S18 RSG

Interesting read. Doing some research on this intake over on the US forums, results seem to vary between 2 and 7hp on the dyno with opinions being just as diverse. The most common praise goes towards the noise the intake makes, but most people seem to suggest that it's not worth the money. Most dyno results support the fact that switching out the stock air filter with an aftermarket one nets around 3-5hp, so perhaps the gains from that option would have been just as noticeable. I don't know. Either way, if it makes you happy, then that's all that really matters

The obvious answer is: ignore it. It may have just been a one off and you may never get pulled again. If you do get pulled again and they try to fine you, ask them to produce the evidence behind their decision, and where exactly it states that it is illegal to run stretched tyres. Make sure you read up on the law first. If they have no grounds for punishment, then they can't just fine you because THEY think it's illegal, the law is black and white, and if there's nothing that clearly states your infringement is illegal, then they have no grounds on which to fine you.

I was put off getting 9.5's as I didn't want to run a 225 tyre on that width, mainly because of pictures like this, which is a 225 on a 9.5J: Although there doesn't seem to be any "law" forbidding it, I can certainly see why a Police officer could use his discretion to deem that unsafe, and with the RB kit basically giving them a perfect view of the bottom two thirds of the tyre, it's almost asking to be scrutinised. Coming from the VW scene, I've seen far worse than that. A buddy of mine ran 165/45/16s on an 8J BBS wheel on his Mk2 Golf GTI, and as far as I know he never got pulled. For reference, this is what that looked like: I think you're either unlucky, or the law is about to change to stop that kinda thing. Extremes, like the second picture, are clearly dangerous, so it wouldn't surprise me if they introduced a law around it, and you may just find yourself on the wrong side of that law unfortunately.

I mean in terms of the extra money, not in terms of the benefits. Of course the lower temps help, but perhaps not in relation to the cost in some cases.

Oh, there we go then. Makes that easier. Like I said, not sure it's worth the extra anyway.

Tempted, of course, but all boils down to price and lead time. If the price difference is less than it would be for me to have the coating done in the UK, then I may have it done, but given some of the prices I've seen, I'm not sure the price is worth the benefits.

Fair enough Jeff. At very least you'll have my feedback to help you make a decision either way

Jeez, I can see why. How would that even pass a quality inspection? For your information Jeff, speaking to the guys are Gruppe-S yesterday, here's an idea of pricing: Manifold - $475 Overpipe - $75 Heatshield - $20 Shipping - $105 Customs charges (calculated separately) - $166 Total cost - $821, or £578.81 The heat shields are out of stock for another week, so I'll be placing my order with them next week sometime. If you wanted to do the same, we could perhaps see if there is any extra discount for multiple?

So the Cosworth climbed 20% of its starting ambient temperature with a beginning air density of 1.184kg/m3. The Harrop climbed 24% of its starting ambient temperature with a beginning air density of 1.146kg/m3. That's around a 4% difference in air density and a difference of around 4% increase in IAT. I'd say that balances it out.

Their next shipping date is something like mid June if it's the one I'm thinking of. One of the biggest disadvantages of ordering from the US is shipping times, and that method means waiting 2 months for a part lol.

I didn't think there was such thing as artificial air lol. Just because the air is forced at the car via a fan doesn't make it artificial, it just makes the air speed artificial (when compared with actually driving through air). Air density is varied by temperature, not the method in which it's being fed to the car.

I haven't asked either to be honest, I just went direct to the company in the US. Now I have a price from them, I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask around and see if either of those you mentioned could get close.

I'm talking with Gruppe-S on the US forums to get some prices for the manifold and over pipe shipped, will let you all know what the prices are. If there was only a UK retailer who would offer them :/

Unequal length decatted manifold with true 4 to 1 merge collector and a 2.5" outlet would be nice, something around the £4.50 mark

It's maybe +/- 5hp peak, but how often are you driving at 7500rpm? And when you are, you wouldn't feel 5hp. I would argue that having a more linear torque curve in the mid range, and basically no torque dip, makes more difference than 5hp peak. That was my reason for swaying towards UEL, plus of course the sound.

Just a side note, I'm in the same position as you now @Merich22. As knight said, the 1320 and GruppeS manifold are really cheap, but I have had quotes for both from suppliers, and after shipping and import taxes, both end up around £500 or more, plus you generally have to wait around 2-3 weeks minimum for it to arrive. Then you have the issue of warranty. Sure, you have a warranty, but any replacements will have to be sent back to America, so you could go weeks without a manifold again. Compare that to a Tomei/Borla sourced from the UK, sure, you'll pay around £600, but you get it within a few days, you pay no extra, and you have a UK based warranty and returns program. That's worth the extra £100 in my eyes.

I was always under the impression that the Berk HFC would fail MOT with a catless manifold?

Keeping the stock cat in the secondary position should pass MOT with a decatted manifold without issues. It's when you swap it out for a high flow cat that you get issues in that regard.

As Ade said, it will probably have the same effect as decatting the stock manifold. Undoubtedly will have performance benefits due to the removal of the cat, but nowhere near the gains seen from a reputable manifold I would imagine.

How was the ordering process with 1320? I added the manifold and overpipe to my basket on the site, and shipping came up as $19.52, which seemed a bit cheap to me. I didn't order it as I wanted to get a human response from them first of all to check everything was ok with the order, but I've had no response. If you ordered straight from the website, did you have any issues? And how long was delivery?

My exhaust was custom made by a place called Prospeed Exhausts in south Wales. It's resonated, but the secondary decat means it is fairly loud. In terms of volume, it was around the same as @Lauren's, and I believe she has a resonated Milltek system. It's not over the top loud, but it's certainly not quiet. Cold start isn't an issue, because it was mapped out by Mark when I had the remap. My biggest concern is the fact that I occasionally work early, and because I live in a small, fairly enclosed street, I wouldn't want to annoy my neighbours even more than I already do. Of course a decat manifold won't help with that, but if slotting the original CAT back in place is an option to reduce noise and not affect performance too much, then it may be the best option.

Honestly makes a world of difference.

Nice little read that. Interesting to hear the point of view of someone else coming from a faster car, I shared similar thoughts when I bought mine. One little note on the road noise/radio situation. Road noise I found was significantly improved when I changed tyres. I don't know if Primacies are renowned for being loud (mine had 2 Primacies and 2 random tyres), but when I changed wheels and switched to Vredesteins all around, the road noise was reduced a fair bit. As for the radio, even at low speeds the standard stereo struggles to be heard. A good upgraded set of door speakers, along with a bit of sound deadening in the doors does wonders in this regard. Both worthwhile upgrades should you be continually concerned by this.

I actually ordered it late, but I've got my tracking number for it now, so it should be with me in the next few days. I'll post up some pictures and a quick review of the wheel when it turns up.

Eibach springs now sold