912 exhaust advice!

[MartinP]

Okay - the Bursch system on my 67 912 is way too loud for my 110 mile a day commute. Plus there are no heat exchangers. So, I am going to reinstate the exchangers and flapper boxes etc, BUT, I have a dilemma:

Rich (Turbo Thomas) has shown me some very sexy pictures of a stainless 4-into-1 header, plus muffler that he can produce for my car. It's going to sound generally quieter than the Bursch, but still retain a sportiness and ability to sound good when I'm in the mood for blipping the throttle on a downchange. And it does look bloomin' good!

However, are there any other considerations that I should be thinking of before going for this over a standard mild steel set up? Is the standard system really 'too' civilised? Would I be completely losing any audible excitement compared to the straight-through Bursch if I went for the boggo setup? Is the original setup really the only one that will work with heat exchangers/flapper boxes etc?

Or is Rich's road the one to travel down? Help! I have enough cash to do this once and would really appreciate any advice from people who have opted for either route in the past. Damn, those stainless bits look SO nice!

Forgot to mention that also, my car has the 'Euro' spec system on it which (I think) means that we will have to modify the fan shroud to make the heating effective. If anyone can shed any light on it then I would be very grateful!

[Nige]

You're only having TT do the header and muffler, if you are fitting the existing/standard heat exchangers then you should still have heat.

[MartinP]

Thanks Nige. Problem is because of the euro-spec that was on the car, we are probably going to have to modify/swap the fan shroud to allow the standard spec heat exchangers to be fitted. This is getting complicated already!

[912uk]

bursch too loud!! I'm going to get me ears tested.. mines sweet as a nut and it's new..

Don't go down the stainless route then as they are louder.

better stick to stock

and certainly don't go for a Dansk Sports unless you plug one pipe for daily and when you feel like a thug remove the bung ( a project I will be doing next year as I miss my thug of an exhaust system )

I am shocked have you got sound proofing in the car? I have about 3 layers 1 inside the engine bay and two on the top inside the car...mines almost as quite as a modern

[MartinP]

This one's a straight through system and it is ridiculously loud! Anyone else who has driven the car has commented that they don't know how I put up with it! I certainly couldn't have a conversation with anyone else in the car while I'm driving at anything over 40mph. There isn't any sound deadening at the moment, but there would have to be a bloody lot of it to make any difference! Come to think of it, I'd be better off wrapping it around my head rather than in the car.

I JUST WANT HEAT FOR CHRISTMAS!

[Timo]

Mine runs a stocker and I think it sounds great, its quite quiet and sedated until you put your foot down and it gives a great roar. From what I've read some people seem to be of the opinion that the Bursh system doesn't give a massive improvement in performance over a standard system either.

[MartinP]

I think mine's only got the Bursch system on it because the heat exchangers rotted through because of an oil leak from the rocker covers and he didn't want to go to the expense of replacing it all.

[Gilbert '71 T]

I'm going to get me ears tested..

Get the grey stuff thats in between em tested while your at it Mark, I think they'll probably find you've got some more Porsche parts/literature stashed in there somewhere as well

I've never taken a passenger run or driven any cars with anything other than a stock rear box, so I can't really give an opinion on the others. To be honest I think the factory got it just right, nice for pootling around, can still have a conversation on A roads, motorways you obviously have to raise your voice, oh and you do get a nice 912 roar on full throttle, but i think thats mainly induction though the P40's.

[912uk]

Darren should have gone out in my 12 with the Dansk on.. mind you ask Barry and Tom what the Dansk on faily full trottle sounds like when I turned up at Phil's place in Yorkshire. That night every one thought I was a 911

Ok sounds like you have some sort of Brusch racing set up with is just a 90 degree bent pipe, is this right?

if so yep it's worse than the Dansk!!

so a standard Bursch will be fine and or a stock ,stocks a safe but boring bet. Your not going to scare off the Saxo boys with a standy exhaust

[912uk]

i'm running one of these at the mo..boring but I headed up the tail pipe with my ox'y cutter and put a tube in and bent the pips at an angle as per the stock exhaust..

look at most Bursch standard exhausts they hit the bumper which is shite

[louis356]

I'm running stock but as the pipes out of the box are too short it's hard to get a seal on the exit pipe.

Upshot is, a farting noise on start up until warm then a nice roar with the odd pop pop when you need it. race style

If you want to hear it I'm in and around London everyday

[MartinP]

Sounds like a tempting offer - don't suppose you'd be passing through Teddington around office hours?!

[Del]

Mine has a twin pipe jobby on it. Naturally, it's not stock and the truth is i dont know what it is.

What i do know is that it sounds abolutely awesome especially at higher speeds on a motorway / dual carriageway. It was also getting all sorts of detailed attention at most shows i have been to from people getting on their knees to see what it is and take pictures of it and stuff like that. I have had a look at it and its huge underneath there.

It was fitted by Keith before i bought the car from him so if you want any more info about it i guess he's the man to ask. Anything i can help with, just give me a shout.

[912uk]

Funny I was looking at that Exhaust with Doug, It's not a dansk I think you will find it's a 356 exhaust.. but like you say Keith's the man to ask.

[stu]

Hi Martin,

My '12s running a stock exhaust, no tricks but I completely concur with the opinion that Porsche got things about right.

Having run my previous car with the Bursch set-up minus heat, given the choice again on a standard engine I'd say go for the simplicity of the standard system... there are only so many hot water bottles and blankets you can tolerate at 6am on a January morning!

The standard system works just fine but I admit better on the '69 cars that benefitted with a fan to blow the warmed air around a bit and keep the screen demisted at traffic jam speeds.

There 'is' another heat option however that will give you greater freedom with the choice of exhaust. They are as rare as hens teeth's fillings, but it was possible to order a 912 with a Webasto petrol heater that fitted snugly in the front compartment. I remember reading a report somewhere where a 904 was rallied to Monte Carlo in period and the drivers were wearing t-shirts it was that toasty. I think I've seen about three fitted to various 911/2s in ten years though, but you never know. An aftermarket alternative was the Ebserspacher version that works in much the same way and was widely available for a number of applications. These more common and you might pick one up at a jumble or ebay. If the thought of a dodgy 40 year old burner next to your fuel tank sends shivers then Eberspacher still make a new version www.eberspacher.com. It's not cheap but at least you'll stay warm while waiting for the RAC van!

Good luck,

Stuart.