racetested

I am working with mandrelbendingsolutions to make a more user friendly x-pipe for our cars.

Thanks to member yxc145 for finding this shop and showing his "universal" pipe they make. https://mbworld.org/forums/showpost....0&postcount=14

I took measurements to pass on to mandrel bending so we have a more direct swap and utilize the front flare joints(clamps shown in image) instead of cutting and welding both ends.

With the final product the back OEM weld joints after the resonator will be cut only and the x-pipe will go in it's place with just the back joints being re-welded.

I'll keep this thread updated for people interested. I'll post a price once I hear back as well.

yxc145

hey Racetested! thank you for the credit. I am glad i could help. Wish I thought of this 1st so I didn't have to cut and weld the front of the x pipe.. oh well, i doubt I will ever put the resonator back on again.

I am happy with the result. Let me know how your car feels once you install it.

racetested

Someone has to be a guinea pig for new projects and this time you got to carry the torch.

The quote back to me from mandrel bending is $160 for the custom x-pipe. I'm ordering the pipe today and we'll see how it goes.

Will617

There are going to be a lot of requests for this I'm sure. Good job
Does anybody have a sound clip for a C350 ?

" You never walk alone "
Liverpool

racetested

If there are requests once all is installed and finalized let me know and I'll ask mandrel to make a part # for easier ordering. Attached is a rough drawing of what I hope will work.


http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...rch_type=&aq=f

yxc145

Good Job Racetested. But a custom one cost 3x as the universal one!!
I can see that they charge you that much for the 1st one. but how come they are still asking for that much for any future orders?
You do know they only made to order, right? So I don't see it being much different from making the universal one except the open flairing in one end.... i don't know. I think you should try to bargain with them.

racetested

Yes the cost is 3 times as much but it's still relatively cheap IMO.

Set-up time is where the money adds up. I'm sure for their universal pipes listed they have jigs designed and set-up is quick now.

As far as quantity cost discounts no business can count on "maybe's". All they know for now is I want a pipe and this is how much it costs for a custom order. If people want to do a group buy later on and contact mandrel bending that is fine. I've done all I can up to this point and am moving on to my next project.

Thanks to nbturbos and FrankW also for being the pioneers of doing the swap and posting sound clips. I do enough custom projects to appreciate some knowledge going in and not always being blind.

racetested

Update on finally getting my x-pipe installed.

First I am pretty disappointed in the loose weight numbers given on both parts by forum members. Most of my reasoning for doing the swap was based off the "so called" heavy weight of the stock resonator by hearing numbers near 30lbs by some people. I figured this was a nice chunk of my goal to drop 100-150 lbs from this car without affecting the integrity of the car.

Anyways the facts of the actual weights of the parts.
Stock resonator = 11.6lbs (removed at stock front flanges and cut at rear welds).
X-pipe = 4.5lbs (as shown above for direct swap out)

For the most part the x-pipe I drew up worked out. The only modification needed was the bottom tube of the front needed to be expanded internally. The top flange connection is a direct fit but for whatever reason Mercedes made an extension sleeve on the bottom pipe of the tubing that also makes a slip fit connection as well as flange connection. Any reputable exhaust shop with an expander can do this mod.

yxc145

Racetested, it's only 11.6 lbs?! It sure feels a lot heavier than that. I apologize if I was the one saying 30 lbs.... But hey, x pipe is still a lot lighter than the resonator, right?
how does your car sound and feel now?

nbturbos

When I got my x-pipe made a few months ago it was flanged up front, not welded . Didn't take the exhaustdepot guy long to do either, looked pretty simple to me. And I agree, my stock resonator sure felt a lot heavier, but I never put mine on a scale.

yxc145

Racetested.. are you sure you didn't have the scale on KG instead of LBS?

11.5 kg= 25 lbs
4.5kg= 10 lbs
I am gonna weigh my resonator today to find out for sure.

racetested

Trust me I have two different scales with the same result and both are very accurate. I used my packaging scale and my 6000g scale and both were set to LBS.

