Stainless Steel Exhaust project.

Post Number:#1 by **Roverite** » July 2nd, 2013, 4:06

]We have successfully tested the 'Longlife' chambered (and quiet), rear exhaust section and here is the result.

Firstly a bit of background. In the past, mainly in the 'classic car' scene, SS exhausts gave a corrosion free alternative to the short lived mild steel OE fitment, but many SS units suffered from increased noise, either actual exhaust noise, or a rather 'tinny' sounding exhaust, because of the poor quality stainless steel used in the construction. Longlife have developed SS exhausts over the years and by using superior materials and engineering, now have an exhaust to fit any car, which is covered by a lifetime (of the car), guarantee. There are 'franchised' outlets all over the UK and each exhaust is fabricated for each individual vehicle. The system, which is made up from various basic components, is also made to the specific requirements of the owner, so you can have straight tail pipes, curved tailpipes, noisy or quiet silencers, etc. It is also possible to have just one section fitted, eg., the rear section, but it is probably worth getting the complete system whilst it is in the workshop.

Rover 75 was actually designed to have a SS exhaust, and a few early cars off the line, were so fitted. They all have a basically SS catalytic converter, so this doesn't need changing if it is OK. Some diesel owners have the 'cat' removed, but whilst this is not tested on the MOT, the latest EU regulations say that all equipment present when new, must also be present for the MOT. The choice/risk, is up to the vehicle owner. Although some members say that removing the 'cat' makes no difference to the noise levels, I found that mine was noisier between 1200 and 2000 RPM, so I had it refitted; petrol versions must NOT have the 'cat' removed.

The Enthusiast decided to investigate the merits of getting a very quiet exhaust, commensurate with what was fitted by MGR; to this end we enlisted the help of Longlife, who are at the top of their game when it comes to SS exhausts. They are also very accommodating and fully back the quality of their work. MG ZT owners may not want a really quiet exhaust and many like a rorty exhaust note, but these owners can also be catered for. However the purpose of this 'trial' was to get the quietest exhaust possible, primarily for Rover 75 owners, and that is why Longlife offered up their new chambered rear box for evaluation. Longlife were very confident and asked for a V6 Auto for the test, because these are notoriously difficult to keep quiet.

With the help of the 'Community', we found a member who had a low mileage V6 Auto, still with the OE box and within a reasonable distance of their factory in Dorset. This car was fitted with the new rear box (keeping the front sections as OE), on June 26th and the owner was very pleased. He said it is "very, very quiet" and "is at least as quiet as the original unit"; this assessment was from a longish journey home, with speeds up to 60 MPH, plus a few miles of local town journeys. Jason from Longlife had already told me that he was very satisfied with the results and thought the customer was too; he was.

Costs can vary because of the fitting location, for example London labour rates will be higher than other parts of the UK, and special customer requested features can hike the price a bit, but Jason has quoted £399 for a full system, or £249 for just the rear section, which is not that much more than a new top quality MS unit. The prices will not vary between Saloon and Tourer, but the V8s will be a lot more and will need a one-off quote. One final thing; the new box has a single tailpipe outlet (approximately equal in area to the two outlet OE unit), but if you want two for appearance sake, then a 'Y' piece can be made up, although it is hidden behind the rear bumper on standard cars and therefore only visible from underneath.

There are some pictures below, but that is about all of the writing for now, except to say that you should check out 'Longlife's' website, which can give you a list of outlets and a good idea of the company's ethos.

http://www.longlife.co.uk

Jason Freeman = jason@longlife.co.uk Tel:- 01308 422282.

Roverite.

PS. I have now got the pictures up here, but not necessarily in the right order! But I think you will get the gist.

DSC00673.JPG

Post Number:#2 by **KarlF** » July 2nd, 2013, 5:01

It looks like all the effort is paying off :DD

Do you know if this system is more restrictive if it's designed to cut down on noise?

Post Number:#3 by **MrDoodles** » July 2nd, 2013, 6:03

Excellent work guys!

Post Number:#4 by **Roverite** » July 2nd, 2013, 6:06

KarlF wrote:It looks like all the effort is paying off Do you know if this system is more restrictive if it's designed to cut down on noise?

