Tasteful exhaust upgrade

[Kuba321]

hi, 

anyone have any recommendations on how to improve the sound of a 1.2 htp tastefully and while on a budget? 

I don't need it to sound like a rally car but id like to make it sound  a bit more sporty and aggressive.

 

any other modification ideas welcome too (this is my first car so simple mods would be great)

thanks

[Kuba321]

Also if anyone has links to threads for fabia mods/builds id appreciate it to get some inspiration.

 

[sepulchrave]

Just drive it more, don't waste money on the car itself, spend the money on petrol and drive it further afield to fast track your experience as a driver, also start saving up for your second car so you can afford something sportier.

[Kuba321]

2 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

Just drive it more, don't waste money on the car itself, spend the money on petrol and drive it further afield to fast track your experience as a driver, also start saving up for your second car so you can afford something sportier.

 

iv driven it 500km in like 3 weeks just loving it! im enjoying doing the small diy jobs to it also and getting some experience with cars in general. Il have this car for a while as it only has 35,000 km on it so its reliable and basically new in terms of wear. Im also moving into my first place as im just finishing uni so thats where my money will be going for a while at least. I actually love the car, if only I had the vrs version it would be perfect. Iv seen some really cool rally style mk2s which have showed me the potential of the car with some small changes looks wise. What were some of the first things you did with your car or some things to avoid?

[sepulchrave]

I've changed all the suspension on mine and concentrated on handling since that's the weakness of the Fabia.

 

Actually I've always spent the majority on brakes and handling because engine mods before turbos were mostly pointless.

[Kuba321]

Just now, sepulchrave said:

I've changed all the suspension on mine and concentrated on handling since that's the weakness of the Fabia.

 

Actually I've always spent the majority on brakes and handling because engine mods before turbos were mostly pointless.

did you lower it? it drives like a 4X4 over speed bumps 

[KenONeill]

1 hour ago, Kuba321 said:

how to improve the sound of a 1.2 htp tastefully and while on a budget

Er, that's like asking for a petrol engine that can really do 200 mpg. It just can't be done. Any aftermarket zorst will sound like someone just f@rted and increase your insurance without making the car actually go faster.

[Kuba321]

48 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

Er, that's like asking for a petrol engine that can really do 200 mpg. It just can't be done. Any aftermarket zorst will sound like someone just f@rted and increase your insurance without making the car actually go faster.

hahah sounds about right. I know there isn't any point doing performance mods on this car but was wondering if there were any easy ways of just changing the sound of the exhaust and it seems like there isn't from that comment 

 

[DieselMonte]

Some sort of resonator delete or mufflerectomy if its just for sound. As someone who is about to put a 'sporty' backbox on their fabia (tdi mind), maybe dont just straight pipe it for the sake of it. There is a straight piped TSI leon near me and it sounds dreadful, like someone who was lactose intolerant drank a gallon of milk bad.

Most fabias need a bumper cut for a 'sporty' backbox cause of the design of the standard box. 

Sepulchrave is bang on the money about focusing on handling though. A rear anti roll bar is a very popular first mod for these cars due to this, big change in handling for not much money even for a new bar. Some minor changes to the suspension and you have a car that can haul ass through corners.

[Kuba321]

1 minute ago, DieselMonte said:

Some sort of resonator delete or mufflerectomy if its just for sound. As someone who is about to put a 'sporty' backbox on their fabia (tdi mind), maybe dont just straight pipe it for the sake of it. There is a straight piped TSI leon near me and it sounds dreadful, like someone who was lactose intolerant drank a gallon of milk bad.

Most fabias need a bumper cut for a 'sporty' backbox cause of the design of the standard box. 

Sepulchrave is bang on the money about focusing on handling though. A rear anti roll bar is a very popular first mod for these cars due to this, big change in handling for not much money even for a new bar. Some minor changes to the suspension and you have a car that can haul ass through corners.

hahah I know I don't want to be that guy ... what would you recommend with the suspension? il have a look into a rear anti roll bar  

[Evil]

If you have any locally, go have a chat with a Powerflow dealer... tell them what you want and see what they say.

[DieselMonte]

What year is your car? Some very early mk2s have the older wishbone style. Notoriously bad setup that would wear console bushes out very fast. Most mk2s have the newer style bush. I replaced the console bush and front wishbone bush (although generally the front is fine) with psbushings urethane ones, sharpens up handling and urethane ones last the life of the car generally. I also did Audi TT RS ball joints so as to give the front a little more camber (this mod does require drilling into the wishbone, I have not run into any issues doing it, but I still felt it important to note) combined with the Whiteline Rear anti roll bar (bwr19z) its made the car a champ in the corners. Currently I still have standard (sports) shocks and springs on the car, I will eventually replace them, but thats moreso when they wear out.  What wheels and tyres are on your car? Do you have any pics?

3 hours ago, Kuba321 said:

Also if anyone has links to threads for fabia mods/builds id appreciate it to get some inspiration.

 

Check out the projects section.

