M&K First Impressions

[vesnyder]

Just got my SC Cabriolet back on the road after 6 months of refreshing. I caught the "while you are in there" bug and what did a number of overdue tasks that included oil leaks, clutch, etc. The key improvement I did was replace my heat exchangers and muffler with SSI's and the one-out M&K. I did the road test this weekend and had the smile on my face like when I bought the car! It is a blast to drive - a combination of new HP with the sound that makes me feel like I am driving a formula race car! The sound, particularly with the top down, is fantastic! Above 4,000 RPM the car absolutely screams and gets the car some serious attention - as if I needed any!

I got some crap from my Porsche friends who wondered if the HP gain was worth the $2k. The HP along with the new sound? - my answer is definitely!

Being the engineer that I am, the only slight complaint I would have is that the car is a little loud when idling. I still need to readjust the idle down below 1,000 which should help matters. Slight nuisance compared to the advantages!

[wildcat077]

Hey Vance,

The mental horsepower gain is well worth the music to your ears,and the money in your wallet ... lol
Your Porsche friends are probably all jealous anyways

I would never look back after installing my Fabspeed muffler,although i'm in the quest for some nice 1 5/8 headers,perhaps even some SSI's if the price is right !

Cheers !
Phil

[vesnyder]

I sure hope the HP gain is more than mental but w/o a dyno can't be sure. Will have to rely on the butt dyno. Between the butt dyno and the sound I say it gave me 20+ more HP!

How do you like the Fabspeed? Did you consider the M&K?

Good luck finding a good price on the SSI's! I searched for a discount for months before I coughed up the $$ for these. It was painful but worth it! Now I just need to stop those last few minor oil leaks so they don't look 20 years old in a month!

[mclmk8d]

my M&K 1-in 2-out GT3 with M&K euro premuffler and Steve Wong Chip; this is at idle.
IMG_0274.MOV - YouTube

I got it from a Pelican who used it a couple of times..came ceramic coated. Price was so good that it paid for the chip.

[cjannelli]

Did you need to modify the rear valance for the twin pipes?
Chris

[RarlyL8]

Yes the valance must be modified for use with the GT3 pipes. We sell full wrap valances in fiberglass for this purpose.
Yes the SSI/M&K combo may be a few dollars more than some of the others but this is the last system you will ever need to buy. SSI uses 304 stainless and M&K is 321 stainless.

[mclmk8d]

Originally Posted by cjannelli

Did you need to modify the rear valance for the twin pipes?
Chris

Right now, there is no valance. I'll eventually buy a fiberglass one and fit it, but I'm in no rush...doing the AC first.

[RWebb]

it is extremely unlikely that a muffler alone will result in a hp gain (unless you had some aftermarket muffler on the car before)

the stock muffler usually gives top hp except for a highly modified motor with a socalled sport exhaust

the real gains are in going to headers, either bare ones, or the ones like SSI which have heater boxes wrapped around the headers

[mikesride]

I have SSI heat exchangers and the M&K two in one out. Loved it for the first two years, now I kinda wish I had kept it a bit quieter.

[RWebb]

the M&K is a high quality piece - why not sell it for something quieter?

or ask Ben his thoughts re putting Super-Trapps on, etc. - ultimately you will only know about the Super-Traps with comparisons made on an engine dyno

[1976 TN Porsche]

I have the same setup SSIs M&K 2in 1out. I have had this setup for two years now and still love it.

[snbush67]

The baffles work as advertised, they put the bite back into my low end torque, and take the edge off of the sound. The sound is a bit deeper/throatier tone, but at a calmer lower decibel. The engine seems to spin up to 7K a lot easier, I burned right through red line, oops. The car is much more street-able with the baffles.

Installation took about 20 minutes total, it is a simple as drilling a small 1/4" hole for the mounting screw in the tail pipe. I can take em out in a jiffy.

I bought these on a whim. These are Auto Sensing baffles that open and close based upon the pressure form air flow.

When I went from SSI's to the larger pipes I lost a little low end torque. These provide the back-pressure at lower RPM's and open up for mid-high range RPM's.

The other reason I did this is out of consideration for others.

Rocky Mountain Performance Quiet Riot Exhaust Baffles

[Arne2]

Originally Posted by snbush67

The baffles work as advertised, they put the bite back into my low end torque, and take the edge off of the sound. The sound is a bit deeper/throatier tone, but at a calmer lower decibel. The engine seems to spin up to 7K a lot easier, I burned right through red line, oops. The car is much more street-able with the baffles.

I wonder if those would remove the drone from the 1-in/2-out systems?

[snbush67]

Originally Posted by Arne2

I wonder if those would remove the drone from the 1-in/2-out systems?

Maybe, but probably not, I think with most 2 out systems the drone is in the 2500-2700 rpm range. These will probably move the range of the drone.

A drone is your car telling you that it is in the wrong gear. Stay away from the drone zone.

[snbush67]

Originally Posted by Arne2

I wonder if those would remove the drone from the 1-in/2-out systems?

Also you will only need one, I think the site sells one for 85$ or two for 120$ so if you order two you could probably make some money back by selling the spare here. I am very impressed with the quality and the fit.

[jackb911]

I have the M&K 1 in, 2 out on my '87 with a GHL cat bypass. It also has the M&K pipe baffles which tamed it down somewhat. There is no drone at cruising speeds but it is VERY loud under hard acceleration...loud enough that I am very careful in areas where there is a lot of traffic enforcement and I keep it as quiet as possible in my neighborhood.

It sounds great, though. A pre-muffler will tame it down further and is a future modification I will definitely do if I keep the car. I'll go with a M&K as his quality is top-notch.

The pre-muffler really does make a difference: M&K Pre-Muffler - YouTube

[Milo2361]

I've got the 2 in 2 out GT3 style on SSIs..... now THAT is loud.... almost obnoxiously loud really. even WITH Rarlyl8's tip baffles. BAD drone from 1900-2800. other than that i looovvve the sound.

[Geronimo '74]

SSI's and a 2 in/out M&K.
I keep one side of the muffler closed until I am ready to cut into the rear skirt. Pretty loud already. But I love it!