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Re: The Best Exhaust for the MGF / TF is …. 11 years 7 months ago #62125

I have to admit i dont know what it sounds like on a drive by because im always driving

You could always put your camera on the kerb and drive by it. ;)

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Re: The Best Exhaust for the MGF / TF is …. 11 years 7 months ago #62128

I have to admit i dont know what it sounds like on a drive by because im always driving

You could always put your camera on the kerb and drive by it. ;)



lol well after todays tunnel run through Hindhead Im hoping Diesel destroyer has got some footage he can send if not uploading it on here due to ermmmm incriminating evidance of sedate driving "cough"


Freestyle and TF for Sale Mk1 work in progress, well it never stops does it lol
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Re: The Best Exhaust for the MGF / TF is …. 11 years 7 months ago #62743

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Well it's been just over a week since the new exhaust arrived and so, without further ado, here is another 'living with' review.

Never say Never.

The latest exhaust to be tested is the Trevor Taylor TT Mk4.



The smaller pipe below the exhaust is an adaptor pipe needed when fitting an exhaust designed for the TF to an earlier F.

Please excuse the quality of a couple of these photos, they were taken with my phone (which had dirt on the lens :bang: )

Here is a better photo of a production run TT Mk4



The TT Mk4 I purchased was a prototype Mk4 which has different hangers to the standard Mk4 but is otherwise the same.

To see the difference in size you can compare this photo to the previous reviews on page 1 and 2.

TT Mk4 compared to Toyosport



The TT is a straight through design with 57mm outlet pipes. It weighs considerably less than the Toyosport, Daytona or the Magnex. The small physical size and low weight make fitting the TT a breeze.

The prototype I had has hangers welded to stainless steel bands which slide up and down the box and you then clamp in place. This made positioning of the exhaust very easy and the exhaust was soon on and aligned.



So what does it sound like.

The TT comes with a reputation for being louder than almost any other exhaust for the F/TF. This is true, the TT is louder than any of the exhausts tested to date.

When you start the engine the TT lets you know that it is ready for business. At tick over the exhaust emits a low, deep tone. As you set off the TT sounds superb. The rich deep tone is mixed in with a glorious burble. Just pottering around at low speeds sounds like an event. The car sounds like it is ready to race but a these low speeds and with the revs below or up to 2000 rpm the exhaust is not 'loud' but people are aware of your presence.

Get out on the main roads and give the throttle a squeeze and the car feels like it is responding willingly to your request for more speed. The exhaust becomes louder and louder the more you put your foot down, but in a purposeful way, this is no loud boy racer exhaust. The TT is the first exhaust I've fitted to the F which announces exactly what the engine is doing, you know exactly the time to change gear, the feedback is unparalleled. Push it hard and the TT roars out an almighty song, a pure exhaust /engine noise - there is nothing artificial about the sound produced.

When driving 'spiritedly' the TT is loud, if you don't like people looking at you don't buy a TT, this is not the exhaust for the shy retiring type. If you want an exhaust for showboating with then the TT is definitely for you.

The range of tones produced on overrun is something you will never tire hearing. The sound produced during motorway cruising is loud, there is no getting away from that, it is louder than any of the others and if you like quiet cruising then again this is not for you. If your driving is predominantly long motorway journeys I would suggest that this is not the exhaust for you.

I did find myself altering my driving style. At low speeds I drove more gently, taking every opportunity to enjoy the burble and occasional pops from the TT. When out on the country roads or the dual carriageways I used far more of the rev range pushing the engine harder than I would normally because the feedback from the TT tells you it is not time to change up yet.

Tunnels. Tunnels are fun in a car and the stainless steel systems fitted to date all provide a huge grin when putting your foot down. The TT is even better, the sound is of an engine in harmony with the exhaust, it is a pure, raw experience.

If you want your F/ TF to be a bit louder than stock get a stainless steel exhaust but not a TT. This is not for the faint hearted or the quiet Sunday driver. I can now see why the TT is so loved by many and 'hated' by others.

You must choose an exhaust to match your driving and personality, this being even more important if considering a TT.

The Looks.

The TT looks good, very good. The Mk4 came with the option of finishers although many people prefer to use it without them.
Without finishers it has, unkindly, been compared to having two scaffolding poles sticking out of the back of the car. However having no fixed finishers you can fit whatever takes your fancy and personalise the look easily.
Sometimes, as they say, less is more and the polished steel pipes and uncluttered look of the rear end I quite like.

Decided to cut back the heat shield by a few inches to display the exhaust




This is a TT fitted with TT finishers on a TF


Cost

The TT exhausts have always been priced around the mid range and due to people buying a TT without properly considering the pros and cons they do come up for sale second hand more regularly than most others (the Miltek is in a similar position to the TT ). and are excellent value for money, providing you are sure it's right for you.

