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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - stainless steel exhaust/tubular manifold

My 1275cc AH Sprite is having a few extra birhdays at present....what would be the best thing to do re exhaust? I would like to fit a stainless steel one...any views as to which is the best?
The engine will remain pretty standard.....
Also worth fitting a tubular manifold? I realise it saves a bit of wieght over the factory cast one..any recommendations?
R WEEKS

Why stainless, they sound pants until it's got sooted up!

A good friend of mine bought himself a Maniflow system and that sounds great straight out of the box and has freed up some captive horses.

Mine has a Janspeed system on it, yes it's that old and it's steel so just shows they can last. That said I'm thinking of swapping it for a similar Maniflow system to my mates.

Just my opinion of course :-)

A
Andrew McGee

short answer - by itself possibly not - if you do then Maniflow, see Kim dear at Magic midget - http://magicmidget.co.uk/

longer answer -
I'd say avoid the 'less expensive' mass market s/s manifolds

I've got a s/s Maniflow tubular manifold, it replaced an unknown tubular manifold of seeming less s/s - the Maniflow was/is so much better and it can fit a standard size rest of the exhaust

on mine was also just a centre pipe and single rear box (instead of the standard across the rear) so I replaced those to the same again mass market s/s but because of the single box location the centre pipe never fitted well so I had one custom made and would have the single box replaced with a custom made one if it ever went wrong (by experience I know some can have the baffles go at around 20k miles and get noisy)

the custom exhaust don't have to be expensive as they might seem and the quality of the s/s and fit to the car should be a lot higher - but if you're keeping the rest of the system standard a good mass market rest of system should be fine

to go with the tubular manifold it would make sense to insure good induction by good filtering, either change the elements regularly or replace the thin foam mess pancake filters or perhaps go over to K&N with stub stacks (and possible different carb needles) - this would be best achieved by a rolling road tune up after the whole car has been fully serviced - Peter Burgess does excellent value with excellent results - http://www.peter-burgess.com/
Nigel Atkins

sound of the exhaust can also be down down to the condition and set up of the carbs (and servicing of course) -
two mgb roadsters with same sports exhaust systems, one owned by an engineer ("that'll do, do you realise the surface tension of . . . ") the other to a chap that made the moulds for 'scale die-cast models', one set off car alarms as it passed the other was a quite quiet burble

one car was almost show standard the other wasn't, I'll leave you to stereotype who own which car but you wont be wrong


oooooooooh, I can hear the moaning now, I didn't believe that stereotypes existed until I was about 18 and saw 'a bit more of the world'
Nigel Atkins

Hi ,
just done the same job on mine , ended up buying stainless steel manifold from moss about £180 and linking it up with maniflow mild steel single box silencer
Really pleased with it , not sure where you arein essex but welcome to have a look if you want

cheers
andy
Andy Chaffey

Either ask Kim at magic midget or go for a complete maniflow system.

Both deliver excellent quality and service.

I have a mild steel ancient maniflow manifold with a mild steel RC40 magic midget system.
Sounds and works great.
The manifold is older than I know (receipts from the PO suggest over 10 years)
The rest is about 5 years old and looks a bit rusty but that is to be expected with daily use through salted roads

A friends midget had a full maniflow system fitted 7 years ago an it still looked and sounded perfect before he sold the midget early this year.

I hate the sound of complete stainless systems.
Our GT has a normal cast manifold combined with a stainless exhaust fitted to that.
That sounds acceptable.
But the cast manifold from a GT is rather good and the one from a midget is crap...
Onno K

must be a personal thing I've never minded the sound of the s/s exhausts I've had on various cars

but I don't like the over mach boy(or girl) racer lower thumping ones you can get as they soon get tiring with the roof up or down, mine is just below embarrassing when going through a village street on a quiet Sunday morning and people seem happy to see the noise is from a true British classic sports car (especially when they see and hear so few this time of year)
Nigel Atkins

I have a mild steel Maniflow manifold, fitted to a SS system from MGOC. The 6 year old manifold has rusted through, whilst the 16 year old exhaust system lives on.

But there are lots of grades, or degrees of stainlessness in SS . It isn't in itself a true definition so quality varies. I can remember replacing mild steel exhaust systems every 2 years in the 1970s when they really were rubbish.
Guy W

I've also got a Maniflow system - they also advised that the sound was better with the mild steel.
If I got another I would have a mild steel manifold and stainless pipe / silencer as mine is rusting.

I've sprayed the manifold with a vht (Sperex type ?) paint but bits keep coming off.

I've got a single across the back system - it give good clearance between shocks/tank / ground and sounds good.
richard boobier

My car had a stainless Moss "sports" lcb manifold and single rear box when I got it. The rear box blew out most of its innards fairly quickly and I swopped it for a Maniflow mild steel pipe and rear box which has been on for a couple of years now and seems to work a treat. Quite a nice subdued fruity noise. Bought direct from Maniflow and the service was excellent.
Matt1275Bucks

I hope you are treating it some spridgetly tuning books?

Maniflow manifold and get it coated with the best coating you can afford. Stainless system pipe but a regular RC40 back box. A stainless back box might last a long time but will tend to get increasingly loud over time as the stuffing is blown out of it.
Daniel1312

Great advice guys...Im not too worried about the noise...it will be quieter than my V8 Jeep which has a stainless system with a 'system'!..
(I wont be bringing the car out the garage too early anyway)
looks like mild steel all the way through or mild steel manifold with stainless or mild system?
cherokeev8

DAMN...THAT DINT MAKE NO SENSE...
I meant my Jeep has a stainless system witha 'small' silencer........
cherokeev8

Greetings Folks,
I have a 6 inch stainless
system from my sons EVO 6 !! laying in the garden.
Any one want a challenge fitting that to a sprite? he's gone to titanium now( more money than sense)
P C Knightley

Prop will be along shortly for that Evo exhaust :-)
Andrew McGee

Another vote her for the Maniflow system with the RC40 back box. The lower tone of the set up seems a lot better on the ears after prolonged motorway driving. Even so I still usually wear earplugs too. You'd be amazed how much less tired you feel after a 200+ mile journey.
frogeye Gary

I struggled to find much cheaper and known to work than a mild steel RC40. It works well even on the K, though I think it's silencing performance is dropping off somewhat, last time I was out I set a car alarm off starting it.
Rob Armstrong

Im imagining the titanium exhaust is a J's Racing item on the Evo.

If so, pass on to him that he may wish to go and get the sensor bungs strengthened now, we had major issues with the DC5 race car blowing O2 sensors out of their hole along with the threaded insert.

For sheer fit and forget it's hard to beat a stainless system, personally I would go to the nearest powerflow or decent exhaust fitters and have one made up and over the axle and nice and snug to the shell.

They will also give you options for tailpipe, sound, etc etc
PeterJMoore

This thread was discussed between 04/12/2012 and 06/12/2012

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