Teaser - KKS

[ryanchua]

Car is going to be scheduled at my workshop next Monday (29th June) and should take about 2 days. (we're taking it easy to ensure it's done right the first time).

No prizes for guessing what this is...















2 x 84MM burned tip still covered...


I'll be record post and pre-install so we all can hear how it sounds like from stock to mod. Quality is very well built, but since i haven't got it on my car yet, i'll reserve comments for later.

So far this is the only modification i've got done to the intake/exhaust. Should be fun. Waited a month for this baby to be built.

Let me know if you guys want to know/hear/see anything before the weekend rolls around, i'll do my best to video it.

[jragan]

Am I seeing only one outlet tip on each side?

[ryanchua]

No it's two.

[03BeastCharmer]

Now that's a proper teaser post

If this is your only mod I'd be interested to see how the DME adapts to the change when you open the bypass.

[ryanchua]

Ah i'll get a base dyno and after run. Thanks for the reminder.

[Matjo]

Very intresting! Looking forward video and dyno results

[ga41]

If possible do a before and after video.

[Incompatible]

Originally Posted by ryanchua

Ah i'll get a base dyno and after run. Thanks for the reminder.

X2. Excellent

[Subw00er]

Cool. Subscribed! Weird how its pneumatic. Why not electric?

[ryanchua]

Hi all,

My installers have installed the exhaust halfway, and they're just working on the final part of the wiring now. The valves are not closed at this time, but the install should be done in the next 24 hours.

I've done the following to ensure that I provide a very factual-based review of the performance exhaust (i dont like fluff)

1. Perform a baseline dyno of my car in stock form - (http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=277233)
2. Taken videos (stock in car, drive by, high quality mic-situated-on-bootlid)
3. Going to take another dyno in 2 weeks once car has adapted to the new exhaust for a performance run, and to compare true performance output.
4. Video and sound differences post install.

I managed to start the car just now and the sound is really, really good. Idling is very nice and low, bassy. I have had Eisenmann sports on my old Z4 3.0 roadster, but this sounds like a completely different animal. (S54 is the key i believe)

Really makes your hair stand when you rev it. It is loud no doubt, but the good thing is that the sound output controllable. Not sure how it sounds with valves closed, but ill feedback in a bit later.

Looks great too. Photos and videos up later.

[ryanchua]

DAY 1 - Installation complete

First some pics and then my initial review of my first day on the road with it.








Vacuum line to exhaust




Vacuum Reservoir



Connects to vacuum line..



Wiring into firewall (switch)



Drawing power.



ECU control module under passenger dash



Another shot..

[ryanchua]

[ryanchua]

Switch - Not sure where to put it - and I didn't want to drill it in.








Had a temporary holding harness which was custom fab to hold it in place at the trim.










Hidden from view, yet reachable.



Ensured that it couldn't touch my leg (was quite far really)



All set for now.



Good bye old cans...for now.



A good wash

[ryanchua]

Quality and fitment

KKS built a really good quality exhaust here. Welds were well done, no sloppy job. Fitment was perfect, no requirements for adjustment, direct bolt on, no hassles no fuss.

Wiring harness and vacuum lines came with instructions to install, however this was the first time my exhaust shop in Singapore ever did such an install, hence i left it at their workshop for 3 full days with explicit instructions not to rush the job.

Hose clamping, exhaust fitting and routing were pretty easy as quoted by the exhaust guys. Wiring was a bit more complicated but they managed to resolve it without any issues.

Everything seems to be well-thought out. There was even an additional wiring harness which allows the valves to open automatically at speeds above 70KM. Didn't wire that up as I wanted to keep complete control of when and where i open the valves. (i stay in a condo and i come back from work late at night) Bravo to the KKS Performance guys for these options still.

I had worries that the hose would melt under high heat, however they're of high temp properties which would withstand it. Time will tell i suppose, and i'll hoist up the car the next time i service it to check.

Sound output

Closed valve - Surprise surprise..and I'm speaking the very truth. It completely sounds exactly like stock, but only 5% bassier. It really is quiet, NO DRONE (this has the best feature), no burbling pops when the valves are closed.

Revs also sound stock, there's no wild child when it's in closed mode.

Video to come soon next week once I run more miles in it. (I have base line video recorded last weekend so i'll edit it for an easier direct video-to-video comparison).

Had a good buddy sit in the car and he commented it sounded exactly stock - and he couldn't tell the difference. It is slightly bassier, but really, just very slightly. We could have normal conversations in the car, and we really had NO problems with the closed mode.

