Side Pipes

[snakesaway]

Hi all,

My new car has live side pipes and I have been told by a few people that these are illegal. I have noticed in a few build threads there are guys that are building their cars with what appears to be live side pipes. i am interested to hear people experiences with live side pip[es and the legalities of these in Victoria. I would like to keep mine but if that means I am being pulled over and told by police that they are not road worthy and given a not so nice un RWC sticker then I guess the love affair will be over

Thanks

Andrew

[LoBelly]

VicRoads has a set of standards for modified cars [VSB 8] and these do not preclude side-pipes.

Important to note that they should be shielded - I went for perforated ally.
Hard part is keeping the noise down.

LB

[snakesaway]

Thanks Lo Belly any chance you know what the noise spec is?

[Treeve]

How about the fact that modern category MA vehicles are allowed live side pipes under teh ADRS?

Check out the Merc AMG G-Wagen - it's even a selling point.

[snakesaway]

Originally Posted by Treeve

How about the fact that modern category MA vehicles are allowed live side pipes under teh ADRS?

Check out the Merc AMG G-Wagen - it's even a selling point.

hmm well that very interesting although I reckon the get out of jail free card there is the the main part of the pipe is under the car unlike the cobra which it runs down the side.

[Paintwerks]

I'm building a Pace 427SC here in Melbourne and intend to run live side pipes (with a cat after the headers).

My engineer has said there is no problem in running L & R side pipes, as long as they meet the noise requirements. He mentioned nothing about shielding, although I will likely be getting my stainless pipes HPC ceramic coated. If I have to fit shields, I will.

Pace's side pipes have a spiral insert that apparently makes them quiet enough to pass the noise test. Bernie is running them in his big block Kirkham in Geelong and has not been hassled.

[Modena]

as LoBelly and Treeve say, sidepipes themselves are not inherently illegal.

People say they are illegal because they USED TO BE. There was an exhaust emissions ADR which prevented any left side-exit exhaust on category N vehicles, this ADR was removed quite a few years ago.

You do however need to meet noise requirements, and may need to provide heat shielding.

I say may on the heat shielding because the ADR states something along the lines of "general safety requirements" and this aspect of heat shielding sidepipes, what material, how far it extends, etc etc, is at the discretion of the engineer. My engineer has told me that I will need heat shields.

Noise is noise, you are unlikely to get them to pass the tests. I'm pretty sure mine are going to be too loud, but jeez they sound awesome - lots of snap crackle pop when backing off winner winner.

[snakesaway]

Originally Posted by Paintwerks

I'm building a Pace 427SC here in Melbourne and intend to run live side pipes (with a cat after the headers).

My engineer has said there is no problem in running L & R side pipes, as long as they meet the noise requirements. He mentioned nothing about shielding, although I will likely be getting my stainless pipes HPC ceramic coated. If I have to fit shields, I will.

Pace's side pipes have a spiral insert that apparently makes them quiet enough to pass the noise test. Bernie is running them in his big block Kirkham in Geelong and has not been hassled.

Thanks that's great news to hear of two people in Vic running them so my love affair can continue by the looks of things . Btw who is your engineer?

[Modena]

Originally Posted by Paintwerks

I'm building a Pace 427SC here in Melbourne and intend to run live side pipes (with a cat after the headers).

My engineer has said there is no problem in running L & R side pipes, as long as they meet the noise requirements. He mentioned nothing about shielding, although I will likely be getting my stainless pipes HPC ceramic coated. If I have to fit shields, I will.

Pace's side pipes have a spiral insert that apparently makes them quiet enough to pass the noise test. Bernie is running them in his big block Kirkham in Geelong and has not been hassled.

my sidepipe design is using a perforated inner 2.5" tube which is wrapped in stainless scourers, but the next step for me to TRY to quiet them down for rego is to add the auger that you describe, hopefully it will make enough difference.

[snakesaway]

Originally Posted by Modena

my sidepipe design is using a perforated inner 2.5" tube which is wrapped in stainless scourers, but the next step for me to TRY to quiet them down for rego is to add the auger that you describe, hopefully it will make enough difference.

Cool well I will watch with interest as I will probably need to modify mine at some point.

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by Modena

my sidepipe design is using a perforated inner 2.5" tube which is wrapped in stainless scourers, but the next step for me to TRY to quiet them down for rego is to add the auger that you describe, hopefully it will make enough difference.

I have a pair of 3.5" Patriot auger inserts (http://www.summitracing.com/int/part...3843/overview/) in each of my side pipes, and they're surprisingly quiet - actually too quiet for my taste. There's far more wind noise than exhaust noise at 110 km/hr steady state cruise. They get a bit louder under acceleration, but nowhere near the sound levels I hear from many other vehicles.

[deano59]

hopefully the pace ones will meet the noise requirements i will be happy to buy a set if this is the case and the engineer says left and right pipes are ok here in sa

[Gav]

I used to have a 3" perforated tube wrapped with insulation in my pipes and they where quite loud.
I have now stepped down to 2.5" and they are now loud but not eat splitting.
You can have a conversation with a passenger in the car at cruise speed but definitely not at WOT.

[Treeve]

Nothing in the ADRs about heat shields either.

[Modena]

Originally Posted by Treeve

Nothing in the ADRs about heat shields either.

My engineer told me it comes under general safety requirements and is at their discretion

[Treeve]

exactly - at the engineer's discretion, not written down in a rule anywhere that you must have them.

[LoBelly]

Originally Posted by Treeve

exactly - at the engineer's discretion, not written down in a rule anywhere that you must have them.

just noting that Snakesaway is not going through engineering but is concerned with the day to day treatment of his sidepipes on an existing car in Victoria

consequently VSI 8 looks (to me) like the best reference

section 6.2 says

- no exhaust system whether it be functional or ornamental is to be mounted in such a manner as to create a hazardous situation particularly from hot surfaces or projections

so while it is technically true that it is not written down anywhere that you must have them - for Snakesaway's circumstance it may be a little hard to avoid



roll on

[snakesaway]

Thanks guys for your experiences and opinions very interesting as usual what you would think should be a fairly easy thing to sort in open to interpretation. As lo belly said roll on and we will see what happens I guess, as my late father would say cross that bridge if and when you get to it.

[David Hodgson]

Over the last 20yrs or so, most guys who have put on side pipes, and in particular those who have tried to replicate the exact way they were made on originals for the "look", have ended up resorting to fitting heat shields. After burning themselves, the wife, the kids and the dog they conceded and shields are on.

Your probably best to design them in from the start.

[David Hodgson]

Originally Posted by snakesaway

interesting as usual what you would think should be a fairly easy thing to sort in open to interpretation.

Agree, however its not the only rule book open to interpretation hence the need for lawyers.

State registration/inspection manual follows on from the ADR's and this is sometimes where things like heat shields could be mentioned. This is why it's not straight forward transferring registration interstate.