Mk7 Exhaust Tech. How to get the sound you want.

[GTI Jake]

So had a buddy of mine weld the 17950 into the stock downpipe midsection ECS includes with their non-valved exhaust. Unfortunately I didn't take pictures but just cut off the necked down end, measured to fit, welded in the 17950 and now I can swap between a resonated and non-resonated section if I'd like.

I thought it may quiet down the exhaust, or maybe "tame" it too much, just change the sound in a way I didn't like. My only complaint is it killed some of the rawness I liked. It got rid of pretty much all the annoying types of drone under 3k RPM's I would usually experience. Still seems pretty rowdy up top under actual load though which I like.

Here is a ton of comparison clips. Hopefully this is helpful for someone.

Cold Start Non-Resonated:

Cold Start w/ 17950

Free Rev Non-Resonated

Free Rev w/ 17950

Youre the first person I’ve seen use a 17950 with the OEM downpipe still in place.

 

[ShadyMF]

Youre the first person I’ve seen use a 17950 with the OEM downpipe still in place.

I'm not using a stock downpipe. I realize that wording is a bit confusing

ECS includes 2 Midsections for their exhaust. One with a tapered down neck for the slip fitting clamp, and another 3" for direct mating to an aftermarket downpipe.

Rather than butcher the 3" section, just modified the other included section for the stock downpipe.

 

[yungaxel3]

So this is the dp that I had installed. Ceramic cat, resonated, no adapter

Not sure if the specs on the res. But are you suggesting that I still consider replacing the factory res with a 17930/50?

I wonder if a small muffler in place of the factory res would be an option.

That or swapping the stock muffler back in place of the CSS muffler.

https://www.ultimate-racing.com/collections/volkswagen-performance/products/golf-gti-mk7-downpipe

View attachment 219598


Top Section:

• Ceramic High Flow Cat Downpipe +$135.00 USD (3-inch 400 cell ceramic core high flow cat to replace the restrictive OEM catalytic converter. Recommended to those that want flow improvements over the OEM cat without breaking the bank.)

Lower Section:

• Straight Downpipe with Resonator Option +$100.00 USD (Completely straight through, free flowing resonator and pipe. Smoothes the tone of the exhaust, and aids in the removal of in-cabin resonance which can occur in some vehicles. Great for cars with aftermarket exhausts that are a touch too loud)

Adapter:

• Slip-Fit, no charge (to be installed directly to OEM exhaust)

Do you have any sound clips? I was about to go this exact route

 

[nype]

Youre the first person I’ve seen use a 17950 with the OEM downpipe still in place.

It wasn’t clear in his post but in the YouTube clip titles it notes that he is running a CTS catted dp.

 

[nype]

Do you have any sound clips? I was about to go this exact route

I don’t, sorry. Do you also have a CSS muffler?

In hindsight I’d probably have picked a (still catted) but non resonated dp that mates well with one of Jake’s resonated mid pipes. Save the money on the dp res and put it towards a proper (Vibrant 17950) res.

 

[yungaxel3]

I don’t, sorry. Do you also have a CSS muffler?

In hindsight I’d probably have picked a (still catted) but non resonated dp that mates well with one of Jake’s resonated mid pipes. Save the money on the dp res and put it towards a proper (Vibrant 17950) res.

I had the tcr muffler and bought the UR catted and resonated dp but thought that would be too loud so I’m going with UR dp and xforce catback

 

[GTI Jake]

I had the tcr muffler and bought the UR catted and resonated dp but thought that would be too loud so I’m going with UR dp and xforce catback

Probably the most notoriously problematic pair you could choose.

Build quality and most importantly fitment are very poor on both.

 

[Agray]

Probably the most notoriously problematic pair you could choose.

Build quality and most importantly fitment are very poor on both.

"Sort by price low to high"

 

[yungaxel3]

Probably the most notoriously problematic pair you could choose.

Build quality and most importantly fitment are very poor on both.

I haven’t had any issues with the xforce yet and being able to close the valves early in the morning is great. Haven’t installed the UR dp yet tho

"Sort by price low to high"

Not even.

 

[yungaxel3]

Post in thread 'CSS muffler, need advice'
https://golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/css-muffler-need-advice.382387/post-7594854

@Doge

Saw this, @nype . The vibrant resonator might not be enough

 

[Doge]

Yeah UR down pipe + UR resonator + vibrant 17930 + CSS was way too loud for me. I’d like to get a better tone on the exhaust but I’d rather have my car quiet than obnoxiously loud.

I haven’t seen any aftermarket exhaust that has the similar loudness as stock exhaust with a deeper tone. I may consider going back to stage 1 with CSS again in the future ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Right now I’m running stock exhaust with UR down pipe + resonator + 17930 and I still think that’s a noticeably louder than stock exhaust (but still quiet / livable enough for me). With any aftermarket down pipe I’m guessing you should expect your car to get louder.

 

[GTI Jake]

I haven’t had any issues with the xforce yet and being able to close the valves early in the morning is great. Haven’t installed the UR dp yet tho

Not even.

I’ve had several customers get rid of them for issues with fitment (hangers aren’t even the correct size for our cars) and valve failure

Yeah UR down pipe + UR resonator + vibrant 17930 + CSS was way too loud for me. I’d like to get a better tone on the exhaust but I’d rather have my car quiet than obnoxiously loud.

I haven’t seen any aftermarket exhaust that has the similar loudness as stock exhaust with a deeper tone. I may consider going back to stage 1 with CSS again in the future ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Right now I’m running stock exhaust with UR down pipe + resonator + 17930 and I still think that’s a noticeably louder than stock exhaust (but still quiet / livable enough for me). With any aftermarket down pipe I’m guessing you should expect your car to get louder.

This is as close to having your cake & eating it too as it gets. OEM muffler in place, not CSS.

Just FYI for those with a CSS, it’s basically a OEM muffler delete as there’s no packing and very little baffling inside the CSS/TCR suitcase.

 

[nype]

Yeah UR down pipe + UR resonator + vibrant 17930 + CSS was way too loud for me. I’d like to get a better tone on the exhaust but I’d rather have my car quiet than obnoxiously loud.

I haven’t seen any aftermarket exhaust that has the similar loudness as stock exhaust with a deeper tone. I may consider going back to stage 1 with CSS again in the future ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Right now I’m running stock exhaust with UR down pipe + resonator + 17930 and I still think that’s a noticeably louder than stock exhaust (but still quiet / livable enough for me). With any aftermarket down pipe I’m guessing you should expect your car to get louder.

Is your current aetup louder than stock downpipe + stock res + CSS muffler?

 

[nype]

This is as close to having your cake & eating it too as it gets. OEM muffler in place, not CSS.

This is a Baun DP, Baun resonated (17950) midpipe, mated to the stock muffler...correct?

 

[Doge]

Is your current aetup louder than stock downpipe + stock res + CSS muffler?

I haven’t tried that set up. I went with everything stock to UR downpipe first and then CSS on top of that. I decided to keep the aftermarket downpipe instead of the CSS muffler so didn’t really think about that configuration at the time.

Might be awhile before I try that setup since I live in an apartment and I don’t want to keep “extra” parts around