Date with EAS yesterday...Akrapovič Evolution

[M54ccibo]

Evening folks. Was hoping to get this up a bit sooner, but unfortunately work and driving the newly modified ride got in the way

Had a chance to visit European Auto Source yesterday and have my Akrapovič Evo fitted, as well as H&R springs and Macht Schnell spacers. Hats off to the EAS guys. Not only are they really, really cool, but they did a fantastic job getting everything installed. Thanks to Robert for hanging out and checking in as I watched the install.

I won't bore everyone with lots of crappy iPhone pics, as the EAS folks will probably be adding some to their blog and potentially here.

So here are the results. Stock, the car put down a best pull of 535whp, 487 ft-lbs of torque. Not bad. And there was some variation, from 506 the 535 over four pulls. On the final pull with the exhaust it put down 540whp, 485 ft-lb. Like the first pulls there was variation, with the car responding best on the last pull. Also, there was one pull with the Akra where the car put down 500 ft-lb! There were a couple pulls after the exhaust went on where there was an issue with the vacuum lines and the valves remained closed. Robbed the car of a ton of whp. Be sure the valves are opened or tubes pinched/blocked if you have the an exhaust without them.

More important than the technical data I am over the moon with the exhaust. Goes without saying that the build quality is amazing, but the note under load is out of this world. Much, much better than OEM. Cold start is not too shabby either. Bottom line, the vids just do not do the exhaust (this or others) justice. It is sick. If you are on the fence, do it. You won't regret the decision. If you can find someone with it, take the car for a drive. It will sell itself

[runningthingz]

Looks good man! Will you be at Cars & Coffee one of these days?

[Rob///M5]

Congrats! I want to hear the akra some more. Hope to be at C&C again soon...maybe sat if weather holds.

[M54ccibo]

Originally Posted by runningthingz

Looks good man! Will you be at Cars & Coffee one of these days?

Thx! Weather permitting, I'll be there this Saturday. Might not be able to make it next weekend though.

[M54ccibo]

Originally Posted by Rob///M5

Congrats! I want to hear the akra some more. Hope to be at C&C again soon...maybe sat if weather holds.

Thx man! Hope to see you!

[mindlessmark07]

Congrats Buddy! The car looks and sounds great! I should be at cars and coffee tomorrow (unless it is pouring buckets) and I can't wait to see it.

[M54ccibo]

Thanks Mark! Hoping that it isn't raining tomorrow. We'll see.

[Nate@IND]

Congrats on the Akrapovic Good guys at EAS.

[M54ccibo]

Originally Posted by Nate@IND

Congrats on the Akrapovic Good guys at EAS.

Thanks Nate. Good guys over at IND too

Thanks for all of your advice. One of my business partners said the car sounds sick. I agree! Can't wait to see what Akra does with the down pipes.

[Nate@IND]

Originally Posted by M54ccibo

Thanks Nate. Good guys over at IND too

Thanks for all of your advice. One of my business partners said the car sounds sick. I agree! Can't wait to see what Akra does with the down pipes.

Or AMS on the downpipes

Thanks again!

[Vic55]

WOW nice numbers, it looks like your dyno sheet is uncorrected so once you get Tom to do the SAE correction you will see slightly lower numbers.

My uncorrected dyno was 551...

[M54ccibo]

Originally Posted by Vic55

WOW nice numbers, it looks like your dyno sheet is uncorrected so once you get Tom to do the SAE correction you will see slightly lower numbers.

My uncorrected dyno was 551...

Yeah, the numbers are good relative to my own pulls

All the runs have standard correction applied. I'm no dyno expert, but I am sure once Tom and Steve start analyzing the data (what is used for turbocharged engines I am sure is different than NA) a clear pattern will likely emerge. And, going out on a limb, is that these cars are grossly under rated.

All said I am happy that whp increased with the new pipes. And that, is a good thing!

[Vic55]

Originally Posted by M54ccibo

Yeah, the numbers are good relative to my own pulls

All the runs have standard correction applied. I'm no dyno expert, but I am sure once Tom and Steve start analyzing the data (what is used for turbocharged engines I am sure is different than NA) a clear pattern will likely emerge. And, going out on a limb, is that these cars are grossly under rated.

All said I am happy that whp increased with the new pipes. And that, is a good thing!

Yes you are correct on all points, std correction (SAE is more real world I guess) and grossly underrated our cars are!!!!!