Possibly, against the standard Longlife version, because it is chambered, which I think means it is not a straight-through design. However, I also think it would be no more restrictive than the OE unit, if the noise levels are similar. The guinea pig made no mention of a performance loss and I haven't noticed it on my diesel, which has a cat and an additional expansion box, plus the standard Longlife rear box.

Obviously everyone's opinion differs on noise/performance requirements, but I would suggest that the standard box is ideal for the owner that wants maximum performance, but the 'chambered' box is ideal for the owner that wants ultimate quietness. Either way, they get a reasonably priced quality product, that is going to last a lifetime.

Eventually, I hope to get this post to Jason (the boss man at Longlife), who may be able to shed more light on the detailed questions that will ultimately turn up.

Roverite.

Post Number:#5 by **Zeb** » July 2nd, 2013, 6:45

Probably it would be easiest to invite him on Colin? I can set up an account for him and email the details to him? Then he can comment properly!

Post Number:#6 by **Bolin** » July 2nd, 2013, 8:12

Brilliant stuff guys, just what a long term Rover 75 owner needs. :-D

I take it that the one illustrated has the optional 'Y' piece for twin pipes. I'll probably go for this option when mine needs replacing, in the next year or so.

Post Number:#7 by **Roverite** » July 3rd, 2013, 2:51

Bolin wrote:Brilliant stuff guys, just what a long term Rover 75 owner needs.

I take it that the one illustrated has the optional 'Y' piece for twin pipes. I'll probably go for this option when mine needs replacing, in the next year or so.

Correct.

Roverite.

Post Number:#8 by **Overspeed** » July 3rd, 2013, 3:42

This is excellent news my back box started blowing last week and I was waiting for the out come of the "Guinea pig" car. Time to make some phone calls...

Post Number:#9 by **Overspeed** » July 4th, 2013, 8:09

Well ,phone calls made and the old girl's booked in for 27th July to have the new back box fitted. When I spoke to Wayne at the Peterborough branch of Longlife he was not aware of the new chambered box, so he called Jason at the branch who fitted the box to the other members car. Gets a bit spooky now, because he had the paperwork for the 75 in front of him! Anyway, all info was exchanged and part ordered :-)

Post Number:**#10** by **Roverite** » July 5th, 2013, 3:27

Overspeed wrote:Well ,phone calls made and the old girl's booked in for 27th July to have the new back box fitted. When I spoke to Wayne at the Peterborough branch of Longlife he was not aware of the new chambered box, so he called Jason at the branch who fitted the box to the other members car. Gets a bit spooky now, because he had the paperwork for the 75 in front of him! Anyway, all info was exchanged and part ordered

Excellent; let us know how you get on, what you think of the exhaust and the service you receive. Feedback from other members would also be appreciated.

Roverite.

Post Number:**#11** by **Zeb** » July 5th, 2013, 4:59

Jason at Longlife is now a member on here so can talk to people directly! Welcome Jason!

Well for some reason the post I just tapped out didn't appear so here we go again :-)

Thanks for the welcome Zeb.

I'm very pleased that there seems to be some positive discussion regarding the Rear Box we built. In the case of Roverite, he wanted the end result to be quiet as standard and look nice and standard too so that's what we were able to build for him using one of our special chambered silencers. The flow of gas wouldn't be as efficient as a free flow box but it will certainly be no worse (and I would hope marginally better) than the OEM equipment. For those of you with a bit of the boy racer about you, we can build a free flowing sporty system should that be your thing.

Tail choice wise again, we can keep the hidden, standard kind of look or if you prefer we could do something with a nice stainless tail showing out the rear of the car - horses for courses as they say.

I'm more than happy to deal with any questions or concerns so please feel free to contact me either by email or phone. I do travel out of the office a fair bit so if I don't answer the phone please feel free to leave me a message and i'll get back to you.

Regards

Jason - Longlife

Very interesting. I'm bookmarking this page

Post Number:**#14** by **Tim** » July 10th, 2013, 9:10

I've got this on my 75T V6 auto at the mo, they are good but I'm looking for something quieter that look the same for going on holiday with. Would the longlife box work on two exits but still be v quiet?

Sorry I am late, but yes, it will work as you desire. My belief is that the overall area of the twin pipe variation, is basically the same as the single. In other words, there is just a cosmetic difference. Check with Jason at Longlife, but I am sure this is correct.

If you do go down the 'quiet box' route, you should be able to sell your current rear box to a ZT owner; they like a bit of noise!

Roverite.