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Sound system

MODIFIED CARS – AKRAPOVIC MK 7 GOLF GTI PP

An expensive option, but the Akrapovič exhaust system for the Mk 7 Golf GTI provides extremely high quality, along with a significant performance improvement and a perfect blend of sounds…

Photos: Neil Birkitt

‘ Compared to its retro rivals, it really is a superior car in every way...’

FOR A GREAT many years now, one of the first modifications made to many enthusiasts’ cars has been to fit a replacement sports exhaust system, perhaps overtaken in recent years only by an ECU re-map for those cars with a turbo which will benefit (quite literally) from the extra boost in power.

Combine those two straightforward upgrades and the factory-standard car is instantly transformed into a much faster, more responsive machine, and one that ‘makes all the right noises’…

The latest construction techniques, development and testing, and the subsequent marketing, mean that modern exhaust upgrades – of which there are many to choose from – are a very far cry from the rorty, resonant and often rattley, so-called ‘sports’ exhaust systems of previous decades.

In those days, the sports exhaust was often an ambitious replacement for a rusty factory-fitted mild steel original that had

failed the MoT, although in many cases the big-bore replacement not only made far too much noise, sometimes even reduced the engine power, and often either fell off or rusted away even more quickly than the original!

That all changed for the better when stainless steel became the preferred option for the replacement exhaust industry. Nowadays, virtually all the major exponents in the exhaust aftermarket use high-quality materials and construction techniques, resulting in the sound, performance and

appearance that makes many owners of even brand-new cars replace the original factory-fitted system as a very early priority. We’ve lost count of the number of low-mileage original factory-fitted exhaust systems we’ve seen discarded and stacked up in the backyards of tuning companies all around the country.

But the industry is constantly developing and when most protagonists are already offering products of high quality, the only way is up. The ‘latest thing’ at the top end of the exhaust aftermarket is the use of titanium alloy for the construction, offering big advantages in terms of both increased strength and reduced weight.

It’s not the easiest of metals to work with, and it’s certainly not the cheapest, but it also offers advantages in terms of corrosion resistance because, as many will have found, over the years, even stainless steel will show signs of corrosion in the long-term. It might not rot away as badly

‘ The ‘latest thing’ at the top end of the exhaust aftermarket is the use of titanium alloy, offering both increased strength and reduced weight...’

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as mild steel, but it certainly won’t look quite so shiny and new after a few years of exposure to the elements.

One of the leading exponents of titanium alloy exhaust systems at the moment is the Slovenian company Akrapovič, now making big in-roads into the exhaust aftermarket for prestige vehicles here in the UK, and we recently took a trip up to Sheffield to visit the UK agent and take closer look at the new Akrapovič system for the Mk 7 Golf GTI.

The UK agent, Charlie Orpen, runs a Mk 7 Golf GTI DSG with the Performance pack option, and it goes without saying that it is now fitted with the full Akrapovič exhaust system. Now serving not only as daily driver and company car, but also as the perfect demo vehicle for the product, we first spent some time with the car up on the ramps at CLP Automotive, to examine the installation at close quarters, before heading out onto the road.

Specialising in Audi, VW, BMW and Mini tuning and servicing, CLP Automotive is yet another high-quality independent offering full main dealer facilities and employing fully trained ex-main dealer technicians. CLP’s MD James Cross explained that they soon came to appreciate the sheer quality of Akrapovič exhaust systems as appropriate for their spectrum of prestige customer cars and they’ve now become one of the leading suppliers and installers here in the UK.

We’ve seen a few exhaust systems in our time, some better than others, but a close look at the construction and fit of this Akrapovič system shows that it is a clear cut above the rest, with perfectly formed

pipework, brackets, seamless welds and perfect bends, all terminating with two exquisitely finished carbon-fibre tailpipe trims. There is even the option of a hand-crafted carbon-fibre rear diffuser to add an even greater degree of exclusivity. It almost looks like a specially prepared motor show exhibit but this is, in fact, the normal standard of construction, manufactured from the same high-class materials usually only found on race-winning machines as well as prestige sports and supercars. Even the Akrapovič website, point of sale material and the packaging are all works of art!

For the Mk 7 Golf GTI, Akrapovič offers two titanium alloy exhaust systems. The

‘A close look at the construction and fit of this Akrapovič system shows that it is a clear cut above the rest, with perfectly formed pipework,

brackets, seamless welds and perfect bends...’

