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OK, it looks like I have resolved any additional heat related problems coming from the muffler's exit by simply removing all discs 'cept for one (to give the muffler end a more clean look). This moves the exhaust gases directly outward and not up as directed by the discs and closed back end cap.
This is normally referred to as the "open position" set-up which involves NO discs. The negative to this choice, for most, is it's simply too aggressive a sound with db level's at WOT more common to what you would hear at a freakin' F1 event. Hyperbole for sure but you know what I mean. The strange thing though is at idle the car is very quiet, almost stock. There are certain manipulations you can do with the throttle while moving that almost make the system sound OEM. Very strange. Lay on the pedal though and things get crazy very fast. OK, aside from the "noise" and the asthetics which granted, aren't REMUS-esque, the positive is frankly speaking, insane gains in muffler-created horsepower. I might just have been satisfied to know this 41-yr-old butt dyno is a bit more calibrated than many, but don't take my word on it, continue reading and we'll get to the results of my findings. I took the car this morning to my "test track" to do some post-Supertrapp runs using my favorite new toy, the Tazzo, a device which unlike the GTECH, can track times between speed points. http://www.tazzo.com/tazzo/custhp.HTM
It takes out any deviation from shifting and poor launches. I find I'm using this more and more and the GTECH less and less. Without boring folks to death, I had two speed points I was using while remaining in 4th gear.
Avg of speed point 1 w/ Tanabe duals = 10.68 seconds
Avg of speed point 1 w/ STrapp single and 1 disc = 10.50 seconds
Avg of speed point 2 w/ Tanabe duals = 8.68 seconds
Avg of speed point 2 w/ STrapp single and 1 disc = 8.50 seconds.
Strange, but the consistency of improvement (.18 seconds) was damn near spot-on following each run (nine total). I think .18 seconds difference for a time trial which lasts just under 11 and 9 seconds respectively is quite impressive. I didn't have time to nail any 1/4-mile runs but I suspect if I'm pulling .18 seconds quicker from 40-70 in 4th, then my 1320 reduction should be impressive, at least considering this is simply a muffler I am talking about here. I have a wav. file that is about four seconds long that I took on the way home from the runs, just hanging my Olympus digital recorder out the window. If anyone can host it, you'll understand why I rave about the exhaust growl from the Supertrapp which I like more than any other system I've heard and that includes my previous Tanabe. It just seems to sound more like a superbike with bass, if that makes any sense. It definitely has a LOWER growl (tone) than the Tanabe, which seemed higher pitched and more frantic. The Supertrapp sounds deeper. I love the Tanabe though, don't get me wrong. Great exhaust. Again, bear in mind this set-up of running only one disc wilth the car windows up can really (under moderate to heavy throttle application) bark! It's definitely not for those who live around areas with lots of patrolling policia. I believe I have a few options (mainly asthetic) if I want to retain this set-up, which I believe I do...the gains are too insane to go back to a normal muffler. I can opt for a polished stainless steel Supertrapp which is 1-inch longer in length, order the 5-inch outlet (as opposed to the current 4-inch) to close up the rear fascia gap a little and finish the change by bringing the tip out just slightly, maybe an inch or so.
The polished stainless steel looks a bit nicer than the aggressive black muffler but if I'm going with black wheels, I might just stay with what I have now and use a different end piece which maintains the gases flow path outward.
Because of the way Supertrapp works, you can somewhat monitor the status of your air/fuel ratio by how the end cap changes color. A nice gold tone will indicate proper ratios. A dark brown to black and you're running rich, no discoloration and you're running too lean. The outside disc that I'm using now has already turned a nice golden tone, a good sign of the Honda engine doing its job properly...looks kinda cool 'cept for the screws holding it in place which calls for a free-flow end cap such as this:
I could then (as a result of the difference in end construction) put a few more discs inside the body of the muffler where they belong (not on the outside) to retrieve a bit of the low rpm backpressure I'm losing with a totally straight-thru set-up. Running with no or few discs is good if you spend a LOT of time up high, but the reality is I'd probably want just a bit more sub 4K RPM grunt. I can't notice any loss of low RPM power though because as soon as the tach goes past 4K, you can feel the surge of power from the free-flowing set-up. I really can't explain why the Supertrapp performs better than other canister-type mufflers I've owned. They appear to be straight shots thru the cans as well. Then again, I haven't yet mentioned the weight savings. Taking out the entire left side of the Tanabe which includes the left canister muffler and piping saved 10-lbs. The right, another 10-lbs. The connecting piece was 5-lbs. Total removed = 25-lbs. The Supertrapp weighs
5-lbs installed, the connecting piece from the original Tanabe mid-section and clamps came in at 7-lbs. Total of OEM system (digital scale) was 52-lbs.
