I finally had he silencers welded and thought ill make a start at fitting them this eve.
I did the usual google searches and confirm it was a reasonably easy job. Made easier due to having the bypass pipes recently fitted so all the nuts & bolts were new & not seized up.
My life was made easier by having a universal joint 13mm socket, the rear brackets are tricky to get hands/fingers on, especially the o/s.
I can confirm that the rear bumper and wheels do not need to b removed, I didn't touch mine & had both changed in just over an hour.
So long as you jack up the rear of the car so you have about 5" under the rear tyres there is plenty of room.
A road test was then in order
At low revs/idle there is very little difference, maybe a little deeper but nothing anywhere near offensive. Once the engine was warm I enjoyed some spirited driving with the windows open. Over 3-4000rpm there is a clear difference, not so much louder (from in the car at least) but deeper & more purposeful. In my humble opinion a much better noise than an M3. it was the one thing I disliked about my M3, the very metallic rasp when opened up.
Am I happy, yes, is it perfect, maybe for me not yet.
I have been surrounded by Ferraris & Aston Martins today, all of which make what I would call a proper noise. Mine may be more classy but there is still a part of me wanting more. I need to stand and listen as someone else does a drive by as I think it would now sound very good.
I guess I'm left with a couple of questions for you clever chaps, does anyone know if the bypass & gundo is acoustically the same as standard PSE?
Has anyone have any experience with the Topgear valvetronic system? Id rather only play with the cats back at this point.
Perhaps I am on a quest to find the impossible, each persons perceptions & thoughts are different and I may never find exactly what I'm looking for, but for now, I'm happier than I was 3 hours ago
