Options to quieten down my Xforce exhaust....

[_ISF]

Hi all,

After having my Xforce exhaust installed since late last year, i have started to become a bit annoyed at the loudness at times. Don't get me wrong, it sounds great when you floor the throttle, but i would like to have it a bit quieter when i have my wife and daughter in the car and / or when coming home late at night etc. It also seems like it has become louder in the past few months - im beginning to wonder if the crap graphite gaskets xforce provide with the exhaust are leaking (new multi layer stainless steel gaskets have been ordered to replace them just in case).

Naturally it would have made sense to have purchased the Varex version of the exhaust, but i had to wait about 3 months just to get the normal one and it was going to take longer to get a Varex.

So.....im looking into options to try and quieten it down around 30-50% roughly. Im considering the following options:

1) Install 2x extra resonators up near where the secondary cats were in the stock exhaust. About $400-500 for good quality stainless resonators like Magnaflow or AdrenalinR)
2) Get 2x larger bodied (and no doubt better quality) Magnaflow (or custom made) mufflers to replace the xforce rear mufflers. Around $700-900 for this option.
3) Purchase 2x Varex mufflers (around $900 for 2x mufflers plus the remote controller) which i can install myself (bolt on) and then sell my existing mufflers. This is the most expensive option but may have the best result...my only concern is that the motors that control the valve in the exhaust are apparently pretty crap quality.

Had anyone on here been in a similar predicament? What did you choose and were you happy with the result?
 

 

[BLK ISF]

Hi mate, regarding #3.  I have a Xforce with Varex mufflers.   At the point of purchase it was about $400 from memory between non and varex mufflers.  I assume for the extra $500 they are selling the bluetooth module that allows remote control via your phone.

To keep costs down, do they offer the non bluetooth module still (this is what i have, remote control only) unless you dont mind paying for it.

I have headers now and its much louder vs the Xforce alone, even with the Varex, its hard to keep it quiet but thats a different story lol.

To be honest, im mixed on the varex and its because of the actual motors on the mufflers.  When they work its great but ive gone through a few now (as per pics i now have backups).  

Xforce head office has been great in replacing them under warranty etc but last time they were busy so the fitter gave me a new one and i got the old one to actually work.  The stepping motor is very strong and it can open to any increment its not a open/close position.  i.e. You can open it with the remote so you need to hold it for a few seconds otherwise its not 100% open or closed.  This means holding it down too long puts stress on the gear as it keeps going and eventually pops out of sync (what happened to me) so unless some kind of timer can be added or delay so you press it and it is 100% open or close, these motors will eventually go (read other similar stories too).  I guess via the phone (bluetooth), you will bypass this issue.

For this reason, i dont open/close it as often as i did as i know one day it probably will stop working again.  Ive had my Xforce for about 2.5 yrs now and its happened twice.  Now that i know the issue (wasnt sure why it was failing before and the installer didnt know either), perhaps it will last longer this time as im cautious of pressing the buttons for too long

 

[_ISF]

Hi mate - thanks for your reply. Yes one of my worries with the Varex option is the general feedback from owners having issues with the motors not being reliable. Good to hear that xforce are giving you replacement motors free of charge - but still annoying for you no doubt. From what i understand, they are just an automotive electric window motor - so should be very reliable. Im wondering if a combination of the exhaust heat, water and the issue you mention with people holding the button down too long ruins them prematurely??

The Bluetooth functionality would be good (although a bit gimmicky) but it is approx $500 which is just a bit silly in my opinion.

I think i will go see my regular exhaust guy next week and put the car up on the hoist too see what my realistic options are in terms of what will physically fit under the car without compromising ground clearance. I think i will end up replacing the rear mufflers completely with a larger bodied unit (and while im at it i will use mufflers which have twin tips so it looks a bit better than the current xforce single tip)

[BLK ISF]

Not sure about being an electric window motor but i know when my mate was testing it for me, you literally could not hold it stead in your hand, the flex was that strong so knowing that it doesnt stop when you depress the button, its easy to understand how it it can unalignn itself.