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MTP-VW/T/1H (Slip-On Line) is a replacement twin-box rear silencer section made entirely out of titanium alloy, while the S-VW/T/1 (Evolution Line) is a titanium alloy slip-on combined with bigger stainless-steel link pipe tubes, engineered to optimise gas flow and back pressure by replacing the standard system from the turbo back. As such, the Evolution also comes complete with a high-flow sports catalytic converter, designed to improve the power and torque as well as provide the potential for further tuning.

We’ve not tested the system independently, but Akrapovič’s own figures and test data for the two systems seem entirely plausible, with realistic claims for an improvement in maximum power output from the Evolution system of 12 PS (9 kW) at 4750 rpm and a torque increase of 16 Nm (12 lb.ft.) at 4350 rpm, with both the power and torque plots showing an improvement throughout the rev range.

Even the slip-on system is claimed to provide an improvement of 4 PS (3 kW) at 4600 rpm and a torque increase of 7 Nm (5 lb.ft.) at 3750 rpm, giving a discernible improvement in performance right where it’s most useful, in the mid-range.

Speaking of actual performance, it’s also important to bear in mind that the Akrapovič system is significantly lighter than the standard factory-fitted system it replaces, saving 3.0 kg for the Slip-on system and 5.6 kg for the complete Evolution set-up. That’s probably not a difference you’ll feel in terms of power to weight ratio and performance out on the open road, but quite a few race teams would work long and hard to save that much weight in a competition car, knowing that every little bit counts.

So, we’ve got superb construction, excellent fit and finish and the test figures to prove an increase in performance – not something that every aftermarket exhaust

manufacture can make a claim for. But, perhaps most importantly of all, what does it sound like?

Heading out on to the main roads west towards Doncaster provided the ideal opportunity to sample the GTI in almost every conceivable driving mode, from trickling along in traffic, to accelerating through a sequence of roundabouts, and cruising for mile after mile at ‘motorway’ speeds, varying the speed in small increments.

We experienced the sound of the system at first-hand from both outside the car, following in close formation while carrying out the car-to-car tracking photography, while the GTI ran alongside and then acceler-ated ahead, as well as from the passenger seat while riding shotgun on the way back to Sheffield.

Bearing in mind that this was the full performance system, not just the rear silencer, it proved almost perfect in every

‘ We experienced the sound of the system at first-hand, from outside the car as well as from the passenger seat, and it proved almost perfect in every respect...’

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respect; subdued and mellow at low speed, with a sporting edge when accelerating hard, but then quiet and restrained at cruising speeds. If you’ve ever driven a car with a sports system that drones at 80 mph you’ll know how tiresome, even painful, that can become on a long motorway journey. Also, there is absolutely no hint of the unfortunate resonance and boom that can sometimes afflict high-performance systems, often most noticeable on the over run.

Clearly, Akrapovič has put a lot of work into designing this system to tick all the boxes; not just to look superb but also to fit perfectly and perform well, and make all the right noises, and at just the right times. There is a downside, of course, and the Akrapovic system isn’t cheap by any reckoning, with

FOUNDED IN Slovenia 24 years ago, by former motorcycle racer Igor Akrapovic, the brand has grown to international prominence through its successful support of leading motorsport teams.

To date, 89 world champions from two- and four-wheel motorsport arenas have achieved success with Akrapovic exhaust systems.

The company operates from state-of-the-art factories in Slovenia, employing over 700 staff and distributing its products in more than 60 countries.

For more details, visit Akrapovic online at www.akrapovic.com or call 08456 809 342 to contact the UK agent Peron Automotive (www.peron-automotive.co.uk )

How do you pronounce it?The subject of much conjecture and you’ll undoubtedly hear several interpretations of the name Akrapovic and you’ll also be excused for doubting it when you hear the correct pronunciation, which is A-KRAP-OF-ITCH. You can find it posted on YouTube if you want to hear it for yourself.

CONTACTSCLP AutomotiveTel: 0114 270 1025www.clpautomotive.co.uk

Peron Ltd (UK Agent)T: 0845 680 9342E: charlie@peron-automotive.co.ukwww.peron-automotive.co.uk

the Slip-on system typically costing around £1600, and the full Evolution system priced at twice that figure, with the optional carbon-fibre rear valance at nearly £900.

But, just to put that into perspective, when you consider that a fully optioned Mk 7 GTI with the Performance pack could well cost the best part of £30,000+ then the full Evolution system is equivalent to spending £150 to £200 on an exhaust for a typical Mk 4 GTI 1.8T! III

‘ Akrapovič has put a lot of work into designing this system to tick all the boxes’