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VF (VE) SSV V8 (M) sedan with stock exhaust and Berklee sports mufflers

jono67

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Hi guys,

There are plenty of exhaust threads I could have posted this into, but as it's specific and it's something that I have done, rather than a question being asked, I thought it may be helpful to those out there searching/wanting to do the same. God knows, I searched a fair bit to find anyone who had fitted Berklee mufflers to their VF (even VE) and came up with nada.

So as the title suggests, I have fitted to my VF (which had the stock exhaust all the way through) with simply some Berklee sports mufflers. Having just wanted a bit more of a note and nothing more, I settled on these.

The shop I purchased from was the most help in the end of a long search, and allowed me to bolt them on and take it for a spin before deciding I'd take them. These mufflers are for the VE's, but can also be fitted to the VF. My installer said some VF's require some adjustment to the tips length wise, but mine sat in the same position as the stock tips.

As soon as I fired it up, it bought a grin to my face. Granted this is my own opinion, I'll try and explain what they are like as best I can.

The stock exhaust actually wasn't too bad, there was some note there to start with, but like we all know, very quiet. Now at idle you can hear that it's a V8, with a low burble being produced. Once you get going, say between the 1000 to 2500 rpm range, it does give off a quite audible low V8 rumble on flat road, normal driving. Once you get over 2500rpm it sounds the same as the stock mufflers.

When loaded and going up the incline of a hill it is louder obviously than when on the flat, but I would not say overly so. Most of the sound in my opinion in the cabin is coming up through the boot and through the back seats, as the back of the mufflers (nearest the diff) finish roughly at the half way mark of the boot. For me the sound up hills (there are a few around where I live) is ok, but perhaps not for my passengers. So I have experimented with some sound deadening material stuck to the underside of the rubber boot liner I had installed a while ago, and it does seem to take the edge off it so as it's not so harsh, without losing much of the sound when not on the incline.

Note on the sound deadener - DO NOT let any cover the remote key receiver that sits in the boot at the base of the middle fold down seat. I accidentally had placed some deadener over it, and was getting the 'Service keyless start system' warning on the dash.

Coming back through the gears it sounds great, especially with a blip on the throttle. I have had it up to about 90 km/h in 5th and no drone, fairly quiet.

My installer has tested quiet a few mufflers for the VE/VF, and in his (and mine) opinion, they are the best sounding. He did say they even make the V6 sound pretty good, and said straight away that normally he wouldn't say that as all V6's with exhausts sound, lets just say, a bit ordinary, but these are the exception.

I took a before and after video and have finally worked out how to get it onto the tube. Not great quality as it was taken on my android, and a bit rushed, but hopefully it gives you some idea of the difference. Probably best to listen to on a PC with some speakers and a bit of bass coming through a sub woofer which gives it a more realistic sound.

 
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[paradox]

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definite improvement. im honestly surprised the S1 seems so quiet.
 
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