DTH Center Exhaust Broken Weld

[p1nball]

Originally Posted by chieftmc

AND will eventually break / crack the manifold

Very TRUE!! There is not enough play in the rubber holders(doughnuts) to allow proper movement, without the flex tube. My guess, will fail in time. How much is anyone's guess????

[Okie Boy]

Just talked to DTH Tech Support and they are aware of the problem, which is happening only on the center exit system, and are confident they will find a solution quickly. Most auto exhaust are hung on the manafold and do not have flex-joints. The problem with the center exit exhaust is probably because the longer center pipe is vibrating independently at some frequency and fatiguing the weld at the support. I have a side exit DTH on my smart and have had for several thousand miles and have had no problems and DTH said they have had no problems with the side exit system.

[jwight]

Is it just possible those much maligned smart engineers knew what they were doing when they designed the stock exhaust system?

[Okie Boy]

Originally Posted by jwight

Is it just possible those much maligned smart engineers knew what they were doing when they designed the stock exhaust system?

You mean when they hung a 20+ pound exhaust system under the car as opposed to the DTH at 7 pounds?

[jsenka]

Originally Posted by jwight

Is it just possible those much maligned smart engineers knew what they were doing when they designed the stock exhaust system?

Now, there's a statement that could liven up the discussion!
Personally, I think the engineers were a pretty sharp bunch overall. Maybe they missed the mark here and there, but . . . not bad at all.

[jwight]

Originally Posted by Okie Boy

You mean when they hung a 20+ pound exhaust system under the car as opposed to the DTH at 7 pounds?

Of course not - when they designed one with a flex coupling that accounted for the vibrations in the system.

[smartHHO]

This exhaust you are talking about. Is this the one provided by the dealership that is about $400, that gives you more torque and better MPG? or is this from another After market dealer? I am wondering due to the fact that I probably getting my car in about 2 months, exact date not known yet. And I don't want to get it if it is a POS. Thanks in advance.

[cubefx]

Every weld is different, It is possible that it is just bad weld job on this particular unit.
Checked my BPP exhaust and did not see any problems.
By the way in Europe they using aftermarket exhausts for many years (on 450), and I did not hear of any problems. Maybe Evilution can give us more info.


CUBE

[jonnysan]

Originally Posted by jwight

Is it just possible those much maligned smart engineers knew what they were doing when they designed the stock exhaust system?

When and if mine burns out...then I will consider replacing it and then probably with an NOS muffler that someone took off and replaced with an aftermarket to "make the car run better".....

[WhiteNBlack08]

Originally Posted by Okie Boy

Most auto exhaust are hung on the manafold and do not have flex-joints.

This is not true, most modern systems(especially FWD) have some kind of ball coupling between the manifolds or headers and the exhaust system. While not as flexible as the OE smart setup, it does allow movement and flex in the system.