The Tanabe weighed 38-lbs. My Supertrapp single weighs 25-lbs...about as light as a single Titanium muffler set-up, so I saved 27-lbs from the OEM system and DEFINITELY gained horsepower.
I used the stock Tanabe plumbing up to the last mid-section and had the exhaust people bring up some piping to the Supertrapp. They didn't have access to any mandrel bends but as you can see, there probably isn't any significant flow restriction using their supplied pipes because the width of the Supertrapp made it easy for them to maintain the flow pattern of the Tanabe.
Need to get the car on a dyno later this spring to see where all the thump is coming from (RPM-wise). Here are some more pics. Hope this info will be of use to anyone in the future considering marching down the Supertrapp path.
Adding discs assumes you are using the end cap which forces the gases radially around the discs and end cap. Without the end cap, using the discs does nothing but control sound because the gases exit straight out. The removal or addition of discs "strategy" assumes the end cap is being used.
Russ, What about adding some of the disks back in with the endcap, but also adding in some sort of cover over the top third of the disc openings to prevent the gasses from hitting the fascia?
Supertrapp makes a heat shield that covers the top third of the exhaust. The black exhaust is NOT the right exhaust for automobiles (more so as a motorcycle exhaust) because the discs sit on the outside of the muffler, not the inside. Check my new thread on my updated Supertrapp system, which is phenominal. I love it! https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...threadid=112873
As you can see from looking at the first two photos of that thread, the new exhausts have the discs on the inside of the muffler which is proper, especially with a rear fascia so close to the exit areas. Summit Racing sent me the wrong muffler and I didn't really realize it until it was on the car. The single black is now in my garage, waiting to be sold as a race muffler because without the end caps, it's loud but damn, what a difference in performance. I'm now running with the polished duals and I should of done this a year ago.
Wow, talk about a gap in between posts!
The gains were with the Supertrapp muffler using Tanabe Racing Medallion
cat-back piping up until the Supertrapp muffler. IOW, I replaced the canister Tanabe mufflers
with the Supertrapp.
I didn't like the unfinished look of the system as shown above and had two polished chrome
mufflers installed. Sounds incredible, weighs about 16-lbs. Not large mufflers, rather indiscreet, but mean. Note the gold tint of the end caps in the lst pic below compared to the one below it (new). As discussed above, this denotes a proper air/fuel mixture going on. Nothing too rich (black colored cap) or too lean (no tint at all).
Resurrection indeed!
I no longer use the 'Trapps, rather I went with a custom SS exhaust single but I can help you with some of your questions. There have been a few members (less than five if I can recall) that have gone this route. Most import enthusiasts have never heard of Supertrapp mufflers but I've used 'em on Camaro SS' and a few other muscle cars and thought the concept would work well with the S2000 and it did.
The car sounded very nice (think Superbike on steroids) post VTEC and was
actually quieter than my current setup.
You can easily replace the two OEM mufflers with Supertrapps but you'll want to be there when the shop does it because it's easy to get them misaligned. The shop will have to play around with the angles and entry point on the pipe and probably they'll have to add some pipe at the attachment point where the original mufflers were removed. The ones I had were 18-inches long, both polished SS. Very nice.
It's something different, that's for sure. On another note, running 'em without the end cap is more or less like running the car with no mufflers at all. It's loud as hell but sounds absolutely insane post VTEC.
