Boy, how this list has developed! I just finished reading Digest #248 and
couldn't believe the number of messages and replies. Keep it up, everyone!
My two cents worth on exhausts:
First, the quality or sound of the "original" muffler depends on the
manufacturer. If you look closely at different cars at a show, you will see
mufflers that are all similar, yet different. Some with quite big tailpipes,
others with smaller pipes. Some appear to have little stubs of pipes on the
back of the muffler, opposite from the tailpipes, while others do not. I
haven't cut open any original mufflers, but I suspect that the internals vary
quite a bit, as well. Some are probably noticably more free flowing than others.
I agree that a single pipe header will likely produce more power than the
dual headers commonly available. That is because of the superior scavaging of
the "six into one" design. However, I think that a dual header setup could
have the mid-range power boosted noticably by adding an "H" pipe or balance
pipe between the pipes, directly behind the headers. V-8 performance exhaust
systems have incorporated H pipes for many years with good results. In fact,
if you look inside the later TR6 stock dual manifold, you will find a port
communicating between the front three cylinders and the rear three. This
allows the dual pipe system to still have the scavaging benefits of the "all-
into-one" earlier system, yet have the lower restriction of the two pipe system.
I think that the smoother pipes that the stainless systems keep over time
will probably mean that the performance and sound of a new stainless steel
system stays much longer than a mild steel system. The rough, rusted pipe
surfaces of a mild steel system just have to effect the flow performance of the
pipes. I'm considering different exhaust systems for my "six". When I make
decision, I'll report in for comments.
Rex Townsend
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