Raising the engine (UCF20) = raising exhaust ?

[silos5]

Hey,
I´ve been lately working on raising my exhaust. I need to use all the stock mufflers, otherwise I wont pass the technical inspection and wont be allowed to drive the car.
On CL (http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls400/492301-any-way-to-raise-stock-exhaust.html) Kyoei gave some recomendations on how raising the exhaust. I´ve used hose clamps and raised the mufflers (resonators, in the middle of the car). They are still a bit low, but I dont really care if the give me some sparks while driving.
The place after catalizators was rewelded last year. I´ve been looking in some japanees webpage and noticed that they raise engines (as Kyoei suggests). I just want to be sure I understand this thing right.

http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/296401/car/223860/352127/note.aspx
http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/306807/car/200930/408838/note.aspx

Here specers are used to raise the engine. Do I understand right that doing this you raise the point after the catalizators?? Kyoei mensions raising the transmission as well, but I´ve never seen any fotos of that.
I´m going to change engine mounts this week, and it would be great if I could raise the exhaust as well.

[Schnitz]

You could also remove the mufflers and hammer the shit out of the tops of them. This way you can tuck them up higher and the inspectors won't be able to see anything.
I've also heard of the spacers but never really looked into it.

[OG]

http://www.sensebrand.jp/stealth/index.html

check this out. found it one day while stumbleing around. if i a 20 i will deifnitely be ordering one myself.

[chrispy]

That's awesome.

[BLKVIP]

omg thank you! looking to do my exhaust this year will be seeing if I can have this done

http://www.sensebrand.jp/stealth/index.html

check this out. found it one day while stumbleing around. if i a 20 i will deifnitely be ordering one myself.

[elpresidente]

Agi, Dom, & I talked about this a lot last year or two. I was going to buy oval piping to increase ground clearance. I was able to raise mine enough with the tunnel being as high as it is and now sits quite higher than my frame rails. The problem I encountered not long ago was my downpipe collector being the lowest section and getting caught up on the road due to a huge crator in the road during a ridiculous storm which actually created tornados and hail in St Louis. The next thing for me to do is shorten the downpipe to effectively raise that section up.

[OG]

on the 20 you can get it where it needs to be by cutting and replacing the section after the cat (see schnitz's write up on liberty blog), but the sense brand solution is so much cleaner and well engineered imo.

[genetic]

Very cool find OG!

[silos5]

Schnitz, thats a good idea. Have you done that?? because it looks your resonators are higher than mines.

OG, I´ve seen this exhaust setup. Its sick! I just wanted to find an easier and cheaper way of raising exhaust.

[Dominik]

My friend ended up getting a custom downpipe made on his 147, and readjusted the hangers so that the framerails were the lowest point. Not as easy as that Sense-brand solution, but it was done at a local exhaust shop in less than a day and it made the car so much more driveable (though now when he scrapes, its pretty nasty sounding!)

[silos5]

yes Dominik, I would really like to do it, but I cant :sad: I would delete all those mufflers and enjoy the V8 sound.
Thanks guys for replies, but can someone answer my question: if I add specers to the engine mounts, does my exhaust (after cats place) raises?? and what about the transmission? it is connected to the engine, so do I have to put a spacer to the transmission mount? I was thinking of a 8mm spacers.

[OG]

http://liberty-vip.com/2010/04/10/this-is-how-we-do-it-004/

this doesn't remove any vital components. something is telling me you need to look further into the rules for your inspection. i can't see how you can have to have secondary cats/resonators/multiple mufflers. a lot of cars don't even come with them. find a loop hole.

[brainneeded]

http://liberty-vip.com/2010/04/10/this-is-how-we-do-it-004/

this doesn't remove any vital components. something is telling me you need to look further into the rules for your inspection. i can't see how you can have to have secondary cats/resonators/multiple mufflers. a lot of cars don't even come with them. find a loop hole.

or the universal loophole.... $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[jzz30tt]

Agi, Dom, & I talked about this a lot last year or two. I was going to buy oval piping to increase ground clearance. I was able to raise mine enough with the tunnel being as high as it is and now sits quite higher than my frame rails. The problem I encountered not long ago was my downpipe collector being the lowest section and getting caught up on the road due to a huge crator in the road during a ridiculous storm which actually created tornados and hail in St Louis. The next thing for me to do is shorten the downpipe to effectively raise that section up.

Oval tubing is a great idea. I ordered some for my Q45 a few weeks ago, now that it runs I need to find a shop that will weld everything up for me!

[OG]

the issue i found with oval tubing is bends are only on the x axis. that means to make inclines/declines you still have to use round tubing. killed my excitment. any solutions for this?

[brainneeded]

pie cuts. raises the price, but the gangsta factor is through the roof.

[OG]

i can't stand the way pie cuts look. i don't even like when the exhaust shop does mine in more than the orignal count of pieces. guess that''s why i like the off the shelf option so much.

[Schnitz]

http://liberty-vip.com/2010/04/10/this-is-how-we-do-it-004/

Silos - do what I did. Very very easy for an experienced exhaust shop to do. Cost me $200. Sense can suk a nut for $1000 plus shipping.

[Juzzo]

silos5: WTF I was under the impression that you Eesti cats got it eazy when it comes to DMV inspections. So what's the real problem when you delete cats/mufflers, the lack of "E" stamps? You could always just fab up a custom straight piping, and swap the OEM exhaust under only for inspections.

