Milltek Quads (Non-resonated)...

[allanon_1980]

when i spoke to milltek b4 ordering they recommended resonated as they said most customers opt for this to avoid boy racer glances etc today my exhaust is totally different than when i got it a couple of weeks ago its after getting nicely louder and deeper !! having said that red robin seems very happy with his non res so maybe there isnt that much of a difference between the 2 ??

[Simonl]

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having said that red robin seems very happy with his non res

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Does Red have Millteks?!?

he's kept that one quiet!

[GTiMK5]

Barry, thanks for that mate, dont want to keep going on but need to make the right decision, can you tell me how you find the resonated in comparison to the standard pipes please, i.e. is it a noticeable difference in terms of sound.

[allanon_1980]

at the start no not that much of a difference was expecting more but as the miles have gone on they have improved more and more Also i got a friend of mine to drive past me in my gti at full whack and they sounded absolutely fabulous deep and powerful

[GTiMK5]

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Also i got a friend of mine to drive past me in my gti at full whack and they sounded absolutely fabulous deep and powerful

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You were brave, must be a good friend.

Thanks for your reply, still unsure at the moment.

[RedRobin]

Hi GTiMK5 - It is very subjective but you can easily swop the Resonated section with the Non-Resonated section of pipe and vica versa so, apart from any extra cost involved, you wouldn't be stuck.

Yes, I personally am very happy with my Non-Res quads (as everyone is probably bored of hearing!) but it may be that I like a bit more exhaust sound than some - I like to hear how my engine responds as I drive and always have. I would say my system is quieter than a Impreza - They are quite loud and not too subtle either. Mine only growl and purr according to the revs. I don't know exactly how they sound from outside although I often drive with the sunroof open. The Non-Res is not any louder than the standard exhaust when idling, so that must tell you something.

I still would say that the Non-Res definitely do not sound either boy racer or wake-up-the-neighbours but if you are worried about any loudness then perhaps you should go for Resonated. Alan has the Non-Res and so will Jay by now.

Some people have asked for recordings but unless done professionally with gantries fixed to the outside of the car while running real life, it would be misleading imo.

[jason_s]

just got my full milltek system fitted. a lot louder than expected...but my girlfriend loves it. am gonna take a drive to milltek and see whether theres a fault or if its meant to sound like it does

[RedRobin]

If your girlfriend loves it you are onto a winner! It says a lot about your girlfriend....Cool chick

[Celts88]

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I have just been speaking to Milltek and took the opportunity to ask if they considered their Turbo-back Hi-Flow to be louder than their Non-Res Catback and they were immediate in their response that they strongly recommend the Resonated box be fitted with Turbo-backs. Obviously you as the customer has the final say but I thought you should know this if you didn't already. You might want to phone them.

Also, as both Alan and myself are reporting, the sound of Millteks will 'mature' as they are 'run in' but should not continue getting louder and louder.

[/ QUOTE ]Still don't quite undertand the difference between the Cat-Back and Turbo-Back. Yes, sounds a silly question, but I take it the Turbo-Back is the one to get with the GTi (assume the Turbo-Back also come in resonated or non-resonated)

[RedRobin]

Hi Celts88 -

Hi-FLOW TURBO BACK:

Quoting from Milltek's pdf Sport Brochure available from: http://www.millteksport.com//downloads.cfm

"Your original catalytic converter will typically

have 400 or 600 cells per square inch (cpsi),

these original cats are restrictive in their flow,

typically allowing an open area of around 55-

65%.

A Milltek Sport Hi-flow Sports Cat which will

be fully integrated into a large bore downpipe,

has only 100-200 cpsi depending on application.

These cats have an open area of between 75-

85%, thus reducing back pressure substantially

and increasing flow rates, all very desirable

for extracting more performance, especially

on turbocharged engines. Emission levels are

maintained at legal limits by careful selection

of the volume of the metallic substrate. Lamda

probe positions remain unchanged from the

original equipment.

Milltek Sport Hi-flow Sports Cats work

exceptionally well on re-mapped (chip tuned)

engines..." etc etc.