To be honest i doubt heat, water plays a part.  Not as much now, but i was pressing it daily opening/closing as i leave early to work etc.  I know mine played up when i held the button down too long.  OCD in me not being sure of making sure it was always 100% open or closed vs half way.  Beyond that it hasnt failed any my car is daily driven so im confident heat/water isnt an issue.

I only thought about the bluetooth option as you press a preset meaning you cant over press it.  Flip side is that you are using your phone more whilst driving which isnt that bright, especially now they are really coming down on that.  Overpriced option though, cool as party trick but ill stick with my good ol fashion remotes for now lol

[_ISF]

Well i had the day off today and got a wheel alignment and then went to my exhaust guy (Premier Exhaust for anyone in Newcastle - he is great) and we put the car up on the hoist to have a look. He has a BRZ in the workshop that they are doing an LS3 conversion on.....damn that will be a fun car. 

Discussed some options such as adding 2x extra resonators or swapping out the rear mufflers. I decided to ditch the rear xforce mufflers and my options were 2x stainless steel 2.5" Magnaflow or 2x custom made mufflers (which could have a chamber inside to muffle the sound more, filled with stainless packing and also allow me to have twin tail pipes). The custom mufflers are going to cost about $100 more each over the Magnaflows but it's worth it to me as they will fit perfectly, and have several other things i wanted (twin tips etc). So they have been ordered and will be 2-3 weeks apparently. Will update with pics later.

Then i came home and gutted my primary cats.....she sounds a bit dirty now (more like a C63 AMG sound). And then within 10 mins of driving i got a CEL for cat efficiency so i installed my RR Racing O2 conditioner device - so far so good.

[_ISF]

Well it has felt like an eternity - but my custom rear mufflers are now ready and will be getting fitted to the car tomorrow along with 2x Magnaflow 200cel metallic cats and opening up the lower stock manifold flange from the standard 2" to 2.5-2.75" to allow for more flow.

I have done a before video of how the car sounds now (Xforce exhaust and gutted primary cats in the stock manifolds - see video below) and will do another one in a few weeks time after the new mufflers have been worn in. The current setup sounds great from outside (and from inside when you are on it) but is very loud and droney when under load (eg going up a hill or accelerating) during normal driving conditions which is what has been annoying me. Both my wife and i are a bit fed up with the loudness and drone.

 

[Peterkay]

Your problem of drone lies in the gutted cats. If you have knocked the honey combe out of the manifold that is where your drone issue is. I went with the xforce system 1st, no drone. I then opened the manifold flange to 3 in tappered down to 2.5 inch and still no drone. And now better still now we`ve cut the manifolds above the cats & fitted 2.5inch stainless 100cell cats & still no drone, a good deal more power but no drone. Knocking the guts out of those primaries is not the way to go. I chose the way i did mine because when you look at the shape of the lower section it bellows out for the cat. Take the honey combe out & the noise from there would be droney. Hope this helps.

 

[_ISF]

12 hours ago, Peterkay said:

Your problem of drone lies in the gutted cats. If you have knocked the honey combe out of the manifold that is where your drone issue is. I went with the xforce system 1st, no drone. I then opened the manifold flange to 3 in tappered down to 2.5 inch and still no drone. And now better still now we`ve cut the manifolds above the cats & fitted 2.5inch stainless 100cell cats & still no drone, a good deal more power but no drone. Knocking the guts out of those primaries is not the way to go. I chose the way i did mine because when you look at the shape of the lower section it bellows out for the cat. Take the honey combe out & the noise from there would be droney. Hope this helps.

 

The drone and general loudness was there before i gutted the cats (ive had the xforce exhaust installed since around October 2017, but i only gutted the cats 2 months ago) but it did get a bit louder (and stinky) and more droney once i gutted the cats - so what you say does make sense. The gutted cats have added to the volume and drone.

