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View Full Version : New downpipes made for the Rednum



Atik
21-03-2014, 07:18 PM
Following on from my flanges thread, thought I'd show some pics of my replacement downpipes.

Firstly, my current downpipes, although fabricated very well, they were simply horrendous as they didnt fit the car properly. Both flexis would bottom out all the time as they were positioned and angled wrong. Not going to say anything negative about the fabricators but I had gone back but my experience was not satisfactory. Cut my losses with that due to some personal politics.

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Anyway, the new ones were made up this morning by Garage DKU who are local to me (just off the M6 at J9). Great guys, very approachable and very much petrolheads! 2.25" down to 3" straight to 3" catback section.

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And this seems to have fixed my knocking suspension issues too! Turns out that with the reduced rigidity of the downpipes and the fact that the rear turbo part of the downpipes didnt have a flexi, the main flexi was hitting the underside of the car whenever the exhaust moved - and mine moved a lot cos the engine moved a lot due to the crappy engine mount. I now see the benefit of have flexis fitted on both sections before they join up!

Anyway, with a combination of new pipes, replaced mount and a stock o2 sensor, my car seems to running well again. I still have the oil leak and the bearing issue and the bodywork, but all in, happy bunny today.

exevoowner
21-03-2014, 07:31 PM
Atik i still dont see why the front flexi is there ? So are you saying that there is movement between front and rear turbo ?
I have had mine removed for over 18 months now and have not had a issue with any split or fracture in the pipe , i had mine removed as the flexi looked like a weak point and the last thing i wanted was to be having new downpipes made mind you i did make sure it was all lined up before it was replaced and welded up

Erni902
21-03-2014, 08:31 PM
Looking good mate glad you are happy with it. How are the guys as DKU? They keep cropping up on various searches and ebay etc but don't know anyone with experience with them. Being kinda sorta maybe a little bit localish to my work and having the need for a new exhaust system I am anxious to know how the guys are at what they do and how helpful they are with special requests. Any info much appreciated but I will probs grab you for a chat at Eurospec tomorrow anyway :)

Confused
21-03-2014, 08:32 PM
The idea of the flexi between front and rear is to allow for thermal expansion - as the engine/heads/turbos heat up and cool down, they may move in relation with each other - without a flexi, there's a chance that things may get damaged.

giblet
21-03-2014, 08:47 PM
Don't suppose you saw my old VR4 that they are breaking? I'm tempted to see if there's anything I can buy from it to fit as a memento onto my current one. Sad, I know!

Erni902
21-03-2014, 09:00 PM
Don't suppose you saw my old VR4 that they are breaking? I'm tempted to see if there's anything I can buy from it to fit as a memento onto my current one. Sad, I know!

Think all the parts are on Ebay mate, whenever I search 'Legnum VR4' ON Ebay it comes up with loads of VR4 stuff from DKU and always wondered if it used to belong to someone on here.

Atik
22-03-2014, 10:51 PM
Yeah Gib, saw the old trigger Legnum in the back. Looked like it had been stripped down pretty quick. The boys at DKU seem to be on the ball and have a good tight work flow.

Nige, the whole point of having flexis is to allow some movement during operation and maintenance. If it was solid pipe throughout, it would be tough to take off and put back on. The expansion/contraction of the different metals would also cause some movement and if the pipes were solid, it would put additional stress on the pipes and may cause further issues.
Remember also, that the engine will rock on the mounts a little, so having no possible movement on the downpipes puts pressure on the exhaust mounts.

Rikki, yeah as we spoke about today, I was very impressed with DKU and would recommend them.

Erni902
22-03-2014, 11:21 PM
Rikki, yeah as we spoke about today, I was very impressed with DKU and would recommend them.

Yeah, cheers for that Atik mate I think I will be paying those guys a visit when I next have the VR-4 up that way. They certainly sound like the kind of guys that will listen to your requirements and give sound and honest advice.