So far, I think Jay has been the first brave soldier here to take the plunge with a Turbo-back Non-Res system and he says that he is seriously thinking of chipping later. So take note of his feedback and also understand that the Hi-flow Turbo-back is best if you plan to re-map. I don't plan to re-map because I am now 58yo (and at last an adult and responsible person?) and 210 bhp is enough for me - At least that's what I think now!! [shut up! the rest of you!!]. Without re-mapping Milltek say that you can expect 15-20 bhp extra. Just as you can revise a system from Non-Res to Res and vica-versa, I expect you can upgrade from either to Turbo-back - But I don't know if I'm correct on this.

NON-RES OR RESONATED? - THE BIG QUESTION!

It's a question of loudness and it's extremely subjective without professionally done equally comparitive sound tests. A read through this and the other Milltek threads may help a little. Alan is another Non-Res man you should listen to. Another question is whether Quads are any louder than Twins? Millteks are handmade so there may well be slight differences between units. When idling there is hardly any extra loudness from standard exhausts both inside and outside the car. At low revs the difference inside the car is only slightly louder but enough to be a real driving aid. At high revs....inside the car....Ecstasy!!!! Outside? - Who cares? But it should be remembered that the standard exhaust sounds really good at high revs too. Defo NOT boy-racer nor Wake-Up-The-Neighbours in my opinion. Millteks are a class act!

I'm now thinking that I should go for a drive to warm up my engine then get a trusted friend to rev my engine while I stand outside. Also I could drop him half way up a steep fast hill I know and drive hard past him and ask his opinion. He is an ex-bikey so knows the score. I would then report back here. I'll check my mate out and see how he's fixed.

Depending on who you speak to at Milltek you will most likely be advised that Resonated is quieter and less inclined to 'drone' but please read my earlier posts about so-called 'drone' and also that, in my case, as Non-Res are only subtley louder than standard then Res must be only a fraction louder than standard. In all cases the sound of Millteks is described as deeper and sportier. As everyone here knows - I love 'em!!

Nothing "stupid" about your quezzie - None of us ever know everything.

[jason_s]

thanks robin for the indepth info and unbiased view. as you will appreciate how much reaserching and phoning around i did (i spoke to everyone at milltek, phil john and dave i think they are) and the guys at awsome who have the non turbo back sys with the apr remap. i after much deliberaton and many different inputs and views have come to one conclusion.

I MADE THE WRONG DECISION

the noise for general driving is loveley when not pushing it too much. The rattling has gone now as the exhaust has bedded in a little and carbon is laid down in the exhaust. just a lovely growl now.

MOTORWAY driving there is significant drone. (i have driven to derby and back, and back from manchester to london) on cruising its ok but on long journeys ive found it very tiresome and has even given me a headache especially if you put any pressure on the accelerator. The whole car seems to vibrate (resonate) when under heavy acceleration in 5th or 6th gear on the motorway

My conclusion would be the resonated if your having the turbo back and quads fitted and your going to do any long motorway journeys. Great exhaust but i wish id listened to Phil at milltek and taken his very knoledgable advice.

Im booking in next week for the resonator to be put on. then i will report back to you all.

ps this is just my view, its as red has said all along, its a personal thing. in my view its just too loud.

BUT THE MILLTEK EXHAUSTS ARE AWSOME AND WORTH EVERY PENNY, I DONT THINK YOUD FIND BETTER.

[RedRobin]

Hi Jay - You probably remember that I told you of my chat with Milltek in which they recommended Resonated for the Turbo-back. My Non-Resonated with Cat-back has none of the problems you describe and certainly no vibrations under heavy acceleration in any gear. Neither have I experienced any rattling at any time.

I'm very confident that Milltek will do everything they can to put anything right and for you to be a satisfied customer. They misunderstood one of my questions to be a concern/complaint and were offering everything they could to help put it right.

Not too loud for me....Perhaps LeMan was right about my hearing! No, nothing like as loud as an Impreza on my ears.

[jason_s]

its ok red. ive spoken to milltek and there happy to sort me out, phil is a very nice man and there customer service is second to none. great company. im in no way blaming them for MY MISTAKE. i listened to everyone and came to my own decision.