I dropped the car off this morning so its in Brendan @ Premier Exhaust's hands now, but it will certainly be quieter with larger baffled mufflers on the rear (with better quality sound absorption material) and the 2x new hi flow cats. How much difference opening up the manifold flange will make i dont know - it may help reduce the drone as it will flow better.

I did ask my exhaust guy about cutting the cats off the manifolds and he had concerns about how hard it would be to get in there with tools / welder etc to do the work given how tight is is in there - so we decided to basically copy what Sparky did in this thread which gave good results (13kw atw):  http://au.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/13613-isf-aus-custom-dyno-tuned-done/

[18ADF]

On 7/11/2018 at 1:29 PM, _ISF said:

Well it has felt like an eternity - but my custom rear mufflers are now ready and will be getting fitted to the car tomorrow along with 2x Magnaflow 200cel metallic cats and opening up the lower stock manifold flange from the standard 2" to 2.5-2.75" to allow for more flow.

I have done a before video of how the car sounds now (Xforce exhaust and gutted primary cats in the stock manifolds - see video below) and will do another one in a few weeks time after the new mufflers have been worn in. The current setup sounds great from outside (and from inside when you are on it) but is very loud and droney when under load (eg going up a hill or accelerating) during normal driving conditions which is what has been annoying me. Both my wife and i are a bit fed up with the loudness and drone.

 

Sounds like you have belt slip in that vid 

[_ISF]

1 hour ago, 18ADF said:

Sounds like you have belt slip in that vid 

Yes i do - annoys the crap out of me and is on my to do list.

[_ISF]

Well.....after a looooong wait (2.5 months when i was initially told 2-3 weeks) i got the following done yesterday:

- OEM exhaust manifold lower flanges opened up to 2.5" to increase flow
- 2x 2.5" stainless steel cats welded into the mid pipe
- 2x 2.5" chambered mufflers on the rear to replace the xforce mufflers

I am pretty happy with the manifold flange work and the cats - but the custom mufflers which i have waited for what seems like an eternity are a huge disappointment and as far as im concerned, a total waste of money at this stage. The cost for the work listed above was considerable (in my eyes anyway) so i am pretty disappointed overall. The quality of work that the shop has done is also lower than what they have done for me before on other cars (i have used this shop for a number of years with 3 or 4 different cars) which further adds to my disappointment.

Sound wise, the new mufflers are perhaps 10-15% quieter than the xforce mufflers, but no where near as quiet as what i was hoping for (i want 40-50% quieter). Still very loud inside the car at low throttle inputs and when backing off and slowing down for a traffic light etc (also considerable drone between 1,500-2,000rpm). Sounds nice when you put your foot down, but for 95% of my driving which is under 3,000rpm they are far too loud still.

Looks wise - they look ridiculous. They are a tiny 8"x3" oval body (considerably smaller than the xforce ones) so when you look at the back of the car through the exhaust tips you can see past them and see the road/suspension etc. I thought what i was getting was a nice big muffler (similar to the Borla mufflers on their ISF exhaust) which was going to make full use of the space under the car and give me as much reduction in sound as possible. Currently talking to the exhaust shop about what we can do here - he has admitted that the mufflers were smaller than what he was expecting so he is going to speak to the guy who makes them for him to see what can be done. Either way, these mufflers will not be on the car for any longer than absolutely necessary as i hate them.

Rant over - annoyed and disappointed (and now poor) IS-F owner.

[BCHLER]

Mate sorry to hear this!

i would say bite the bullet sell it and start again but it will be tough to sell a butchered up exhaust like that.

not point in trying to polish up a turd. If you hate it scrap it. Again unfortunate.

how much was it for the mufflers, the hi flow cats and the flange work?

any pics to help describe what you’re talking about?

[_ISF]

On 7/14/2018 at 11:10 AM, BCHLER said:

Mate sorry to hear this!

i would say bite the bullet sell it and start again but it will be tough to sell a butchered up exhaust like that.

not point in trying to polish up a turd. If you hate it scrap it. Again unfortunate.

how much was it for the mufflers, the hi flow cats and the flange work?

any pics to help describe what you’re talking about?