So in conclusion

The TT is going to stay on for a while now, however...


The Best Exhaust for the MGF / TF is ……. still yet to be manufactured.

Unless you had an active exhaust with various setting you can never produce the 'best exhaust for the F/TF

There are some nice stainless steel systems out there. Choose the one to suit your pocket, personality and enhance the driving experience of your F / TF. :drive:

Like me, if you want to it is easy to sell the stainless steel exhaust you have and a buy another.

There are no good, bad or best exhausts for the F / TF only different ones. :broon:
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Last edit: Post by PQD44.

Re: The Best Exhaust for the MGF / TF is …. 11 years 7 months ago #62751

How do the exhaust gasses turn through 90 degrees to go down the other pipe...?

lol, nah its an on going thing with the TT's you need to produce something special if you're going for an un-chambered dual exit exhaust that will allow gasses to exit both pipes.

Its a bit like sicking a trumpet on the back, sucking air in one pipe to blow it out the other. I'm not a hater at all I respect that fact that Trevor is essentially a man working in a shed to produce exhausts for F/TF's and its always going to be a gamble investing your own money into these things.

But the sucking in one pipe to blow out the other has been evident in a few models now. So much so people are failing MOT's changing flex pipes, lambda sensors, exhaust manifolds and cats until they block one pipe off but this info is not given out by the manufacturer when you purchase one, nay its been denied on many an occasion.

I see for the new batch he's gone for a chambered design after years of mocking them, interesting.

I don't think there will ever be a "best exhaust" just an exhaust that suits your needs.

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Re: The Best Exhaust for the MGF / TF is …. 11 years 7 months ago #62759

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PQ A very fine write up there on the TT and for once factually correct, I doff my hat to you Sir :broon:

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Re: The Best Exhaust for the MGF / TF is …. 11 years 7 months ago #62760

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Luckymarine, just to pick up on a couple of points. I am very aware of the TT and the problems experienced with the emission testing and the TT Mk7 in particular. The problem with the TT Mk 7 sucking in air was pointed out on page 2 of this thread and discussed at great length in this thread on the T-Bar .

The TT Mk4 cross over pipe also sucks in air at idle but as the revs rise there is positive pressure at the crossover pipe outlet. I did block the crossover pipe but found the sound produced was not as good as with it open.

The TT is produced by Neil Willetts of Surrey Labs, click here to view the TT website . Trevor Taylor was an engineer and MG enthusiast and developed the first version. After his untimely death from cancer Neil produces the exhaust now and the TT exhaust was named in his memory.

I was really hoping that this thread would be a considered review of the exhausts available for the F/TF and that people would be able to look at the pros and cons of each system without the knee jerk reactions witnessed on some other forums and be able to make their own conclusions at to the system most suited to them.

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Last edit: Post by PQD44. Reason: clarity

Re: The Best Exhaust for the MGF / TF is …. 11 years 7 months ago #62774

Sorry I only saw "pro's" in your review.

Its easy to get carried away with something new, as you point out a "knee jerk" reaction to anything purchased.

If it really is an impartial thread, shouldn't the issues also be pointed out and discussed?

Just like the Toyosport backbox has woefully poor hangers.

Sure buy a Toyosport backbox but know everything about it before you do, buy a TT but know everything about it before you do.

(Knew Neil was producing them didn't know that Trevor was no longer around, what's the connection? did they work together? Can Neil not trade under his own name? Would be a bit like me producing something in my shed and calling it a Brunel or Edison or Da Vinci would it not?)

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Re: The Best Exhaust for the MGF / TF is …. 11 years 7 months ago #62779

I think that, to be considered a candidate for 'best exhaust', the particular exhaust should at least fulfil the most basic function of an exhaust system. ie exhaust gases from the engine go in one end and they flow through the exhaust and exit the other end(s). :broon:

Using this very basic criterion the current TTs are a failure.

The original TT was a single exit basic un-chambered exhaust, which worked very effectively and was also loud.

Tacking another bit of pipe on to create a twin exit exhaust is pointless and poor design. The fact that TTs only get exhaust deposits on one tailpipe suggests that very little of the exhaust gases choose to leave via the 'tacked on' pipe.

Almost 50% of the Mk7 is effectively useless added weight. It is very pretty, though!

It would be much better and more sense to have an original single exit TT and fit a fake second tailpipe to the car.

All this is my own opinion, obviously...
David
:shrug:

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Re: The Best Exhaust for the MGF / TF is …. 11 years 7 months ago #62788

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Sorry I only saw "pro's" in your review.

