• WINWAR
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  • Registered: 2009-05-04
  • Posts: 136

Topic: MK2 VW Golf Exhaust ?

Hey all,
Just about every race/event I have done in the WINWAR Racing Golf, the exhaust has given me problems. The car came with a very nice Techtonics cat back. I think the problem is that it goes over the rear beam and when really hammering on it in the turns...for hours on end, the beam pushes up on it and eventually the hangers let go and then I'm flagged for dragging the damn things around the track.

I really dont want to have to replace the entire thing as its very nice, mandrel bent and all. I was thinking of just creating "locks" for the hangers so that they can not fall off if/when the pressure is taken off of them.

I was also thinking that maybe I should just go with a cherry bomb mounted down the exhaust tunnel and have the exhaust come out in front of the rear wheel. Is that a huge no-no. I would imagine that it may heat the tire and might be REALLY annoying as it would have to come out on the drivers side. Pass side has the fuel pump and filter there.

Does anyone have any idea if a 1.8 8v Golf would be too loud with just a single cherry bomb?

Thanks

Team Victors of War (those idiots in the wife-beaters and white pants)
  • From: Wheaton IL
  • Registered: 2009-05-01
  • Posts: 408

Re: MK2 VW Golf Exhaust ?

TT exhausts are nothing special.  Just steel bent in a VW shape.  Hack it up!

You are only entitled to the space you occupy.
  • WINWAR
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Re: MK2 VW Golf Exhaust ?

I dont really mind hacking it but would rather not have to completely replace it. Just wondering what setup would work best and give me less trouble.

Team Victors of War (those idiots in the wife-beaters and white pants)
  • jrbe
  • Effluent
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  • From: Central CT
  • Registered: 2009-06-23
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Re: MK2 VW Golf Exhaust ?

They sell exhaust hangers with a chain in them.  I believe the vw part # is 171 253 147G.

A single cherry bomb MkII would be loud.  Depends on the cherry bomb length and placement but it might be too loud.

You could also solid mount the exhaust and add a good sized flex section up front so the engine can bounce around and not need to take the exhaust with it.  This might help even with the solid hangers.

Your motor mounts might be sloppy too yanking the exhaust around.  You can liquid nail or epoxy the voids in the mounts to stiffen em up.

-Killer B's (as in rally) '84 4000Q 4.2V8. Audis never win?
  • Mick25
  • Mick25
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Re: MK2 VW Golf Exhaust ?

jrbe wrote:

They sell exhaust hangers with a chain in them.  I believe the vw part # is 171 253 147G.



You could also solid mount the exhaust and add a good sized flex section up front so the engine can bounce around and not need to take the exhaust with it.  This might help even with the solid hangers.

Our MK2 uses 7/16"x4" long eyebolts as hangers, and we ended up using chain repair links to tie the pipes to it.  No more problems there.

We also used a 24" section of flex pipe right after the manifold (under the shifter), got rid of the cat, and tied the rest of the exhaust to it.  Works great. 

TT exhaust can be sold easily, to pay for a cheapo exhaust that goes under the rear axle, thereby eliminating the problems. 

The 1.8 cannot be any louder than the straight exhaust V-8's you will be racing against.....

#508 Team SOB
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!
  • FJ40Jim
  • FJ40Jim
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  • From: Lancaster OH
  • Registered: 2009-05-02
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Re: MK2 VW Golf Exhaust ?

We had exhaust loss issues also on our A2, the first couple of races.  The exhaust is also a fancy mandrel bent system w/ a big welded muffler at the back, don't remember who it's from.  TT or Autotech or something.  It's actually etched on the muffler who sold it.

The multi step fix was:
a ~8" braided flex up front, near where the cat used to be, then a straight piece of 2.5" pipe clamped to the sporty exhaust back behind the shifter.  The clamp allows the exh to be loosened and slightly repositioned as necessary.  Every other joint is welded.

