Brammo's new slippy pipe exhaust

[rfmarz@frontiernet]

I just received and installed Brammo's modified exhaust pipe that got rid of the flex pipe that wasn't worth a $#*%t! They retreated the pipe with the ceramic coating and now have gone to the cat bypass pipe and a single slippy along the bottom. I had to shorten the male piece by about 3/16" and place a very slight bend to allow the muffller to be horizontal.

While placing the muffler back on I noticed something rattling around inside. I shook it for a couple of minutes before I could get anything to come out and it looked like a piece of aluminum baffling that got melted together and hammered.

I would recommend that anyone that still has the flex pipe and has no intention of soon replacing the entire pipe system to contact Brammo to see what they will do for you. If you've never tracked your Atom and have had no problem, that does NOT indicate that you flex pipe is going to hold up!!!! Mine lasted about 30 minutes on the track before it began to fail requiring that I get a new backup, license and FIA rain light, not to mention a new license plate as the other one had a hole melted into it.

[GPM30236]

Those  little  pieces  get spit out of the muffler,  mine  took  only  250 miles to self  destruct  big  chunks  flew out the back  ,  Now the exhaust  sounds like  a  cheap  import  add on muffler  . am waiting for  one of the new exhaust designs  to be available.

[maverick1]

[quote="rfmarz"]
I just received and installed Brammo's modified exhaust pipe that got rid of the flex pipe that wasn't worth a $#*%t! They retreated the pipe with the ceramic coating and now have gone to the cat bypass pipe and a single slippy along the bottom. I had to shorten the male piece by about 3/16" and place a very slight bend to allow the muffller to be horizontal.

While placing the muffler back on I noticed something rattling around inside. I shook it for a couple of minutes before I could get anything to come out and it looked like a piece of aluminum baffling that got melted together and hammered.

I would recommend that anyone that still has the flex pipe and has no intention of soon replacing the entire pipe system to contact Brammo to see what they will do for you. If you've never tracked your Atom and have had no problem, that does NOT indicate that you flex pipe is going to hold up!!!! Mine lasted about 30 minutes on the track before it began to fail requiring that I get a new backup, license and FIA rain light, not to mention a new license plate as the other one had a hole melted into it.
[/quote]
What is the procedure for getting the modified Brammo exhaust? Do you send in your old exhaust, and what is the cost to do this modification?
Cheersâ?¢

[rfmarz@frontiernet]

Mav, if you call Darlene or Kristina at Brammo (dial 0) and ask them about it, they'll advise you what to do. You'll have to send in your existing pipes and they will replace the flex with the slippy pipe, ceramic coat it and send it back to you. They did mine at N/C as Tom S. arranged it for me due to my troubles at Atomfest. I don't really know if they will charge you or not- I "suspect" not. Expect the car to be down about two weks. Oh, and when you reinstall it, make sure to place safety wire over the springs and around the pipe so as to reduce the risk of loss due to vibration. I've done research on that .

[maverick1]

[quote="rfmarz"]
Mav, if you call Darlene or Kristina at Brammo (dial 0) and ask them about it, they'll advise you what to do. You'll have to send in your existing pipes and they will replace the flex with the slippy pipe, ceramic coat it and send it back to you. They did mine at N/C as Tom S. arranged it for me due to my troubles at Atomfest. I don't really know if they will charge you or not- I "suspect" not. Expect the car to be down about two weks. Oh, and when you reinstall it, make sure to place safety wire over the springs and around the pipe so as to reduce the risk of loss due to vibration. I've done research on that .
[/quote]
Thanks rfmarz. My current exhaust setup is the new Brammo one with 2 flex pipes. Does this new procedure get rid of both flex areas with slip joints?
With my current exhaust,one of the gaskets blew out and when I was visiting at CalScots house he pulled a MacGyver move and made a replacement gasket out of a tin can, using tin snips and a hammer, and it's still holding. We both came to the same conclusion that the origional exhaust design just plane sucks.
cheers

[rfmarz@frontiernet]

After reading all the notes on the existing exhaust, I'm inclined to believe that it certainly could be better (less restrictive). The mod DOES get rid of both flex pipes. If you have the original cat bypass pipe. you'll need to send it with the rest of the pipe. They will recoat it. If you don't have the original cat bypass pipe, I'm not sure if they just throw the small flex pipe away or if they modify it.

More research...... before cinching all the bolts up tight (after the mod), make sure you won't have to shorten the male portion of the slip arrangement- like I did. It wastes a bunch of time and the self locking bolts lose their lock feature. It also wouldn't be a bad idea to get an additional gasket as they only sent me two- while I needed three.

[Lane]

What exactly is a "slippy pipe"?

Also - Anyone have pics they can post?

[rfmarz@frontiernet]

Lane, a slippy pipe (like in karting) is simply two pipes in a male/female arrangement that allows two sections to join one another with a little bit of give and take so that you have a little flexibility over the entire length of the sections. There is a spring or set of springs connected that keeps the pipes pulled together snugly. It's nothing elaborate. It merely gets rid of the "mesh" flex pipes that seem to blow out pretty quickly on the track.

[Alec]

[quote="Lane"]
What exactly is a "slippy pipe"?

Also - Anyone have pics they can post?

[/quote]

This the UK one for the Honda engine, but it should be similar as the "slippy pipe" is just the bit at the bottom which connects the manifold to the CAT or By-Pass pipe.

[CalScot]

Nice Pic Alec!
If Brammo made a nice set-up like that, nobody in the US would need to have another one made up. Brammo should buy them from the UK supplier or replicate this quality.

[rfmarz@frontiernet]

It DOES look kind of like a work of art, doesn't it?

[Alec]

Well do you like the vase I have in my lounge?

[CalScot]

No wonder it's dark in your house. Where's the light bulb? Some bloody lamp that!

[rfmarz@frontiernet]

Not even a switch!!

[Alec]

I like everything BLACK in case you didn't know.