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Thread: Scorpion Exhaust

  1. #1
    ミラージュ Minihaha's Avatar
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    Scorpion Exhaust

    So I went whole hog and eliminated all OEM exhaust restrictions from the O2 sensor back (i.e., I removed everything downstream of the first catalytic converter: secondary cat,, muffler and tail-pipe resonator).

    I installed (or rather, had a local muffler shop) a Scorpion exhaust at the very tail end. It's an exhaust for motorcycles, this one was used on a CBR600. It's a straight-line perforated pipe with circumferential sound absorption. Not enough for this application, IMO, lol. I was prepared for it to be too loud and it lived up to expectations.
    The car is intolerably buzzy, especially through 2k-3k RPM. Very small throttle openings are the worst, I am now intentionally downshifting to have the cruise RPM above 3k; but this won't last long. I have already ordered a Magnaflow (part# 12614) that I will install where the OEM muffler was. I plan to install the Magnaflow and continue to utilize the Scorpion too. My (hopeful) expectation is that the sound will be pleasing: louder than stock, but deep & mellow. We shall see.

    Before I install the Magnaflow I will video the current set-up for sound and visual. The tail-pipe looks really good now, tbh, but the sound is not tolerable in the present set-up. I attached a picture of the same Scorpion pipe I have installed on the Mirage (except the one in the picture is a titanum finish, mine is polished SS). [aside: if I was 16, I would prolly by down with the sound, but I'm not, more than double that now so I need to have better sound reduction and quality...]

    As for performance, I do not feel any difference (though I certainly hear a difference!). Even if I did 'feel' a difference it's essentially meaningless; if it's not data backed it's conjecture... and worthless.


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    Senior Member Ares's Avatar
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    I bet if you installed a stock motorcycle muffler, you'd get the sound you're looking for.

    When I had my 250 and 600, I kept the stock. I get irritated enough riding for hours with all these aftermarket mufflers in everyone else's bikes.

    I had a ZRX1200 and might be able to find someone with the stock muffler. One thing I hate is that thing was huge and heavy.

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    ミラージュ Minihaha's Avatar
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    I thought about a stock motorcycle muffler, and I agree, it is likely to produce a desirable sound to me, most MC pipes have an angled inlet or outlet though and I didn't want to mess with that in fabricating it to work. I have the MagnaFlow and it's going in tomorrow. I will make a before and after video for sound comparison. Notice in the pictures below: the MF exhaust is actually 1.1lb heavier than the OEM. I also intend to "open" the OEM pipe and post the pix.
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    as an aside: I posted about my fuel mileage in the last leg of a recent 500 mile roundtrip. On that trip I wore earplugs for all but a few minutes. Removing them at speed actually made me very aware of the high level of wind noise the Mirage has.
    Last edited by Minihaha; 01-03-2016 at 12:47 AM. Reason: additional info
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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 33.4 mpg (US) ... 14.2 km/L ... 7.0 L/100 km ... 40.1 mpg (Imp)


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    Side note - For the wind noise try using electrical tape over the edges of the front windshield glass- most other cars have a rubber surround, ours don't. Have the tape straddle the glass and adjacent metal of the body. I also taped over the first two feet or so of the rain gutter thing on the outer edges of the roof. Big big difference, mostly from the windshield I think. My wife who is almost oblivious to all things cars said it was a lot quieter. sorry to thread jack.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ahausheer View Post
    Side note - For the wind noise try using electrical tape over the edges of the front windshield glass- most other cars have a rubber surround, ours don't. Have the tape straddle the glass and adjacent metal of the body. I also taped over the first two feet or so of the rain gutter thing on the outer edges of the roof. Big big difference, mostly from the windshield I think. My wife who is almost oblivious to all things cars said it was a lot quieter. sorry to thread jack.
    That's interesting. Rather than tape, I wonder if some rubber/pvc tubing would be a more semi-permanent solution, if one lightly bonded it in?

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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage 3 CVT 1.2 automatic: 47.9 mpg (US) ... 20.4 km/L ... 4.9 L/100 km ... 57.5 mpg (Imp)


  7. #6
    ミラージュ Minihaha's Avatar
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    Finished the install

    I finished the install with the MagnaFlow [MF] in place of the stock main muffler. I didn't video the before and after as the sound reproduction is highly dependent on the listener's equipment; thus not making a comparison that objective. Instead I used an app on a friend's iphone that measures decibel levels. I placed the iphone a set distance away (marked the location for replication and installed the MF muffler and took another reading).

