Christmas in April

I finally pulled the trigger on some springtime mods for the '04 C4S. My Fister cans arrive late next week and I also ordered a bunch of audio gear for the Kenwood double-DIN conversion that will aslo get here over the next few days. I have a couple of questions: to install the Fister mufflers; do i need any special tools? Aside from the snap ring pliers that Tim posted about, anything else? I will definately take off the rear wheels but was also thinking of taking off the rear bumper...any thoughts one way or the other? Actually, how do you even take the bumper off? Dennis, I know you said you removed it for your install--easy to do? Thanks Kevin

no need to remove rear wheels, just jack the back up high enough to slide the cans out (pretty high) no need to remove bumper just 3 nuts and one clamp per side....DONE! (it really is a 10 minute job - if the clamp bolts are not rusted to death)

I just put in Fisters last weekend on a mk1 C2, don't know if it's diifferent for your car, but I didn't need to remove the bumper or the rear wheels. I also didn't need any special tools; i was able to remove the clamps for the tips with crossed screwdrivers, though that was a little bit of a struggle until i figured out the technique. Depending on Darin's stock level, you might be getting my cans!

its been 20 minutes..... are they in yet?

You can do the fister swap with the bumper on no prob

Yeah, I had Darin install them for me. He basically lifted car up (was at his shop) and it was super easy to put them in. No need to remove bumpers or wheels

You don't have to remove the wheels but it does make it easier if you are on jack stands instead of a lift.

Ed, that is exactly how I feel as I track them here from CA on UPS. I can't wait to get them on and hear the difference. Vik, maybe they are your old cores. If so, I hope your car had less than 10K miles on it when you did the swap! Thanks for all the advice on not pulling the rear bumper. i know a friend of a friend that has a nice lift not too far from me, so maybe for a couple of bottles of wine, I can get some time there rather than my garage floor.

I removed my rear bumper and wheels, and it certainly did provide more access. I think it would be difficult to access the muffler support clamps without taking the wheels off. If I were to do it again, I'd leave the bumper on, but I'd still remove the wheels. You'll love the new sound! Which Kenwood unit are you installing?

I agree. I did remove the rear wheels as well and it gave me extra room for the removal and installation of the FisterDs. Plus it only adds a few minutes of time to the job.

Dennis, I'm getting the same unit you did, DNX 6960. I'm getting an Alpine amp and leaving the Bose speakers for now. I'd looked at doing this last year but put it off. Then when I saw your install it made me think about it all over again. Plus, my wife and I are gonna take the p-car on a long 2 week road trip in May from here in the Chicago burbs down to where I went to school in NM then over to LA, up to San Fran on the coast, across to Utah, then visit family in Fort Collins CO then loop home. So we both agreed that it made sense to get the Sat radio and Nav. We are really excited about the trip and it will be great having a good variety of music. Then when we get bored with that, I'll turn off the radio and listen to the Fister exhaust.

The first time I changed my mufflers, I removed both the bumper and the wheel because my muffler wouldn't come out. I found out that: -Removing the bumper will allow the heat shield more flex/give to allow the muffler to squeeze out. -Lifting the car up with a jack / lift allows the muffler to come out easier. -Removing the heat shield and the bumper and raising the car on a jack will give you maximum access and ease. -Removing the wheel improves access to the hard to reach bolts but does not affect muffler exit. Now when I change my mufflers, I only need a jack and do not remove either the bumper or wheel. It is very tight though and involves pulling on the bumper and some choice words. Another tool that might be helpful would be a socket wrench with a flexible head to access the 3 difficult muffler bracket bolts. Lastly, another pair of hands to hold the tips exactly where u want as u tighten everything down also helps.

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I think you'll like the 6960. I'm quite pleased with it. It does have a few quirks, but that's not unexpected. It sounds great, and the nav and sat radio work very well. Your trip sounds great. I'm sure you'll enjoy that.