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doug thorley axleback exhaust

8453 Views 15 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  l3ftb3hind
4
ordered a doug thorley axle back exhaust last week for $242 shipped off ebay-

https://www.dougthorleyheaders.com/products/productID/1058

installation took me about an hour, i had a gum grafting surgery this morning and really should have waited to install it but just couldn't. installation was pretty self explanatory. cutting the stock muffler off was a bit difficult because the lack of room you have to work with. i ended up taking a sawzall and shortening the blade just enough to get the job done without poking into the heat shield. it will say to cut 4-1/2" off, disregard that and start with a lesser amount. i ended up holding up the new pipe to get an idea of where i needed to cut it and added an extra inch to be safe. even if i made two cuts, better than cutting too much off.

the stock exhaust slid right out of the hangers with little effort, the new pipe is a two piece- which honestly should only be one piece but i suppose they make it that way for shipping reasons. hardest part is lining up the pipes before putting it underneath the car, why they didn't take two pieces of tape with a line for alignment purposes i don't know. bolted everything down as tight as i could get the clamps, no wiggle- i might take it to a friend to weld two beads on as clamps tend to loosen up overtime (past experiences) the clamps are nice and have locknuts.

i LOVE the sound! started the car up without the muffler and let me tell you, its not loud like one might expect. if you wanna straight pipe it, go ahead. i think it sounds pretty great, but anyways. the sound with the new muffler is very comparable to my old 2009 civic si's stock exhaust. no drone, no rasp, sounds awesome inside and outside the cab. quiet when cruising and not too loud at WOT. just enough you can tell you have an aftermarket exhaust which is what i was looking for. fit and finish is great too and looks almost like a stock system but with a chrome tip.

heres some photos- i'll try to upload a sound clip later- my iPhone doesn't do it justice as its not nearly what it sounds like in person.

Vehicle Vehicle registration plate Car Red Automotive exterior
Footwear Shoe Exhaust system Muffler Wine bottle
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Red Automotive exterior
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Red
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Very nice been waiting for some one to review it for the 1.8 I'm gonna buy next paycheck thanks for sharing !!
I have one and the sound was exactly what I was looking for. Nice deep tone.
Maybe i'm missing it, where is this axle back connecting at? Is it a cut and clamp setup?
Maybe i'm missing it, where is this axle back connecting at? Is it a cut and clamp setup?
correct, there is a pdf on the link I posted above that shows the install.

I would love to hear what this sounds like on the 1.4T, as this would work with my RS package rear bumper with the turned down exhaust tip.
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correct, there is a pdf on the link I posted above that shows the install.

I would love to hear what this sounds like on the 1.4T, as this would work with my RS package rear bumper with the turned down exhaust tip.
Links are blocked for me. If I knew what it sounded like on a 1.4 I would consider it but with a different tip.
Warning message when I tried the link.
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If it's axel back, why couldn't this fit the. 1.4l?
If it's axel back, why couldn't this fit the. 1.4l?
Maybe they haven't invested in finding out the difference. The cuts are literally axle back so it should fit. If you are having a muffler shop do the cutting then it wouldn't matter. I'm waiting for a 1.4T sound video before I do it. I'm changing the tip as well if I get it.
It does fit the 1.4T, there was a user on here that had one awhile back.

Any exhaust tone would be better than sounding like I drive an electric car now with the stock exhaust. If I remote start my car and the engine is warm I can't even hear the car is running in a busy parking lot.
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It does fit the 1.4T, there was a user on here that had one awhile back.

Any exhaust tone would be better than sounding like I drive an electric car now with the stock exhaust. If I remote start my car and the engine is warm I can't even hear the car is running in a busy parking lot.
Yeah, this was one of the things I noticed on cold start between my car at night and my girls non resonator bypassed(haven't gotten around to it yet) 1.8 LS. I'll go to YouTube and try and find it. With the stock resonator in place, most attempts to change the note shouldn't become an issue. The 1.8 resonator is massive compared to the 1.4 one.
I would love to hear what it sounds like inside and out. Is the axle back all you have done to the exhaust? There are a couple youtube clips out there, but they are pretty lousy.
Hi All,

I too am very interested in this on a 1.4. In the meantime, this user just submitted this a few days ago. Its on the 1.8 but still sounds pretty nice.

All I can seem to hear is wind and road noise :th_thumbsdownsm:
Honestly me too at first, if you listen to it with decent headphones or a decent speaker system you can hear the lows. Anywho I did order one for my 1.4 RS so I will post a link to a sound clip as soon as I get it installed.
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