Installed the 4smartcar.com center tipped exhaust

[VinceLA]

Hey all,

So I have been eyeing for an exhaust since delivery in May. Never really had the courage to put down $350 to $499 for one. And today, I finally got my hands on a good deal.

This is the 4smartcar.com center tipped exhaust made by DTH. Brilliant piece. I have seen a lot of welds in the race industry (exhaust systems, roll cage, chassis etc). The welds on this exhaust are comparable.

I weighed the exhaust to be 9lbs though I suspect my bathroom scale might be off a little. So if someone else who ordered the exhaust can confirm the number when it arrives, I would appreciate. UPDATE: weight should be 10.5lbs, thanks tigerwong.

The stock is measured to be about 20lbs.

Two words to describe the sound: Voluptuous Grumble.

And how loud is it? Well, it will be unfair for me to comment since my ear drums are officially damaged by working too near to racecars and attending NIN concerts. But basically, here's the deciding factor:

If you have been to a AutoX, a lapping day, NASA or SCCA event, and you have no problems hanging out around the race or track cars. Then this exhaust will do just fine. Otherwise, stick to your stock.


There are a lot of DIYs out here already. So I will just post a few tips based on my experiences.

Tools I used:

• T-25 (for valence screws).
• Prying tool or a metal fork from your kitchen (for fastener on ends of valence).
• 10mm box wrench (in place of E12)
• 8mm box wrench (in place of E10)
• Flat head screw driver (to pry out the rubber mounts from the stock hangers)
• WD-40 (to ease the process of prying out the rubber mounts from the stock hangers)

3 significant installation tips:

• The exhaust is hold still by 5 points.
  • 2 E12 flange bolts,
  • 1 E10 bolt (they call this the 3^rd bolt)
  • 2 rubber mounts.
• To remove the stock exhaust, first remove the hangers from the rubber mounts first. Reason is you will have more space to work with later on. It’s ok for the exhaust to hang down. A very useful tip given to me from a fellow smartie.
• The other process which I find rather time consuming is installing the two supplied bolts and lining them up with the factory flange gasket. My advice is do not thread the bolts unless you know they are absolutely aligned to the threaded side. This will require that you adjust the exhaust back/fro and sideways. Patience is the key.
• Lastly, you don’t need the E12/E10 sockets or wrenches. The corresponding tool will be 10mm and 8mm wrenches or sockets. 6 pts (hex) preferred.

3 processes that I did not perform:

• Did not remove any heat shield bolts. The engine tray/trunk was shut.
• Did not disconnect battery.
• Did not remove the entire rear panel. Just the valence will do.

[cmjars]

Wow Vince,

That was an impressive review.

Enjoy.

-Chris

[WilyB]

Looking good, nice DIY: congratulations.

[skyzdlimit59]

Looks wonderful. Can't wait to get mine installed! Ordered from Al & Ed's.

[VinceLA]

Originally Posted by cmjars

Wow Vince,

That was an impressive review.

Enjoy.

-Chris

Thanks Chris!

Originally Posted by skyzdlimit59

Looks wonderful. Can't wait to get mine installed! Ordered from Al & Ed's.

Do you have a weighing scale by any chance? Also if you need help with install, let me know.

[lowndex]

The boys at 4smartcar have three Smart cars. Two cars originally had the DTH cat-back, single tip exhausts before being swapped out for the new dual tip design. 4smartcar says their proprietary DTH dual tip exhaust is much quieter than the DTH single tip.

Yes, DTH made the dual tip exhaust for 4smartcar. 4 smartcar paid the R&D and manufacturing bills for their proprietary design. Smart guys at 4smartcar!

On 7/31/08, I am swapping out the single tip for the dual tip. I'll report back my findings.

[SunDiego]

Is this a lot quieter the the BPP center exit?

[SMART]

I like the finish of the tips!

[VinceLA]

Originally Posted by SunDiego

Is this a lot quieter the the BPP center exit?

You know I really wanted to order all the different exhausts and get a sound meter to measure the dB. The meter runs for a mere $50 from radioshack and it pays for itself by providing a good measure of how loud the exhausts are. A lot of work but at least we get the acoustical science part of it settled.

This exhaust has a certain omph to it. We went out for a drive just now and my wife likes the note. But that doesn't mean the exhaust is anywhere near stock sound level. When it's idling, you know it's sitting just behind you. When you step on the gas from any light, you know it will attract attention. When you look for a space in a enclosed parking lot, you will echo the grumble.

If you have that uncertainty holding you back, then just hold off on the investment. $450 can still generate a bit of interest in the bank.

One thing I need to mention and I believe can be a shocker to most. I don't want to exhibit cognitive dissonance here by believing that it gives a better throttle response etc just because I spent some bills on it. Fact is I don't feel the additional performance increase. I really don't.

It looks good. It sounds good and I paid a really good price for it. If it had been $399 or $450, I would have backed off.

[BlkonBlk]

anything about the valence?? cutting/modding