blujein

Here it is, mate: Car (New Exhaust Note).m4a.

Leave it with me, mate - I'll see what I can do when I get home from work.

Well, after I went to pick the car up yesterday, the guy who was doing the work said we'd had a change of plans. He said that what he was going to do had really already been done to the car (as standard), and as the parts are all good quality, he didn't want to unnecessarily replace them. Instead, he replaced the mufflers with hot-dogs and said "you could throw a tennis ball up the pipe and it'd come straight back down to you". The car definitely sounds deeper - it's exactly what I was looking for. It has a fantastic rumble on idle, and a great note as you put down the power. Given it cost me two parts of F-all, I couldn't be happier.

So, I have an update! The car goes in today to have a 3.5" V8 over-axle cat-back system installed. I assume that makes sense, but I'm going to get all the details when I take the car in.

Thanks for the advice, mate! Much appreciated.

Okay, thanks for the tip. Also, can anyone tell me exactly what the specifications of the exhaust system are in the car as they come from the factory?

Sorry - that was my mistake. He said it would be an "improvement", not a "performance increase".

I've got a brand new Ford Falcon FG XR6 Turbo (purchased a little over two months ago), and I'm interested in having the exhaust system upgraded. I'm still waiting on the specifications from the company who I'd have do the upgrade (owned by a mate). He's suggested that what he'd start with would be to install a system with a nicer note and improved performance by about 10%. It was a quick conversation, so I couldn't get anymore specific details than that just yet. All in all, he said it would typically cost around the $700.00 mark, with a view to doing more once the car has passed the 20,000km mark (it's only just done 2,400km). Anyway, my question is...given how new my car still is, is there any real reason why I shouldn't be looking at an upgrade so early on? Also, is there anything I should be asking, or be aware of when upgrading? All I want to achieve is to get a nicer note - something a bit more noticeable. If it comes with a bit more grunt as well, that'd be good. Any advice would be appreciated!

Now that is awesome!

It is strange, that's for sure. I'm not as worried about it now as I was at the beginning, but it's still interesting.

The coupe is awful, but the wagon is pretty groovy! I'd love to see something like that go in to production.

When I start the car, it initially sits around the 4.5 litre mark - once I put it in to reverse it bumps to about the 6.5 mark. However, this varies a bit, and I can't see a pattern with the shuddering and what it's showing me on the screen - not with the numbers, anyway. Once the display stabilizes, though, so does the car.

Ha-ha-ha! Apparently not!

Your sarcasm aside, the 50th anniversary of something this iconic is important, and does actually warrant something special.

I must be doing something wrong because everytime I use the ol' newspaper and Windex method I end-up with little bits of newspaper all over my glass.

Sorry mate, what do you mean, exactly? I've got that reading on the display as standard, but what should I be looking at?

I've also found that using a small microfiber cloth (like you get with sunglasses) does a good job of getting the dash dust-free without having to use any chemicals, or those waste-of-many purpose cloths.

I understand it's not really a celebration for Ford Performance Vehicles, but it's a good opportunity to something with a GTHO. Wishful thinking, I know.

Does anyone know whether Ford Performance Vehicles are building something to coincide with the 50th anniversary?

It's definitely worse when the car goes straight in to reverse, but it does do it if it's put straight in to drive as well - just not as badly.

Not a fan of the rendering of the 50th Anniversary XR6. The wheels, badging and stripe do nothing for me...look like serious after-thoughts.

Mine isn't shuddering when it's idling - only just when it's started. It's completely still and quiet when idling.

So, I ended-up taking the car in for an early check-up (at 700km), and sure enough, my paranoia was justified. The dealer found a lose hose that not only explained the whistling I was hearing, but the "sluggish" performance of the car (something I'd only started to notice a day or two before it went back in to the dealer). Now just to deal with the shudder...

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you guys. So, I took my car in for an early check-up (at 700km). The dealer (John McGrath Ford Mitchell) said that the shudder was normal. They didn't give much of an explanation, apart from that it's just "one of those things" and that it was not something to worry about. They did, however, link it to the car being cold, which makes sense to me in that now that's getting much colder (here in Canberra), the car is shuddering harder each morning. When I turn it on of a morning, it shakes relatively violently for six seconds (like clock-work) and then settles down. No problems otherwise. I'm still not particularly happy about it, though, so it is something I'll get them to look at closer when it comes time for its first scheduled service at 3,000km.