[Kuba321]

50 minutes ago, DieselMonte said:

What year is your car? Some very early mk2s have the older wishbone style. Notoriously bad setup that would wear console bushes out very fast. Most mk2s have the newer style bush. I replaced the console bush and front wishbone bush (although generally the front is fine) with psbushings urethane ones, sharpens up handling and urethane ones last the life of the car generally. I also did Audi TT RS ball joints so as to give the front a little more camber (this mod does require drilling into the wishbone, I have not run into any issues doing it, but I still felt it important to note) combined with the Whiteline Rear anti roll bar (bwr19z) its made the car a champ in the corners. Currently I still have standard (sports) shocks and springs on the car, I will eventually replace them, but thats moreso when they wear out.  What wheels and tyres are on your car? Do you have any pics?

Check out the projects section.

2013, steel wheels, removed rust and painted black along with the hub caps so looks alright. will get some pictures tomorrow

[DieselMonte]

8 hours ago, Kuba321 said:

2013, steel wheels, removed rust and painted black along with the hub caps so looks alright. will get some pictures tomorrow

2013 will be newer style wishbones, I learned on this forum that only the very earliest of 2008 models were the old wishbone style. You said something earlier about yours feeling like a 4x4 over speed bumps, what do you mean? 

[KenONeill]

9 hours ago, Evil said:

go have a chat with a Powerflow dealer

Just bear in mind that their advice is connected to their wallet, not yours!

[Evil]

2 hours ago, KenONeill said:

Just bear in mind that their advice is connected to their wallet, not yours!

A new catback exhaust is going to be in the region of £400 whether he buys it off the shelf or made by powerflow. 

Powerflow will guarantee it for as long as he owns the car and will try to tune the system to his sound requirements (or tell him they can't do it) 

[DieselMonte]

5 minutes ago, Evil said:

A new catback exhaust is going to be in the region of £400 whether he buys it off the shelf or made by powerflow. 

Powerflow will guarantee it for as long as he owns the car and will try to tune the system to his sound requirements (or tell him they can't do it) 

That 400 pound would work out to be just a little less than what i'm in for all my suspension mods AND my exhaust. Granted I bought the exhaust used, but especially in the UK it should be easy to atleast get a used 'sports' backbox on FBM for the likes for these cars. Doesnt take much to freshen up a backbox so long as its not rotten, bit of spray, bit of autosol and it should come out good.

In the OP he wants to make his HTP sound good and on a budget. £400 is a good chunk of change to be spending on a first car, especially for just an exhaust. I have no doubt that company would do a great job and its probably worth it on the likes of a vRS, but perhaps that money could be better spent elsewhere on a HTP.

I bought an Ulter backbox for mine last Sunday as I made a deal for a darkside downpipe and noticed he had the box for sale too (was only asking 25 euro for the box alone). I say that not to sound jammy, but to show that you can get a nice exhaust for cheap if you're a bit patient and can wait for something to come up. A brand new Ulter backbox is near £200 for our cars, and I got a used one for a fraction of that. 

[Gissin]

15 hours ago, KenONeill said:

Any aftermarket zorst will sound like someone just f@rted and increase your insurance without making the car actually go faster.

and could in fact make the car slower

 

if it's noise you're after maybe an induction kit might help solve it  (in the cabin at least)

Edited 11 May, 2021 by Gissin

[Evil]

1 hour ago, DieselMonte said:

I bought an Ulter backbox for mine last Sunday as I made a deal for a darkside downpipe and noticed he had the box for sale too (was only asking 25 euro for the box alone). I say that not to sound jammy, but to show that you can get a nice exhaust for cheap if you're a bit patient and can wait for something to come up.

I couldn't agree more (and with the rest of your post that I've clipped).. 

Patience and a little luck can pay dividends (scored a scorpion GrpN (or were they GrpA - the 2 5" systems) for my old V6 Cavalier for £50. Then bought a pair of 3.0 Omega heads for £50, robbed the cams and sold the heads on for £100 - have me a 200+ bhp Cab for nowt).. 

 

Not sure my patience extends very far these days.... 

[Evil]

1 hour ago, Gissin said:

and could in fact make the car slower

 

if it's noise you're after maybe an induction kit might help solve it  (in the cabin at least)

Catback shouldn't affect anything, performance wise. 

Induction kit is more likely to sap power unless it's a fully enclosed one, but they ain't usually cheap. 

[DieselMonte]

1 hour ago, Evil said:

I couldn't agree more (and with the rest of your post that I've clipped).. 

Patience and a little luck can pay dividends (scored a scorpion GrpN (or were they GrpA - the 2 5" systems) for my old V6 Cavalier for £50. Then bought a pair of 3.0 Omega heads for £50, robbed the cams and sold the heads on for £100 - have me a 200+ bhp Cab for nowt).. 

 

Not sure my patience extends very far these days.... 

Even when it comes to my mk1 I was lucky to get much of the stuff required to put it back together, including a set of vRS spyders for 180 euro. Even with Covid prices on everything deals are about.

1 hour ago, Evil said:

Catback shouldn't affect anything, performance wise. 

Induction kit is more likely to sap power unless it's a fully enclosed one, but they ain't usually cheap. 

Cheeky drilled airbox for more noise