Open Mode

Now this is when everything starts to get a bit crazy. This exhaust is LOUD, snarly and extremely aggressive in open mode.

Immediately you can tell when the valve is open, the entire area around your car is bathed in a lower, bass-ier hum. The sound is a sort of volumetric bass-iness, and not some crappy tone.

In this mode, you will wake up your neighbours even by pulling in (okay if you don't rev hard - it will be still okay...but a tap will make this BARK).

Went into an expressway tunnel and this thing just rips through the entire tunnel like some crazed bitch out of hell. It is loud, sharp, and gutteral raw. Now it's hard to describe sound in here...but i will do video (with good equipment)

I don't have the internal drawings from KKS, however I am going to say this sounds exactly like a straight through muffler design in open mode. Again, until someone cuts this thing up, I cannot confirm it but hell it sure sounds like it.

The most beautiful part of this exhaust..

After all the schoolboy fun, the snarly acceleration runs, the chills down your spine and adrenaline rush is over.. push a button and it's back to a stock gentle sounding car you always known.

It's REALLY like a Dr Jekyll and Hyde experience. No kidding.

At this juncture, I'm still running the exhaust on a 50/50 open/closed setting due to the city environments as well as residential areas i pass by in.

Some initial first-thoughts are:

1. How the DME is going to adjust to this (do i leave it open all the way)
2. What about tuning? Do i tune this to open mode, or do i leave it alone.

Performance wise

At this point in time, I can't tell the difference through my butt and I dont trust my butt dyno. Haven't had the chance to push the car hard enough on any straights (so far just street driving) so i can't tell you the performance figures.

Pedal feels lighter in open mode but it could just be my mind playing tricks on me.

I will run the car next week on the dyno again and compare it to my stock dyno graph i took last week. Will share the performance throughput later.

So far, i love this exhaust for the fact that it sounds completely stock in closed mode. Makes daily driving so much bearable. My eisenmann sports (on my previous 3.0 z4) sounded really great, but it made daily driving a little bit of a chore and on long drives the drone while cruising gets to you.

I will update this post again once I have the videos (pre and post install) compiled and more details in. If anyone has any questions, feel free to pop them over.

---------------

I'm not affiliated to KKS nor do I have vested interests in the company.

Summary of 1st-day review:

I'm pretty sold on this exhaust setup and I think it's pretty much the way to go for exhaust manufacturers moving forward. I wanted the capristo exhaust (original thread - http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=253870) at first, but this has been a great and available option. It's suited for guys who want the best of both worlds.

The KKS guys have been very responsive, great to work with and ship fast. My waiting time was about 5 weeks in total from order. I believe i waited about 2 months+ for my eisenmanns.

Granted the price isn't cheap due to the mechanisms involved (additional grand above normal exhaust cans) but last night, i was driving with open mode and i spotted a cop cruising in front of me... switched it to closed and drove by him with no issues. Sweet.

More feedback to come once I've run more miles in this and waiting to hit the dyno again.

[ga41]

Excellent writeup mate.

Looking forward to the video!

[Dammmittt]

Originally Posted by 03BeastCharmer

Now that's a proper teaser post

If this is your only mod I'd be interested to see how the DME adapts to the change when you open the bypass.

[wyu177]

awesome write up! Eagerly awaiting the vids

[mendrax]

...waiting for the dyno results...

Are kks cans heavier than oem ones ?

[ryanchua]

Definitely lighter. I forgot to weigh them though

Originally Posted by mendrax

...waiting for the dyno results...

Are kks cans heavier than oem ones ?

[mendrax]

How many hp do you guys have on your cars (stock) in USA... 343 ?

[mendrax]

Originally Posted by ryanchua

Definitely lighter. I forgot to weigh them though

Ok ! That's some good news...

Do you also have 343hp on your car (stock) ? (dyno results would be more relevant to me if it's the same configuration !)

Are the kks cans bigger (height) ? Are they more visible ?

[ryanchua]

My stock dyno is attached.

Oddly i'm pulling in 363 on a complete stock setup. My car is euro spec and we have 98ron gas at where I stay.

They seem to be roughly the same size as stock.

Originally Posted by mendrax

Ok ! That's some good news...

Do you also have 343hp on your car (stock) ? (dyno results would be more relevant to me if it's the same configuration !)

Are the kks cans bigger (height) ? Are they more visible ?