Ewan
29-03-2009, 07:01 PM
SO I thought I'd document, step-by-step, the install of the Larini exhaust I got in the recent group buy. Things didn't go altogether smoothly (took about 2.5 hours in the end, with two of us doing it) so that quickly went out the window!
Anyway, I started with the Larini, some bits from Honda (replacement exhaust gaskets, though to be honest the old ones looked OK when they came off), and a whole new set of bolts, though we ended up using the old bolts/springs/nuts since they were still in reasonable shape and threaded well (vs new bolts/old nuts or new bolts/different type of nuts, which is what I had).
Ary gave me the tip to just use some hi-temp silicone sealant to join the triangular plate of the adapter pipes to the triangular flange on exhaust itself - picked up some Loctite stuff at Halfords for a fiver and a little bead before bolting them up seemed to do the trick.
If you're going to do your own install, I'd recommend getting some silicon spray too (Halfords standard stuff does the job) - it made getting the rubber doobries the exhaust hangers go into, much easier to get on & off.
Here's the stock exhaust with the Larini by comparison...
5164
(as it happens, I'd fitted the wrong set of adapters to it - when I got them off Luke, there were two separate sets with slightly different geometry. We only discovered this after trying to fit the thing). Luke got the adapters from Bazza some time ago, and had two sets - the idea being you use the ones that fit and return the ones that don't...
Problems- the left-side (as you look from the rear of the car) adapter had such a tight turn, there was no way of getting the long bolt with spring physically inserted into the hole. See the pic below - it'd be the left adapter, with the upper hole of the flange at the bottom, as pictured.
In the end, I hacksawed the spring in half, but now that spring isn't exerting any real pressure on holding the adapter in place to the cat. I'll probably need to figure out an alternative solution at some point, but we went with the "it'll do for now" approach.
http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/exhaust_airflow_products/NSX/ScienceofSpeed/exhaust_adaptors/exh_converter_pipes.jpg
Hanger mounts very stiff - getting the stock exhaust off was quite a bit of to-ing and fro-ing once it was unbolted ... the rubber mounts were pretty solid. In the end, a quick scoot of silicon spray did the trick and it became easy to pop on & off (as we had to do a few times).
5165
Finish - in general, I'm very pleased. The sound is nice and mellifluous without being too loud or boomy, at idle it sounds lovely and has a raspier tone when on the gas. The left hand pipe doesn't line up quite as well - maybe the same issue that Hagasan had, though in my case it's only just noticeable and only if you're looking for it. I'm not too fussed really.
5166
I'm pretty happy all told. I took some in-car and flyby video of before & after, so I could compare the two - oh, and I had to fire her up with no exhaust, just to hear what it would be like :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeZG2lZrLWY
cheers
Ewan
Anyway, I started with the Larini, some bits from Honda (replacement exhaust gaskets, though to be honest the old ones looked OK when they came off), and a whole new set of bolts, though we ended up using the old bolts/springs/nuts since they were still in reasonable shape and threaded well (vs new bolts/old nuts or new bolts/different type of nuts, which is what I had).
Ary gave me the tip to just use some hi-temp silicone sealant to join the triangular plate of the adapter pipes to the triangular flange on exhaust itself - picked up some Loctite stuff at Halfords for a fiver and a little bead before bolting them up seemed to do the trick.
If you're going to do your own install, I'd recommend getting some silicon spray too (Halfords standard stuff does the job) - it made getting the rubber doobries the exhaust hangers go into, much easier to get on & off.
Here's the stock exhaust with the Larini by comparison...
5164
(as it happens, I'd fitted the wrong set of adapters to it - when I got them off Luke, there were two separate sets with slightly different geometry. We only discovered this after trying to fit the thing). Luke got the adapters from Bazza some time ago, and had two sets - the idea being you use the ones that fit and return the ones that don't...
Problems- the left-side (as you look from the rear of the car) adapter had such a tight turn, there was no way of getting the long bolt with spring physically inserted into the hole. See the pic below - it'd be the left adapter, with the upper hole of the flange at the bottom, as pictured.
In the end, I hacksawed the spring in half, but now that spring isn't exerting any real pressure on holding the adapter in place to the cat. I'll probably need to figure out an alternative solution at some point, but we went with the "it'll do for now" approach.
http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/exhaust_airflow_products/NSX/ScienceofSpeed/exhaust_adaptors/exh_converter_pipes.jpg
Hanger mounts very stiff - getting the stock exhaust off was quite a bit of to-ing and fro-ing once it was unbolted ... the rubber mounts were pretty solid. In the end, a quick scoot of silicon spray did the trick and it became easy to pop on & off (as we had to do a few times).
5165
Finish - in general, I'm very pleased. The sound is nice and mellifluous without being too loud or boomy, at idle it sounds lovely and has a raspier tone when on the gas. The left hand pipe doesn't line up quite as well - maybe the same issue that Hagasan had, though in my case it's only just noticeable and only if you're looking for it. I'm not too fussed really.
5166
I'm pretty happy all told. I took some in-car and flyby video of before & after, so I could compare the two - oh, and I had to fire her up with no exhaust, just to hear what it would be like :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeZG2lZrLWY
cheers
Ewan