Drivetrain Is anyone running the Stratmosphere cat-back?
#1
Is anyone running the Stratmosphere cat-back?
I'm really intrigued by this exhaust as it sounds nothing short of beautiful and the price is right. My question is, is anyone on the forum running it? Exhaust gurus--tell me what the deal is with this vs. other exhausts--why don't I see the traditional "boxy" muffler just before the tips?
For reference:
http://www.stratmosphere.com/stratmosphere_exhausts.htm
For reference:
http://www.stratmosphere.com/stratmosphere_exhausts.htm
#7
Stratmosphere Exhaust - My First Impressions
I have included some photos of the install...
Overall the system was installed without too much complication, but I'm a little concern about how low the "resonator" portion hangs in the rear (possible scraping over speed bumps - CA ones are pretty big). I contacted Stratomosphere regarding my concern and they sent me their "install guide" to see if some of my concerns could be addressed with the instructions. I'm heading back to the shop today to see if we can make things fit a little better and will let you know how that goes.
Besides the fitment issues, the exhaust has a real nice throaty sound under acceleration , just like what Stratmosphere has posted on their website, but definitely not loud like the custom magnaflow exhaust I had before. Don't get me wrong, I love the sound of the Magnaflow and the ability to set off car alarms in the parking structures, but under WOT up in the 3k rpm and above range, it's just way too loud for me. I'm sure this can easily be fixed by installing a resonator, but I really like the looks and finish of this system. The price isn't all that bad either. Droning is absent during cruising and is almost like stock. IMHO, I think the 3" piping is a bit much for the R56. The reason I state this is because with this exhaust, acceleration is a lot more responsive, so maybe it's true what everyone has been debating all along, 2.5" is probably ideal, and this system bridges the gap of the 2.5"-3.0" inch debate when it comes to performance - again just my opinion. This could be confirmed during in a dyno, which hopefully Stratmosphere will be sharing soon ...
So far, based on only a day's worth of driving, I'm very pleased with the exhaust.
Overall the system was installed without too much complication, but I'm a little concern about how low the "resonator" portion hangs in the rear (possible scraping over speed bumps - CA ones are pretty big). I contacted Stratomosphere regarding my concern and they sent me their "install guide" to see if some of my concerns could be addressed with the instructions. I'm heading back to the shop today to see if we can make things fit a little better and will let you know how that goes.
Besides the fitment issues, the exhaust has a real nice throaty sound under acceleration , just like what Stratmosphere has posted on their website, but definitely not loud like the custom magnaflow exhaust I had before. Don't get me wrong, I love the sound of the Magnaflow and the ability to set off car alarms in the parking structures, but under WOT up in the 3k rpm and above range, it's just way too loud for me. I'm sure this can easily be fixed by installing a resonator, but I really like the looks and finish of this system. The price isn't all that bad either. Droning is absent during cruising and is almost like stock. IMHO, I think the 3" piping is a bit much for the R56. The reason I state this is because with this exhaust, acceleration is a lot more responsive, so maybe it's true what everyone has been debating all along, 2.5" is probably ideal, and this system bridges the gap of the 2.5"-3.0" inch debate when it comes to performance - again just my opinion. This could be confirmed during in a dyno, which hopefully Stratmosphere will be sharing soon ...
So far, based on only a day's worth of driving, I'm very pleased with the exhaust.
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#8
#9
my goodness those tips really stick out!
maybe they gave you a part that is a little longer or something cant tell which part that would be though.
and with the exaust sticking low; i can see that as well. i hope stratmo will do something for you if it ends up being where you installed all the pieces correctly
-nam
maybe they gave you a part that is a little longer or something cant tell which part that would be though.
and with the exaust sticking low; i can see that as well. i hope stratmo will do something for you if it ends up being where you installed all the pieces correctly
-nam
#10
#11
Actually the part that looks like a resonator is actually the muffler. There is no resonator in the system. From John, the designer of the exhaust:
"From the pictures I saw, it looks like there is no muffler just before the tips. Why did you opt for this design when it seems like the other R56 options all have the chambered muffler just before the tips?"
