I picked up an exhaust last month but never got around to making a mini review for it, so here it goes:


this is Milltek's Catback exhaust sytem, which means it connects from the downpipe at the front axle all the way back, and it's 5 pieces

unlike other milltek products it is not offerred in a resonated and unresonated version only 1 choice...

they also no long making a downpipe for their system either since it was causing CEL's on some cars and it wasn't worth the headache for them.

anywho, onto some pics of what comes in the box:



and assembled:



as you can see, the Milltek resonator is smaller then the OEM one, but the Rear muffler is Larger :S




I also don't understand why there's such a pronounced bend right before the pipe enters the muffler, it seems totally pointless, and it made installation and lining that much more difficult.. (anyone care to guess?)the stock exhaust shoots straight in, in a 2 in 2 out config. this one is 1 in 2 out,


comparison of Stock Exhaust tips to Milltek's..



I dunno if it's just me, but they remind of this little guy:



EEEEEEVA?!?!




Installation was was easy, being in so many pieces..but getting it to all line up was a royal PAIN IN THE A$$!... getting it go straight down the tunnel and not hit anything left or right was tough...

because it's all slip fittings u have to twist and push and pull while tightening with the other hand on the clamps and then crawl out from under the car and check to see if it's straight from the back and then go back under and tweak some more...

another issue with the slip ons, is you don't really know how "deep" to slide the pipes into 1 another, which can change the overall length of the exhaust by over 6" or more, and exhaust leaks can be an issue,

personally i prefer the Japanese style flange/ bolt method, length is fixed, no room for the exhaust to "zig zag" and fitment is no problem if it's built right from the beginning...

overall the quality of the exhaust is good, except for 1 problem,

the rear exhaust tips, (ironically the only part you CAN see from outside)

the 2 tips are welded together, and my guess either its a jig problem, or a welder error, but the 2 tips are not symmetrically lined up with one another... they sit a bit crooked and offset...

it's not SUPER obvious, if someone is following you in traffic,

but if u stand looking straight down you'll notice the problem, especially when the exhaust is cold..

which comes to my last point..

thermal expansion... this exhaust changes size like it's got a hardon... the difference is quite apparent...

here's an example:

i parked the car took a pic of the exhaust when it's hot:


and again this morning before coming to work:



that's almost an inch of "growth"

I never noticed that with the stock exhaust, but then again it didn't have any logos or sit so close to the bumper either...


you can also see how much more obvious the crooked tips are when it's cold vs hot as well since the body panel providing a "straight edge" to compare too..


sorry for the sun spot, but I was too lazy to turn the car around..







as for the sound of the exhaust, frankly I was underwhelmed..
after 2-3hours of sweating and cursing..

I finally hop into the car and fire it up... it settles at idle, and it sounds almost stock :S

I was like hmm maybe it's got a quite idle and more bark at WOT... nope..

so I figured it needs to break in, and burn some of that stuffing and it'll get louder with mileage...

well a month later it's gotten a bit louder.. but not much..

it sounds like the stock exhaust, except DEEPER, and dronier....

it sounds like it should of from the factory... it sounds like a stock Turbo car should...

i Don't think anyone could tell it has an exhaust without looking at it.. (my friends who ride with me insist it doesnt sound stock)

the only time it gets "louder" is when ur at low rpm under load, from say 2,000-4,000 rpm and u accelerate in a higher gear then u normally would...after 4K all you hear is the engine sound from under the hood, drowning out the exhaust note...

it's also louder with the windows up then down, it seems there's more sound coming inside then cabin then outside the car, having the windows down doesn't do much....

maybe it's cuz i'm used to 3" straight pipe titanium exhausts and stuff.. LOL but this thing is really quiet to me

the burbles are a little more audible, but you still "feel" them more then you hear them...

i'm thinking of removing the resonated midpipe and straight piping it instead,
or just wait until I get a catless downpipe and see if that raises the volume enough...

overall it feels like the exhaust is made for an older more mature crowd that wants a little more burble and sound, without looking or sounding even remotely ricer or anything..

I guess it's all relative

I can post a vid, if ppl want, but it's not going to be terribly exciting or anything..

 

Nice write up.

Sounds like your fit issues are consistent w/ other posts. Search on the board and you wll find them easily, even in past few weeks. Sounds like Milltek basically has a faulty bend pattern for the exhaust(s) they are selling. The misalignment issue is coming up consistently in other R56 posts. While I think of them as a top brand and one of the ones with less reported drone generally, the fit issue (and their apparent inability to fix from anything reported so far) would make it a non starter for me.

As far as system "growing" for reference that was also known as a "feature" on Audi RS6's (450 HP, twin turbo's), particularly w/ a factory sport exhaust. Yes, they can run darn hot and I guess depending on metals can expand a lot.

For U.S. posters, that center section in the pictures is definitely NOT the U.S. design for an "S". Instead you would find a smaller center resonator behind a second small cat. The center section of the stock one pictured is much like the factory JCW one, at least the U.S. flavor. The rear section pictured from stock R56 does look like the U.S. one just from the tips appearance, though stock S and JCW muffler cans are visually the same on the outside.

I have become familiar w/ all this from a recent change out from factory S to factory (not the kit) JCW. And yes factory JCW does have nice sound, does of course fit correctly and does not involve cutting anything behind the second factory cat like many of the other "cat back" options out there. Apparently Milltek similarly goes all the way back to the downpipe clamp but then has this bend/jig/design issue that seems faulty.

 

MP1.6T, does the "factory"(not kit) JCW cat back system drone on the highway?
What does it cost? Part number(s) please??

 

If you step on gas, it definitely gives you some deeper tone after a second or so (as turbo spools up). But near normal tone if you are just cruising. Also deeper at idle, but not particularly loud. All good things to me.

Can find all the part numbers on RealOEM.com if you spec a factory (not the kit) JCW as your target search car. Prices shown there are similar to what I have experienced when I buy the parts mail order from Morristown Mini with their discount. Local dealer prices a fair amount higher, especially on small/bit parts. Youdecide, but I found the factory JCW approach was easily price competitive w/ better aftermarket solutions, and shouldn't raise warranty issues.

 

It's pretty disappointing that this is probably the highest priced exhaust out there for the R56 and it fits so bad

 

Anyone out there installed the Milltek Cat-Back lately, i.e. within the past year? Wondering if the alignment problems have been cured or not.