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Re: '97 catback exhaust options / longevity Posted by RAVC1 [Email] (#247) [Profile/Gallery] (more from RAVC1) on Sat, 3 Jan 2015 08:40:09 In Reply to: '97 catback exhaust options / longevity, ELaw [Profile/Gallery] , Wed, 31 Dec 2014 09:17:42 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
ELaw,
Sadly, us 9000 owners have few good options. Bosal should be quite good. I state this from the comments I received from a long-time Bosal customer I purchased a used 9000 rear deck spoiler before Thanksgiving last fall. He has used Bosal on several Audi turbocharged cars and found the quality to be outstanding. Note that Boasl has a reputation of being too loud in some applications. He started his 300 ho turbo wagon for me to demonstrate and I found the sound and the level of it completely acceptable.
The BSR system is good quality but, if you live in a climate where salt is used on the roads during winter it will not hold up as much as desired.
OE is always a good option as long as it is OE and not OE equivalent, OE quality, etc. The reason for this is that all automobile manufacturers specify different alloys than aftermarket manufacturers. So, if any OE system uses the same alloy in their system that was present at the time the 9000 was manufactured you will get good longevity from the replacement exhaust system.
Regardless of any of this I do not like the aluminized material. Substrate material thickness can overcome this to a certain extent so ask questions to anyone you are considering purchasing from: 1) material and 2) thickness of wall in tubing.
409 stainless still rusts, just slower than aluminized. Magnaflow components are all 409 SS. 304 stainless will not rust and I have a few custom exhaust shops near me in southeast Michigan that will fabricate a system from any material using mandrel bent tubing sections. However, this will never be a $400 fee.
The best exhaust I have seen for the 9000 is the Abbott Racing system from the UK. It is the only system I see that is advertised as 304 SS. However, this will cost:
http://www.abbottracing.net/product.php?id_product=333
However, as is the case with the Genuine Saab 3" system I suspect this uses a race catalyst (i.e., present for OBD purposes, rather then reducing tailpipe emission levels) so, you will need to ask Abbott this question directly if your Aero is a daily driver. This system may also be assessed an importation by US Customs fee despite the fact that it will be for "personal use" and thereby should preclude it from being levied a fee to bring one into the US. Abbott should be able to give you useful insight regarding this.
You have to decide how many times you want to perform this type of work and the sound you want to obtain. Check YouTube for numerous examples of Saab 9000 custom exhaust sounds.
I also know of a company in the Cleveland area that will fabricate mandrel bent sections for your car in any material, 409 SS, 304 SS, etc. This will be more costly than the shops that weld mandrel bent sections together.
Good luck,
Rick
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