Heated, bent, tightened the hanger clips on the exh pipes, to get them to hang onto the rubber donuts, and to equalize the load between hangers.

Added a 1"x1/8"scrap aluminum crossbar across the tunnel, that happens to just touch the front exh pipe, keeping it from dropping and pulling things apart.  This also acts as a safety bar, in case the exh falls off the manifold up front, it can't dig into the ground and tear anything up.

The car is currently equipped with new OEM style non-chained hangers, and with the load distributed evenly, they are looking fine.  My next step is not a chain reinforced hanger, but just a short piece of lightweight chain bolted to the floor of the car, wrapped around the pipes.  Haven't needed to do that, yet.

After all that, the exhaust gave no trouble (finally) even after 28 hours of running at the NL race last fall.

Jim C.
If God meant for us to race, we'd all have baggy Nomex skin.
08TMS.09NL.10GM, SP, NL.11SP, NL.12SP, VIR, NL.13GM, NJ.14NJ, VIR, WGI.15AB.16GM.17NCM.18GM.19...
  • WINWAR
  • Ripened Lemon
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  • Registered: 2009-05-04
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Re: MK2 VW Golf Exhaust ?

Wow, some great info here.

We.actually were using the chain mounts from eurosport and they all were lost when the exhaust fell. First race our donuts ripped from heat so we went with them.

I think i am going to try and keep this setup but with mods to the hangers. Hell, we miht even be missing one due to rust. We have no cat as well. Cant remember what we did for flex pipe.

Team Victors of War (those idiots in the wife-beaters and white pants)

8 Reply by dculberson (edited by dculberson 2011-02-05 12:02 PM)

  • From: Columbus, OH
  • Registered: 2009-05-26
  • Posts: 2,839

Re: MK2 VW Golf Exhaust ?

I used this style of hanger:

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp … P2023A____

perhaps not that exact model but the same style.  I used through bolts on the underside of the car to attach it, then made sure to use lock washers or locknuts on the exhaust side of it.  Fully secured top and bottom, so pushing, pulling, or anything won't let it "unhook."

Don't use self-tapping sheet metal screws to attach to the underside of the car; they can work their way loose from vibration.  Or at least don't *only* use them; if one or two screw holes is in an inconvenient place it won't hurt anything to use them there.  (edit: but make sure the inside portion of the screw isn't exposed in the cabin.  If it is, blunt it with a grinder.  Don't want to cut yourself on it when you're crawling around in there.  Ouch.)

Quad4 CRX - Wartburg 311 - Civic Wagovan - Parnelli Jones Galaxie - LS400 - Lancia MR2 - Boat - Sentra - 56 Ford Victoria
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  • WINWAR
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Re: MK2 VW Golf Exhaust ?

Our car has a race header on it I got for towing another VW across NJ. The header has a small mesh flex section in it. From there it deletes the cat and goes to that TT system. Really thinking this through, I believe we are in fact missing a hanger or even two. That could be one of the major problems right there.
Two other things we are going to do is to make it so the mounts cant fall off and add a bar across the tunnel. I like that idea as a fail safe.
When the exhaust does fall off, I bet no one would even notice the noise. Only thing they do notice is the sparks from the cat-back bouncing off the pavement:-)

Team Victors of War (those idiots in the wife-beaters and white pants)
  • From: Hayward, CA
  • Registered: 2010-03-23
  • Posts: 1,762

Re: MK2 VW Golf Exhaust ?

Get this kind of hanger, you'll need one in place of each rubber thingy.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#welded-eyebolts/=axk3yg

Drill corresponding holes in your floor and bolt it up.

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?Everyone who has ever built anywhere a 'new heaven' first found the power thereto in his own hell- Frederick Nietzsche
  • WINWAR
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Re: MK2 VW Golf Exhaust ?

Are you using them as hangers that the rubber donuts would attach to and then the rubber goes to the exhaust itself?

Team Victors of War (those idiots in the wife-beaters and white pants)