Yes i will get some pics and upload over the next few days. Cost me $2.1k for the custom mufflers ($900 for 2x mufflers), $550 for the 2x stainless steel cats, and $550 for the flange work, and then 4x new flanges (all prices include labour as there was no itemized labour cost on the invoice). Was more expensive than what i was expecting it to be (i was hoping for $1.2-1.5k) and i was also expecting everything to be stainless tig welded as i always get but they were not, so they have been mig welded and then painted where the welding is to prevent rust. I have had such good work done here previously on other cars by the same guy that i really don't know what has happened this time around - i suspect he was rushing (even though i told him not to worry if he needed to keep the car overnight, as long as it wasn't left outside).

I have been looking at buying these mufflers to replace the *BLEEP*ty custom ones which i was led to believe would be the ducks nuts. http://www.adrenalinr.com/productdetail.php?productID=582 I have used these AdrenalinR mufflers (which are made in New Zealand) on previous cars and they are mint - beautifully made and really high quality. I have been given a quote for this twin muffler combo incl postage to Australia for $970. These AdrenalinR mufflers were what i was going to buy from the start but was talked into the custom mufflers by the exhaust shop. With some luck, either the exhaust shop or the guy who made the customer mufflers will accept a return and refund and that will fund the cost of the much larger and no doubt better quality AdrenalinR muffers.

[Babalouie]

As a cheaper option, can you get a low cost chambered muffler, like a Redback or Genie installed, just as a point of comparison?

I had a turbo rotary, which was unbearably loud with straight-through mufflers, and even a Magnaflow offset muffler (that was 1/2 an in smaller in diameter) was too loud.  But just a generic chambered muffler cut down the drone dramatically.

Say, something like this? https://www.exhaustshop.com.au/universal-mufflers/10-x-4-oval--14-long-o-c-2-1-2-glass-packed-chambered-f727gpc-8170?mfp=23-muffler-system[Chambered]

It's the same length as the huge stock muffler, and just a bit narrower

[Peterkay]

ISF man sorry to say but all those prices you have quoted are a fkn rort. My flange work cost me $250.00. My stainless 100cell cats $300.00 for the pair. $900.00 for 2 mufflers WTF. There must be gold in all of those bits.  

In hindsight if you were concerned about excessive noise, you should have tampered with the stock exhaust until you achieved the sound you were after.

Any time you fit an aftermarket exhaust system with the intent of a power increase there is no quite, more so the sound and the power increase.

Quite is the stock exhaust fitted to your car.

Don`t waste any more of your hard earned money. I feel for you ya poor bugger . You have been ill informed. 

Sorry mate that was my rant too 🤬🤬🤬

 

[BLK ISF]

Man sorry to hear all the drama youve had.  Nothing worse when you dont have anything to show for all the time and $$ invested.

Whilst not cheap i think the prices you paid are about right, the others must be quoting QLD prices vs Sydney which is a ripoff i admit.  I paid about $500ish for the flange mod and custom mufflers a touch pricey but Sydney prices.  The new Varex mufflers are $400 each

If you say the majority of your driving is around or below 3k, it sounds like you cruise more in it vs hooning around.  In that case, have you considered, just having a usual catback exhaust (Joe Z, Xforce whatever) but with Varex mufflers.  It has the electronic valve which you can either close or keep partially open and when you want to floor it, open it up.

I have had some issues with my Varex's and actually heading back to the Xforce headoffice in a few weeks and they are installing/replacing a new muffler for me.  When closed i found it quieter than stock but open, im sure you know the sound

Spend a bit more and you can get the bluetooth module vs remotes which i have.  With this you can set it to open various ways including by throttle so when you floor it, it automatically opens up.  There is an escape for the airflow so its never truly 100% closed but i believe its not good to floor it constantly whilst closed but for cruising it would be fine.

