Xforce VF82 exhaust kit installed - product clearance issue or poor fitment?

[RevNev]

Yeah they make some money these days, don't they.
I wanted to have the x pipe removed and replaced with a h pipe. The shop near me wanted $700 with me supplying the h pipe. Didn't happen.

To get an H-pipe note, you can cut down the centre of an X-pipe with a thin disc angle grinder and weld a 1.6mm plate in there with 1/2" merge hole drilled in the plate. It would take a couple of hours on a hoist but it's easier and quicker than fitting a complete H-pipe section time and cost wise.

 

[The91kwbeast]

It's not good and if the exhaust can't be mounted correctly, the shop shouldn't have fitted it.


The shop fitting it needs to modify the exhaust to accommodate the header variance and make another couple of hundred dollars!

Cheers yep I agree.

I won't mention the business as it's a well known and regarded business however I'll be discussing it with them mid next week after my suspension is in.

Hopefully it's a matter of just spending more time adjusting the hangers and not something more serious... In which case they can order another one from Xforce and try again at their time and cost.

 

[hjtrbo]

2 cents, x-force not the greatest. A Manta 3" system fits perfect and retains the factory cross brace without modification. And has that unique h-pipe growl. With all due respect the saying goes: A rich man buys it once, a poor man buys it twice.

 

[The91kwbeast]

2 cents, x-force not the greatest. A Manta 3" system fits perfect and retains the factory cross brace without modification. And has that unique h-pipe growl. With all due respect the saying goes: A rich man buys it once, a poor man buys it twice.

View attachment 254265

Indeed but a full manta stainless system is also $5.5k installed its insane what they charge. Sweet looking system though - it's basically a 3" version of the stock exhaust system design (i.e. front muffler included). And if you want bimodals its getting closer to $6k installed.

This system I got supplied & installed for $2.6k and I think sounds pretty nice and lets you use the Holden bimodal mufflers which is nice (the VF2 muffler I think sounds quite nice).

I'm actually taking my car to Xforce directly next week so they can assess the issue as my installer is adamant its installed as best they can.

There's a possibility I've just received a dud product in which case Xforce can bloody well fix the whole thing up at their cost!

 

[RevNev]

A Manta 3" system fits perfect and retains the factory cross brace without modification. And has that unique h-pipe growl.

What headers are they? Best collector I've seen that has half a chance of working properly.
It's a good design and fit, I've got a major issue with cross brace removal for the exhaust to fit, rough as guts that is!

 

[The91kwbeast]

What headers are they? Best collector I've seen that has half a chance of working properly.
It's a good design and fit, I've got a major issue with cross brace removal for the exhaust to fit, rough as guts that is!

This was going to be my other question back to Xforce as they said they don't supply a brace with this system (But are happy to remove the factory one and bin it).

Sorry its probably been debated elsewhere but was seemingly elusive in the search bar - what does the cross brace do, I assume its a chassis rigidity enhancing brace? Is there any noticeable effect at all in handling or how the car 'feels' with it removed?

 

[lmoengnr]

This was going to be my other question back to Xforce as they said they don't supply a brace with this system (But are happy to remove the factory one and bin it).

Sorry its probably been debated elsewhere but was seemingly elusive in the search bar - what does the cross brace do, I assume its a chassis rigidity enhancing brace? Is there any noticeable effect at all in handling or how the car 'feels' with it removed?

That's debatable, as the plate isn't really ridged by design, and the 4 attachment bolts aren't designed to enhance rigidity.
It's an accountant's rigid design...

 

[RevNev]

This was going to be my other question back to Xforce as they said they don't supply a brace with this system (But are happy to remove the factory one and bin it).

Sorry its probably been debated elsewhere but was seemingly elusive in the search bar - what does the cross brace do, I assume its a chassis rigidity enhancing brace? Is there any noticeable effect at all in handling or how the car 'feels' with it removed?

Nothing that adds rigidity to a chassis should be removed, particularly to fit an exhaust when there's plenty of room above the brace to fit 3" pipes. Basically, the brace is removed to enable the exhaust manufacturer to cut corners and increase their profit margin.

Despite the exhaust industry obsession with header sizes run on 900hp 410ci sprint car engines turning 8700rpm and V8 Supercar sized exhausts, we need to keep in mind that a good 2.5" exhaust will flow at least 430kw naturally aspirated. 430kw or 580hp flywheel, is a seriously modified NA engine and there wouldn't be many exceeding that to benefit from the clearance rigamarole and cost of a 3" exhaust. Personally, I'd only ever fit 3" exhausts to supercharged street engines or race cars that can actually use the 3" volume.

 

[vr304]

A bit of useless information but my ve sedan has a 3 inch stainless x force system and I still have the chassis brace thing in place

 

[RevNev]

That's debatable, as the plate isn't really ridged by design, and the 4 attachment bolts aren't designed to enhance rigidity.
It's an accountant's rigid design...

I tend to use the "can and can't" rule with things like this. Removing the brace "can't" increase chassis or floor pan rigidity so I leave it on.

I don't see the brace doing much vertically but horizontally, it ties in with the longitudinal bracing welded to the floor pan and could resist trans tunnel spreading, perhaps not dynamically so much but could be related to floor pan buckle or seat mount integrity in a crash. Holden the penny pinchers they are, I doubt would've wasted money fitting the brace for no reason.