- That is correct. The muffler is not located just before the tips. It is in fact located within the narrow rear exhaust tunnel of the car. I too have seen that most other manufacturers retain the chambered muffler location just the same as the stock location. I personally was responsible for the development of this system. What I found, after creating over ten prototype systems, was that the placement of the muffler alone will drastically affect the tone for the Mini. Increasing the tubing diameter and maintaining the stock muffler location resulted in drone, as well as sounding like a vacuum cleaner. I tried multiple variations on the mufflers themselves, to no avail. What I did find, was a slim profile muffler, done further forward than the stock position, resulted in a wonderful tone and knocked the drone out of the way. Rather than 'just doing what everyone else was doing', we went with what worked. In summary? The muffler has been moved to a more optimum location.
"The second cat is removed, correct? So the larger section of the piping is a resonator?"
- The secondary catalytic converter is removed, that is correct. It opens everything up for better flow. The larger section of tubing you see is the muffler itself.
In regard to it's inherent volume level, and drone, and related concerns:
-It's definitely louder than stock. I think it sounds absolutely great! Of course, I would. But here is the honest thought process: The MkI Mini,with the supercharger, had a very sporty, zippy, fun sound to it. It had some 'soul' if you will. My first drive in that car was all smiles through every gear- when I hit 6th, I was like "aww..." and slowed down, just to shift all over again because the sound was fun. The MkII as stock, did not have that same feel to me. The car was without a doubt much faster, but just lacked 'character' in a sense. So our goal was to dig out the 'soul' buried within that car.
See, anything that moves with a pattern creates a noise. Engines at certain rpm's will create a tone regardless of the exhaust note sound. It is the actual frequency at which the cylinders fire. That is why people can identify an engine's number of cylinders just by listening- they have unique tones. Now, this is also why there is drone: 'drone' is actually just a frequency range that is irritable to the human ear because it creates the feeling of 'pressure'. Every engine exhibits it. In fact, the sound range is from about 94-130hz. That means that 4 cylinders drone from about 2800-3800rpm. The Mini, however, avoids that range pretty well. That's around the area where the turbo really begins to pull, so that very much helps. The physical location of the muffler on our system combats that drone further. Is there drone? Only in a minimal range that is hard to recreate in any driving scenario. The car is actually pretty quiet cruising at highway speeds.
The second-to-last prototype I made, I think was actually the most fun sounding... But that... was definitely LOUD. Drone was not an issue. So I reduced the volume output of the car to what you hear now. You can hear on our little youtube clip that the car has a throaty idle, some burble, and a good 'brap' as it gets going. Believe me, it sounds even better as you pull higher through the revs. It's just tough to do a good 3rd gear pull in our parking lot, haha.
It passes "the wife test". One of the owners here had his wife take the car for a week of daily driving. No complaints! That's a very good sign to us, because we love the sound. Drive it casually, regularly, and the sound is there, but absolutely not intrusive at all. Get on it, and you're reminded that you're driving a sports car. You cannot help but smile when you hit the right pedal hard!
The end result? It's got soul now. Every time I drive that car, I just want to drive it more. That is a great feeling.
Really though, I love the car, and just couldn't believe the boring, drone-y, obnoxious exhausts that were available. I mean, watch our youtube clip, then browse the other mini exhausts.. then listen to ours again. I was determined to get a mean sound when you want it, and still be clean and polite otherwise. I feel that mission is accomplished.
- That is correct. The muffler is not located just before the tips. It is in fact located within the narrow rear exhaust tunnel of the car. I too have seen that most other manufacturers retain the chambered muffler location just the same as the stock location. I personally was responsible for the development of this system. What I found, after creating over ten prototype systems, was that the placement of the muffler alone will drastically affect the tone for the Mini. Increasing the tubing diameter and maintaining the stock muffler location resulted in drone, as well as sounding like a vacuum cleaner. I tried multiple variations on the mufflers themselves, to no avail. What I did find, was a slim profile muffler, done further forward than the stock position, resulted in a wonderful tone and knocked the drone out of the way. Rather than 'just doing what everyone else was doing', we went with what worked. In summary? The muffler has been moved to a more optimum location.
"The second cat is removed, correct? So the larger section of the piping is a resonator?"
- The secondary catalytic converter is removed, that is correct. It opens everything up for better flow. The larger section of tubing you see is the muffler itself.
