Audi R8 Forums banner

Exhaust- valved vs non valved

22K views 40 replies 20 participants last post by  aquarianuw 
#1 ·
Trying to decide valved vs non valved. For those people with valved exhaust, do you switch it on or off, or do you leave it open most of the time. Opposite question for the non valved people, do you wish it was valved. Fabspeed exhaust looks nice and reasonable price. So many choices and hard to hear any of them live, since so few r8's around.
 
#3 ·
in retrospect, I would have got a valved exhaust.
 
#4 ·
Had Stasis non valved on my V8 and now Tubi Rumore non valved on my V10, have not regretted going non valved for a second. Only time it's a bit to loud is on cold startup and makes it a little worse that my garage is under bedrooms. Takes less than 30 seconds to quite down and if I take it very easy on the gas I can exit my neighborhood without bothering anyone. Only ones it does bother is wife and teen daughter on early morning starts, but I consider it payback since I go to to bed on the early side and they always making noise and waking me up.
 
#8 ·
I opted for a valved setup thinking it would help to keep the car quieter upon cold start. (Yes, I'm one of those who tries to be considerate to my neighbors.) But as I later learned after the fact, in a thread on this forum, the valves can't close anyway on a cold start until enough vacuum pressure has built up. So that kinda defeats the whole purpose of me getting a valved system in the first place.

Just like RS4Cab stated: "Takes less than 30 seconds to quite down and if I take it very easy on the gas I can exit my neighborhood without bothering anyone."

I never close my valves. I enjoy the sound too much and want to enjoy it to its fullest! :cool:

If I had to do it all over again, I would go valveless.
 
#9 ·
Go with the valved. I got a Capristo Xpipe, the open valves sound is awesome... But sometimes you dont want all the atention and to just blend in with the traffic, quiet mood..? And it also seems to have more low end torque with the valves closed... Look at it this way: If you buy a 5000 watt sound sistem will you have it loud ALL the time?
 
#10 ·
+1

I have a valved exhaust from Sportwagen Herrmann (http://www.sportwagen-herrmann.de/) and I usually close the valve for cold starts and drives in town. You simply do not want everybody looking at you all the time (including the police). However, on a quiet mountain pass like Timmelsjoch on a Sunday morning (see pic from last weekend) nothing beats an R8 V8 with an open exhaust (mhh, maybe a R8 V10)...

Land vehicle Car Automotive design Vehicle White
 
#11 ·
Seems like a split decision.
 
#15 ·
RS4Cab: I understand that they do not sound the same. But the Tubi is valveless, pretty loud, and still I find (and so does my wife) it to be just fine for daily driving. What I am asking is: are the systems similar in terms of VOLUME and noise level in the car at idle and cruise?

You see if the valveless Tubi on the RS4 is just fine for driving to work and on trips, and a valveless Fabspeed is similar in volume, then I would go valveless. If it's much more, I will probably opt for valves.

And Thanks!
 
#16 · (Edited)
Yes the RS4 with Tubi was about the same in loudness terms, I never had a problem with that car being to loud as a daily and had that car back when I was working and left for work around 5am. You really can keep the exhaust tame by keeping off the gas and being in the right gear until you want it to blast. Have/had 2 friends cars with Fabspeed on V10's and it does sound very close to my Tubi and done many runs with them and as for in the car sound the R8 must have great insulation since I need to open windows to hear it better. Quality of Fabspeed is right up there with my Tubi and you can't beat the price. Like I said in the past I had a chance to get one of the first Fabspeed exhausts at an even better introductory price but could not wait the few week lead time since I wanted for my Tail of the Dragon rally I was going on. You should Give Dave at Fabspeed a call, he's a great guy
 
#18 ·
In my mind there is no question - I would go with the valved solution. I have a V10 Spyder and have a X-pipe Capristo valved exhaust mounted. I love the loud sound (as a high performance car should have) most of the time but I really appreciate the silent mode, when driving over greater distances.
 
#23 ·
If you stay at full throttle for more than a few seconds you will be close to 200mph before you know it. I have done a number of rallies where drove triple digit speeds for long periods and never had an issue talking to passenger
 
#24 ·
You honestly should try and have a listen to the different systems if at all possible. There is such a large variance in the loudness and tone of the different exhaust systems available for the R8. Like others have said, if you ever want to just cruise in relative quietness, talk to a passenger, or talk to someone on bluetooth then valved is a must. Some systems, such as the Larini Clubsport I had, are just too loud even with the valves closed to have a decent conversation via bluetooth. Having the Capristo X-Pipe now, it is dead quiet with valves closed and loud enough with them open, though a part of me wishes it were as loud and obnoxious as the Larini with the valves opened. lol
 
#28 ·
You honestly should try and have a listen to the different systems if at all possible. There is such a large variance in the loudness and tone of the different exhaust systems available for the R8. Like others have said, if you ever want to just cruise in relative quietness, talk to a passenger, or talk to someone on bluetooth then valved is a must. Some systems, such as the Larini Clubsport I had, are just too loud even with the valves closed to have a decent conversation via bluetooth. Having the Capristo X-Pipe now, it is dead quiet with valves closed and loud enough with them open, though a part of me wishes it were as loud and obnoxious as the Larini with the valves opened. lol
Wow, that's new!
 
#25 ·
All great points, the problem is finding people who have these exhaust. I go to many cars and coffee and its so rare I see any r8's. Went to this exotic car show in NJ Over 300 exotics. 2 R8's. Sure there were 50 ferraris and 15-20 Lambos, but the R8 is a rare breed. Then you have to hope they have aftermarket exhaust.
 
#29 ·
Like TriBeCa?
 
#32 ·
Has anyone on the R8talk forums ever mentioned their stock valved exhausts getting a stuck/failed valve? They're really simple devices, so I'd be surprised. Internal wastegates on turbos are fairly similar and are subjected to even higher temps, and it's very rare for those to fail.
 
#39 ·
Not the case with the Capristo. If you leave it in normal mode it is only super loud for a few seconds before it quiets down. Unless of course you change it to open valve mode then it will be loud. Very convenient when, for example, you live two hours away from a cars and coffee and need to leave home by 6am on a Saturday morning without waking up the entire neighborhood.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top