Ps Nothing is cheap when it comes to our cars.  Even the PPE's i paid about 2.7k.  Ok they are piece of art (not Novel standards but still good).  I remember paying about $500 for my WRX headers but hey, it sounds great, performs great so its the price we pay i suppose lol

[_ISF]

On 7/16/2018 at 5:20 PM, Babalouie said:

As a cheaper option, can you get a low cost chambered muffler, like a Redback or Genie installed, just as a point of comparison?

I had a turbo rotary, which was unbearably loud with straight-through mufflers, and even a Magnaflow offset muffler (that was 1/2 an in smaller in diameter) was too loud.  But just a generic chambered muffler cut down the drone dramatically.

Say, something like this? https://www.exhaustshop.com.au/universal-mufflers/10-x-4-oval--14-long-o-c-2-1-2-glass-packed-chambered-f727gpc-8170?mfp=23-muffler-system[Chambered]

It's the same length as the huge stock muffler, and just a bit narrower

Thanks for the info but im going to stick with high quality stainless steel mufflers to give me a consistent good noise and a good look (i have neither of those at the moment). I have got pricing for custom mufflers from both AdrenalinR (9" x 5.5" body and 13" long) and Reaper Engineering (8" x 6.5" body and 13" long). The Adrenalin R are more expensive, but part of that reason is because i have to pay for shipping from NZ to Aust but i am more interested in these as i have used them before and they are also chambered for noise reduction. The Reaper Engineering mufflers also look very nice but they are a straight through design so they will be louder than the AdrenalinR.

Funnily enough, both these custom muffler brands are cheaper, look far better and are much bigger than the custom mufflers i got through my exhaust shop.

 

On 7/16/2018 at 5:52 PM, Peterkay said:

ISF man sorry to say but all those prices you have quoted are a fkn rort. My flange work cost me $250.00. My stainless 100cell cats $300.00 for the pair. $900.00 for 2 mufflers WTF. There must be gold in all of those bits.  

In hindsight if you were concerned about excessive noise, you should have tampered with the stock exhaust until you achieved the sound you were after.

Any time you fit an aftermarket exhaust system with the intent of a power increase there is no quite, more so the sound and the power increase.

Quite is the stock exhaust fitted to your car.

Don`t waste any more of your hard earned money. I feel for you ya poor bugger . You have been ill informed. 

Sorry mate that was my rant too 🤬🤬🤬

 

Yes everything was more expensive than what i was expecting it to be and took me by surprise - but it is what it is and it is done now. If i can get a refund/return for the dodgy mufflers i was supplied (which in no way, shape or form match what i asked for) it will go a long way to making me happy again.

I rang my exhaust guy on Tuesday to see if he had any response from his guy who makes the mufflers....nothing (the muffler guy has been absolutely useless during this entire process so im not surprised). I cant really blame my exhaust guy because he is piggy in the middle, but he has got one frustrated customer who is getting more impatient by the day.

On 7/17/2018 at 10:30 PM, BLK ISF said:

Man sorry to hear all the drama youve had.  Nothing worse when you dont have anything to show for all the time and $$ invested.

Whilst not cheap i think the prices you paid are about right, the others must be quoting QLD prices vs Sydney which is a ripoff i admit.  I paid about $500ish for the flange mod and custom mufflers a touch pricey but Sydney prices.  The new Varex mufflers are $400 each

If you say the majority of your driving is around or below 3k, it sounds like you cruise more in it vs hooning around.  In that case, have you considered, just having a usual catback exhaust (Joe Z, Xforce whatever) but with Varex mufflers.  It has the electronic valve which you can either close or keep partially open and when you want to floor it, open it up.

I have had some issues with my Varex's and actually heading back to the Xforce headoffice in a few weeks and they are installing/replacing a new muffler for me.  When closed i found it quieter than stock but open, im sure you know the sound

Spend a bit more and you can get the bluetooth module vs remotes which i have.  With this you can set it to open various ways including by throttle so when you floor it, it automatically opens up.  There is an escape for the airflow so its never truly 100% closed but i believe its not good to floor it constantly whilst closed but for cruising it would be fine.

