all removed the plastic rad cowl, and then (some time later) wrapped the primaries.  If I find I need to do more, I'll look into footwell insulation, but at the moment cabin temps are ok.

JV
 

[JNC]

My car never had the plastic rad cowl, does the silicone spray hold the wrapping together ?

[John Vine]

Yes, it does.  I used this stuff to go with two 15 ft rolls of 2" wrap.

The first time I fired her up, the smoke and fumes were wondrous to behold!

JV

[JNC]

Stupid question ! The first start up after wrapping was with the bonnet off ? Until the smoke cleared ? How long roughly And did you spray the wrap with water when you fitted it.

[John Vine]

Ah, so this is a memory test!  The answers are:

• Yes
• Yes
• About 15 mins on tickover
• No (but I did try to get the tape as tight as possible)

JV

[D Jones]

I'm currently having my primaries plasma coated in Abingdon in attempt to avoid the notorious k cliick has any one else tried this

[Frosty]

I’m keen to look into this option in the future, please can you post up some pictures and details when it’s done? I have a few questions?

Where in Abingdon are you getting it done?

Is this the same as ceramic coating?

What colour finish did you go for?

Are your headers new?

If not is there any prep needed?

Are they counting the inside as well as the outside?

How much is it costing you to get the headers done if you don’t mind me asking?

Thanks in advance,

[D Jones]

Frosty,

The company is called zircotec

Plasma sprayed ceramic coating is the description of the process

I have a black pack SV and so wanted a black exhaust to match and having bought a used set of headers/exhaust wanted to tidy them up. Zircotec prep the metal and apply the coating, though I didn't ask about the inside now I come to think of it!.

The headers were £36 per 300mm the cat and exhaust £46 per 300mm

​I went for the black / volcanic range which is claimed to reduce heat by 15% primarily in an attempt to avoid K click, I may well fit a heat shield as well if it doesn't work. We shall see.........

[Frosty]

Thanks for the quick reply, I’ll try and work out what the cost would be just to get my headers done, as I don’t mind the polished bypass pipe and muffler (which aren’t that much of a pain to polish using Autosol metal polish).

Another question though; what’s “K click”?

[Piers300]

I used to fit the decat pipe on my R300 after the mot when I first got the car. To be honest, I could not tell the difference or notice and change in sound, so after a few years, I gave up.

[John Vine]

...what’s “K click”?

It's a starting problem with K-series cars.  The click is the sound of the starter solenoid operating but failing to run the starter.

Andrew Revill ("revilla") wrote an excellent article about it in Low Flying back in 2013. 

JV

[Frosty]

Ah ok, thanks for clarifying. I suspect it’s not a known problem with the Duratec powered cars.