S18 RSG 429 Report post Posted February 8, 2016 Before I get into this, let me preface by saying that I do not intend to purchase anything from the supplier I am going to be mentioning here. Also, if you have the opinion of "It's cheap, therefore it's crap" without any proof to back that up, then we share the same view, but I still think this is worth discussing. So, like I'm sure many before me, I too have stumbled across this "Top Gear" exhaust supplier on eBay, selling manifolds/exhausts for all sorts of cars for really low prices. Like many before, I have ignored them, because in general, cheap is crap. However, to get some proof to back my opinion up, I spent an hour or so researching the company yesterday, and despite my initial expectations, I was surprised as to what I found. The majority of first hand experiences of this company came back as remarkably positive, and unlike my expectations, this wasn't from the Corsa forum, or the Nova forum, all these experiences came from the Audi R8 forum, Ferrari owners club, Porsche owners club and Corvette owners club. Furthermore, looking deeper into their pricing structure, a full cat back exhaust system for a GT86 costs the same amount of money I paid for my custom system, and they are in partnership with Longlife, which, while not an A+ company, have been around for long enough to show that they're not cowboys. Just wondered if anyone here had any first hand experience with the company, or had anything to add. It seems unlikely that they make poor quality parts if an hour or so of research found very little criticism for them. Interested to hear opinions/experiences. Edit: An example of one of their GT86 products http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/Toyota-GT86-Manifold-with-200-Cell-Sports-Cats-Also-fits-Subaru-BRZ/201493821358?hlpht=true&ops=true&viphx=1&_trksid=p5197.c100068.m2280&_trkparms=ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140211125758%26meid%3D2442dd2a87374f8eb371ab8f5200158b%26pid%3D100068%26clkid%3D3172230598460401446&_qi=RTM2108002 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paul 442 Report post Posted February 8, 2016 A catted manifold for £320?! That seems crazy cheap... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S18 RSG 429 Report post Posted February 8, 2016 I honestly wouldn't trust that particular manifold. Like you say, £320 is too cheap. Some catalytic converters are worth that much money alone. That being said, I've read a few reviews on their catted manifolds, and am yet to find any horror stories. One particular story was a catted manifold for a Ferrari F430... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nicebiscuit 655 Report post Posted February 8, 2016 I suppose it depends where they're manufactured. Completely different industry but I play guitar, and received wisdom was that cheap guitars were rubbish. But the Chinese learned quick and I have a couple of cheap Chinese instruments now that really are comparable with the expensive US ones I also have. Back with cars again, I have also been impressed with the cheap Japan Racing alloys I bought for winter wheels. No they're not forged RAYS. But they're nicely made - seem durable so far, and aren't heavy. Not crap anyway, and therefore good value. Sometimes cheaper is just cheaper. Now all we need is a Guinea pig for that manifold... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kodename47 446 Report post Posted February 8, 2016 Top Gear is just selling all the China versions copies you can find on Alibaba. I believe that the manifolds are pretty much OEM spec based on what the US guys say. I know that the exhausts aren't 2.5". Whilst the quality might be improving, you'll get what you pay for in performance. I am running one of the Q300 replicas, it's not 2.5" as they state it is but it seems to be holding up OK and sounds fine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S18 RSG 429 Report post Posted February 8, 2016 Interesting. There's no way would I order one from eBay, there's no controlling what product you end up getting, but I may be tempted to head to their offices and see what's up. The only reason I stumbled across that product is I was looking for online prices for manifolds, and that one obviously stood out. According to their website, their premade systems are Longlife approved, and they do custom work at their workshop. At least going there you get to have a face to face and be sure you're getting what's advertised. I'm in for a remap at the end of the month, if it doesn't satisfy me, I'll be looking at replacing the manifold soon after. Maybe I'll pay them a visit. On the subject of guitars, I too bought a cheap knock off, a replica of a Fender Strat. A few years down the line I dropped a significant amount of money on a real one, and honestly, the quality difference is far less than the price difference. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nerdstrike 186 Report post Posted February 8, 2016 Speaking from my RX8 club experiences and the cheap as chips exhaust parts, the low prices can come with hidden consequences. Many members bought toyosport catbacks and some went for manifolds too. Catbacks could be had for as little as £180. The main criticisms were fitment - the catback sometimes had exhaust tips that weren't level, the manifold wouldn't seal properly to the block because it was warped. Those that kept them were at least 50% happy, with some finding exhaust resonance driving them nuts, and others having baffles blowing out, or just finding heavy corrosion after little time. The sports cats had good flow, but some didn't even pass emissions in their first year. Now obviously those that were happy, were very happy for the price they paid. You can buy two for the price of the named parts and they often flow well, but by contrast those that went for the quality parts didn't see anywhere near so many issues. Yes, you're paying a larger profit margin, and yes it won't necessarily do a better job, but some of the price is a fit guaranteed by the manufacturer's reputation. The rotary pushes a lot of hot exhaust so perhaps the problems are not so big for the FA20. Quality control may still be a big factor. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tareim 343 Report post Posted February 8, 2016 I bought a front mount intercooler kit from Toyosport for my old mkiv golf tdi and fitting was so terrible that I sent it back but my cheap cbe from some random seller on ebay (came in a japspeed box) for the brz is spot on Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lauren 2259 Report post Posted February 8, 2016 You may want to consider that if you have a remap, you'll need another remap after changing the manifold really, so better to change the manifold first. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S18 RSG 429 Report post Posted February 8, 2016 6 minutes ago, Lauren said: You may want to consider that if you have a remap, you'll need another remap after changing the manifold really, so better to change the manifold first. Yeah, that's something I'm unfortunately going to have to absorb, although I'm sure I read somewhere that extra mapping time at the same stage is charged at hourly rate, rather than full price (need to confirm this however). I'm not sure I'll even want the manifold after the remap, will need to judge how much more drivable the car is after it's done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tareim 343 Report post Posted February 8, 2016 15 minutes ago, S18 RSG said: Yeah, that's something I'm unfortunately going to have to absorb, although I'm sure I read somewhere that extra mapping time at the same stage is charged at hourly rate, rather than full price (need to confirm this however). I'm not sure I'll even want the manifold after the remap, will need to judge how much more drivable the car is after it's done. it certainly is like that with fensport 1 S18 RSG reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gringosteve 213 Report post Posted February 10, 2016 I have first hand experience, had a cat back on my EP3 Type R. It was loud in a good way. Cotton wadding started coming out of the back box after a year so had it swapped under Warranty with no issues after that. Lots of people had them on the R forum 1 S18 RSG reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
