Exhaust Mods

I have none of the things you mentioned above asheville thumper

but, the stock exhaust is freaking heavy... and with a Q4 or other exhaust, you will not only save a noticeable amount of weight, but also shift more weight towards the CG of the bike... and with that, I believe you will find the bike more enjoyable, esp. in the trails...

I am not a big guy, nor a strong man.... I can feel the difference when pushing the bike around... just my 1 cent

mtb wrote:

I have none of the things you mentioned above asheville thumper

but, the stock exhaust is freaking heavy... and with a Q4 or other exhaust, you will not only save a noticeable amount of weight, but also shift more weight towards the CG of the bike... and with that, I believe you will find the bike more enjoyable, esp. in the trails...

I am not a big guy, nor a strong man.... I can feel the difference when pushing the bike around... just my 1 cent

So let me get this right, are you saying that if I just do the Q4 and the programmer w/o doing other mods I would have a noticeable improvement? I hate to spend the money, but if I have too...well then...I must, for the benefit of the bike and all.

asheville thumper wrote:

So let me get this right, are you saying that if I just do the Q4 and the programmer w/o doing other mods I would have a noticeable improvement? I hate to spend the money, but if I have too...well then...I must, for the benefit of the bike and all.

Yes I believe so... the weight loss and less restricted exhaust air flow (with proper fuel tuning) will create a significant performance gain (my dyno shows it all... a proper tune gets me 1 more extra horse)... not to mention that your bike will "sound" much faster

actually the cheapest way to enjoy your bike more is tyre+sprockets change

Is the Q4 really too bulky for offroad use?

mr_beat wrote:

Is the Q4 really too bulky for offroad use?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the Q4 is the same size as the Powercore. And no it is not too bulky for off road. The stock pipe is too bulky!

mr_beat wrote:

Is the Q4 really too bulky for offroad use?

Too bulky? Not sure why you think that ... many of us went with the Q4 and think it's great for off road.

Ok cool. I saw it mentioned on theh first page, thats why I asked.

Does anyone know if the Q4 is quieter than the Power Core? Looks like it is longer so I am hoping it is not much louder than the stocker?

TIA
10Cup

The Q4 is MUCH quieter than the Powercore.

Krabill wrote:

The Q4 is MUCH quieter than the Powercore.

The Q4 is also MUCH louder than the stocker.

Anybody running one of these?

Thanks for the input Gentlemen, much appreciated.

I pulled the spark arrestor "cap" off the back of my stock exhaust tonight, and that certainly makes the bike sound different. I didn't have time to get out for a ride.

Can anyone comment on power gains from the spark arrestor removal or mod vs going with the FMF Q4 and Powerbomb setup? I like having heat shields and not having to worry about repacking an FMF pipe.

Not sure if you knew but you can get a PC4 and the QC insert cheaper than you can get just the Q4, and you get the same dB rating. Just thought I'd toss that out there. That's the route I'm gonna go; it's saving me $80 that way.

Addicted wrote:

Can anyone comment on power gains from the spark arrestor removal or mod vs going with the FMF Q4 and Powerbomb setup? I like having heat shields and not having to worry about repacking an FMF pipe.

I think this has been hashed over before on other forums. My personal opinion is removing the SA is not a performance mod. It is a spark arrestor. It arrests the spark. Keeps you from lighting the forest on fire, stuff like that. It is nothing more or nothing less. If it did something more they would call it something else. Taking it out may give you the false sense of performance since your ear is hearing a cool new sound so you THINK it goes faster. But what you still have is the stock exhaust with all it's restrictions still in place. The FMF or any other after market exhaust is without the cat and much more free flowing. This is where the performance comes from. Not the cool sound of removing the spark arrestor.

As for heat shields, they do make shields for the PowerBomb header, but not the Q4. And as for repacking, I haven't heard of anyone on here or the other forums having to repack their can yet. Many have had their pipes longer than me. I have had my Q4 for about 6 months and I don't notice it being any louder or needing a repack yet. And so what if you do ride a lot and have to repack it maybe once or twice a year. Big deal. The packing is cheap. There's even a video on the FMF site that shows you how to do it.

mwakey wrote:

My personal opinion is removing the SA is not a performance mod.