Its easy to get carried away with something new, as you point out a "knee jerk" reaction to anything purchased.

If it really is an impartial thread, shouldn't the issues also be pointed out and discussed?

Just like the Toyosport backbox has woefully poor hangers.

Sure buy a Toyosport backbox but know everything about it before you do, buy a TT but know everything about it before you do.

(Knew Neil was producing them didn't know that Trevor was no longer around, what's the connection? did they work together? Can Neil not trade under his own name? Would be a bit like me producing something in my shed and calling it a Brunel or Edison or Da Vinci would it not?)


For a detailed in depth discussion it might be best if you start a new thread, with the relevant section quoted ..

This is just a personal review thread done by PQ, with negatives and positives..

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Re: The Best Exhaust for the MGF / TF is …. 11 years 7 months ago #62794

Thats exactly why I went for a Mk3R David.

Supercover has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Social hand grenades don't exist. ;)

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Re: The Best Exhaust for the MGF / TF is …. 11 years 7 months ago #62806

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(1) Sorry I only saw "pro's" in your review.
.....

(2) If it really is an impartial thread, shouldn't the issues also be pointed out and discussed?

(3) Just like the Toyosport backbox has woefully poor hangers.

....

(4) (Knew Neil was producing them didn't know that Trevor was no longer around, what's the connection? did they work together? Can Neil not trade under his own name? Would be a bit like me producing something in my shed and calling it a Brunel or Edison or Da Vinci would it not?)


To answer your points luckymarine

(1) & (2) My thread has made three references to the MOT emission problem associated with the Mk7 and provided links to the relevant T-Bar threads.
I have advised readers on six separate occasions in the living with it review, that due of the loudness of the exhaust this may not be the correct exhaust for you.

Quite frankly in none of the other living with reviews carried out have I ever said that the exhaust under test may not be suitable apart from the high cost of the Daytona. So what exactly was I trying to 'cover up' about this exhaust?

I thus find it very disappointing that you consider the review to be biased.

I believe I have tried to remain impartial during my reviews, however, as I said in the introduction on page 1, this is about how I found the exhausts.

The Best Exhaust for the MGF / TF (for me) was the question I set out to find an answer to.

Warning this is a long post so if you only have a minute or two you might want to read it another day.

The standard MGF/TF exhausts were designed to meet low ‘drive by noise level’ regulations and as such did a great job. The only drawback is that for a lot of people, myself included, it just doesn’t make the F/TF sound like a real sports car should.

Before I go any further I think I should explain that by ‘best exhaust’ I was concentrating on the sound; in everyday use, characteristics, tone and volume and on how the system looked. The performance enhancement of the exhausts on offer have been tested in rolling road sessions and the results of some of these comparative test can be found by doing a quick google search.
Most of the exhausts on offer provide some performance gains but the difference will only be an extra couple of bhp, which wasn’t a priority to me and so formed no part of my overall consideration.....



Each system reviewed was purchased by me, fitted by me, used by me on my car in a variety of driving situations over at least a one week period before putting anything in writing to try and put forward a considered review.

(3) The sweeping generalisations made about systems is exactly why I started this process. The hangers on Toyosports have been discussed and if you had taken the time to read the referenced T-Bar threads you would see that the Toyosport has in fact proved to be very reliable and had very few hanger issues according to Toyosport owners. The Toyosport outsells the other systems many times over and I can quote a broken hanger for any system you care to mention. If you would like to inspect the Toyosport sitting in my garage at the moment you are more than welcome and would I'm sure agree that the hangers are not only substantial but also very well welded.

(4) Again it would appear you failed to even look at the referenced website which gives the history to this exhaust and the people behind it. I would go as far as to say I find your comments quite distasteful in this regard.

Could I ask you how many of these systems you have fitted to your car and used for a period of time?

Luckymarine I think you came to this thread with two preconceived ideas; one about the TT and one about the Toyosport unfortunately you appear to have skipped over the bits you didn't want to see.



David as my introduction stated the performance of the exhaust was not something I was going to cover, however the sound produced was. In my comments on the review you will see I mentioned about blocking the crossover pipe, which had a detrimental effect on the sound produced.
If you want to talk about added weight you should mention the heavy quad finishers on the Daytona, not to mention the fact that the exhaust is already a lot heavier than a TT.

Would you purchase a backbox with only one pipe for your F?

The answer to that has to be no for 99.9% of owners, hence I am not surprised the TT has two.


I hope some people will get an insight into some of the exhaust options available and benefit from this thread :nofight:
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Last edit: Post by PQD44.

Re: The Best Exhaust for the MGF / TF is …. 11 years 7 months ago #62815

Errrrrm so which is the best exhaust???? My brain hurts reading all of these words!

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