That's my 2cents :shrug:

[silos5]

Schnitz, my exhaust is rewelded at the same place as yours, well, may be a little bit differently, but its still the lowest point of my exhaust. I pulled rear resonators and they are fine now. There is nothing too bad about my exhaust, I just wanted to get the place after cats a bit higher. I just thought I could do it with the spacers on the engine mounts.

Juzzo, it really depends on the guys that inspects your car. I dont need to delete any mufflers right now because of the clearence. Yes, there are plenty of cars that run non EU standart mufflers and they have to find a "loophole", which is mostly some friendship, not even the $$$ thing. When my exhaust was rewelded/raised last year, the guy that did it said that they can delete resonators, but then I will have trouble passing the inspection, probably because my gas level would raise. Anyway, I´m going to change the motor mounts and add 8mm spacers and see if it helps. Japanees do it, why cant I try it :biggthumpup:

[Juzzo]

Ahh it's cool.

DO IT:biggthumpup:

[jzz30tt]

the issue i found with oval tubing is bends are only on the x axis. that means to make inclines/declines you still have to use round tubing. killed my excitment. any solutions for this?

pie cuts. raises the price, but the gangsta factor is through the roof.

Yea, I was going to suggest this as well.

But you're right, it does complicate things.. haha

[brainneeded]

honestly, something about SS and well welded pie cuts gets me going. :giggity:

[silos5]

Engine mounts are changed, engine is raised 8 mm. Cant tell right now if it has done anything, because I cant start the car: I broke a water valve while raising the engine.
BTW, changing those mounts is a real PITA! I have changed all my suspension, installed air susp and all different things, but this work took my nerves :saiyancrunks: yeah, I dont have a lift, so I used jacks, and its -20C (-4F) outside and not warm in the garage:pat:

[elpresidente]

way to stick it out...dedication.

[jqnguyen8]

You are a better man than I, I haven't worked on my car because it's been cold outside.

[CrazyHawaiian]

Not trying to bag on the concept, but the whole thing just sounds crazy to me. Raise the engine to get more exhaust clearance. I don't think I've ever heard of that until now. Does that change the angle of the driveshaft? Will it cause vibrations at certain speeds? Will it wear drivetrain components faster? I hope not. But yeah, I imagine the installation is a major PITA. I've had to replace worn engine mounts with the engine in the car before, removed them one side at a time and used a cherry picker to 'lean' the engine on the other side to do the replacement. Why not just modify the Y-Pipe? I mean .... 8mm .....

[silos5]

I did this work to change the mounts as they were done, and I thought why not to put spacers, as its so easy. My exhaust is already modyfied, and I wanted to raise it just a little bit more.
About the component wear .... I dont know. I think their wear was more with the old engine and trany mounts :shrug: If I notice some new vibrations, I´ll take them off, thats an easy job. And japanees do it, Kyoei´s friend did it ... whats up with me then :dance:

[MR.J]

Engine mounts are changed, engine is raised 8 mm. Cant tell right now if it has done anything, because I cant start the car: I broke a water valve while raising the engine.
BTW, changing those mounts is a real PITA! I have changed all my suspension, installed air susp and all different things, but this work took my nerves :saiyancrunks: yeah, I dont have a lift, so I used jacks, and its -20C (-4F) outside and not warm in the garage:pat:

way to stick it out...dedication.
:biggthumpup: Sadly this is how I work on some cars, but I get 120F weather in vegas with no A/C in the garage lol. so dedication forsure Silos5:biggthumpup:

Not trying to bag on the concept, but the whole thing just sounds crazy to me. Raise the engine to get more exhaust clearance. I don't think I've ever heard of that until now. Does that change the angle of the driveshaft? Will it cause vibrations at certain speeds? Will it wear drivetrain components faster? I hope not. But yeah, I imagine the installation is a major PITA. I've had to replace worn engine mounts with the engine in the car before, removed them one side at a time and used a cherry picker to 'lean' the engine on the other side to do the replacement. Why not just modify the Y-Pipe? I mean .... 8mm .....
Thats what was I was thinking on this.
I forgot what company it is but they sell Lowprofile Cats now, I cant think of the company tho:pat:

[brainneeded]

i know some of the wrx and evo guys just run just the cat cover on a straight pipe to pass visual inspection. you could be able to just use the bottom half so it looks like you have a cat, but idon't know if estonia smogs their cars. :innoutrofl2:

[MR.J]

^Thats what we used to on straight pipe cars^

[FLSImages]

ive done it in all my cars. normally 5-10mm to get the oil pan above the subframe

wont urt anything

[silos5]

Finally got the car running.
The exhaust is raised, I can see the gap between the exhaust and the ground got bigger when car is pancaked. Dont feel anything wrong.

Yesturday I got really scared when I went for a test drive :pat:. Floored the gas pedal and car went into some kind of safety mode, prm only on 2000, no acceleration. Today started to check the wiring (bacause I cleaned the throttle body) and one electric plug wasnt pushed to the end. I started the car and it works fine now. Test drive in the evening. Damn, I didnt drive my car for 3 month and it so good to be back slammed on the roads :dance:
waiting for the wood wheel and shift to arrive soon :biggthumpup:

[Phaze2_mizzark]

Damn, I really need to do one of these options that are provided on here. My pipes are super effed up now. And a muffler shop in my area said they wouldn't touch my car because it was "too low." It isn't even that low.

[Vincent]

super muffler in arcadia. Tell mike vincent with the LS sent ya. He'll tuck your exhaust all the way up there

[brainneeded]

super muffler in arcadia. Tell mike vincent with the LS sent ya. He'll tuck your exhaust all the way up there
:biggthumpup: