Technical Tips from Powermac Products
Exhaust length adjustment
Keeping a good seal between the Muffler and the Header.
Keeping a good seal between the Muffler and the Header pipe is important and as a seal as possible will help performance. The method of attaching the Muffler to the Header pipe with a length of tubing is not ideal. That is the reason we have put every effort into sizing both the inlet to the muffler when manufactured, and the connecting flex pieces so they have a close fit without being too hard to remove (approx. .008mm) and reducing the end that goes in the header to help with the seal there.
Things you can do. Firstly you can align your Muffler so that it points directly at your Header pipe and that the transition from Header to Muffler is as smooth as possible.
Making sure the springs are nice and tight is important so fit new ones if they become loose at all. Remember a loose or leaking joint will hurt performance.
Improved Header Design
Our new Clubman Headers feature an improved flex retainer and new retainer for the springs to attach. These Headers seal much more effectively than the old style and the spring retaining ring holds the springs further away from the flex allowing for easy use of the orange heat proof wrapping that's sold by DPE and Remo racing and is popular these days.
Spring Adapters for AKA approved Mufflers.
These are simple adapters that allow the easy fitment of six retaining springs instead of the usual three. (see elsewhere on this site) They are an inexpensive way of helping reduce leakage between the Muffler and Header pipe, with or without the use of the heat proof tubing.
Flex Spacers
We manufacture a range of exhaust spacers come in lengths of 50mm. through to 170mm. in 5mm. increments.
They are made of polished stainless steel and are reduced at one end for a better fit in the header pipe.
The other end is accurately sized to give a .008mm. clearance with the muffler inlet allowing for a good seal and easy removal when required.
When used with the with the spring adapters and six spring and the heat proof wrapping mentioned above leakage is reduced and performance improved.
Is cleaning your Muffler important?
In response to many Karters questions about the importance of keeping your muffler clean, we recently spent some time at our local track testing the 2 AKA39 Clubman exhausts.
One was Brand new and the other was many race meetings old. It had a visable layer of carbon inside. It weighed approx. 100grams more than the new pipe because of the carbon buildup.
We noted an improvement using the new clean pipe.
It averaged about .1 sec faster and was far more consistant than the older one.
What does this mean for you;
We can only assume you that keeping your pipe clean will help you reduce lap times and make winning races just a little more achievable.
What you can do;
You can drop your exhaust pipe into major engine reconditioners where they will have a 'hot tank' and will get your exhaust perfectly clean for a very small fee.
Keeping your Muffler clean and in good order, paying attention to the seal with the Header pipe and keeping the springs tight will reward you in the long run. |