Ps Nothing is cheap when it comes to our cars.  Even the PPE's i paid about 2.7k.  Ok they are piece of art (not Novel standards but still good).  I remember paying about $500 for my WRX headers but hey, it sounds great, performs great so its the price we pay i suppose lol

I certainly did consider the Varex mufflers and we spoke about them earlier in this thread. My main reasoning for not choosing with the Varex is the general unreliability of the Varex motor/mechanism - and it seems you have experienced this multiple times yourself. Also, when the Varex flap is closed, i do not like how it sounds. The other reason is that with the custom rear mufflers i wanted to get away from how the mufflers are mounted on an angle - i want them to be flat (yes i am fussy)

[BLK ISF]

On 7/19/2018 at 11:34 AM, _ISF said:

I certainly did consider the Varex mufflers and we spoke about them earlier in this thread. My main reasoning for not choosing with the Varex is the general unreliability of the Varex motor/mechanism - and it seems you have experienced this multiple times yourself. Also, when the Varex flap is closed, i do not like how it sounds. The other reason is that with the custom rear mufflers i wanted to get away from how the mufflers are mounted on an angle - i want them to be flat (yes i am fussy)

Yep over the 3 yrs or so its happened about 3 times from memory, cant deny that.  Fortunately i have it opened most of the time so it hasnt annoyed me as much as your current situation.  To Xforce's credit, they have always stepped up in trying to fix the situation (generally replacing the varex motors) but currently my drivers side one is not working.  Strangely enough its always the drivers side muffler motors playing up so they suspect maybe something to do with muffler itself straining all of the replacement motors.  Anyway i expressed my disappointment and they are replacing the entire muffler for me so im happy for now.  

Withing the fortnight ill get this done and hopefully ill be able to close the mufflers again on demand

I hope you are closer to resolving your messy situation, good luck.

[_ISF]

Finally i got the result i wanted with the exhaust. I am yet to take any photos or videos but i will update when i do. Car went back in on Friday to have the 3 week old custom mufflers removed and new mufflers fitted. The new mufflers are much larger 10" x 5" and 14" long with the internal chamber to quieten the noise down. The mufflers have also been mounted flat rather than on a tilt angle like the xforce and JoeZ mufflers are. The car now is much quieter (still louder than stock but much quieter than the Xforce mufflers), no more drone, and the replacement mufflers actually look good under the back of the car.

The place that made the custom mufflers agreed they sent the wrong ones and replaced them at no cost. And kudos to my muffler shop who fitted them at no cost.

[BLK ISF]

Good to hear it worked out well for you in the end without hitting up your wallet again.

I went to Xforce H/O during the week and they assessed my situation.  Deemed the muffler had some kind of restriction most likely causing the valve motors to play up so they changed the entire muffler over.

Whilst annoying having to make time, i cant deny Xforce has been more than helpful to resolve my issues without fobbing me off etc.  Forgot what it sounded like with the 2 valves closed, makes quite a big difference.  Very quiet but of course open again and its as loud as we all know headers can be.

When i have had issues with valve getting stuck, its always been the drivers side, never passenger so hoping the muffler change will stop that and i have no further issues.

 

[_ISF]

Updating this thread in case someone else finds themselves in the same situation. I've had some custom rear mufflers (Dimensions: 10x4x14") fitted to my IS-F for around 5 months now - and although they did reduce the overall sound a bit (perhaps 15%) over the xforce mufflers that i previously had fitted (Dimensions: 8x5x13"), i still want to be able to shut the car up even further sometimes if its late at night, or if im giving a family member a lift, or if im just not wanting to hear the exhaust as much on a particular day. 