IMO I can't say I would waste the time and money if I had to do it over again. The sound was not of concern to me unless it was considerably louder which I didn't want. I was more about the weight loss and 7lbs isn't anywhere near the 20-25lbs I was hoping for.

As far as sound this is what I noticed so far:
Start-Up: louder grumble until the idle levels off and then near stock.
Idle: Near stock according to my ears.
Highway cruising: Near stock according to my ears.
Light Acceleration : Near stock according to my ears except at certain rpms then a little louder.
Heavy Throttle: Can be heard in the videos on youtube.

In summary even the slightest road noise or radio noise will be much louder than the x-pipe when cruising so don't worry about any drone or excessive noise like some mufflers can give.

As far as your guys "perception" over "reality" on the weight. This is why I invested and continue to invest in a lot of tools and equipment because perception is not very accurate. Maybe this is a perfect reinforcement for the "butt" dynos on power increases and how inaccurate they are.

racetested

Yes the front is flanged and that's why I had a custom x-pipe made to retain the flange fitting in case I wanted to revert back to stock and then I just had the rear connections cut at the weld and the re-welded for the x-pipe.

I'm not sure of your set-up but the few I have seen have universal pipes cut and welded in front and back. I didn't want the multiple spliced and welded connections.

yxc145

racetested.. sorry about the wrong/misleading number on the weight.

but I do feel a bit difference in the throttle response... maybe it's something you plan on finding out is true or not?

racetested

It was a project I was interested in and take full responsibility. I just ask that people try and post more accurate information if stating or implying something as people look to forums for information. Even a simple bathroom scale would have been better than assuming. You mentioned you lifted weights and could tell by comparison in an other thread. I have been lifting for over 20 years as well but as light as these parts are there is no way I could guess accurately or any weight for that matter. Too me it's heavy, light, or not bad. That's the best answers I can give and far from anything needing an accurate number.

No way for me to tell accurate power gains as I have no baselines to go by for this mod. It's not a mod I expected any power gains from and if there are any it has too be too minimal for me to say unequivocally YES. I doubt anyone will spend the time and money to test acceleration and/or power gains on such a minimal mod.

myinternetsucks

i just ordered this kit from summitracing.com. ill weight it as soon as i get it, but what ive been told is that this X-pipe is the best. it has the fewest welds, which means better exhaust flow. its the 2.25 Dia and has flanged ends for mounting.


here is the item description from summit racing:

X-pipes equal X-tra power.
X-type dual exhausts help engines make more power by reducing exhaust reversion and scavenging cylinders better, to counter the uneven exhaust pulses of a V8's firing order. With Summit's universal X-pipe kits, you can fabricate a custom "X" system for just about any performance vehicle. Kits are available in several large tubing diameters and include all the essential pieces. That means four 40-degree mandrel-bent sections of aluminized steel tubing (which you trim to size), the prefabricated X-section that is the heart of the system, and the heavy-duty clamps to hold it all together. They're made for off-road use only.

racetested

I don't see how that x-pipe is good for our cars. Have you looked at the pictures already shown and the dimensions I have shown in the illustration above? The universal pipe you bought is flaring out to the sides and trying to bring it back straight with the bent pipes is not going to be near the narrow measurements from what I can see.

The universal kit may be fine for wide gap dual exhaust but ours runs side by side.

As far as being better with less welds. Can you explain further as that makes no sense? The internal walls should be pretty smooth if done right.

myinternetsucks

if done right......thats the trick four welds Vs. two. you be the judge. i sure hope that the inside is smooth......

yxc145

geez guys.. it won't make a difference.
plus, the 4 pipes were cut with smooth edges, lined up, and welded on the outside. I doubt very little weld goes into the pipes.

for the kit, you have so many sections.. there is gotta be some gaps between the pipes, that's definitely not smooth. but like i said, probably won't make a difference...

they both are ok. and probably both won't make any power increase.

nbturbos

Just like yours, that's what I said. My x-pipe is flanged up front and welded in the back. looks like the second version posted here.

racetested

You might want to be informed a little more instead of talking nonsense. 4 welds vs. two? That might work on a novice but get that garbage out of my threads.

Mandrel solutions did a great cutting and welding job and the corners are all nice and smooth internally.