BCS "3" TBE hybrid system 80mm (twin)

[JackG]

After much head scratching on which exhaust to purchase from the choices of miltek,blueflame,APR,magnex,powerflow,pipworx...etc etc....
I decided to take part in the blueflame group buy from nige at BCS automotive

WHY?
Why? Well that's obvious.....I have a stage 1 edition30 and for my plans to go stage 3 and good system that's tried and tested with good gains! I find the stage 1 edition30 very fast (301.1bhp) BUT it lacks in "feel" I think it's all good being pinned in the seat but you need to have a nice sound to add to the power   it adds to the effect and makes it "feel" like a more alive drive!

SOURCING
the system was purchased from Nigel at BCS automotive, the system is entailed with a blueflame rear section so please allow a few days for a BCS downpipe to be made....the reason for this is fittment issues from blueflameside of things
My system took around 1 week to be made up and posted out, please see the "group buy" section on the forum for the latest offer or PM Nigel direct

FITTING
fitting wasn't done by me as I'm useless..but I work for Volkswagen so I got the guys to fit the system for me  
The tech that fitted it for me said he hopes it doesn't need to bent! He's fitted a miltek TBE to a personal friends S3...apparently he needed to help it fit correctly, the guys at work were amazed at the quality of the system,the welds were pure craft,pipes were bent perfectly,hangers all in the correct places,
All the required parts,clamps,bush converter were all included in the box so the only part I needed to buy was a turbo gasket, the fitting too around 40 mins and was hassle free, everything lined up as it should, nothing needed adjusting to stop knocking...it was hassle free  
The reason the down pipe is BCS is due to the down pipe hitting the heatsheild so I'm told  
OTHER VERSIONS
there are lots of other versions of TBE exhausts from miltek,APR,pipeworx etc etc
Many pepole have theses versions and they all have strong plus points.

PLUS POINTS
•power
•Torque increase
•sound improvement
•looks
When the system was fitted it started with a nice burble! I took the car for a test drive and it was like a rope was took off from its neck! Revs are much smoother, feels like it revs easy, power increase is noticeable as the there is alot less turbo lag and its power feels improved by what I'd estimate at around 8bhp ish (I haven't been mapped to it yet)
The sound is great! I did a test which was NOT TO TELL THE GIRLFRIEND! I didnt tell her at all, didn't even mention I've bought it   when it was fitted I went and picked her up...at start up it made a nice burble with the revs raised...she didn't notice (at this point I'm trying not to laugh) when I started driving she still hasn't noticed...when I got to around 5k she said "the car seems louder? Is it just me?" I said it's fine...nothings changed  
Then we came to the slip road from were I live...I put the car in sport mode (she still hasn't clocked it) then I accelerated
Hard and then!...."you've bought a new bloody exhaust"  
My reply...I sure have!. The noise is fine, I really really don't like drone but a miltek was to silent for me but the BCS system is bang on the mark, doesn't drone, nice pop when on over run, sounds epic when on the loud pedal! The sound is to die for and with mine being a DSG the pop is to die for! I've been getting 17mpg for the last 3 days  

MINUS POINTS
none really! I can't fault it yet!

SUMMERY
to sum it all up! What's improved
•power
•sound
•looks
For the price and results achieved and the horror stories about milteks brackets braking I thought the BCS hybrid system is a clear winner! I wouldn't  spend over 1K on a full TBE miltek with cat when the BCS system does all the miltek does but the BCD suits MY needs better as like I said "the miltek was to quiet"
The build quality was pure professional workmanship, another factor to consider is who do you want your money to go to?
Nigel is a nice chap who always replies to messages and questions, he's no hard sales man and his knowledge and advice is great, he appreciated my buisness such in today's economy is very important to me as id rather spend my hard earned £££ on someone that will offer a service and a product rather than just a product  
I'll post some pictures of the system and report as to how im finding it after a few hundred miles  

 
 












I'd like to say a big thanks to Nigel at BCS for all your help and for keeping me updated  
Thanks for reading guys
Jack

[MAT ED30]

That is just the same as the blueflame Nigel and the guys built on mine years ago and if it is then they sound awesome

[JackG]

That is just the same as the blueflame Nigel and the guys built on mine years ago and if it is then they sound awesome

It's to die for! I've had to put a bottle cap behind the pedal to stop me from being childish 

I'm not joking! I've actually put one there!!