[jason_s]

just trying to give anyone who is thinking of getting the full system my outlook on it as someone who has one.

[aswall]

It would certainly bug me, the standard exhaust is plenty loud enough for me and is just right to allow me to hear the engine all the time and hear it growl louder as the revs rise. Probably because I was used to silky smooth sixes, but I do like the engine note of the GTI, one of it's best features

[RedRobin]

....and we are all very grateful for your valuable input Keep it coming, Jay.

[RedRobin]

Hi Aswall - My Beemer "silky smooth six" was very audible. But it was a 1990 2dr sports model. The standard GTI is defo not loud enough at all for me except when working at high revs - Which just goes to prove how we all have different requirements and how subjective the 'loudness' is.

[Tunner]

I would like to say "well done" Robin.

Nice to see a trait that is sadly missing in todays society, genuine thoughts and actions to help others.

Folk like myself sometimes need a wake up call to help others.

WELL DONE

[aswall]

Absolutely, that is extremely good of you Robin, I take my hat off to you

[RedRobin]

Wow! Not what I expected to see here! Well for once I'm not sure what to say! It happened spontaneously after I happened to see a TV documentary on the Asian Tsunami and consequently felt like playing a song in prayer (That is one of the traditional uses of my chosen instrument). I started to play, discovered a nice riff and decided to flick a few switches in my Home Studio. The next day it became obvious I should do something with the recording and so produced the single adding 2 more tracks to include what I had previously recorded with Catrin O'Neill and which was appropriate. I registered with the National Disasters Emergency doodaa and joined in on a few benefit concerts and gave all my CD sales profits to DEC.

I'm not really the 'good' person that my actions might suggest but I will rise to an occasion if it feels right for me. What with this Tsunami, then the American Tornadoes and now the Pakistan Earthquake, I'm not sure what will happen next!! I'm not one of those who blame PetrolHeads for it all though! Like human technology, Mother Earth continues to evolve regardless, with or without my offered music or my quads!

You can put your hat back on now Aswall - Cheers!

[GTiMK5]

Here is a link to Awesome where they have a recording of the resonated milltek.

Not sure how the sound compares to real life as I have not heard it but the recording does it justice.

http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/vw%20golfmk5/exhausts.html

[RedRobin]

Thanks for that....Unfortunately I can't open avi files on my system....Any Mac users here who can suggest a workaround?

[simkna]

Robin, check your inbox mate.

Si.

[RedRobin]

Thanks Si! Very helpful and appreciated. Having now heard this sound file I think it shows how difficult it is to make the sort of recordings of exhausts which help someone decide whether to buy a Resonated or Non-Res system.

On the plus side the AmD recording shows off the Milltek tone and I can report that my Non-Res Quads sound slightly deeper but not (I think) louder. I say "I think" because the recording is from outside the car and I have yet to hear mine from outside.

On the minus side the recording level is set high to pick up the sound but also picks up extra sounds and doesn't give a reliable indication of how loud or quiet the exhaust is. Given that we all know that the Milltek products are high quality and give good sporty tone, the main consideration is loudness and more particularly as heard inside rather than outside the car.

If I had chosen solely on the basis of this recording I would have judged Non-Res to be too loud but that simply isn't the case from INSIDE the car. This recording tends to make the Resonated version sound quite loud and consequently suggest that the Non-Res is too loud - Not so in my opinion.

Alan and others who have either Res or Non-Res versions - What do you think of this recording?

[AlanH]

Hi Red. Pretty much agree with your impressions of the recording - very difficult to record the sound of the Millteks objectively with a fixed mic and the car moving away from the mic. I agree that the sound of the Milltek from inside my car is in no way too loud or intrusive - I think that the exhaust has now fully bedded-in, and it doesn't seem to be getting any louder. I don't regret my purchase - and I would still recommend the non res cat back to anyone considering the mod. In fact, if there are any would be purchasers in my neck of the woods who want to hear my Milltek before purchasing their own, drop me a PM and I'll see if we can arrange a "test drive"!