OK.

My first dumb-*** question.

Coming from a motorcycling background the first thing one usually does with any bike is replace the exhaust system with a lighter (stainless or titanium) better designed version that releases horsepower and torque and sheds a lot of unwanted weight. Match that up with the intake with free-flowing filters or a modified airbox and re-map the ECU to suit. I've never had a car in my whole life that I would have thought of doing this to but I see that there are many different companies (from small bespoke independents to big brands like Quicksilver) who sell aftermarket exhausts for the XJ series. There are also a host of Supercharger intake pipes which allege to release power and add a bit more aural character to the 'whine'.

I'm not an old age executive who bought this car to drive around in silence and absolute serenity. Neither am I a boy racer who doesn't care about being too loud and annoying the whole neighbourhood. TBO I thought this engine would be a bit louder and throatier - it does seem to be stifled somewhat in standard form.

What is the general openion of Supercharged V8 owners on this subject. Does it split opinions?

What are the accepted brand/makes of exhaust that people recommend the highest for performance/value for money?

Thanks in advance.

 

Hello and I notice you are just up the M6 a bit from me and it looks like you have the same car as me . Tuning mods for these car are either very few and far between and when you do find them the can be a bit expensive. I have the caldoofy intake pipe on mine that gets rid of the octopus thing that lives at the front of the engine. Probably the best bang per buck you can do. Caldoofy does a cat back exhaust that I would like but it is £1300ish. I think he was also working on exhaust manifolds. Mucking about with the cats is a minefield these days with emissions and MOTs. They are a bit subdued but they are a Luxury saloon for wafting about in but I am a bit surprised that the XJR wasn't a bit more sporty sounding. Atleast they dont cheat like Audi and have the v8 roar come via the sound system, yes you can turn it off. My mate does that on his so his missus doesn't know how fast he is going lol. Many exhausts just add noise and on a long drive the noise can be a bit irritating. ECU upgrades are a nightmare as well. It seems we have an odd ecu people don't want to bother with as they are a pain in the bum to work on. Having said that I think I read that there is a place in Blackpool that does them.

I caught a brief look at some bother state side with modified cars and the EPA handing out massive fines to owners and companies, I need to check up on that.

 

Hi Joe, thanks for the quick reply.

As I was researching this car I discovered the Caldoofy intake and it seemed to be a popular mod - especially in the States. So I actually tracked him down and his parts are on eBay now so I ordered one yesterday. I think there's a month or so lead-time so I will wait and see what it's like in terms of performance and a bit more supercharger sound. I guess one could also take off the sound-dampening top plastic cover to the Supercharger as I have seen a lot of images/videos of this engine with just the cast part of the engine remaining.

There do seem to be quite a few companies that offer a custom map for this car - you can add a deep growl or a 'burble' or even popping on the over run. But all that sounds like gratuitous nonesence to me. I just want to release any additional horsepower and have a slightly more authentic, unrestricted exhaust note. Don't want to get deafened either though - bought this car for a bit of luxury on long journeys, not as a noisy muscle-car. Understated power is what I'm after.