[MAT ED30]

  it gets better too with age

[JackG]

Get older get older get older 

[chris s]

Jack i am in total agreement, had my t b e fitted this week by Dave at bcs and despite my initial concerns over noise with the seats down i am loving the increased drama and sound especially as i have a dsg like you on a stage one ed30

[JackG]

Jack i am in total agreement, had my t b e fitted this week by Dave at bcs and despite my initial concerns over noise with the seats down i am loving the increased drama and sound especially as i have a dsg like you on a stage one ed30

like wise buddy! It's spot on, i didn't want to tale the "GOLF" part of it away and turn it into a BTCC noise car buts it 100% spot on for me 

[john_o]

thanks for taking the time to do the review Jack and in the recommended format 
very tempted myself now 

[Rob84]

Reading this review has pretty much made my mind up to which TBE i'll go for when funds allow! 

Are those tail pipes a special request or were they the only ones offered?

Top review btw 

[Powervalve Nige]

Hi Rob
We do the rolled in or the hard edge - we are working on tooling at the moment to produce a steeper angle to better suit the wash away o the valence - oh we also do ceramic black coated as well.
Cheers
Nige

[Powervalve Nige]

Thanks Jack for your review.
It's great to be working with real enthusiasts, who only want the best potential products for their car.
We wanted to offer the best possible out of the box set up for the MK 5 which is why I went back to the drawing board and produced a hybrid design based on my original Blue Flame concept.
Not sure what has happened since I left BF, but let's just say that the down pipe needed to be re developed.
We opted for a 1d 76mm bend off the turbo to bring the downpipe perfectly central in the engine bay tunnel - so no stressed flex or knocks and bangs here.
Flex length is critical to correctly de couple the transverse motion from the engine - especially when running big power. Have a look at the OEM design below and compare with the flex length on the Milltek and then wonder why so many have experienced stress fatigue and cracking. It's also interesting to note the tube diameter at the flex - again not good when hunting for big power.



We also increased the front silencer size, to reduce interior cabin noise slightly - again in response to the guy's who want all the power without so much drama ( except you Joe - who removed the front silencer and opted for the silencer delete pipe )
The results are now spot on - we will be dynoing next week with all of our GIAC maps to show power comaprisons across the board.
Oh and watch out for the Valvetronic exhaust which will be released in October. This will be a world first on the MK 5 and features a full flow valve controlled exhaust note that goes from quiet on tick over and low revs to insane on boost.
PS existing customers will be able to retro fit this new setup.
Once again guy's thanks for all of the words of encouragement so far - we couldn't do it with out you.
Cheers
Nige
 

[h4rdy]

Is this TBE the one in the GB at £795+£15 delivery?

[JackG]

Is this TBE the one in the GB at £795+£15 delivery?

Sure is 

[Powervalve Nige]

Is this TBE the one in the GB at £795+£15 delivery?

Yes this is the modified system - originally we were selling off 5 Blue Flame systems - however, when it came to fitting them on our own MK5, it transpired that there were fitting issues that needed to be resolved.
We therefore came up with my new hybrid design. This stock has all bee allocated to customers.
However,we will be offering our new TBE which takes all of the positives from the hybrid system and utilises a flange connection at the rear silencer to aid fitting.
We will be selling the new design at £895.00
However, due to the response we would like to offer a continuation of the group buy at £795.00 for a minimum of 10 customers. The good news is that the parts will fit the Scirocco and MK6 if any one wants to rope in potential runners of these cars.
cheers
Nige
 

[G-Lader]

Nige, do you offer decat TDi downpipes and R32 style resonated systems?
If so, can you give me a price for each please?

Cheers,
Des.