So after looking at Reaper, Adrenalin, Magnaflow, etc etc mufflers, as well as other mufflers Xforce offer, i decided to go with some Xforce Varex mufflers (which in hindsight i probably should have just done the first time around instead of getting the custom mufflers). I went with the VMK40-250 mufflers which are a larger bodied 10x6x15" muffler - so even when the valve is open these mufflers should be quieter than what i have now. And with the valve closed, i should be able to give a work colleague or a family member a lift without being embarrassed about how loud the exhaust is.

I was a little concerned that these new Xforce mufflers would not physically fit under the car, given that they are quite a large body and also because the Varex motor is mounted on the side of the muffler (making it even wider), but on the weekend i removed the current mufflers and mock fitted the new Xforce mufflers and yes they will fit nicely in there - the only issue is that some of the pipework leading from the diff to the mufflers will need to be extended and the flanges need to be cut off and re welded.

So ill get these new mufflers installed in the next few weeks and will update on how the look and sound.

http://www.xforce.com.au/xforce-products/varex-for-a-with-a-varex-universal-oval-6-inchx10-inch-15-inch-body-length-25-inch-flanged-inlet-25-inch-single-wall-outlet-side-mounted-motor/productnr-VMK40-250/cid-/vid-

[BLK ISF]

Good luck.  Cant recall what Varex ones i have installed on mine.  After they changed one of my mufflers due to motors playing up on the Varex, its been working great ever since.  So that was my issue from day one.  I use the remotes more often now to keep it quiet (wife hates it), leaving early morning etc.  Naturally as im in the car alone most of the time it stays open over 90% of the time lol.

Curious, are you going for the remote setup or bluetooth module to control it via phone?  

Mine closed even with headers is very quiet.  When i only had the exhaust (no headers) it was as quiet as stock

[_ISF]

Good to hear you got yours sorted BLK ISF - that must have been a bit annoying, but good to hear xforce kept supplying motors and eventually replaced the muffler for you.

For now, i just purchased the remote control setup with the wiring harness for the twin mufflers. If i like the sound of the mufflers then i will probably buy the bluetooth smart box as this gives a much greater level of control over the volume and how the mufflers operate (i thought it was a gimmick at first but ive seen a few videos and its actually quite a good idea).

With the remote control setup, i was surprised to see that no matter how briefly you press the open/close button on the remote, the valve on the muffler moves its full rotation (completely open / completely closed). I figured it would not move as quickly as that and would allow you to have the valve part-open, but this is not the case. At least with the bluetooth smart box, you can select exactly how much you want the valve to be open, part throttle/full throttle operation, as well as that drone eliminator function, and the GPS function to close the valves as you enter your street is also handy.

[BLK ISF]

Just saw your reply.  With my varex and remote control setup i can definitely partial open the valves.  i.e. From an 100% open/closed state, if i briefly press the remote, it will operate in about 3-4 increments before either fully open/closed.  Of course as its a brief press its no where as accurate as pressing a button for 25%, 50%, 75% etc but still, it can be somewhat controlled.

On the flip side, can you believe the motor on my passenger side has just stopped.  I used the varex last on the weekend and now the passenger muffler is permanently open.

Grrrr.  I though the issue was finally fixed, might have to reconsider singing their praises lol.

All my previous issues was to do with the drivers side muffler/motor.  They ultimately fixed it after replacing the muffler vs motor.  I have had the passenger side muffler with no issue to the motor or muffler since i got it about 3 yrs ago now and then all of a sudden over the last few days its stopped.

I wander who long the other valve exhausts like PPE and the other brands.  Dont thing Armytrix do one for the ISF, could be wrong.

Well when it works its great.  Until now they have always fixed mine under warranty but as its the other side and well past the 12 month warranty, im not sure if they'll come to the party.

[_ISF]

Hopefully a new electric motor will get it up and running again BLK ISF. The workings of the valve is pretty simple, so unless the butterfly valve is damaged (or the shaft is bent/broken) then i cant see what else could go wrong apart from the motor.

I took advantage of the Sparesbox.com.au sale last night and bought the Varex Smart box unit (saved $100 with the sale). The sale finished last night so it was now or never.