I want to get an aftermarket exhaust (fill in any of the names we see around here). Why oh why do all the manufacturers make them *polished*? Nothing else, as far as I can see, in polished on my Cayman S. In fact, it seems that this type of specular finish flies directly against the Porsche design aesthetic...yes?
Opinions?
Thanks
Barry
PS Do you think JET HOT could put a *titanium* style finish on these exhausts?
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Besantini,
I'm guessing it's a marketing thing. A highly polished stainless exhaust looks better and oozes of quality. Unfortunately however, add good doses of heat to stainless steel and the metal will discolor. Mild heat will give it a cool gold look. More heat (like that you get when the engine is only a couple of feet away) turns it brown. Sling some road scum, rain water, tar, street salt, etc... and it doesn't take long before your exhaust looks terrible.
K-Man S car with Milltek, right after installation:
K-Man S car with Milltek, after some drive time:
In my opinion, that looks like s#$&. If I do an aftermarket exhaust, I'll probably spray it with some black high temp paint. It may not look as cool. It will look more stealth and hold up a lot better.
Gator,
in all fairness that Milltek pic was taken after driving through slush and foul weather and not having cleaned the car or exhaust at all.
I can see the cans were still shiny, but yeah the pipes changed color because they were never polished in the first place. V1 of Milltek exhaust was like that, V2's can be polished including all the pipes. Of course any stainless steel exhaust is going to look like crap if you never clean it.
I guess you have a point about cleaning it. I still think I would like the exhaust black, so it's not visible (looks more stock) and doesn't require cleaning. That's not something that a couple of cans of spray paint can't fix. But I think I that I may be pretty alone in that opinion. I think most folks would probably rather want it polished.
How do the AWE systems look after some real road miles? Anyone?
It continues to look polished. Keep in mind the AWE hangs so high and tight that all you see is a little sliver of the polished boxed cans without getting on your hands and knees to investigate further. However, there is no browning on the finish and the pipes are polished as well.
I use stock Porsche tips on my AWE and the tips are the onyl part of my exhaust that "bronzes" out with heat and use. However, it's nothing a little Never Dull and elbow grease can't take care of.
I know this exhaust (Milltek) has reviewed really highly, but it seems really bendy. It kind of does a Z shape, two sharp turns. I'd love to see someone develop a more straight exhaust, I bet you would get performance that way.
Kor, check the dyno results the Milltek system has turned the highest HP numbers on the dyno so far, with AWE a very close second.
