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Can the EP3 be made to pop like a modern car?

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49
Hi all!

I am aware that the EP3 is in no way comparable to most modern cars, however I am a beginner when it comes to exhausts and I'd like to understand the phenomenon of pops, and how to manipulate it, if possible.

I've had the luck of experiencing several modern performance cars (mostly talking about hot hatches) and I really grew to love the sound some of them make with quiet, but deep and raspy exhaust notes with a few pops and gurgles between shifts. Do they achieve this by retarding the timing (and other mapping tricks) or is this the effect of the exhaust system itself (thinking of pulsing exhaust waves and other airflow characteristics or maybe the presence of a turbo)?

My car currently has a stock intake and exhaust system, since I do a lot of highway driving, I want it to be nice and quiet.
I would only start to mod it, if I was certain I could achieve something that is quiet at highway speeds but has a nice tone on the top-end with a hint of pops (new Megane RS comes to mind, again, I am aware the cars are in no way comparable, just as an example of the end result I am looking for).

Do you think it is possible to build such a system, either way, please grant me some insight into the world of exhausts and their workings on our cars.

Thanks!
 
If you're after quiet, but with a nice tone overall then one of the JASMA certified exhausts like the ones made by Fujitsubo or similar would do.

I think you could probably have a pops & bangs map done, but I don't think it's hugely healthy. You'd have to have a map which runs a lean fuel mix when you lift off the throttle and retards the ignition so you get a little bit of a burn in the exhaust manifold (rather than the standard practise of shutting off fuelling altogether). If you don't have one too extreme done then it might not be so bad. Anything significant results basically in fuel burning in the manifold and some pretty high temps heading to the cat (and possibly even a slightly higher exhaust product - unburnt hydrocarbons, nitrous oxides from the lean mix, etc.).
 
If you're after quiet, but with a nice tone overall then one of the JASMA certified exhausts like the ones made by Fujitsubo or similar would do.

I think you could probably have a pops & bangs map done, but I don't think it's hugely healthy. You'd have to have a map which runs a lean fuel mix when you lift off the throttle and retards the ignition so you get a little bit of a burn in the exhaust manifold (rather than the standard practise of shutting off fuelling altogether). If you don't have one too extreme done then it might not be so bad. Anything significant results basically in fuel burning in the manifold and some pretty high temps heading to the cat (and possibly even a slightly higher exhaust product - unburnt hydrocarbons, nitrous oxides from the lean mix, etc.).

You can have pops and bangs map using k100 ect, advantage is you can turn it on and off when you want unlike most modern hot hatches these days that pop and bang every time you lift off the throttle.
 
A turbo would fix this and give you what you want. And you could still retain a quiet exhaust. Saying that the turbo itself acts as a good sound suppresor - the downside is the cost!
 
Pretty sure the map for a turbo would still need to throw a little fuel in at overrun, and retard the timing so it doesn't burn until it reaches the exhaust. Plus, if you're doing it just for the noise then that's one hell of an investment :)
 
I think you mean rich, rather than lean, right? As I understand it’s the extra fuel causing the pops and bangs rather than the lack thereof.
 
Yeah basically unburnt fuel is forced into the exhaust which then ignites and causes the pops etc. Most likely not good for 19 year old catalytic converters.
 
I think you mean rich, rather than lean, right? As I understand it’s the extra fuel causing the pops and bangs rather than the lack thereof.

Normally, when you slack off the pedal, the ECU knows it doesn't need to inject anything and shuts it off. With a pops and bangs map it does two things. 1. the injectors run a lean mix, 2. the ignition timing is retarded, massively. This means you have fuel enter the cylinder and gets burnt late, generally late enough for the still-burning (or not yet fully ignited) fuel to enter the exhaust manifold.

So I guess it's not that it's adding extra fuel, but that it's adding any at all. If it were running rich then there wouldn't be enough air to cause the extra fuel to ignite.

I'm pretty sure this is the kind of thing that a turbo anti-lag system uses, cause the ignition to occur away from the cylinders (allowing the revs to drop) but keep the exhaust pressure high.
 
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I'd rather have a car running at it's best than some tedious backfiring noise :) There's a Cooper s near me that sounds like a firework display :D
 
There’s an evo 8 near us that sounds like a machine gun, I think it’s decat so the only thing getting knackered is exhaust gaskets :lol:
 
Thank you for all the replies, I got a lot of answers.

The presence of the nice little pops on the modern cars I've heard probably do have something to do with an anti-lag system or the turbo itself, after your suggestions.

I definitely don't want any loud bangs and flames with a map, especially not done to a 15 year old engine and exhaust system. I quite like the stock sound of the car, but will continue looking into some other quiet exhaust options, a lot of people seem to suggest a new b pipe with the OEM muffler.
 
Normally, when you slack off the pedal, the ECU knows it doesn't need to inject anything and shuts it off. With a pops and bangs map it does two things. 1. the injectors run a lean mix, 2. the ignition timing is retarded, massively. This means you have fuel enter the cylinder and gets burnt late, generally late enough for the still-burning (or not yet fully ignited) fuel to enter the exhaust manifold.

So I guess it's not that it's adding extra fuel, but that it's adding any at all. If it were running rich then there wouldn't be enough air to cause the extra fuel to ignite.

I'm pretty sure this is the kind of thing that a turbo anti-lag system uses, cause the ignition to occur away from the cylinders (allowing the revs to drop) but keep the exhaust pressure high.

Interesting. Cheers for that, every day’s a school day! Sounds thoroughly awful for the engine!
 
Aren’t pop and bang maps only allowed on Focus ST’s :lol:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
My 2.5t ST used to pop loudly, I put it down to the aftermarket dump valve. Pedestrians jumped, it was embarrassing.
 
I've got a pops and bangs map on my FN2.

One side effect:
fab48391a146aa6ca3cd7ac9ee7c74a7.jpg


:oops:
 
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