    I placed the phone about 4' directly behind the exhaust and a couple inches off the ground, it rested on a wood block.

    Scorpion and straight-thru exhaust after the cat. = 100-101 dB (@ approx. 5100RPM)
    Scorpion and MagnaFlow after the cat.* = 91-92 db (@ approx. 5100RPM)

    *This set up mimics the OEM set up: the MF replaced the OEM mid (main) muffler, and the Scorpion replaced the end muffler/resonator

    Both registered a peak dB of 108 dB @ Redline.

    The test readings are at 5100RPM because: if you have the Mirage motionless and rev the engine (i.e., floor it) it will rev (close) to redline and then fall to 5100RPM and hold, so I had a helper rev it out and hold it while I observed the meter. I can't speak to the accuracy in terms of a true dB level (this depends on the 'quality' of the app), however the same iphone with the same app in the same environment, measured within a couple hours should have a reliable relativity, to the readings. A 9 dB drop is significant as the dB scale is logarithmic.

    As for the subjective reading: in the car I cannot say that it is louder than stock. I drove it out thru to redline in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.
    Granted I have been driving around for a little over a week with a ridiculously loud exhaust, so that may account for it seeming quiet, but regardless of that, I spent 22k+ miles with an OEM pipe and this is very, very close to that sound level. I have not heard the car being driven away from me yet to discern if it seems to be louder from that "POV" (outside the car).

    So what was the point? Good question.
    I was hoping to achieve a little noise increase. I like to hear my vehicles and I was hoping to get some 'sweet tunes' from the triple. TBH, at least for now, on day one it seems that the car sounds close to stock in dB level (I never took an OEM exhaust dB reading), not sure about in tone . At my age I prefer the closer-to-stock sound level rather than an overly noisy and droning set-up (what I had for about a week). With the elimination of the OEM muffler and 'passive' cat. the exhaust would seem to be hands down freer flowing (judge for yourself by looking at the OEM muffler pics in the next post), but I cannot claim that any gains were made in power without a before and after dyno run...

    I am happy with the set-up, it has improved the look of the tail-pipe and it has (very likely) improved the flow rate of the exhaust. I imagine that the MF pipe will have a break-in period (it's construction is identical to the Scorpion: a straight-thru perforated pipe surrounded with sound absorption material) and that its sound level will increase slightly over time. Right now though, if one was driven around inside the Mirage I doubt they'd realize it had an aftermarket exhaust. If I did it over again I would likely go with the 4" OD MagnaFlow (I put in a 6"), but in my case, for this type of modification I prefer to error on too quiet rather than too loud. So, perhaps a 6" MF to replace the main muffler and a new tail-pipe (sans any muffling) would be a good set-up too...

    TL; DR: put on two aftermarket mufflers in place of the OEMs; have a similar sound level, but likely better flow rate and a definite (IMO) better look and tone.
    PICS of OEM muffler and Scorpion tail-pipe follow.
    Last edited by Minihaha; 01-03-2016 at 02:38 AM.
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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 33.4 mpg (US) ... 14.2 km/L ... 7.0 L/100 km ... 40.1 mpg (Imp)


  8. #7
    ミラージュ Minihaha's Avatar
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    Pics: Scorpion tail-pipe, OEM muffler cut-open

    Scorpion on ゼロ
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    OEM main muffler
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    ゼロ

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 33.4 mpg (US) ... 14.2 km/L ... 7.0 L/100 km ... 40.1 mpg (Imp)


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  10. #8
    ミラージュ Minihaha's Avatar
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    OEM muffler

    You'll note: the OEM muffler doesn't have any sound absorption materials. I think the exhaust flows in from the bottom (of picture) portion (in thru the pipe seen on top) and then out thru the lower pipe. I just randomly took the grinder and opened it up, turns out to be a pretty good section of it for viewing. I am going to label/mark-up a pdf of one of the pics and post it as a speculative flow route.
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        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 33.4 mpg (US) ... 14.2 km/L ... 7.0 L/100 km ... 40.1 mpg (Imp)


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    thanks for opening up the muffler! i was wondering too myself how it is inside.

  13. #10
    ミラージュ Minihaha's Avatar
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    flow conjecture

    Hopefully this makes sense (there arearrows from the text boxes, some text boxes are red, some are green, and one is yellow. Start at bottom of the picture):
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    Last edited by Minihaha; 01-03-2016 at 03:09 AM.
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        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 33.4 mpg (US) ... 14.2 km/L ... 7.0 L/100 km ... 40.1 mpg (Imp)


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