I agree it's probably minimal, but it looks like a nice restriction in the way it's designed. I'm going to run with it out tonight, and see if I notice any difference. I installed the FMF programmer last night, and I'm going to see what it feels like with the stock exhaust and air box mod (with and without spark arrestor). Then, I'll try the Q4 and powerbomb to see how much better that is.

Hmmm. I have had an Idea on how to make a dyno, and I may give it a shot this weekend.

I test rode a WRR yesterday, it had a GYTR pipe fitted. It was quite noisy, does anyone know if there are removable/replaceable baffles for this muffler?

The bike had a very slight hesitation when you opened up the throttle, the owner said the hesitation went away after 10 minutes of riding. No airbox mods, just pipe, B&B bashplate and 12/50 gearing

It was VIN 212, built 12/07. Would this be considered an 08? It was Blue with a Black Frame! I have not seen any WRR's that combination, mainly WRX's. I would love a white one, but not many around at the moment

I'm thinking of making him an offer, so maybe i'll join the pack soon

The euro R²'s have the black frame. Regardless, if you do get the bike I'm sure you'll have a blast with it. As for baffling for the GYTR pipe, I haven't seen anything. You could throw in a Decibel Dawg tho...they are supposed to quieten things down considerably.

Is FMF so cheap that they don't enclose an exhaust clamp with the Q pipe so I tighten the fitting to the Power Bomb header? Instructions say to tighten all fasteners and clamps. It doesn't say what clamp. The stock one is spot welded to the mid-pipe. I guess I'm see how a hose clamp does since I have one laying around.

gas_pig70 wrote:

Is FMF so cheap that they don't enclose an exhaust clamp with the Q pipe so I tighten the fitting to the Power Bomb header? Instructions say to tighten all fasteners and clamps. It doesn't say what clamp. The stock one is spot welded to the mid-pipe. I guess I'm see how a hose clamp does since I have one laying around.

You don't use a clamp. Put high temp silicon and slip it together then let it set up overnight and you're good to go. You'll never compress the pipe with a hose clamp. It's got no relief cuts like the stock pipe to allow compression. It's just a slip joint.

proview wrote:

gas_pig70 wrote:

Is FMF so cheap that they don't enclose an exhaust clamp with the Q pipe so I tighten the fitting to the Power Bomb header? Instructions say to tighten all fasteners and clamps. It doesn't say what clamp. The stock one is spot welded to the mid-pipe. I guess I'm see how a hose clamp does since I have one laying around.

You don't use a clamp. Put high temp silicon and slip it together then let it set up overnight and you're good to go. You'll never compress the pipe with a hose clamp. It's got no relief cuts like the stock pipe to allow compression. It's just a slip joint.

Yeah, I just noticed that and was going to delete my post before anyone responded. The older Q pipe on my DRZ had the relief cuts in the mid-pipe.

So in the end FMF is too cheap to include a tube of high-temp silicone which of course they sell separately. A bit disappointing to find that I can't finish a simple bolt-on project tonight because I have to run to the hardware store tomorrow.

Well I got my pipe installed and I love it! the fit and finish is awesome. The welds are a thing of beauty! Here are some pictures:















I also took the following sound measurements:

Stock:
idle: 88db
max: 104db

Stock w/opened up Spark Arrestor:
idle: 96db
max: 104db

GYTR:
idle: 94db
max: 110db

I used a Radio Shack analog sound meter to compare back to back...so your results may vary....but this should get you a good idea of the noise levels. To me it has a nice mellow sound and not too over the top. I am pleased with it.

It looks good, Sandman! I always wondered what the rating on that thing was. Does anyone have any idea how they measure the sound levels at the DS events? They have dB restrictions and I was wondering if they do the measurement at idle or WOT.

I'm riding in a DS two day ride in May and they have a DB rating of 96
to pass inspection. It' all USFS land that's open once a year by permit
for this ride.

I passed a sound check for a Hare Scramble on State property last November
with my FMF Q4 but every sound meter is different.

Gonna bring the stock header and pipe along for this one and am planning
on repacking the Q4 to top it off - it's a year old and has 4500 miles on it.
Between the two I'll be in. Gonna try the repacked FMF first, then bolt on the
stocker with the EXUP screwed down if needed.

Has anyone put an FMF Power bomb in front of the GYTR?

I would like to put the power bomb on, but I have heard is is a different diameter...any one know the OD of the power bomp pipe? then I can measure the GYTR and see if it will fit or not...