If this valve is closed below 4000 rpm does it lower the power of that area.
ie most of our driving is done below 4k so will the car be less responsive
....He says it keeps low down torque.
Personally I want to hear my exhaust all through the whole rev range from a standstill and to do so in a naturally progressive way and not with any sudden changes.
I dont think it lowers the power at all with the valve being closed, it just silences it more (almost std sounding having 2 silencers) and still keeps low down torque (best of both worlds IMO), meaning its nice and quiet for pootling around so as not to upset the local bed wetters and also I dont feel like a
Bit of a cock Boy Racer, but when your out of the villages/town on the open road it achieves it's sportier tone by bypassing the larger silencer, it does not feel less responsive in the low rev range, it definately feels more responsive as the system diameter is much larger and more free flowing than std system even with the valve closed (larger overall diameter and 200 cell CAT is going to flow gasses quicker than VW exhaust
).
The valve starts to open at 3500rpm and (would estimate) is fully open by around 4000rpm, you cannot "feel" a step in power or anything (Its not like a Civic hitting second set of cams
) you just feel it is more sporty sounding and and it wants to go!, I am sure the Stage 2 remap and Intake system will allow it to achieve more as currently its running stock VW map and is not set up for the new exhaust yet!.
As for wanting the sound all the time, well ETTO on that, but when i'm Pootling around I did not want a "sporty/raspy/loud" exhaust as where I live there are way too many "Stick wavers" for that (Old people), I can cruise past them and not one stick is waved at me angrily (as dont forget the roads belong to old people
) but when I am away from the villages on open roads I can enjoy myself a bit and let the exhaust do its thing.
That is what I wanted and what I got, had I wanted sporty all the time I would probably have gone for the BCS "Sport" system, but after making clear to Nige and Dave that at 39 I considered myself to be beyond wanting a constantly sporty sound (for above reasons) it was decided I would go with the new tech.