When you're talking about a car with 1000 hp mandrel bending can make quite the difference.

For us however, it really won't make a difference - we're talking about maybe 2-3 hp, at most. If your buying an aftermarket setup I'd say get the mandrel just because it says quality (the company has the best equipment and spares no expense in making good exhaust for your vehicle). If your having it done custom on the other hand as I have many times, don't bother spending the extra $$.

That being said, $500 is too much for the labor. Should be about half that - try shopping around, it's usually the guy with the little beat up shop that can weld in his sleep and will do the job for half the price that does the finest work. If you weren't in another country I'd give you his info

 

No muffler shop will ever be able to mandrel bend tubing. Takes a retardedly expensive machine to do it and it takes all kinds of programming to get the machine to do what you want it to do. As long as you find a muffler shop that doesn't do crimp bends you will be okay for the most part.

Only way to get a mandrel bent exhaust from a local shop is to have it made from pre bent mandrel tubing that is cut and welded, usually TIG welded and takes a pretty good fab guy to do a good quality job, and you will pay a pretty decent amount of money for it.

 

Yeah, I hear the great things about RPI, but I guess they don't / won't ever produce a quad??

 

Thanks, I haven't done any exhaust work before, and I don't know any people in the business personally, so it's hard to know where to get that best deal. I went to the shop where the guys specialize in exhausts (crazy hot rods and stuff, polished, show cars, etc) and have the mandrel capability. The guy said if I wanted they could do it mandrel bent, polished, for $1800 if I had a show car, and then after I told him I was looking for the sound, the look, and no serious performance compromise. He suggested the cheap option, and it made sense to me.

I have the RD sport mufflers and x-pipe, but I don't have the tips, and I can't even order them seperatly from RD Sport (only sell with mufflers), so I look at this more as a 'custom job'.

I'm going to get the M5 kit installed in NY, so if anyone knows 'the best exhaust guy' there, please let me know...

 

That's interesting as I've seen a number of shops that say they do it, and have the equipment, but I don't know if they have some pre bent stuff. It sounded like they did it on the fly to fit the custom requirements. He explained it as it takes 45 mins to mandrel bend a curve, compared to a few seconds to pressure bend it, hence the huge labour premium for mandrel.


How much would the sound be 'dampened' from the press bending??

 

An even cheaper option could be to buy a "universal" exhaust kit (Jegs has them in different diameters). They come precut with madrel bends , then you just have to find a guy your're comfortable with and trust his welding skills. Those kits are about $200 and the work can probably be done for about another $200, so you get madrel bends and still save $$$$$

 

That's a good idea!! Who's Jegs???

 

www.jegs.com - last time I ordered a lot from them I was rebuilding a Chevy 350 V-8 for a friend's 71 Nova. That was a fun project, nothing says fun like heaving an engine block into a truck by yourself


Here ya go:
http://www.jegs.com/c/Exhaust_Exhaus...10263/10002/-1

 

Thanks! That sounds like quite the project, how did it turn out?