In regard to it's inherent volume level, and drone, and related concerns:
-It's definitely louder than stock. I think it sounds absolutely great! Of course, I would. But here is the honest thought process: The MkI Mini,with the supercharger, had a very sporty, zippy, fun sound to it. It had some 'soul' if you will. My first drive in that car was all smiles through every gear- when I hit 6th, I was like "aww..." and slowed down, just to shift all over again because the sound was fun. The MkII as stock, did not have that same feel to me. The car was without a doubt much faster, but just lacked 'character' in a sense. So our goal was to dig out the 'soul' buried within that car.
See, anything that moves with a pattern creates a noise. Engines at certain rpm's will create a tone regardless of the exhaust note sound. It is the actual frequency at which the cylinders fire. That is why people can identify an engine's number of cylinders just by listening- they have unique tones. Now, this is also why there is drone: 'drone' is actually just a frequency range that is irritable to the human ear because it creates the feeling of 'pressure'. Every engine exhibits it. In fact, the sound range is from about 94-130hz. That means that 4 cylinders drone from about 2800-3800rpm. The Mini, however, avoids that range pretty well. That's around the area where the turbo really begins to pull, so that very much helps. The physical location of the muffler on our system combats that drone further. Is there drone? Only in a minimal range that is hard to recreate in any driving scenario. The car is actually pretty quiet cruising at highway speeds.
The second-to-last prototype I made, I think was actually the most fun sounding... But that... was definitely LOUD. Drone was not an issue. So I reduced the volume output of the car to what you hear now. You can hear on our little youtube clip that the car has a throaty idle, some burble, and a good 'brap' as it gets going. Believe me, it sounds even better as you pull higher through the revs. It's just tough to do a good 3rd gear pull in our parking lot, haha.
It passes "the wife test". One of the owners here had his wife take the car for a week of daily driving. No complaints! That's a very good sign to us, because we love the sound. Drive it casually, regularly, and the sound is there, but absolutely not intrusive at all. Get on it, and you're reminded that you're driving a sports car. You cannot help but smile when you hit the right pedal hard!
The end result? It's got soul now. Every time I drive that car, I just want to drive it more. That is a great feeling.
Really though, I love the car, and just couldn't believe the boring, drone-y, obnoxious exhausts that were available. I mean, watch our youtube clip, then browse the other mini exhausts.. then listen to ours again. I was determined to get a mean sound when you want it, and still be clean and polite otherwise. I feel that mission is accomplished.
#12
#14
#15
Okay... one step at a time. I now have the tips flush with the valance, but now the front section is hitting that dang bracket that the exhaust has to clear underneath. According to John at Stratmosphere, it should be a simple fix. The other issues of the muffler actually hanging too low has also been resolved - I think. I went over some speed bumps head on that are considered fairly large and it did not scrape on the front or rear Other than that, I'm very happy with the exhaust. I'll be even happier once I can get that rubbing issue resolved Hopefully I can make it back to the shop next Monday. Have a great Turkey Day everyone!
#18
I'll see what I can do. I'm still old school and have not yet purchased a digital camcorder. The exhaust really does sound just like the one in the video
#21
You'll be very happy with it... Good call. BTW, I believe the "introductory price" is with the 20% holiday discount, or at least that's what they told me
#22
sorry to keep bugin' you but I definitly want to hear something in the cabin...at least more than the quiteness of stock. and when you say replaces, did it bolt right on? I'm not sure how the connections even are under there, being a novice to all this mod stuff, but i would rather bolt than cut and weld! thanks
#23
It's our annual holiday sale and it's the biggest and best. 20% STOREWIDE. And this week we are giving away a Wii Console and WiiFit bundle. An example of the savings.
New Stratmosphere Mk2 Catback Exhaust. Intro priced $649 now $519.20!
New Stratmosphere Mk2 Catback Exhaust. Intro priced $649 now $519.20!
BTW did anyone ordered form the site? it doesn't let me add to cart.
#24
Yeah, that actually happened to me too, so I ended up calling them to place the order.
#25
sorry to keep bugin' you but I definitly want to hear something in the cabin...at least more than the quiteness of stock. and when you say replaces, did it bolt right on? I'm not sure how the connections even are under there, being a novice to all this mod stuff, but i would rather bolt than cut and weld! thanks