I think I was M5 number four for them so they are building a nice list. Now Im looking for a tune to get us a little more ummmph in the lower rpm range. I love that we peak after 5500 rpm but we dont always live in that range in daily driving especially around town.

[M54ccibo]

Originally Posted by Vic55

Yes you are correct on all points, std correction (SAE is more real world I guess) and grossly underrated our cars are!!!!!

I think I was M5 number four for them so they are building a nice list. Now Im looking for a tune to get us a little more ummmph in the lower rpm range. I love that we peak after 5500 rpm but we dont always live in that range in daily driving especially around town.

I did a bunch of reading last night, and I have more questions than ever about the dyno results. Not just from my car but all dyno results. Short version. I see that there are STD and SAE corrections being applied. From what I have gathered, according to SAE no correction should be applied to turbocharged cars. This is relatively easy to understand as both SAE and STD correct for environmental conditions that manifest themselves in pressure differentials at the intake manifold. On our FI cars, this is controlled as it is under boost. On a NA car, it is important as the intake pressure is the station pressure - which is dependent on dry air and vapor pressure. Change location, day, weather, etc., and these vary causing different results. As such, a need for correction. Oh, and remember, these correct from the actual measured conditions. Are they accurate?

So I think that I have learned is that we cannot accurately compare cars or mods apples-to-apples (i.e., results from various dynos being corrected with SAE or STD, or uncorrected numbers). This does not bother me, but it may for some. Now that I am more educated about what the dyno provides, I am better informed when looking at dyno results. Fortunately, what I did want to see was on my car, did a change cause an increase in HP or TQ and where was this delta observed across the RPM range when compared to my own baseline.

Net result? I think that the only way we can compare any car, exhaust, etc., is to do a dyno day...and hope that that atmospherics do not change from car 1, pull 1; to car n, pull n.

I love that fact that they are underrated. This just makes it that much more sweet when under real-world circumstances we spank a "more powerful" car

[mindlessmark07]

Well said!

[Vic55]

Im not sure why Tom at EAS uses SAE--- but for me, dynos are a perspective tool only. I have had many a high hp car and many of them were faster on the street than on the dyno in regards to cars I raced.

My CL65 was a dyno queen but wasnt as fast as other CL's on the road.
My E55 was not as strong on the dyno as others but pulled them hard.

These are just a few examples. I like the dyno day idea and am talking with Tom about it now. It should be good to see.

My favorite dyno is the ....... the street dyno

[M54ccibo]

Originally Posted by Vic55

My favorite dyno is the ....... the street dyno

Dude, that should be your signature line. I couldn't have said it better myself!!!

[the infamous...]

good shit!

[anthony @ eas]

Originally Posted by M54ccibo

I won't bore everyone with lots of crappy iPhone pics, as the EAS folks will probably be adding some to their blog and potentially here.

Here are some of the shots I snapped during your visit. Thanks again for letting me try out your lenses!

[M54ccibo]

Originally Posted by anthony @ eas

Here are some of the shots I snapped during your visit. Thanks again for letting me try out your lenses!

Thanks for the pics! NP regarding the lenses...anytime!

[Timberwolf]

Maybe I'm out of place but I simply don't see the value here. I'm sure it sounds nice and pulls some much needed weight but the power gains are nominal. For $8k minus labor I simply don't see the value. Please dont say titanium cause ive had issues with welds in the past, and nightmares getting repaired... OP i dont mean any disrespect simply trying to understand what folks are drawn to. I'd just expect more cowbell for that money!

[M54ccibo]

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Maybe I'm out of place but I simply don't see the value here. I'm sure it sounds nice and pulls some much needed weight but the power gains are nominal. For $8k minus labor I simply don't see the value. Please dont say titanium cause ive had issues with welds in the past, and nightmares getting repaired... OP i dont mean any disrespect simply trying to understand what folks are drawn to. I'd just expect more cowbell for that money!

No disrespect taken. I guess it all depends on what you consider valuable. I did not like the tone or the tips of the oem exhaust, so I went aftermarket. Also, I did not want to cut the oem as I want to keep it, and don't want to weld to replace axle back if I needed to reinstall.

In my research, all of the full exhausts came out to be roughly the same cost, save RPI. So, given the choice between Eisenmann, Meisterschaft, and Akra, I chose Akra.

I guess the same thing can be said about watches. Some people buy timex, others Patek Philippe. Last time I checked they tell time exactly the same way, and one is way less expensive, but the latter prized for its workmanship and design.